WASHINGTON D.C. -- This one stings, maybe more than any other playoff defeat. This Washington Capitals team just about had it all and still couldn’t get by its archrival.

Now, GM Brian MacLellan enters the toughest offseason of his tenure, because there will be pressure for him to make major changes to avoid a repeat of the past couple of seasons. Here’s where he should focus his attention this offseason:

1. Sign RFA Evgeny Kuznetsov to a contract extension

There might be a call to blow up the roster in Washington following another disappointing postseason, and perhaps there’s a case there. But blowing up the roster just for the sake of blowing it up isn’t the answer. It would only make sense if there were a blockbuster to be made that would upgrade the team. That’s a big ask.

Instead, the priority should be to sign Kuznetsov, a restricted free agent, to a long-term deal. That would give the Capitals a good sense of how much money they have to work with to tweak the rest of the roster. Despite the elimination, Kuznetsov certainly wasn’t the problem, finishing the playoffs with five goals and five assists.

2. Let Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie walk

These two were great additions and a nice fit in Washington, but with major raises coming for Kuznetsov and fellow RFA Andre Burakovsky, it’s hard to make the money work unless they give a hometown discount to the Capitals.

Williams is a candidate for a short-term deal, so perhaps there’s a deal to be struck, but this free agency is a major opportunity for Oshie to cash in. Considering Oshie is 30, it’s a contract the Capitals should be leery of; Oshie's production is likely to decline, and they have a player in Burakovsky capable of moving into his spot on the top line.

3. Retool the blue line

This is where the toughest choices are going to be made. There isn’t room to protect everybody on this defense in the expansion draft, and the Capitals can't afford to lose Nate Schmidt after his emergence in the postseason.

Karl Alzner is an unrestricted free agent and can get a bigger deal elsewhere, so he’s probably a goner. Brooks Orpik has a contract entering the phase everyone expected when he signed, where his cap hit doesn’t match his on-ice value. There might not be anything the Capitals can do there.

John Carlson is the wild card on this defense, because he’s entering the final season of a very team-friendly contract that pays him $3.97 million per season. That expires after next season, so he can sign an extension with the Capitals on July 1.

If the Capitals are looking to shake things up on this defense, Carlson is a candidate, depending on how contract talks progress.