Going into next season, the Washington Capitals blue line might look a bit different. Free agents Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk likely won’t be back. Even Nate Schmidt might get picked by the Vegas Golden Knights in the upcoming expansion draft. Should that happen, the Capitals would need to replace two left handed defensemen. Nikita Nesterov is a guy they should target even if they keep Schmidt.
Nesterov will reportedly not get a qualifying offer from the Montreal Canadiens. They traded for him earlier last season, giving up a sixth round pick and a player.