Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke — Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/422d139f-4e7f-4b66-a9d5-9886db903b42.jpeg] Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke — Imagn Images After missing out on Nikolaj Ehlers at the start of free agency, the Washington Capitals said they will keep their eye on the trade market and other options as they look to add some more skill to the forward group. But exactly what kind of player are they looking for? For most of the regular season, Washington had no problem scoring goals, with offense coming easy and Alex Ovechkin still humming at the age of 39. But toward the end of the year, goals were harder to come by, and ultimately in the playoffs, the lack of secondary offense and play-driving from D.C. led to another early playoff exit. That being the case, there are multiple options out there for the Capitals. First off, the team remains focused on bringing in young talent as it prepares for the future without Ovechkin while establishing a new core to play with the team's rising prospects in Ryan Leonard and Andrew Cristall, among others. That's why Justin Sourdif [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals/players/where-justin-sourdif-could-start-the-season-for-the-capitals], a 24-year-old with upside, was high on their radar these past few years. Still, there has to be a lot of potential and upside there, and there are options, whether it be work-in-progress players like Yegor Chinakhov [https://www.dcbackcheck.com/p/capitals-should-be-in-on-yegor-chinakhov] — who requested a trade from the Columbus Blue Jackets — or more established young scorers. Washington also remains focused on hard-working, high-character players, which has been the consistent goal for the team over the years. Ultimately, the Capitals have the rest of the offseason to ponder their options, but they're not going to bring in a name just for the sake of bringing in a name. So, if no players fit what they're looking for, D.C. will just let who they have in the system make the jump — and that may be the best option going forward.
