The Washington Capitals did not enter the 2024-25 preseason with an abundance of NHL roles up for grabs, but that hasn’t stopped some roster hopefuls from making their mark on the team’s leadership. NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti relayed word from Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery that 2020 first-round pick Hendrix Lapierre has had an impressive preseason and may have played his way into the team’s third-line center role. Carbery told Gulitti that his level of confidence that Lapierre can play the center position and potentially earn “that third-line center role” has led to him considering alternate options for how to deploy other players – namely Connor McMichael moving back to the wing.

Should Lapierre claim the third-line center role, it’d be a significant, positive development for

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