The Capitals traded minor league center Chris Bourque to Boston for forward prospect Zach Hamill on Saturday.

Hamill, 23, spent the bulk of the 2011-12 season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins where he recorded eight goals, 13 assists and 24 penalty minutes in 41 games. A 5-foot-11, 180-pound Vancouver native, Hamill has appeared in 20 NHL games and recorded four assists in that span.

Hamil is a restricted free agent this summer. According to Capgeek.com, Hamill’s qualifying offer for next season is $826,875. He was the eighth overall pick in the 2007 entry draft.

On the other side of the deal, Washington sent Bourque to the organization where his father, Hall of Famer Ray Bourque, spent the bulk of his career.

Bourque, 26, led the AHL in scoring in the regular season with 93 points (27 goals, 66 assists) in 73 games with Hershey this season. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

Our season-ending breakdown of the Capitals’ roster concludes with Forwards, Part II (Hendricks to Ward).

If you missed any of the other installments, check them out here: Forwards Part I, Defense, Goaltending, Unrestricted Free Agents and Restricted Free Agents.

Matt Hendricks
2012-13 salary cap hit: $825,000 | Age: 30 (Turns 31 on June 17)

(John McDonnell/The Washington Post)Hendricks entered the year in a role as a fourth-line role player and occasional fighter under Bruce Boudreau. In those first 22 games of the season before the coaching change, the Minnesota native’s ice time only eclipsed a dozen minutes four times, and that trend continued in the earliest weeks under Hunter.

In late January, though, the absence of Nicklas Backstrom because of a concussion and Marcus Johansson because of food poisoning meant Hendricks was pushed into spot duty among the top six forwards. Not long after, he found a home on the wing of the shutdown third line. Hendricks’s ice time and responsibilities increased – in the final 36 games of the season there were only four contests in which he didn’t play more than 12 minutes.

His offensive production declined (4G, 5A) — as did that of many forwards — but by the playoffs, Hendricks was fully entrenched in his new place in the framework. In the postseason, he appeared in all 14 games and averaged 16:05 per contest, led the team in hits (61), recorded a goal (in Game 7 against Boston) and an assist on 22 shots. Did this year show that Hendricks is cut out to be more than a middle-weight enforcer? Will the Capitals’ next coach continue to use him as a shutdown winger?

What should the Capitals’ priorities be this offseason? According to The Post’s Tarik El-Bashir, it begins with determining their team identity.

Are they defense first like they were under Hunter? Should they go back to the exciting brand of hockey they played in previous seasons under Bruce Boudreau? Once the Capitals figure that out, then they can start adding the players they need.

What do you think Washington’s identity should be next season? Check out the Post Sports Live crew’s discussion and then share your thoughts in the comments section below.

When the Capitals brought in Dale Hunter as head coach in November, they altered the team’s system, mind-set and the expectations for every player. The focus was on playing a more defensively responsible game, minimizing risk and making the smart play. The new system wasn’t the sole reason that eight forwards saw a dip in their offensive numbers this season, but it certainly played a part.

On breakdown day, several players expressed their regret at not finding ways to chip in more on the scoresheet in the postseason. Thirteen of Washington’s 14 playoff games were decided by one goal, and the team averaged 2.07 goals per contest throughout the postseason.

Where General Manager George McPhee may do the most tinkering this offseason is up front. Four forwards are set to become unrestricted free agents — including Alexander Semin, which would leave a spot (and plenty of salary cap space) for a scoring winger. As seems to be the case every summer, the Capitals could also use some more experienced depth and playmaking ability at center behind Nicklas Backstrom.

What will the depth chart look like by October? It’s tough to tell. But in the meantime, let’s take a look back at how this past season went for Washington’s forwards and what it might mean for the future. This is Part I of the forward breakdown (Aucoin to Halpern) so be sure to check back for Part II (Hendricks to Ward).

The Capitals demonstrated they could play a stingy defensive game under Dale Hunter this season. That system began with the blueliners themselves, some of whom were better suited to his demands than others.

As General Manager George McPhee engineers a roster for next season and searches for a new coach, he could easily keep the bulk of the defense from 2011-12 intact. The Capitals have five defensemen under contract who are expected to be ready for next season, with two more, Mike Green and John Carlson, due new contracts as restricted free agents. That doesn’t preclude the option of changes to the blueline this summer, but if Washington resigns Green and Carlson it will have seven NHL-ready defensemen for next season.

Dennis Wideman is the lone unrestricted free agent in the group. While he has said he would enjoy coming back to Washington, his price tag may simply be too steep on the open market. The Capitals also have Dmitry Orlov coming off his rookie season to slide into the top six on a regular basis, which would help pick up some of the ice time a departure by Wideman would leave behind.

From there, the question remains of how the Capitals’ brass sees the team’s identity moving forward. Critics have long targeted the lack of a grizzled, net-clearing defenseman as a weakness, but to bring in someone to fill that role or another prominent spot on the defensive depth chart would require a few tweaks.

Let’s take a look back at how this past season went for Washington’s defensemen and what it might mean for the future: