The Washington Capitals are four games into their six-game preseason, and the calendar will soon flip into October. With the regular season fast approaching, Washington’s decision-makers made their first set of major cuts on Saturday, placing Ethen Frank, Hardy Häman Aktell, Alex Limoges, Riley Sutter, and Chase Priskie on waivers as Hershey’s AHL Training Camp begins on Monday.
Three players that survived, Andrew Cristall, Jakub Vrana, and Henrik Rybinski, stayed in the battle to make the Capitals’ Opening Night roster, which must be down to 23 men by October 7, due to great preseasons.
Head coach Spencer Carbery highlighted all three after the team’s 8-4 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday night.
Carbery first touched on Cristall, who has recorded a point in all three of the Capitals’ games this fall. The second-year bench boss was critical of the 19-year-old winger’s game against the Boston Bruins earlier in the week. However, he couldn’t deny that Cristall’s chance creation and overall game against Columbus put him right back into the conversation for an NHL spot.
“He is very much so [making it tough on us], and credit to him as a young player that isn’t allowed to play in the American Hockey League for continuing to push the envelope and make us consider keeping him in the National Hockey League,” Carbery said postgame. “That’s not an easy thing to do at his age and his experience level, and frankly, for that matter, at his stature when you put that into consideration as well.
“He’s had an incredible camp, played well, was around the puck for the majority of the night tonight.”
After scoring two goals in two games to start his preseason, Cristall showed off more of what he’s known for, playmaking and passing, in his third game. The 2023 second-round draft selection dished out a perfect backhand feed to Dylan Strome for a power-play goal during Friday’s second period.
While Cristall scored 40 goals for the Rockets last season, he was also one of just five players in the league to amass more than 70 assists. His elite offensive ability has seen him join Strome and John Carlson as the lone Capitals players to record three points so far during the preseason.
He also ranks second among players still on the team’s roster in shots on goal (8), individual expected goals (1.02), individual shot attempts (14), individual scoring chances (9), and individual high-danger chances (4).
“I think I’m playing well,” Cristall said. “Pretty bitter, just couldn’t really bury the puck tonight, and I had a lot of looks, so I’m not too happy about that. Took the loss, but definitely feeling good with my game.
“Hopefully, stay for a little longer and keep showing my best. Just trying to work and find a spot. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been some of the most fun hockey I’ve ever played in my life. I’m having a great time.”
As Carbery alluded to, Cristall is too young to graduate to the American Hockey League next season despite spending time with the Hershey Bears as a black ace in May due to CHL transfer agreement rules. Cristall only has two possible destinations this fall: Washington after making the Capitals’ NHL roster or Kelowna for another year with the WHL’s Rockets.
Like Cristall, Vrana also put together his second great game of the preseason, finding the back of the net for the Capitals for the first time since April 9, 2021. The 28-year-old winger has responded well to Carbery’s challenge to show “something significant” after his first preseason outing, which was underwhelming.
The Czech forward used his offensive instincts and quickness to create multiple rush chances for the Capitals, reminding Carbery of one of the star players he once coached as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Yeah, [he was] noticeable tonight,” Carbery said. “He showed some of the things that I think would make him special from a speed standpoint and then his offensive mind to know when he can make some reads to get out of the zone, to anticipate where the puck’s going, and you saw him on some break situations.
“I’ve been around a few players like that. Willy Nylander is very much like that. He gets himself two or three times a game into situations where he’s all of a sudden on a 2-on-1 or a rush where he’s taking on a defenseman 1-on-1. To me, I chalk that up to just very, very high-end offensive IQ of knowing where the puck’s going next and when he can start to move his feet and find space, and you saw that tonight.”
Vrana used his speed to score his goal on one of those rush chances against the Blue Jackets. After receiving a nice pass from Connor McMichael, Vrana snapped a shot through Daniil Tarasov’s pads.
“It’s nice to be out there,” Vrana said. “I feel good out there. I heard [the fans]. That was really nice. I definitely feel that. I’m really happy that they supported me and they were loud. It felt good.”
Uniquely, compared to Cristall and Vrana, Rybinski has done most of his best work on the other side of the puck. The 23-year-old forward was a big part of the Hershey Bears’ successful fourth line during last season’s playoffs and has translated that success to the NHL preseason.
Among Capitals forwards, Rybinski has received the fifth-most penalty-killing ice time (4:30) on the team. Washington is also getting a good, long look at him in general, as he ranks sixth on the team in overall ice time (44:49).
“I think he’s been one of the big surprises of someone that wasn’t necessarily on our radar to make the Washington Capitals,” Carbery said. “We’ve followed him and what he’s done in Hershey, becoming a bigger part of their Calder Cup-winning team last year. So, coming into camp, you know, you’ve watched him a little bit in the American League, seen him, and now he really impressed our staff.
“I know management feels the same way. That’s why he’s earned the opportunity that he’s gotten into games, and I thought he’s done a tremendous job of excelling in the games that he’s played in, and he’s been good in the practices. Feels like he’s trending [up] in our organization.”
Rybinski played 52 games for the Bears last season and is a former fifth-round draft selection of the Florida Panthers. Washington signed him as a free agent after Florida did not ink him to an entry-level contract.
“I feel like I’ve been putting in a good effort,” Rybinski said. “All I can do is try to go out there and do my best, and I feel like I’ve been doing that. I’m pretty happy.”
The three forwards join Hendrix Lapierre, Ivan Miroshnichenko, Pierrick Dubé, Mike Sgarbossa, and Bogdan Trineyev in the battle for final roster spots.
The Capitals are headed to Columbus to play the Blue Jackets on Monday. While they’re in Ohio, they’ll be holding a team bonding event. After playing Columbus, they’ll have almost a full week off before wrapping their preseason up against the Boston Bruins on October 5.
