Washington Capitals: Radim Vrbata Could Be Final Piece To Puzzle
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The Washington Capitals are looking for a top six forward this off-season. They will likely pursue one in a trade because of the lack of options available in free agency. One right wing who they could pursue to be either the first line right wing or the potential missing piece for the second forward line is Vancouver Canucks forward Radim Vrbata.
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Vrbata is coming off a 2014-2015 season that saw him score 31 goals and pick up 32 assists in 79 regular season games playing alongside Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin for a majority of the season. He is currently 34 years old and will turn 35 next June, which is also when he will become an unrestricted free agent. He has a 2015-2016 cap hit of $5,000,000 and is owed $5,000,000 next season.
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So why are the Vancouver Canucks interested in trading Vrbata? Well, they are currently having salary cap issues. They have 17 players under contract for next season but only roughly $5,605,000 of cap space. They have some RFAs that they need to deal with like Linden Vey and Ryan Stanton, so they could probably stand to use some more cap space as they look to improve and give their younger, cheaper forwards more playing time.
Why The Washington Capitals Should Trade For Him
I think that Vrbata would be a very nice fit on the Washington Capitals second line. Despite being 33 years old last season, he had a very good year in terms of shot generation when you compare his shot attempt rates to the rest of his career.
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Shot generation is one of the first things to go when a scoring wing like Vrbata ages and if you’ve been paying attention, it’s something that I think the Washington Capitals need to be better at. Let’s see how Vrbata ranks among the 121 NHL forwards who had at least 1000 minutes at even strength last season (Vrbata had 1008).
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Vrbata likely wouldn’t be the best fit for the first forward line alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom. Vrbata and Ovechkin are both what I like to call “high volume shooters”. They are extremely efficient goal scorers because of their sheer shot volume. Obviously, having both players on the same line would most likely not be most beneficial for the Washington Capitals. However, put Vrbata on the right wing alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov and Marcus Johansson and Vrbata could be that missing piece for the Washington Capitals.
Perhaps the best part of Vrbata is the fact that he would be a one year rental. Gambling on aging players is very dangerous. However, gambling on one who hasn’t declined yet and who would most likely only be around for one year? That’s about as low risk as it gets for a 30+ year old forward. If the Canucks want to get a jump start on their rebuild (which they need to do soon anyway), trading Vrbata would be a great way to do it.
Vrbata would also help with the Washington Capitals power play, potentially turning it into a borderline unstoppable machine. Of course, who knows if Vrbata and Ovechkin would mesh together on the same power play? It would sure be a ton of fun to find out and the reward far outweighs the risk, in my opinion.
What Will He Cost The Washington Capitals?
If the Canucks are interested in moving Vrbata, they obviously will have no shortage of suitors. They will most likely want at least a first round pick. I think the Washington Capitals should offer the Canucks their 2015 first rounder for Vrbata. Risky? Sure. Worth it to a team that has a shrinking Stanley Cup window? You bet.
The one complication I see with this trade is that it would create a bit of a logjam at right wing, and not a good one either. Let’s assume Andre Burakovsky is the first line right wing like he probably should be. Vrbata slots in as the second line right wing. Troy Brouwer probably sticks at third line right wing. Tom Wilson is relegated to the fourth line again with no real potential of moving up. That’s probably not what is best for the Washington Capitals or Wilson. If the Caps trade for Vrbata, a Brouwer trade would make a ton of sense. Brouwer could probably get the Caps a second or at worst a third round pick.
A first round pick likely won’t be enough. The Washington Capitals could include a B level prospect such as Connor Carrick or Riley Barber or perhaps the rights to restricted free agent Stanislav Galiev. Keep in mind that the Canucks aren’t in good shape cap-wise, so they couldn’t just send over an NHL player. If it is one, it’ll be someone on an entry level contract. The Caps could also use their 2016 first round pick, but they would most likely need to include more.
What do you think Caps fans? Should the Washington Capitals trade for Vrbata? Vote in the poll!
Next: Capitals Seeking To Add Top Six Forward