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Capitals April Fools: Top 3 worst trades ever made

By Michael Marzzacco|
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 12: Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Washington Capitals waits for a pass as Tim Taylor #27 of the Tampa Bay Lightning defends during game 2 in round one of the NHL 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the St. Pete Times Forum on April 12, 2003 in Tampa, Florida. The Capitals defeated the Lightning 6-3. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Getty Images/NHLI)
TAMPA, FL - APRIL 12: Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Washington Capitals waits for a pass as Tim Taylor #27 of the Tampa Bay Lightning defends during game 2 in round one of the NHL 2003 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the St. Pete Times Forum on April 12, 2003 in Tampa, Florida. The Capitals defeated the Lightning 6-3. (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Getty Images/NHLI)

The Washington Capitals haven’t made the best decisions when it comes to trades.

From the one trade, everyone knows and hates, to the ones that angered fans back in the day, the Washington Capitals have been known to make us scratch our heads.

Remember the time Jaromir Jagr suited up for the Capitals? What about when they traded him away for nothing in return?

Who could forget the Filip Forsberg trade? Look what he’s doing in Nashville!

Let’s relive the worst of the worst, shall we?

WASHINGTON – APRIL 20: Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Washington Capitals plays the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six of the first round of the 2003 Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoffs at the MCI Center on April 20, 2003 in Washington, DC. The Lightning defeated the Capitals 2-1. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images/NHLI)
WASHINGTON – APRIL 20: Jaromir Jagr #68 of the Washington Capitals plays the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning in game six of the first round of the 2003 Eastern Conference Stanley Cup playoffs at the MCI Center on April 20, 2003 in Washington, DC. The Lightning defeated the Capitals 2-1. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images/NHLI)

#3 The trade for Jaromir Jagr

Back in the summer of 2001, the Capitals made a blockbuster trade with their rivals the Pittsburgh Penguins. Coming to D.C. would be Jaromir Jagr and Frantisek Kucera while the Penguins would receive Kris Beech, Ross Lupaschuk, Michal Sivek, and future considerations.

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George McPhee was the architect behind this trade and the following two we’ll mention. Jagr would leave town after openly feuding with their head coach at the time Ivan Hlinka. The Penguins got nothing out of that trade except a bad egg out of the locker room. The Capitals signed him to a whopping seven years and $77 million which was the richest contract in NHL history at the time. It looked like a strong line with Jagr being partnered up with Peter Bondra and Adam Oates but it just didn’t work out. They missed the playoffs completely during his first season.

Coming off a 52 goal season in his final year in Pittsburgh, Jagr only scored 31 goals the next year as well as 36 his second year.

WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 10: Right wing Jaromir Jagr #68 of the New York Rangers passes the puck against the Washington Capitals during the NHL game on October 10, 2005 at MCI Center in Washington D.C. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 3-2. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 10: Right wing Jaromir Jagr #68 of the New York Rangers passes the puck against the Washington Capitals during the NHL game on October 10, 2005 at MCI Center in Washington D.C. The Capitals defeated the Rangers 3-2. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

#2 Trading away Jaromir Jagr

In the middle of his third season, the Capitals were in a bad stretch in 2003-04 and had to do a fire sale of trading away their superstars in the case to tank for the number one pick in that summer’s draft which turned out to be Alex Ovechkin. That’s the big silver lining I’ll take from Jagr not working out in Washington.

The Capitals acquired Anson Carter in the deal back in January of 2004 who scored just five goals and five assists for 10 points.

Jagr, on the other hand, enjoyed a career resurgence with the New York Rangers. Following the lockout, he had a 54 goal season.

PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 22: Filip Forsberg, 11th overall pick by the Washington Capitals, poses on stage during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 22: Filip Forsberg, 11th overall pick by the Washington Capitals, poses on stage during Round One of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft at Consol Energy Center on June 22, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

#1 Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat and Michael Latta

Let’s just say I walked out of class and said some words I shouldn’t have said when I looked at my phone to find out about this trade. Or maybe I was right to say them.

Forsberg was a first round draft pick who many thought would come up quickly to the NHL and play on a line with Ovechkin. We all know how much he’s thrived with the Nashville Predators who simply couldn’t hesitate on this offer.

Latta was an average return at best who got playing time in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, respectively. Erat, on the other hand, played in 62 games for the Capitals and scored two goals. One of those was an empty netter.

Those are the trades that we thought were the worst. Which trade was your least favorite?

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