"It sounds like there's more names being talked about than what I've heard about in the past.... I don't know if that translates into actual trades, but there seems to be a lot of conversations. There's more names involved than there has been in the past." - Brian MacLellan.
It's true that this years NHL Draft is gearing up to be one of the more interesting in recent years, with the potential for us to see a lot of trades and a lot of players moving to new cities. The Caps are no exception this year, going into tonight's Draft with the possibility of landing a few new players via trade.
The salary cap will be going up to around $70M this year, and that leaves a lot of room for teams to tinker with their roster. The Caps currently sit at around $57M at the moment (capgeek.com) and have around $14M to spend on signing a back-up goaltender, shut-down defenseman, and (hopefully) re-signing Mikhail Grabovski. Those are the three major issues that GMBM has to deal with.
As for upgrading other areas of the roster, the Caps could look to the trade market, and there are a few players who they can offer up.
1). Troy Brouwer: Brouwer had a great year last year finishing second in goals scored with 25. His value is high at the moment and that could mean that GMBM is shopping Brouwer to see what he can get. With 4-5 (depending on Ovechkin's position this year) capable right wings, the Caps have the means to let one of them go. Brouwer, however, is one of the Caps real leaders and to take that out of the locker room might not be the best idea. However, if the roster can be upgraded, whether it's better secondary scoring or maybe even a top-two defenseman, it has to be done. Brouwer is a UFA in two years. Cap Hit: $3.66M
2). Dmitry Orlov: Orlov's season was literally up and down last year as he traveled back and forth from Hershey to keep his contract honest. Orlov ended up playing 54 games with the Caps and had a steady year. With two years left at $2M a year, Orlov is an affordable option for teams looking to fill their back-end. He's recovering from a broken arm sustained in the World's, and that will most likely affect his trade status, but Orlov is a good player that teams will inquire about. He protects the zone well and is still improving his game. Cap Hit: $2M
3). Joel Ward: Like Brouwer, Ward had a great year - a career year for him - and his value has never been higher, especially with his play at the World Championships this summer. He is a little bit of a gamble for the Caps in that they hope he can play at the same level this year, or, if they trade him, the return for him is better and fills a need on the team. Ward's contract expires next year however, and if a team is looking at him, they may decide they don't want a potential rental for the year. Cap Hit: $3M
4). Marcus Johansson: He's an RFA at the end of the year, and could sign a new contract before then. However, Johansson hasn't made the impact the Caps were hoping, but you can use the excuse that he's had a different coach almost every year he's played - and that does matter. With Kuznetsov and Burakovsky, the Caps have enough young talent to warrant trading Johansson and getting some value - they would probably have to package it though. Again, his contract might turn teams away unless the Caps can extend him 2-3 years. Cap Hit: $2M Things to remember:
The Capitals have 7 players heading in to UFA status next season: Mike Green, John Erksine, Jack Hillen, Aaron Volpatti, Jay Beagle, Eric Fehr, Joel Ward.
And 3 players heading to RFA status: Braden Holtby, Marcus Johansson and Evgeny Kuznetsov.
A few of these guys won't be back next year, that's for sure, and depending on what GMBM does this off-season, the Caps are looking to have a lot of wiggle room going into next year.
As for Mike Green, it seems as if the Caps are giving him one last try to get his game back. He could be traded, but in my opinion I don't see him as trade-able right now, unless the Caps take back part of his salary for the rest of the year. Stranger things have happened. I also don't see the Caps just letting him walk for nothing a year from now. We shall see.
More to come...
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