If you’re reading this, you’re likely aware that the Washington Capitals find themselves in a murky place in the playoff race for the second year in a row. The Capitals headed into the All Star break tied for 5th in the Metropolitan Division and are six points out of a playoff spot.
On the one hand, it’s great to be in the race despite the constant struggle to find the net. If regression works in the Capitals favor and Alex Ovechkin uses the time off to regenerate, things could rebound quickly. But let’s be honest, the odds of that are small.
Brian MacLellan has shown recently that he isn’t going to bottom out and blow this team up, but anyone not a part of the future plans is fair game to be dealt. We all know this. With the trade deadline approaching the first question we should be asking isn’t who but rather what the Caps should trade for.
First things first: If you are trading guys at the back end of the roster, don’t expect miracles. For example, Nicolas Aubé-Kubel has had a solid start to the season and has some skills contenting teams might value, but other teams have had multiple chances to claim him for free off waivers, including as recently as this past October. The fact that nobody raised their hand to take him is a good sign that he’s not seen to have a huge upside. That being said, I wouldn’t give him away for nothing because he still has value. He’s just 27, he isn’t blocking anyone in particular at Hershey, and he doesn’t make much money.
Because of where the Capitals are in this reload/rebuild, I also don’t want to attach assets to get rid of Evgeny Kuznetsov and his contract. We’re finally close to getting that off the books anyway, and it’s hard to see a lot of pending free agents worth spending the cash on anyway.
So where does that leave things?
Ideally, the Capitals will look to target young players in tough situations who may need a change of scenery, especially for guys like Anthony Mantha or Nick Dowd who contenders may be willing to pay for. Look for post-hype prospects who still have potential and guys you wouldn’t have to give up a lot for. Players like winger Arthur Kaliyev from the Kings and winger Kappo Kakko of the Rangers are perfect examples of what I am talking about.
Another option is to seek prospects instead of picks. For example, we saw in the Calgary trade with Vancouver, the Flames received two defensive prospects in addition to picks. Prospects that show potential even as bottom six forwards or third pair defensemen may be more useful to this team than the lottery ticket that a fourth-round pick represents. The player the Caps could get with a 2026 pick isn’t going to help the team while Ovechkin is still here.
But if all the Caps are getting is mid to late round picks, expect MacLellan to make offseason moves where we use those extra picks to get an actual NHL player. So if the team deals Joel Edmundson for picks, that’s OK. It’s what he was acquired for in the first place.
By Ethan Berman
