The Capitals are still mulling over their opening night lineup.
The Washington Capitals are 48 hours away from kicking off their regular season on Saturday against the New Jersey Devils, and head coach Spencer Carbery still hasn't committed fully to his opening night lineup.
The first, second and fourth forward lines are set, as well as the defensive pairings, but questions remain on the third line as Jakub Vrana and Sonny Milano continue to rotate on the left wing alongside Hendrix Lapierre and Aliaksei Protas.
Carbery reiterated on Thursday that he's not ready to name which player will lace 'em up for the opener, though he did hint that it will likely be Milano who gets the first look at 3LW in regular season action.
"We'll see where it goes, but like I said before, I'm not gonna make any 100 percent commitments to the lineup at this point in this week, but Sonny has a lot of credibility with our coaching staff, with this team," Carbery said, adding, "Him getting first crack at an opportunity being in the lineup opening night — again I'm not gonna commit to anything lineup-wise, but he's got some credibility with us. Whether he had a great preseason or he's easing his way back into it, there's a confidence level that when the puck drop's real, he'll put his best on display."
Milano is coming off a "just okay" training camp, where Carbery admitted to not being too impressed with his play but gave him the "benefit of the doubt" since he was working his way back from a long summer.
"When he's been healthy, he's done a good job... he's done a lot of good things, so you have to give him credit and he's earned that with our staff. He's earned that with me," Carbery said, adding, "The message to him is when the puck drops for real and the games count for real, his game gets back to the level that it's capable of being played (at) within our structure, being as competitive as he possibly can be."
All the while, he faces tough competition in Vrana, who shined in the preseason and earned himself a one-year contract to reunite with the team he won the Stanley Cup with back in 2018. Vrana has showcased his speed and shot over the course of camp and practices and has fit in well so far.
"He's worked extremely hard, had a good training camp," Carbery said of the Czech winger. "Saw some of the things that he could potentially do individually but also some areas that he can help us as a team... his attitude was phenomenal throughout training camp."
Carbery will likely make that final decision on Friday or even Saturday, but as of right now, it looks like Milano will get a first look, with Vrana close behind and champing at the bit.
