The Capitals were giving No. 24 some looks down the middle.
The Washington Capitals saw some movement on their forward lines at Monday's practice, with Connor McMichael and Nicklas Backstrom alternating shifts at center on the third line.
McMichael has been on the wing to start the season, but with Sonny Milano returning following an illness over the weekend and Hendrix Lapierre still up with the big club and centering the fourth line, the 22-year-old exchanged reps with Backstrom.
While usually forwards exchanging reps could indicate a healthy scratch, that doesn't appear to be the case in this instance. Instead, head coach Spencer Carbery indicated that it was primarily done to get McMichael center reps to keep him ready for him to take on that role at some point.
"We've always envisioned Connor will play there at some point, whether that's next game, 10 games, next season," Carbery explained. "He's a natural centerman, we've liked how he's looked on the left side this year. He's had a lot of success on the left side, but I think it's important for him to stay with that, whether it's faceoff-wise, whether it's breakout routes."
McMichael has been playing with more confidence to open the 2023-24 season, taking good care of the puck, making plays and being utilized in more roles. He is also taking risks and taking the initiative to make moves himself rather than passing the puck off to someone else. Through eight games this season, McMichael has two goals and an assist for three points.
"I think his comfort level is there, you know? He's come in, he seems mature, feels ready to play at this level, his mentality, everything. He's got a bit of swagger going on with his game," Tom Wilson said. "So I think when he's playing confident, you see him making those plays and stuff and taking the puck into his own hands and believing in himself and his talent level, which is elite, so you know, when you have a guy with that much skill start making those plays at this level, that's pretty good to see."
Through eight games this season, McMichael has two goals and an assist for three points.
Washington has off on Tuesday before returning to practice on Wednesday. The Capitals then host the New York Islanders on Thursday. Whether or not McMichael will get a chance at center in one of these games remains to be seen.
Putting that aside, the biggest reason for the swap was so that McMichael can remain confident in his ability at pivot, rather than it serving as an indication of any notable scratches coming.
"He's done a really good job on the walls and working at his game winger-specific stuff, but he also needs to stay sharp for when the time comes when we do need him to play the middle," Carbery said. "That's his natural position and I'm sure we find him back there at some point."