Spencer Carbery gives the Junks the lowdown on two new old vets who made the Caps' opening roster
It’s time once again to Carb-load for the winter, as Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery is BACK with the Junkies every week this Caps season! Puck drops on Saturday night against the Devils at Cap One, but they’re already in the swing of celebrating the franchise’s 50th season – starting with some of the players delivering gifts to the 36 original remaining season ticket holders from 1974.
“That was good to see. I talked to some of the guys about where they were headed in the DMV area, and it was cool that our veteran guys like Willie, John Carlson, and Ovi were able to do that and share that moment with those original season ticket holders,” Carbery said.
Thursday will be a special event celebrating the anniversary, and then Saturday, they will take the ice with a roster that made one of Carbery’s earlier predictions come true: newcomers make up more than a third of the initial 23.
“So there's a essentially 11 guys that started on the roster last year that are no longer here; some of them started on injured reserve, like Pacioretty, but it’s a lot of turnover and new faces,” Carbery said. “But I feel like it’s been a long camp, but I feel it's been productive from a standpoint of getting guys integrated and feeling as comfortable as possible. So, we could have close to nine guys potentially in the lineup opening night.”
One of those will be former Caps stalwart Jakub Vrana, who, at 35, returned on a PTO contract and ended up making the team.
“I think the reason why he took the PTO with us is because we did have a couple of forward slots that were up for grabs, and he was going to be able to compete; it wasn't like he was going up against a 10-year vet guy that had a big season last year, it was gonna be him and some young guys,” Carbery said. “I thought he had a good chance going in, and he showed enough for me to have some confidence in him that he could potentially help us offensively. That was the big key, and that's what always was the appeal for us, as we need to find some scoring throughout our lineup. We’re trying to find guys that can beat the goaltender and shoot one under the bar, and he’s got speed and skill and has a great shot. His commitment level and work ethic through camp was great, and it was nice to see he earned it.”
Another newcomer that’s also a vet is 32-year-old defenseman Dylan McIlrath, a former No. 10 overall pick who has played just 41 NHL games in the last eight seasons but was the Captain of the AHL Hershey squad that won back-to-back Calder Cups.
“Unreal, and it’s pretty rare in your thirties to still be getting better in your game; you feel like it’s becoming more polished and more consistent, and that's been the case with Mac,” Carbery said. “It’s cool because he’s so down to Earth and teammates love him, and the physicality and willingness to stick up for teammates has been there since Day 1. He’s grinded a lot of years in the minors; at 27, 28, 29, it’s easy to go, okay, just gonna ride this career out, make a little money, but to stay motivated and push yourself every day to say, nope, I'm gonna find a way to get back into the NHL and keep working on my game after years of not being there, it’s impressive, and for him at 32 to make an NHL opening day roster is a pretty cool story for Mac.”
Take a listen to Carbery’s entire visit above, which looks at some young players who DIDN’T make it, what the Devils opening the season early will mean for their opener, and more!
