Good Friday morning, Caps fans. Hope it’s been a good week and that you have a restful and restorative weekend ahead of you.

It was another … interesting week for the Caps. And while much of that stemmed from the ongoing Tristan Blackmon drama, we had some actual signings and movement elsewhere.

But first, let’s recap the Blackmon saga, which ultimately turned out to be a nothingburger. Reports surfaced on Wednesday from the normally reliable Tom Bogert that Blackmon was holding out in pursuit of a new contract that reflects his status as one of the best defenders in the league. The Caps then somewhat refuted those reports by noting that Blackmon was in Vancouver and was scheduled for his medical on Thursday.

It is possible that the Bogert report was a warning shot to try to scare the Caps into movement on a new deal. But it ultimately didn’t amount to much, with Tristan back in camp Thursday to fly out with the team for Marbella, Spain. While it isn’t a given that Blackmon is back for opening day with Vancouver, new contract in hand, Axel Schuster remains adamant that the club isn’t moving its key CB. And given that the Caps have been fairly permissive in letting guys walk who want to leave, you have to imagine that Blackmon isn’t dying for a move either. Whether a new contract gets worked out remains to be seen, but for now, it feels like there isn’t anything to be overly worried about.

In the category of “things that actually happened,” the Caps did nab free agent midfielder Oliver Larraz, who last played for the Colorado Rapids but reportedly was drawing interest from Europe.

This was a potential move that Caleb called, and Larraz was definitely a name that popped out on the free agent list when you consider the Caps’ track record of identifying cheap, domestic guys who can take a step forward and grow.

Larraz isn’t exactly a distressed asset — he logged 38 appearances for Colorado last year. By all accounts, Rapids fans view him as a hard-working, high-energy guy who is willing to do the dirty work and who has some modest passing skills (he seems to love a through ball, which seems to make him a nice fit for Sorensen-ball). Sounds like a guy who will slide into Ralph Priso’s role as a depth piece for when Andres Cubas is unavailable or needs to be rested. Heck, if things go well and Cubas shows out during the World Cup, you could conceivably reopen the prospect of selling the DP defensive midfielder.

If it isn’t a home run, Larraz still seems like a high-floor guy who is likely coming pretty cheap. Finding shrewd, inexpensive pieces who can grow and thrive with the Caps has been Axel Schuster’s bread and butter since arriving in Vancouver, and it is encouraging to see him go back to the well here.

Schuster said Thursday that Larraz is not the last acquisition, with three or four new signings expected in addition to the midfielder. One imagines these will be attacking heavy: a striker, a winger, and possibly another midfielder. It says a lot about the Caps that aside from those first two positions, there aren’t a ton of obvious needs. This will certainly require some outgoing transfers as well, with Giuseppe Bovalina and J.C. Ngando the most obvious names of guys who might be moving out. The Caps might have to get creative (Ngando is a supplemental roster guy), but there is likely to be some wiggle room. It will be fascinating to see what Schuster can cook up.

Shameless Self Promotion

Nostradamus Caleb, fresh off his Larraz call, has a batch of backup strikers the Caps could consider to play behind Brian White.

Best of the Rest

The latest on where things stand with Blackmon as the Caps get ready to start their preseason.

A look at where every Western Conference team sits from a roster-building standpoint.

Martin Nash will be sticking around at Vancouver FC as the permanent manager.

We have our first look at how the pathway to another Canadian Championship title might play out.