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Capitals: Grading their trades after the NHL Trade deadline

By Michael Marzzacco |
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 20: Brenden Dillon #4 of the Washington Capitals in action against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Capital One Arena on February 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 20: Brenden Dillon #4 of the Washington Capitals in action against the Montreal Canadiens during the third period at Capital One Arena on February 20, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
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MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 08: Ilya Kovalchuk #17 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his overtime goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on February 8, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC – FEBRUARY 08: Ilya Kovalchuk #17 of the Montreal Canadiens celebrates his overtime goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre on February 8, 2020 in Montreal, Canada. The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in overtime. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

The Washington Capitals were once again very active in the Trade Deadline.

For the sixth season in a row, the Washington Capitals added a defensemen prior to the trade deadline. That wasn’t all.

On Sunday just hours after beating the Pittsburgh Penguins they acquired forward Ilya Kovalchuk and only lost a third round pick in the deal.

The Capitals also made a minor league deal, losing Christian Djoos to the Ducks in a swap for Daniel Sprong. Sprong was once a former Penguins top prospect but it’s highly unlikely you’ll see him in a Capitals sweater this season. He’ll be fun to watch on the Hershey Bears though!

This piece, however, will look at the first two trades the Capitals made. What they got, what they lost, and a grade for the move.

First let’s take a look at the salary cap. Their projected cap space after the deadline is $191,345. Both Dillon and Kovalchuk are unrestricted free agents (UFAs) come July 1. There will be a lot of decisions to make during that time period and they’ll be added to the mix.

Now we’ll look at both players, beginning with Brenden Dillion, and grade the trades. Without further ado, let’s begin.

WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 23: Linesman James Tobias breaks up Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Brenden Dillon #4 of the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena on February 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 23: Linesman James Tobias breaks up Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Brenden Dillon #4 of the Washington Capitals during the first period at Capital One Arena on February 23, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Brenden Dillon

The Capitals first traded for San Jose Sharks defensemen Brenden Dillon for a second round pick that was originally from the Colorado Avalanche as well as a conditional 2021 third rounder with San Jose agreeing to retain 50 percent of Dillon’s cap hit.

Dillon had recorded 14 points in 59 games with the Sharks with a goal and 13 assists and is on pace for his third straight season with 20 points. He recorded six penalty minutes so far in his three games with the Caps including a fight at the end of the first period against the Pittsburgh Penguins that made him an immediate fan favorite.

Dillon has been on the top pair with John Carlson and it is likely he’ll remain there for the remainder of the season as the defense looks to improve. This will be a tough Metropolitan Division to win and no matter who is in net for the Capitals on any given night, the importance of the defense cannot be stressed enough.

Grade A: This was a big upgrade and I see Dillon performing better than a Michal Kempny, and Kempny was a great trade deadline pickup a couple seasons ago. Another brilliant trade by General Manager Brian MacLellan.

NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 4: Ilya Kovalchuk #17 of the Montreal Canadiens points in celebration as the Canadiens celebrate a goal by teammate Nick Cousins that tied the game during third period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils on February 4, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – FEBRUARY 4: Ilya Kovalchuk #17 of the Montreal Canadiens points in celebration as the Canadiens celebrate a goal by teammate Nick Cousins that tied the game during third period of an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils on February 4, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Paul Bereswill/Getty Images) /

Ilya Kovalchuk

Perhaps the biggest trade that shook up Washington happened Sunday night when MacLellan announced the trade of a 2020 third round draft pick to the Montreal Canadiens for Ilya Kovalchuk. This addition will provide offensive depth for the Capitals in the bottom six and he should make an impact right away.

Kovalchuk lined up at the right wing position on the third line next to Carl Hagelin and Lars Eller. He also practiced on the power play on the second unit in the slot at morning skate alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov, Tom Wilson, Lars Eller and Dmitry Orlov.

Kovalchuk will make his Capitals debut tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. He recorded 13 points with six goals and seven assists in 22 games with the Canadiens while adding nine points with the Los Angles Kings this season prior to them releasing him.

Kovalcuk and Ovechkin are best friends and they were seen happy together at the morning skate. It was destiny they would become teammates.

Grade A+: This move helps bolster the Capitals offense while giving a veteran a legitimate opportunity to make some noise in the Stanley Cup playoffs This might’ve been Brian MacLellan’s best trade deadline move yet. Only time will tell.

More. Capitals vs. Jets preview. light

Those are our grades for the newest members of the Capitals. What grades would you give the trades for Brenden Dillon and Ilya Kovalchuk? Let us know in the comments!

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