The Capitals made a couple LAST MINUTE deadline deals today:
Trade #1:
-Capitals receive Michael Raffl, LW from the Flyers
-Flyers get 2021 5th round draft pick
*My Grade for this deal for the Caps: B
Trade #2:
-Capitals receive Anthony Mantha, RW from Detroit
-Red Wings receive Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, 2021 1st rounder, 2022 2nd rounder.
*My grade for the trade for the Caps: B-
The big one to discuss is the Vrana deal. It is no secret that Vrana has been struggling this year. He had fallen behind in a loaded Capitals offensive lineup and his confidence seemed to be deteriorating a little more with every passing game. Even in the 8-1 blowout of Boston last night, Vrana kind of looked terrible. It has been really weird to watch honestly. Vrana has played up as high as the first line and has been demoted to healthy scratch. There was a time when it was thought that Vrana would carry the torch when Ovechkin and Backstrom retire. So much for that.
In the right system with the top ice-time, Vrana can easily be a consistent 30-goal scorer for Detroit and beyond. Vrana has game breaking speed and can really open up the ice when he is on. He also has a wicked shot. Here is his clutch goal in the Stanley Cup clinching game:
Vrana is also one of the most efficient goal scorers in the league at 5v5. Here are the top players in Goals per 60min since the 2018-2019 season:
I think Vrana is going to continue to be a great player and has an incredible future in the NHL. I hope nothing for the best for him in Detroit. Cheers to Vrana!
One other thing I should note about Vrana that not a lot of people are talking about is his complete disappearing act in the playoffs the last two seasons. Since scoring 8 points in 23 GP during the 2017-2018 Stanley Cup run, Vrana has scored zero points in 15 playoff games the last two seasons. He is a -7. In those 15 games played, he registered 25 shots on goal, good for 1.66 shots per game. I think the Capitals were aware of this and couldn’t take the risk this postseason.
Vrana is 25 years old. Anthony Mantha is 26 years old. From what I am reading about Mantha, this is a solid pickup for Washington as it relates to win-now mode. I am not saying Mantha will be a guarantee come playoff time but on paper he should be a safe bet to produce to some degree. There is also a thought that Mantha could increase is point productivity in the high-powered Washington offense. We have seen and heard that before so who the heck knows. Mantha has a career 95G-99A-194P stat line. This season he has 11G-10A in 42 GP. Richard Panik was recently waived by Washington and then assigned to the Taxi Squad once he cleared. Panik never really found consistent productivity in Washington. I like me some Panik but considering the Cap-hit, it was a good deal to let him go. He also will likely find success on another team with more playing time.
I am not sure exactly how I feel about the trade. I really love Jakub Vrana so this is a tough pill to swallow. I think Mantha gives the Caps a better chance to win now but giving up Vrana, Panik, + Draft picks when we have arguably one of the least talented farm systems in the league is TOUGH.
Washington Capitals Blogger • 
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