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The Washington Capitals lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. After challenging for the Presidents' Trophy and winning the Metropolitan Division, it was a disappointing finish for Washington. But they have a new core to build around for the future. With Alex Ovechkin potentially entering his final season, who could the Capitals add to their roster through offseason trades?
Last year, the Capitals made two of the most impactful trades of the summer. They sent Darcy Kuemper to the LA Kings for Pierre-Luc Dubois. And they picked up Senators defenseman Jakob Chychrun and signed him to an extension. They did all of that while retaining all of their first-round picks and top prospect, Ryan Leonard. That gives them plenty of assets to add to their roster this offseason.
How far will the Capitals go to give Ovechkin one more deep run? Who can they add that will fix their problems and get them through a tough Eastern Conference?
The Capitals can add JG Pageau
After a disappointing season saw them miss the playoffs, the New York Islanders are in a transitional offseason. Amid their search for a new general manager and their draft lottery win, they could make some trades to offload contracts this summer. One of those candidates is JG Pageau, who is entering the final year of a deal paying him $5 million annually. His strong defense and penalty kill games make Pageau a great fit in Washington.
In the postseason, the Capitals had a 71.4% penalty kill percentage. While the Islanders had a dreadful penalty kill during the season, much of that was because of their blue-line injuries. Even as he approaches the end of his career, Pageau is still strong when a man down. Their 82% penalty kill percentage from the regular season was likely not sustainable.
Push all of the chips in on a young restricted free agent
Two restricted free agents might ask for more money than their current teams can pay. Wild forward Marco Rossi and Jets forward Gabe Vilardi may be available for an offer sheet or a trade. The Capitals would have to give either player a new contract, but they will have the cap space to do it. When July 1 rolls around, they'll have a shade over $8 million to spend.
Alex Ovechkin is the greatest goal scorer in NHL history after passing Wayne Gretzky late in the regular season. Not only is he not able to do it all on his own, but it could be his last year with the team. Helping fill the wings with young talent to slowly replace him would be a smart move for Washington. Maybe some of his greatness rubs off on Rossi or Vilardi.
These could be offer sheets or trades with either of these Western Conference teams. With Ovechkin's $9.5 million coming off the books after next season, it would not prevent them from making any big moves the following offseason.
Getting deeper down the middle
Ahead of the NHL trade deadline, there were a lot of rumors about the St Louis Blues trading away Brayden Schenn. The captain of the team ended up staying, and the team went on a deep run. But they are still looking to move forward with a younger core, and trading Schenn could still be on the table. The Capitals should call on Schenn, even though he has a no-trade clause.
Schenn put up his eighth 50-point season in 16 years, which is a model of consistency the Capitals should strive for. He may accept a trade to a team to is clearly going for the Stanley Cup. Even though he wasn't the captain yet, he was key to the 2019 Stanley Cup title in St Louis and could bring that leadership to Washington.
This trade would be about improving the center position for the Capitals, which is key to every team. They are young at center, especially after Dubois had another poor season. So, bringing in a veteran could be the way to go.
