The Capitals are banking on the kind of player every contender needs: someone who won’t light up the score sheet, but can make life miserable for the other team and slot into a role without complaint.
That’s the appeal of Jack St. Ivany, the 27-year-old defenseman Washington claimed on waivers.
He has played 57 NHL games in his career, including four with Winnipeg this season, and he describes himself as a physical defenseman with a good stick. For a Capitals blue line dealing with injuries, that profile has real value.
Washington’s 2018 Stanley Cup run is the kind of example that keeps these decisions in perspective. Yes, Alex Ovechkin and the top names drove the team, but the depth guys mattered, too.
Brett Connolly scored 15 goals in the 2017-18 regular season and added six more in the playoffs. Lars Eller went from 18 goals in 81 regular-season games to seven in 24 postseason appearances.
That kind of help across the lineup was part of the formula.
St. Ivany is not being asked to do that.
His job, if he earns one, is simpler and harder at the same time: compete, play with physical edge, and make opposing forwards feel him. The Capitals are hoping that part of his game translates into minutes and, eventually, trust.
The door is open, but the work starts now. A waiver claim only gets him into the room. Everything after that depends on performance.
Fit matters here, too. The Capitals have a tight locker room, and team-first players tend to earn their place.
St. Ivany’s approach sounds like it matches that environment, and he gets the added bonus of joining Alex Ovechkin after already sharing a locker room with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh.
He called the opportunity “kind of a dream.”
For Washington, this is a low-risk way to add size, physicality, and depth without turning St. Ivany into something he isn’t.
The stars are already there. Now the Capitals are looking for the supporting cast to do its part.
If St. Ivany can give them solid minutes, this move could end up looking exactly like the kind of depth swing contenders need.
In Other News...
Capitals Face A Tough Ivan Miroshnichenko Decision
Ivan Miroshnichenkos future in Washington has become a real point of interest as the Capitals sort through their roster and look for the best path forward. The club has opened the door for his camp to talk with other NHL teams about a possible move, a sign that this is no longer just idle speculation but a situation being actively managed behind the scenes.
Even so, a trade is far from a sure thing. Washington is listening, but it is also aiming high in any return and is trying to navigate the process without exposing Miroshnichenko to waivers, which adds another layer of pressure to an already delicate decision. Injuries elsewhere on the roster could still affect how the Capitals approach it, so this one may take a little longer to settle than either side would prefer. [Read more 🡒]