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The Washington Capitals have not made their desire to acquire a top six right wing a secret. It is one of the primary objectives of the Washington Capitals off-season. Since the free agent market is barren and does not have many options as far as top six forwards, the Washington Capitals will likely have to add one via a trade. One of the biggest commodities who could be available on the trade market is St. Louis Blues right wing T.J. Oshie.
SEE ALSO: Why The Capitals Should Trade For Patrick Sharp
The St. Louis Blues, fresh off another first round exit in the playoffs, could be open to moving some of the core players, including Oshie.
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"You look at the St. Louis Blues. Again, they’re not pressing to doing anything, but they’re more open than they’ve ever been to a team calling them on one of their core guys – their veteran guys – and saying, ‘Do you feel like moving an apple for an apple.’ I think the Blues would do that because they know that something is not quite right in terms of them being a disappointment in the first round every year. So they’re an interesting team to keep an eye on. – Today’s Slapshot"
Oshie would certainly be a nice addition to the Washington Capitals. You probably remember Mr. Oshie as being the American hero for leading Team USA to a shootout victory over the Russians in the 2014 Olympics. Well, the Washington Capitals have a tendency to find themselves in quite a few shootouts. Seeing as how Oshie is one of the best shootout specialists in the world, he would obviously help them win more shootouts.
That doesn’t begin to describe the true value of Oshie though. Oshie is a very consistent player as far as scoring.
"Oshie is a consistent goal scorer, with neither a poor nor remarkable NHL season on his books. He usually tallies right around 20 goals per season, give or take a couple. Perhaps that kind of consistency is just what the Capitals need since some of their forwards have endured up-and-down seasons. – The Hockey Writers"
He has over 50 points in his last three full seasons and was on pace for around 50 points in a full season for the lockout-shortened 2012-2013 season. He’s not a goal scorer, as he has only scored more than 20 goals in a single season once, but he’s a playmaker who tends to make the guys around him better. The Washington Capitals could certainly use a guy like that on one of their top two forward lines.
As productive as Oshie is, his possession stats are not that impressive. His possession stats suggest that he neither helps nor hurts his team when he’s on the ice. All stats are at even strength and are courtesy of war-on-ice. Here’s a glossary of the stats if you need it.
Of course, possession stats are just one part of the picture. However, it is a tad bit concerning that a player as talented as Oshie doesn’t really drive possession. That said, Oshie is a consistently productive player, so I think that makes up for that.
Let’s see how Oshie matches up to his peers as far as shot generation and point production because I feel those are two areas where the Washington Capitals must be better. I narrowed the list down by only including forwards who played at least 1000 minutes at even strength (Oshie played 1038:14). 121 forwards qualified. All rates are at even strength and are courtesy of Hockey Analysis.
The Washington Capitals should find that a bit concerning. If they are going to trade for a top line right wing (I think they shouldn’t because Andre Burakovsky is one), it better be someone who is capable of generating shots because Nicklas Backstrom isn’t good at that. Burakovsky did extremely well while paired with Alex Ovechkin and Backstrom. Plus, I can’t fathom Barry Trotz having a second line featuring three younger players on a consistent basis. So I don’t think Oshie is the best fit for the first line.
I don’t think he’s a perfect fit for the second line either. What the second line needs isn’t another playmaker. The second line will already feature Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson in 2015-2016. What the Washington Capitals need on the second line is another finisher. That said, there aren’t many of those available, so Oshie might be a good fit on the second line if the Washington Capitals can’t get Patrick Sharp. Oshie would certainly be a better fit for the second line than Brouwer.
What Will Oshie Cost The Washington Capitals
If the Capitals trade for Oshie, their 2015 first round pick will likely have to be involved since the Blues would like to add a first round pick since they traded theirs to the Winnipeg Jets. However, if the Caps trade for Oshie, that will leave them with a bit of a logjam at right wing and it would likely force the Capitals to have to fourth line Tom Wilson for yet another season. That’s not ideal. I would include Troy Brouwer in a trade for T.J. Oshie on top of the Capitals 2015 first round pick. I’d probably have the Blues include a fourth round pick to even things out.
That deal would make everyone happy. The Blues shake up their roster and get their first round pick. The Capitals get their top six forward. I’d do that trade if Oshie’s the best option available (which is likely to be the case if the Caps don’t get Sharp).
Let’s take a vote Caps fans. Should the Capitals trade for T.J. Oshie? Or would he not really solve the main issues with the Capitals?
Next: Washington Capitals Will Seek Top Six Forward