As the Washington Capitals got healthier, space in their lineup started to get cramped. Marcus Johansson’s position switch to center coupled with the midseason acquisition of Mike Richards didn’t leave any vacancies at center, so Michael Latta began learning to play right wing as a way to avoid being scratched.
But at the time, Jay Beagle was still recovering from a broken hand, and his return would inevitably edge another forward out of the lineup. In late February, Latta was asked about the tradeoff of playing for a deep team that’s winning versus getting more minutes elsewhere, and Latta said he preferred his current predicament.