The Caps are looking for a righthanded defenseman this summer, but after Darren Raddysh was traded to the Maple Leafs, it will be a lot harder to pull off. The Tampa Bay Lightning lit up the hockey world yesterday by trading pending free agent defensemen Raddysh to the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he quickly agreed to a new 8-year $68 million contract. Now that he is off the market, the number of free agent options for right-handed blue-liners is even thinner.
The Capitals have issues with on their blueline. They will be without Rasmus Sandin until at least January 2027 or later as he recovers from knee surgery. Sandin played well last season at 5-on-5 and showed he was more than capable of manning the point on the powerplay before the injury. The Caps will have to find someone who can play Sandin’s minutes until he returns. The Caps minor system is lacking a dynamic puck moving defenseman to replace Sandin and also have other needs on the blueline. will have to find one via trade or on the free agent market.
Caps GM Chris Patrick is also looking to add a right-handed rearguard to replace John Carlson. The problem is, so does the rest of the league. There aren’t as many righthanded defensemen in the league, which makes them more valuable. Righthanded blueliners open up different options on the powerplay, making teams more dangerous on the man advantage. They can better defend the middle of the ice from the right side by breaking up passes and keeping the puck in the offensive zone. John Carlson played that role very well in his 17 years in Washington and is why That’s why the righthanded Raddysh was most likely to highly sought after in free agency. I imagine the Capitals would have at least kicked the tires to see his asking price. Now he is out of their reach.
While Carlson is an option for the Caps to resign, the Caps may have to make a run at a younger player with more upside. They could sign Rasmus Andersson or Vincent Desharnais or take the trade route. New Jersey’s Simon Nemec’s name has been bouncing around the rumor mill for the past few months. He could be an option if the Devils are willing to make an intra-division trade. Or they attempt to trade for a veteran like Dougie Hamilton or Colton Parayko, but I get the sense the Capitals are looking to add younger players.
The Caps have the cap space to sign a free agent and the assets to make a trade if they find someone that fits their needs, but the competition will be fierce. With two picks in the middle of the first round this year, the Caps have the ammo to make a deal if they find the right one. With a less than inspiring free agent class looming, the Capitals may have to give up some of those assets to find the guy they need.
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