Capitals Mailbag: Potential Changes, Kuznetsov & Mantha Future & Kuemper's Back-To-Back Starts

The Washington Capitals are on very, very thin ice after a disappointing 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Let's open up the postgame mailbag.

Things are not looking good right now for the Washington Capitals.

Coming off a disappointing shootout loss on Wednesday just 24 hours prior to puck drop in Tampa, the Capitals did not show up to Amalie Arena ready to play, and it set the stage for a 5-1 loss to the Lightning.

It's a major step back for Washington, who needs things to go perfectly from here on out and could see their playoff hopes end as soon as this Monday depending on how things play out this weekend.

That being said, let's open up the mailbag for a postgame chat.

Editor's Note: These questions have been combined and shortened for space.

Connor McMichael is on a hot streak down with the Hershey Bears Hershey, with points in eight straight games. He's been finding his game with more time and responsibility down at the AHL level, which is arguably where he should have started the season.

With T.J. Oshie suffering an upper-body injury in the loss and Sonny Milano also recovering from an ailment, there aren't any extra forwards, and a recall may be necessary.

McMichael can play the wing and center, but with things going well down with the Bears, keeping him down and in a rhythm may be good. Plus, Joe Snively may be a bit higher on the depth chart with more experience and impressive showings in his call-ups.

Simply put: It's just the way the game goes sometimes.

With regard to Oshie, he has been dealing with lingering back issues and other ailments. But speaking to him earlier in the year, he has no plans to change how he plays the game, and if that means dealing with pain/ailments, so be it.

He likes to bring energy and be an impact player who can make plays and throw his weight around, and the risk of injury doesn't change that. So that risk, age and injury history are all contributing factors that don't exactly make it preventable.

Plus, anything can happen in hockey. It's a high-paced game and a game of chance, errant pucks and luck. John Carlson's injury couldn't have been prevented in the slightest. Tom Wilson's torn ACL was also a freak accident that led to half a season missed. And, as for Nicklas Backstrom, his lingering hip issues caught up to him.

It's no secret that things haven't been on D.C.'s side. However, the team doesn't like to use that as an excuse, let alone turn to excuses at all.

Right now, the playoff chances don't look good, and as mentioned, those chances could be completely gone by Monday depending on how the weekend goes. So, a missed berth would likely mean change.

General manager Brian MacLellan made it clear that acquiring a top-6 forward is something the team would want to look at and also added that there will be more flexibility to tweak things and change the roster in the offseason.

When it comes to Evgeny Kuznetsov, No. 92 wouldn't comment on rumors of a trade request. He said that he didn't know where that speculation came from, and the story I heard was that a mailbag was misinterpreted by MatchTV, who then wrote that No. 92 requested a trade. Kuznetsov said he talked to MatchTV about it and added that he does see himself as having a future in the District.

However, something does have to give with the way the season's gone. His points-per-game pace is down, his shooting percentage and goal totals are underwhelming and his play at both ends hasn't been impressive. There are bright spots given his playmaking and spurts of strong play, but there has to be consistency.

Regarding Mantha: things haven't worked out, and he hasn't capitalized on a fully-healthy season. He has been a healthy scratch on numerous occasions and has been inconsistent and snakebitten, unable to finish on his chances and struggling offensively and defensively. However, it's unclear whether or not he's still in the mix going forward, let alone what his trade value would be.

Then, there's conversation surrounding head coach Peter Laviolette. His contract is up at the end of this season, and the talks have reportedly "gone cold." Missing out on the playoffs could mean a whole shakeup, though Laviolette has also had to deal with numerous injuries over his three-year tenure and knows how to win. So, it's a trade-off, and it all depends on how the next few games play out. 

However, a missed berth would lead me to believe that change would be about, but that's just my take and not a sure thing. Some candidates I like are Jeff Halpern and Spencer Carbery. Halpern would be a fun choice, as he has a couple of Stanley Cup rings and is a Potomac, Maryland native. However, I've heard Carbery's name up there.

As for offseason targets, I'm not sure. The free agent class isn't too impressive this summer, but the trade market could be full of names. And there are some trade chips -- and that's potentially including Kuznetsov.

Darcy Kuemper had a stellar showing for the Capitals on Wednesday, stopping 28 of 29 shots in the shootout loss to the New York Islanders.

Taking that into account, as well as a rough past few starts from Charlie Lindgren, head coach Peter Laviolette elected to go with his experienced starter and veteran between the pipes with his team going into a must-win game.

Kuemper has had a strong season for D.C., and despite the final score, did come up with some ten-bell saves to keep his team in it. However, it wasn't enough, and the defense left him out to dry a bit, too, in the loss. It hardly falls on his shoulders, in my opinion.