Capitals Needs Prior To The Trade Deadline

When looking at what the Washington Capitals want this trade deadline, it’s pretty simple. The Capitals’ goaltending tandem is solid, and even their top AHL goalie is doing well with the Hershey Bears.

Defensively, a unit that has largely carried the Washington attack this season figures to get even more potent will add Cole Hutson, one of the top defenders playing in college hockey, so while the Caps may opt to add a depth defenseman, it’s unlikely they will make any major changes there.

However, what the Capitals have been looking to do since the summer – and decided to be patient with the high cost of the free agent market – is add at least one Top 6 forward, if not two, as well as some depth up front.

The Capitals could afford to be patient in the first half of the season, with their early play putting them atop the Eastern Conference. But an injury to Pierre-Luc Dubois has left a team that was already thin in the middle even more so, and Tom Wilson’s recent injury robbed them of one of their most consistent producers.

Now, with Washington facing a now-critical six-game road trip and now sitting outside the playoff picture – with the gap beginning to grow – the Caps last week seem more likely to see what their options are, even with the trade deadline still over a month away.

Washington General Manager Chris Patrick told reporters Friday the team was “actively pursuing” a “higher-end” skilled winger, and also admitted that if the team waits til the March 6 deadline, there may not be anything that they need available.

Of course, that same day, New York Rangers General Manager Chris Drury sent out a letter outlining a need for change with their organization, leading speculation that with a limited number of sellers, Artemi Panarin may be a fit for Washington.

While Panarin would fit the description of a skilled winger, unless the Russian specifically demands to only waive his no-trade clause to join fellow countryman Alex Ovechkin in Washington, it seems a bit of a stretch the Blueshirts would help out a Metropolitan Division rival, and while New York has struggled this season, it would see a Western team may be Panarin’s eventual destination unless he specifically will only go to the Caps.

An additional roadblock would be Panarin’s cap hit, which is north of $11.6 million, and even with the space opening up as the games dwindle, the Rangers certainly would have to eat a chunk of Panarin’s hit, which also would drive up the price in trade. Not to mention, Panarin could specifically be considered a short-term rental, as he could opt to leave North America this season and play in his native country next season.

Not to mention, with a team that has produced some lackluster results as of late, Panarin has been MIA for a stretch of the games this season, and certainly would factor in to paying to make him a splash.

A more realistic trading partner may be the St. Louis Blues, with Brayden Schenn a possibility with the Blues seemingly ready to clean house after a disappointing season.

Schenn’s cap hit is more reasonable at $6.5 million, but also would fetch more in return with him still under contract for two more seasons after this one.

He can also play center or left wing, which certainly would help fill the void of Dubois, who won’t return to action until after the Olympic break.

There are some other possibilities, but some teams like the Buffalo Sabres, who in past years would be sellers with some pending unrestricted free agents now in the playoff hunt, may opt to buy rather than sell assets unless it’s a trade of mutual short-term benefit. There is only one team – the Vancouver Canucks – more than 10 points out of a playoff spot entering play Monday, and while some other teams like the Blues and Rangers may look to sell, it’s certainly going to be a seller’s market with limited resources for teams to boost their playoff hopes.

While that may change in the next few weeks, the log jam in the Eastern Conference hasn’t really shaken many teams totally out of the picture – and the Rangers may opt to get immediate help in return for trades, which adds another complication for teams looking to add – and it may remain murky as March approaches.

Asset-wise, Patrick made it clear that top defensive prospect Hutson wouldn’t be on the block, as while his name came up in checking on Quinn Hughes, the GM said the team liked what they had and weren’t willing to trade him until he arrives in the NHL, particularly for a defensive prospect that could develop into a top blueliner like Hughes. With Hutson’s Boston University Terriers struggling to make inroads into the college hockey tournament formula with a sub-par season, his arrival may come within a week or two after the trade deadline, with the Terriers’ regular-season ending a day after the deadline, with Hockey East tournament play right after.

And, like Ryan Leonard last season, making the jump from the Boston College Eagles in April right into the Washington lineup, the Capitals may see Hutson as a trade-type add without requiring any assets leaving town.

The Capitals do have some prospects that could be moved in deals, but it would seem that draft picks may be the method of choice, which also would complicate a potential Panarin deal with the Rangers, insisting on retooling, not rebuilding.

Pick-wise, the Capitals have both their first-rounders for the next two seasons, and in the later rounds, Washington traded its second-rounder in 2026 to the Florida Panthers for Justin Sourdif, and in 2027, its third-rounder went to the Columbus Blue Jackets via the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Lars Eller trade in 2024, as well as a sixth-rounder involved in the Sourdif deal.

Even with a smaller group of sellers than normal, the Capitals likely will be forced to make a move sooner than later, just because if this road trip goes south, they could end up on the wrong end of the trade deadline with their captain pondering his future in the NHL.