Did the Washington Capitals get enough in return at the 2024 NHL trade deadline?
The Washington Capitals were major sellers at the 2024 trade deadline, despite a five-game winning streak and sitting just five points outside the wild card.
The Washington Capitals were among the biggest sellers at the 2024 trade deadline, even if they are still very entrenched in the playoff race. They moved quite a few serviceable players who will serve their respective new teams well, and Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan is hoping his returns were enough to justify the trades.
So, did he get enough compensation for Anthony Mantha, Joel Edmundson, and Evgeny Kuznetsov? None of the players he traded over the past week were exactly stars, but they produced well enough to at least warrant compensation that should make the franchise better off not only for the 2024 playoff race but in the near future.
Did Washington get enough in the Anthony Mantha trade?
The Anthony Mantha trade was rather straightforward, with the Caps sending one of their better scorers with 50 percent salary retention for a second-round pick this year and a fourth in 2026. Mantha left the Capitals with 34 points and 20 goals in 56 games, and he was their top goal scorer next to Dylan Strome, who has found the net 22 times.
On the surface, this doesn’t look like a trade that benefits the Capitals in the present, but let’s take into account that Washington extended Rasmus Sandin shortly afterward, a young player who will be in Washington toward the end of the decade. With Sandin’s extension in mind, this trade’s immediate aftermath did help the Caps in the present.
Sandin’s solid play earned him the right to stick around in Washington. Overall, the Caps traded away one player who likely wouldn’t have stayed in the nation’s capital following the season, acquired a couple of picks for him, and extended one of their better youngsters. It’s hard to argue that the Capitals didn’t get enough here, even if it initially didn’t look that way on the surface.
Did the Caps get enough of a return for Joel Edmundson?
One of the more imposing defensemen in hockey heard his name swirling for a while in the rumor mill, and predictably, the Capitals traded him and received a 2024 third-rounder and a 2025 fifth-rounder in return while retaining 50 percent of the contract. Edmundson’s game didn’t stand out, and he wasn’t finishing as many checks this season as we had seen him over the past three years during his stint in Montreal.
He also wasn’t getting in front of pucks nearly as much, with just 49 blocks in 44 games, good for just 1.11 per contest and a steep decline from the 2.44 per he had during the 2022-23 season. His points total didn’t show it, but Edmundson ironically created more in the offensive zone at even strength and 5-on-5 than he had over the last two seasons, but with a Corsi For of under 50 percent, it wasn’t enough to justify a major price increase near the trade deadline.
This was one of those trades that the Capitals just wanted to get something for the 30-year-old, and they may have gotten more than anticipated, given Edmundson’s forgettable play this season.
What about the return for Evgeny Kuznetsov?
The Evgeny Kuznetsov deal was another one of those where the team making the trade was just looking to get something for him despite retaining 50 percent of the contract. This trade to the Carolina Hurricanes came less than 24 hours following the Jake Guentzel trade, so it’s clear that Carolina will also have big plans for a player who has logged 50-plus assists on four different occasions in his career.
Despite only getting a third-rounder in 2025, this one feels like a win, considering someone else theoretically could have claimed him off of waivers, but it would have been one expensive cap hit to take on. It’s also important to remember that Kuznetsov is not yet cleared to begin playing again, so that also may have acted as a deterrent.
Did the Capitals get enough in return for their trio of trades?
Overall, Washington acquired quite a few picks, and since the organization needed to get younger sooner than later, that was a major step in the right direction when it came to selling off assets that are either 30 and older or will shortly turn 30.
While it looks like Washington only got compensation that will help them at the NHL level a few years from now, signing Sandin during the flurry of trades is what made this strategy click. Add to the fact the Caps accomplished exactly what they wanted to without trading away anyone of star caliber, and you can say, “Yes, Washington got some fair returns here.”
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(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference, trade information provided by Cap-Friendly)