There weren’t many job openings with the Capitals when training camp opened Sept. 17. But after seven preseason games, we have a decent idea who earned the final roster spots. Mathieu Perreault is one of them. Whether that means consistent playing time right away remains to be seen. That seems unlikely if the coaching staff intends to stick with a third line centered by Brooks Laich.
“We know what we’re going to do,” Washington coach Bruce Boudreau said after Sunday’s preseason win over Chicago. “I think our best player all camp was Perreault. He played with the energy every night, and I think he was very similar last year. But we’ll sit down [Monday], and we’ll discuss all of this.”
That reads like a description of a player who has made the cut. Perreault recorded his third goal of the preseason Sunday and has five points overall. Not sure what else he could do. The 23-year-old has had bursts of productivity at the NHL level. But if he is given the nod, he’s going to have to find a way to maintain that for longer than two or three games at a time — all while fighting for ice time.
“I think consistency. Doing the right things, playing the right way,” Boudreau said. “[Perreault] gets excited. Like [Sunday], he’s playing well, he gets excited and then he wants to hold on to the puck instead of at the end of the shift dumping it in. I understand that. Those are the kinds of things that he has to consistently do to be a very good player. He’s a good player. But to be very good.”
– Brian McNally
