Trade deadline day; one of the most anticipated days of the year for NHL fans. For Washington Capitals fans, this years trade deadline day was expectedly fairly quiet, with the Capitals making only two trades throughout the day. One of those trades included bringing back a familiar face to Washington in forward Marcus Johansson. The cost? Daniel Sprong, a 2022 4th-Round pick and a 2023 6th-round pick.
So full deal: Marcus Johansson to Capitals for Daniel Sprong + 2022 4th rounder and a 2023 6th rounder. Seattle will retain 50 percent of Johansson’s salary.
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) March 21, 2022
Certain fans have seemed to have showed mixed emotions about the trade, as Sprong, when given the chance has shown elite potential in his explosive skating and lethal shooting. Others have shown excitement to welcome “Mojo” back to D.C. where he has previously spent seven seasons playing in the Nation’s Capital.
So what does this trade mean for the Washington Capitals? We take a deeper look at the reasonings behind the trade, and assess the negatives and positives.
Daniel Sprong with the Capitals this season appeared in 47 games putting up 9 goals and 15 points. Marcus Johansson on the other hand recorded 6 goals and 23 points in 51 games with the Kraken. Yes, Johansson has slightly better point production and while both players have missed a fair amount of games, let’s do a little comparison. Johansson has recorded 9 power play points this year while for the most part playing in a top 6 role, compared to Sprong’s 1 power play point playing in the bottom 6. Not to mention Sprong averages about 4 minutes T.O.I. less then Johansson. So why would the Capitals trade Sprong, a young player that has shown multiple flashes of elite talent for a guy about 7 years older with similar point production?
When we take a look at both players games missed, there is a major difference. Where Marcus Johansson has missed his games due to injury, Daniel Sprong has missed his games by being healthy scratched. Now this is where the trade makes sense for the Capitals. To whatever the reasoning behind Sprong’s lack of playing time in Washington was, as well as being a pending RFA, the Caps acquired a player that they will actually use in Marcus Johansson.
But why would one of the oldest teams in the league in the Capitals trade one of their youngest players away for a 31 year old? Here is your answer: As long as Alex Ovechkin remains on the team, the Capitals will always need to be in “win now mode”. This makes player age somewhat irrelevant for the Caps. The Capitals are going to be more focused on experienced players and on what players can currently do, other then what players possible potential will be down the road.
The Capitals may be looked at by being the losers of this trade in the future, but if they won’t use Sprong and will use Johansson, then it makes sense right now solely due to player usage. Sprong should have lots more opportunity in Seattle, and will hopefully reach his true potential. Johansson has already been slotted into the top line with Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, and is already given a role on the power play.
Marcus Johansson on being traded to WSH: "This is the one place I wanted to go. We were here a few weeks ago and coming here always still feels like home. I'm just very excited for the opportunity. This feels special."
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) March 22, 2022
As disappointing of a trade this may be for some Caps fans, and as nice as it would have been to keep at least one of the picks traded away, it makes sense short term. Short term deals are exactly the type of deals the Capitals will be after for the next couple of years, and as long as Alex Ovechkin is a Capital. Marcus Johansson is excited and happy be back rocking the red, and Caps fans should be as well.