Connor McMichael has played all of 10 minutes in his rookie season for the Capitals with no sign of when his next opportunity will come.
Not to worry.
"Over the years there's been a saying in the NHL: you've got to slow-cook your prospects," Caps analyst Craig Laughlin told 106.7 The Fan in a segment presented by American Standard Heating & Air Conditioning. "And I think that's what they want to do."
McMichael, Washington's first-round pick in 2019 (25th overall), made his NHL debut last week against Buffalo where he managed one shot on goal in the 4-3 shootout loss. After beginning the year on Washington's taxi squad, he was recalled to make his debut and then added back to the taxi squad before the Caps' next game against the Islanders.
On Saturday, Washington re-assigned McMichael to its AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears.
In a normal year, McMichael — also a member of the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League — would not be eligible to play in Hershey, because as a junior-aged player, his amateur rights would belong to the OHL. But with the OHL's season suspended indefinitely due to the pandemic, a rare exception has been made, allowing McMichael to either be stashed on Washington's taxi squad or be assigned to its AHL affiliate.
This is a positive development, as the Capitals don't have to fear McMichael's development being stunted as it could be if he were assigned to a league that's not currently operational. The AHL season begins on Feb. 5, with the Bears scheduled to play their season-opener against Binghamton on Friday.
"Remember, Connor McMichael is gonna be the backbone for many, many years here in Washington," Laughlin said. "And to me, this type of situation right now with a lot of guys out, I think he benefits a lot from being around the team. I think he benefits a ton from having the opportunity to practice, to have skills development on the ice, which will make him that much more ready for the rigors of the National Hockey League. Do I think he's gonna probably get in again? I would think so."
With Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov — and Dmitry Orlov and Ilya Samsonov — all missing time in COVID-19 protocol, Laughlin believes Caps coach Peter Laviolette is trying to utilize that extra ice time to figure out which veteran forwards he can count on.
"He's going with more I guess guys that have a little more experience," Laughlin said. "You know, [Daniel] Carr's been around the block; [Michael] Sgarbossa's been around the block; [Daniel] Sprong's trying to make himself a regular in the National Hockey League. [Conor] Sheary is trying to come back after playing in Buffalo last year, where he had a good season — he had 10 or 11 goals — so he wants to be an impact player."
Ovechkin returned on Saturday after missing four games, recording a goal and an assist, including a game-winner in overtime to beat the Bruins. Kuznetsov and Samsonov have each missed five games and remain in COVID-19 protocol. Orlov was cleared for return but was scratched for Saturday's game.
"You have all these guys craving minutes," Laughlin said, "and I think the coaching staff also wants to see, hey, of these guys, who can we count on in the future?"
Once the Caps return to full strength, their returning veterans will be reinserted into the lineup immediately, putting even more of a premium on their time away for Laviolette to find out what type of depth he has on his roster.
"Where do we fit as far as development, as far as depth?" said Laughlin. "They know Connor McMichael and you don't want to press him forward. You want to take your time."
"He is gonna be one of the best centers we've had in the years to come," he said. "He's gonna be like a Nick Backstrom, he's gonna play that many years I would think, because of the talent he has shown already at the international stages."