The Washington Capitals have been very active this offseason. They have already acquired Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade with the Buffalo Sabres, as well as bringing in Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues, in hopes of bolstering their forward depth and being a legitimate playoff contender next season.
While they are still waiting for an answer from Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals could still be in the mix for some big-name players that are finding themselves in trade speculation this summer. One name that makes some sense is Dallas Stars' Jason Robertson.
Robertson reportedly rejected an eight-year extension from the Seattle Kraken, in what would have been a sign-and-trade, according to Elliotte Friedman. In the article, Friedman wrote, "It’s hard to say what’s next for the Stars and their 40-goal winger, who are believed to be at least $2 million apart per season. Their top contract is Mikko Rantanen at $12 million per year, and the hope was Robertson would come somewhere around that number."
The Capitals currently have just over $14 million in cap space, according to PuckPedia, and while they need to save some for the potential return of Ovechkin, it wouldn't be a surprise if they emerged as candidates to land Robertson.
Robertson would be interested in extending with a team that is contending, and while it seems like he would prefer to remain with the Stars, it seems logical that he would join the Capitals if they were interested in bringing him in, and he couldn't come to a new deal with the Stars.
Realistically, this doesn't happen unless Ovechkin announces his retirement, since Robertson would take up the majority of the remaining cap space that the Capitals have.
For a team pushing for their first Stanley Cup since 2018, becoming more aggressive and adding Robertson would be a perfect move and wouldn't come as much of a shock.
The Capitals have the assets to make a deal work, and could create one of, if not the deepest forward core in the entire league, if they can bring in one of the best players in the league.
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