Assuming the Washington Capitals will be without Nicklas Backstrom and T.J. Oshie this season, the team currently has $4,768,333 in NHL salary cap space. However, there are opportunities to grow that amount and the team should take it.

Washington has committed $5.0625 million of their cap to their projected sixth and seventh defensemen, Trevor Van Riemsdyk and Ethan Bear.

For reference, the defending champion Florida Panthers’ final defensive pairing for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final of Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Dmitry Kulikov accounted for only $3.25 million of their salary cap (almost what Van Riemsdyk counts himself) and the regular-season Western Conference champion Dallas Stars’ third pairing of Ryan Suter and Alex Petrovic for their final game of the season cost $4.4 million.

The Capitals could trade either or both Van Riemsdyk and Bear for picks.

After missing six months due to offseason shoulder surgery, Bear, 26, tallied a goal, four points, -5 rating, .4537 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .4089 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4181 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in only 24 games over his first season in Washington. He also did not play from March 14 onwards after entering the NHLPA’s Player Assistance Program.

While Bear’s performance in his first year in Washington was disappointing, there is the argument to give him a full offseason of training and see his performance in training camp and preseason to see if he is worth giving a longer look. In his previous three seasons, Bear had at least a .5 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage and .508 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, respectively, in each year. With that being said, $2.0625 million might be a bit pricey for the role Bear is expected to take on.

While averaging 18:40 per game (fifth among Capitals defensemen), including 1:35 on the penalty kill (fourth), Van Riemsdyk recorded 14 assists, a -7 rating, .4674 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .5049 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .4964 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage in 70 games. All three possession metrics were the lowest Van Riemsdyk recorded over his four-year tenure in the District. The 32-year-old was also a healthy scratch at times.

Some may point to the fact that Martin Fehervary, who is expected to play the left side of Washington’s third pairing, makes around the same amount at $2.675 million but he is 24, a big part of the organization’s future, and was one of the few highlights in the team’s first-round Stanley Cup Playoff sweep. Fehervary could also very well move up in the lineup whether this season or in the future.

If the Capitals were to move both Van Riemsdyk and Bear, that would also pave the path for Alexander Alexeyev to make the jump to an NHL regular, after the 24-year-old performed admirably in the first round where he recorded a .627 five-on-five Corsi-for percentage, .7683 five-on-five expected goals-for percentage, and .7069 five-on-five scoring chances-for percentage, all of which led Washington defensemen to appear in all four postseason games. Although, he would likely have to start the season on his off side.

If Washington wanted to get a pure right-handed blueliner, they could tap into the trade and/or free agent markets. Callen Addison, Tony DeAngelo, and Gustav Lindstrom are the best remaining unrestricted free agent righties who are under age 29 and none will likely cost more than $1 million against the cap. If the Capitals entertain the trade market, they should not spend more than a fourth-round pick. Mark Freidman of the Vancouver Canucks and Daniil Miromonov of the Calgary Flames could be among the top options on the trade board.

There is an opportunity to clear salary cap space to use down the road and Washington should take it. Although, there is no harm in waiting to see how training camp and preseason go before making a final call, especially if a blueliner pencilled in the Capitals’ top-six group goes down. The Capitals need to clear some salary and roster space after a huge offseason and picking the bottom pairing may be one of the easiest places to shake up.