Hello All,
The trade deadline has concluded and the Washington Capitals have made a couple of small moves to bolster roster depth. There are 18 games left in the regular season. Let that soak in.
Here are the two moves the Capitals made:
Trade #1
WAS Acquired: Marcus Johansson, LW (Age 31)
SEA: Acquired: Daniel Sprong, RW (Age 25), 4th round pick 2022 draft, 6th round pick 2023 draft
*SEA retains 50% of Marcus Johansson Salary
Trade #2
WAS Acquired: John Larsson, LW (Age 29)
ARI Acquired: 3rd round pick in 2023 draft
As expected, the Capitals laid pretty low this year and thank goodness they did. From what I am reading, the two trades highlight a general theme of getting more balanced and more defensively minded forwards. I am all for that. This feels like a nice move that bolsters depth and really lines up well for a playoff style of hockey.
Here is what the projected lineup will be once the squad is back to full health:
Ovechkin-Kuznetsov-Wilson Mantha-Backstrom-Oshie Sheary-Eller-Johansson Larsson-Dowd-Hataaway
The Capitals may be one of the hottest teams in the NHL right now, but this is not the year to go all-in at the deadline. I think I speak for all Capitals fans in saying that this is not a Stanley Cup contending team. I believe we have a very strong team, but holy shirts n pants is the East loaded this year. A potential path to the Cup for the Caps could be Hurriances --> Penguins --> --> Panthers --> Colorado. Damn. Unless Vitek turns into the Vezina, this Caps team is not keeping pace with those juggernauts in a best of seven. Is it possible? Yes! I like the core group we have and maybe they can make some noise and really get settled at the right time.
What grade would I give the Caps? I say a "B". I was happy not to make much noise this year. I would have liked to see maybe a veteran goalie acquisition but I do not believe there were many available for the right price. Sometimes not making the big move is the best move. For the Caps, I think this was the right call not to go big.
How about you?
Thanks for reading and GO CAPS