The Washington Capitals enter the March 7 NHL Trade Deadline in an envious spot all across the Eastern Conference. So it makes the equation complicated on whether the team should make a move or stay put. We've touched on this subject the last couple days and continue to do so. Today we look at the possible trade assets.
Forget the excellent record and where the Caps are for a second and take a deep breath. This is where you want to be at the 4 Nations break. But once the puck drops on that home stretch of the season, there's no reason the Caps shouldn't be all in.
Alex Ovechkin is not going anywhere but he isn't getting younger either. It doesn't mean the window is completely shut but with this core that continues to age it's a tight window. At the same time, this current team knows how to win something last year's model lacked until the very end of the regular season.
Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff wrote about the Caps prospect assets earlier in the month. Don't worry fans, Ryan Leonard isn't going anywhere either but the team could potentially lose someone at the top of the pipeline.
Here's a snippet of what Ellis wrote about the Caps:
"The Capitals have a solid pipeline with a couple of players who aren't sure bets but have the potential to be significant NHLers if everything pans out. Leonard is the big fish, but barring an absolute no-brainer of a deal to land someone massive, he's not going anywhere. Everyone else, though? For the right price maybe the Caps could move on from someone like (Andrew) Cristall, (Cole) Hutson, or (Terik) Parascak to get immediate help. All three are still a few years away - definitely after the Ovi era - but they still hold a ton of value. (Ivan) Miroshnichenko has an NHL-ready frame and tons of skill but hasn't made it click early on with the Caps. All four options would be ravishing for a seller, especially if they need more wing depth."Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff
We talked about Leonard and Hutson the other day when we checked in on the prospects as well as Miro but let's talk about Andrew Cristall and Terik Parascak for a moment. Cristall begun the season with the Kelowna Rockets and had 26 goals and 34 assists for 60 points in 28 games.
Then Cristall got dealt to the Spokane Chiefs where he currently has 11 goals and 30 assists for 41 points in 15 games. He's projected to finish the WHL season on pace for 49 goals and 85 assists for 134 points.
Parascak is with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL and has 22 goals and 46 assists for 68 points in 49 games played. He's projected to finish with 29 goals and 60 assists for 89 points at season's end.
There's no doubt Chirs Patrick has to get this right. Ovechkin is 39 and the team is in their best spot to win a title for the first time since 2018.