Why did the Capitals claim Dennis Cholowski on waivers?
In a word: potential.
The Caps hoped to nab Cholowski in the 2016 NHL Draft, but he ended up going to Detroit at No. 20. They continued to track the left-shot defenseman through his ups and downs in the Red Wings organization.
Cholowski checks several boxes in the eyes of Washington’s decision-makers.
He’s 23 years old.
He’s 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds.
He’s a good skater with a hard shot and skill to spare.
The Kraken, meantime, thought enough of Cholowski to pluck him off the Red Wings’ blue line as they stocked up on defensemen in July’s expansion draft.
To this point in his career, though, he hasn’t managed to gain a permanent foothold in the NHL. He amassed 10 goals and 17 assists in 104 games over three seasons in Detroit but also spent significant time suiting up for the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate in Grand Rapids. After being selected by Seattle, he signed a one-year, two-way extension worth $900,000 in the NHL but did not dress for the season opener and was waived Wednesday.
So why hasn’t he been able to stick? Coaching? Usage? Work rate? Consistency? Something else?
It’s not entirely clear. But they are all questions Washington feels are worth examining, particularly since his struggles came mostly on a Red Wings team that has missed the playoffs five years running.
Internally, Washington views the move as low-risk and, potentially, high-reward.
