Capitals invite Roy to camp on PTO

By Dhiren MahibanSep 13, 2015, 6:00 PM EDT

The Washington Capitals have invited center Derek Roy to training camp on a professional tryout.

Roy split the 2014-15 season with the Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers scoring 12 goals and 32 points in 72 games.

With Nicklas Backstrom expected to miss the preseason recovering from hip surgery, Roy could temporarily fill the void. However, it’s hard to see the 32-year-old earning a contract in Washington.

In addition to Backstrom, the Caps have Evgeny Kuznetsov, Jay Beagle, Michael Latta, Liam O’Brien and newcomer Zach Sill down the middle.

On top of the depth at center, Washington has less than $500,000 in salary cap space remaining, according to Generalfanager.com.

If Roy earns a contract with the Capitals, Washington would be his seventh club in five seasons.

Yakupov’s a little too young to take McDavid under his wing

By James O'BrienAug 21, 2015, 9:00 PM EDT

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Compared to rookie sensation Connor McDavid, Nail Yakupov is a relative veteran of the NHL. Considering his bumpy path through three seasons, it’s no surprise that he’s uncomfortable with the idea of showing McDavid the ropes.

“I don’t think I’ll be a teacher. I’m too young for that,” Yakupov told the Edmonton Journal. “We’ve got lots of old guys to tell him things.”

Actually, judging by his interesting interview with the EJ, the 21-year-old may feel a little wistful that his substitute teachers won’t return to his side in 2015-16.

Yakupov acknowledged the chemistry he eventually developed with Derek Roy, a UFA sitting on the sidelines this summer.

“Especially a guy like Derek, who has played in the league for 10 years. He’s seen everything in the game. He could help a young kid like me,” Yakupov said. Soon as Derek got the puck, I was trying to get open for a shot.

“He gave me so much support and I was happy to be playing hockey again.”

Let’s highlight that last phrase: “I was happy to be playing hockey again.”

Just spit-balling here, but Roy could probably be had for a cheap price, and you could pair Yakupov with him for a third scoring duo outside Taylor Hall – Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Jordan Eberle. The veteran and his pupil don’t represent the same threat that those other duos pose, yet they could enjoy some success against lesser opponents.

With Yakupov also needing to adjust from one Todd (Nelson) to another (McLellan), you almost get the impression that the Russian winger got the rug taken out from underneath him.

It’s a fascinating situation to watch, as he’s still very much in a sink-or-swim phase.

Capitals still might add a third-line center

By Ryan DadounJul 17, 2015, 1:07 PM EDT

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With Eric Fehr an unrestricted free agent and Nicklas Backstrom’s availability for the start of the season “up in the air” after undergoing arthroscopic hip surgery, the Washington Capitals’ situation at center is far from certain.

Washington has stated that Evgeny Kuznetsov will serve as the number two center and when Backstrom is healthy, he is the clear number one, but that still leaves the third line role undetermined.

“I think we’re going to let it play out,” Capitals GM Brian MacLellan told the Washington Post. “We could address it internally, the third-line center spot, and also depending on how the contract situation plays itself out, there’s a couple options in the free agency market that we see, and we’ll explore the trade market up until training camp. There might be something in that venue.”

Andre Burakovsky, 20, is among their internal options, but they also have veteran alternatives like 29-year-old Jay Beagle.

If they do decide to sign a center to help fill the void, then their options include Stephen Weiss, Matt Cullen, Derek Roy and, of course, Fehr.

Washington does have some cap considerations though. They have a little more than $10 million in space, but still have to re-sign restricted free agents Marcus Johansson and Braden Holtby, per General Fanager.

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Where to next? Arcobello poised to test UFA market

By Ryan DadounJun 29, 2015, 10:55 PM EDT

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It looked like Mark Arcobello had finally found a home in Arizona, but now it seems that’s not the case.

The 26-year-old forward tied an NHL record last season by scoring at least a goal with four different teams in a single season. He started the campaign with Edmonton before being moved to Nashville for Derek Roy. The Predators waived him just a couple of weeks later and he only lasted roughly a month in Pittsburgh before he was once again exposed to waivers.

Arizona was his final and most productive destination last season as he scored nine goals and 16 points in 27 contests. That wasn’t enough to convince the Coyotes to give him a qualifying offer though and he is consequently poised to become an unrestricted free agent on Wednesday.

Although he’s been passed around, when a team has him, he is typically inserted into the lineup. He played in 77 contests last season and averaged 14:48 minutes despite all of the movement. He finished with 17 goals and 31 points, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see him find a new home.

And who knows, maybe his next destination will be the one that sticks.

In a related story, the Coyotes also decided against qualifying former first round pick John Moore after he scored two goals and 11 points in 57 contests between the Coyotes and Rangers last season.

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‘Very quiet’ on Derek Roy-Edmonton front, says agent

By Mike HalfordMay 27, 2015, 11:19 AM EDT

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Not a huge surprise, but there hasn’t been much contract talk between Derek Roy and the Edmonton Oilers.

“Nothing to report,” Roy’s agent, Rob Hooper, told PHT on Wednesday. “Very quiet to date.”

It’s easy to understand why. Few teams have undergone more front office changes than Edmonton this offseason — Bob Nicholson was brought in as CEO, Peter Chiarelli was hired as GM and former Sharks bench boss Todd McLellan became the team’s new head coach.

So it stands to reason that, with all this changeover, Edmonton’s decision-makers haven’t had a ton of time to reach out to free agents. With that said, it’ll be interesting to see how the conversation goes once — or, if — they reach out to Roy.

The 32-year-old did enjoy a bounce-back campaign after getting traded to the Oilers in late December. Roy scored 11 goals and 22 points in 46 games, averaged nearly 17 minutes per night and developed some good chemistry with Nail Yakupov, who assisted on eight of Roy’s markers.

“I was waiting for a center for three years,” Yakupov said of playing with Roy, per the Edmonton Sun. “It’s the first time I’ve had a really good center and I’m really happy for it.

“It took us a couple of games to get used to each other and now we’re pretty comfortable. It’s easy to play with him. He can move the puck and he’s really smart. All I have to do is try to get open for a shot.”

Of course, all of this occurred under the Oilers’ old regime. Roy was acquired by now-assistant GM Craig MacTavish — it’s still unclear how big a role he’ll have under Chiarelli — and thrived playing for interim head coach Todd Nelson, who will reportedly explore other head coaching gigs now that McLellan is aboard.

Roy’s efforts also came prior to Edmonton winning the 2015 NHL Draft Lottery, which meant winning the rights to OHL Erie superstar Connor McDavid — who, like Roy, plays center. Edmonton also has 19-year-old center Leon Draisaitl, currently starring with WHL Kelowna at the Memorial Cup, looking to get back to the NHL next year.

Should he head to free agency, Roy would be in a class loaded with veterans. It would be curious to see how much his mini-revival with Edmonton sparked interest league-wide, especially after disappointing stints in St. Louis and Nashville.