Chris Patrick isn’t messing around. The Washington Capitals general manager has been saying for almost two years that he wanted to add a top-six forward to the roster. Last week, he added two of them. Patrick traded for Jordan Kyrou on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday he acquired forward Alex Tuch in a sign-and-trade deal with Buffalo. He then traded Hendrix Lapierre to the Penguins. Just like that, the Caps are no longer a fringe playoff team like this past season, but are a team to be reckoned with.
The Kyrou and Tuch trades put the league on notice. Adding just one of those players would have made the Capitals a playoff team. Kyrou and Tuch are great skaters and can put up points, but they play very different styles. both will help the Capitals on the power play, which they desperately need after last year's poor performance on the man advantage. The Caps penalty kill figures to be even better as well with Tuch now on board. He is one of the leagues best defensive forwards and garnered a few votes for the Selke Award. Kyrou provides more skill and creativity and generates offense, while Tuch is bigger and the better defensive forward.
The Caps will now be looking to add a veteran forward or two in free agency. The trades of Connor McMichael and Lapierre open up spots for the Capitals prospects if they show they are NHL ready. Ivan Miroshnichenko, Bogdan Trineyev, Andrew Cristall, and Terry Parascek could prove they are ready to make the jump. But with Stanley Cup aspirations, the Caps will want to add a seasoned forward or two this summer.
The Caps will need to add a defenseman or two. With Rasmus Sandin out until 2027 and after they traded Declan Chisholm to New Jersey the Caps will need to add at least another defenseman to compensate. They would also like to add a right-shot defenseman, but those are tough to find, and the free agent market has been almost stripped clean after all of tho trades last week. Still, players like Jacob Trouba or Rasmus Andersson could get a look.
Former Cap John Carlson is scheduled to hit free agency on Wednesday, but Carolina traded a 3rd round pick to the Ducks for his negotiating rights over the weekend. They have three days to sign him before he hits free agency and negotiate with other teams. If he signs with Carolina, it will be tough to see Carlson in a rival uniform.
If Carlson hits the market, he will be the best defenseman available. His ties to Washington are historic and he is one of the best to ever lace them up for the Capitals. The Caps cleared a bit more cap space when they traded Lapierre and Chisholm last week, which cleared almost $2 million more off the books. According to Puckpedia.com, the Caps have $14.325 million in salary cap space. They may have enough to sign Carlson, but he will command around $10 million plus per season, and despite my guarantee a month ago, it’s looking less likely that he comes back.
Free Agency starts Wednesday at noon, EST.
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