The Washington Capitals offseason is in full swing, so we've opened up the mailbag again to answer your burning questions.

Here's Part 2. Part 1 can be found here.

Hendrix Lapierre's an interesting player. He's still young, has upside and has shown flashes of his full potential as well as the versatility to play in different roles. His training camps and preseasons are also almost always impressive. However, the production and consistency, for one reason or another, just hasn't translated through to the highest level.

Lapierre is coming off a one-year extension that was a bit of a "prove it" deal, and after significant struggles and scratches in the first half, he was only able to slightly pick up his play in the second half as he started to find more momentum.

General manager Chris Patrick said at season's end that he was impressed with Lapierre's versatility and that he's shown he can play in the NHL, but that he has better and needs to show he can produce.

Lapierre is a restricted free agent, and if the price and term is right, a return isn't completely ruled out, but at this point, a change of scenery may be more beneficial for both parties.

No. Both are RFAs, and the trade value isn't there with both of them able to walk.

Connor McMichael was one of the Capitals' most pivotal performers down the stretch and has expressed interest in being in D.C. long term, and I believe the organization still sees the potential in him to do big things. I don't see him moving.

See above for more on Lapierre.

There's still plenty of time for Washington to work with, and Patrick said that there was interest from those pending free agents to return to D.C.

Brandon Duhaime, though he's been an integral part of the dressing room and is a versatile piece and penalty killer, may not return, as Bogdan Trineyev can play that role while Ivan Miroshnichenko, Andrew Cristall and more wingers are also waiting for their NHL chance as the team gets younger. Same goes for David Kampf, as Ilya Protas has shown he's ready to make the jump while Justin Sourdif is more than capable of playing a two-way center role.

Trevor van Riemsdyk is a more interesting name to watch; I think if the Capitals can't find a solid right-handed defenseman in free agency to fill Rasmus Sandin's void, he could potentially return on a short-term deal. He's beloved in the locker room and knows the systems.

Alex Ovechkin will have a decision on his future in July, he told FONBET; if I had to guess — and this isn't gospel or a report — he plays another season.

That depends on training camp and who finds chemistry where, but given Ilya Protas fit in seamlessly with Tom Wilson and brother Aliaksei Protas, and the fact that Justin Sourdif has shown he can be a solid as a defensive two-way center, I can see Protas being the 3C and Sourdif stepping into a 4C role.

A lot of depth down the middle for D.C. regardless.

I think Alex Ovechkin's role will change going into next year should he choose to return for another year. That's a discussion between him and Spencer Carbery, though, and granted he led the Capitals in goals and scoring last season and has the most goals of all-time, the 40-year-old's still able to contribute and will get his minutes.

That said, if he's put on the same line, the team still has the potential to compete — it all depends on how Washington chooses to add this offseason.

Patrick has his work cut out for him, including adding another scoring forward and filling Rasmus Sandin's void on the blue line. The power play should also hopefully get a boost and renovations with Ray Bennett now at the helm.

Despite missing out on the playoffs and inconsistencies this past year, the Capitals finished just outside playoff territory, and showed they're just a couple moves away from returning to form as a contender.

There's a handful of solid prospects available in the first round, and some of the names that have stood out to me are Alexander Command, Oliver Suvanto and JP Hurlbert, who is very much a Capitals-esque selection. Ryan Lin, if he falls, would also be interesting as another power-play quarterback and offensive defenseman in the making.

I wrote about the possibility of the Ruck twins; their stock is rising as draft day gets closer and they dominated the WHL this past year, but 16 and 18 may be just a bit too high.

We'll have more draft targets going forward, so keep an eye out. Washington has traditionally selected the best player available rather than drafting by positional needs, so keep that in mind as well.

Those two first-rounders could also be good aces up Patrick's sleeve for a potentail move. Lots to look out for.

What's honestly gotten me about this year's playoffs is how deep these teams are. You can have a really good team on paper, but it goes so much deeper than that to make a legitimate, lengthy run.

Nic Dowd pointed it out on Stanley Cup Final media day; it takes so much to win a Cup, and the process is grueling and requires everyone playing at their absolute best on a nightly, consistent basis. All the while, those pieces need to work together.

Just makes the game more beautiful.

This is just a rumor and report right now, so I wouldn't lean too much into it, but Icethetics said it's supposed to be a tribute to the blue '95 jerseys as part of a Hometown Remix. Would look really great if it turns out to be true.