Tom Gulitti of NHL.com: Washington Capitals GM Brian MacLellan has said he plans on having preliminary contract extension talks with both Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby in early September.
The Capitals don’t have a Backstrom replacement in their organization. The Caps do have Ilya Samsonov as the future No. 1 goaltender. The question is how far away is the 22-year old?
The Capitals will need to move out some salary as they are currently over the ceiling. MacLellan hasn’t ruled out going with 21 man roster to start the season.