#2 Jared McCann for a draft pick... we would hope
According to Sportsnet's Jacob Stoller, the Seattle Kraken could make Jared McCann available before the trade deadline and Sammi Silber of The Hockey News writes that he could be an interesting name the Caps could consider.
Through 57 games this season McCann has 14 goals and 28 assists for 42 points and had three consecutive 50 plus point seasons and back to back 60 plus point seasons prior to this season. It spells consistency which is what the Caps should shoot for if they were to go for a target in this trade deadline and he could also help out the power play.
There are rumors the Caps have been looking into a middle six forward to bolster their offense at five on five and out of the forward lines from top to bottom it's the third line that's struggling to find that consistency and chemistry. The power play has also had it's fair share of ups and downs and power play misses don't fly come playoff time.
This won't be a cheap add on whatsover so this might not work. He carries a cap hit of $5 million through the 2026-27 season and the return could be costly. Costly in the form of a roster player and not a draft pick.
Another issue is the chemistry. The locker room is strong in the Caps end of things so they might be better off staying put. Or at the very least steering clear of this one and going with the last option. Or the next one we talk about here.
Silber also notes that top prospect Ryan Leonard is likely to join the Caps in the spring and that would be a bolster to the offense. Right now he's in the NCAA tearing it up at Boston College in his sophomore season. Wouldn't be surprsing to see a call up once the tournament ends down there.