Capitals Superstar Officially Requests a Trade
PUBLICATION
Wade Messier
July 14, 2023 (11:46)
It's no secret that the Washington Capitals are running out of time to win another Stanley Cup with their current core. Stars like Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie, and Tom Wilson are aging, and the clock is ticking on their window.
Kuznetsov Looking to Move On
Evgeny Kuznetsov made headlines last season when he requested a trade from the Washington Capitals, the team he'd called home for so many years. Kuznetsov's reasoning for the trade request was unknown, but it's clear that Washington has been hard at work trying to accommodate the request.
Capitals GM Brian MacLellan spoke with NHL.com recently, and had this to say regarding Kuznetsov's trade request.
"I'd still like to make a trade. We were aggressive at the draft with our offers, but nothing ever materialized. I feel we have some pretty good offers out there, and the guys [we're pursuing] haven't moved yet. I don't know if they move them now or when they move them. Maybe at the deadline? I'm not sure what happens. Some guys need to be signed. So we'll stay involved in all of that stuff." - Brian MacLellan
While it doesn't seem like anything is imminent, it's clear that MacLellan would like to get a trade done at some point. It's just a matter of the return at this point, and it seems like the Caps can wait for that to come.
In addition to Kuznetsov, it looks like MacLellan might be trying to move forward Anthony Mantha. Mantha has one more year left on his contract which earns him $5.7 million annually. His cap hit is incredibly inflated when compared to his on-ice production which fell to a diminutive 27 points in 67 games.
While MacLellan would likely have to add a sweetener to get another team to take on Mantha's cap hit, it would be worth it to free up the extra cap space.
Whatever the Caps end up doing, it's clear that big changes are on the way.
| POLL |
14 JUILLET | 35 ANSWERS Capitals Superstar Officially Requests a Trade When will Kuznetsov be traded? |
| The next month | 0 | 0 % |
| Before the season starts | 22 | 62.9 % |
| Before the trade deadline | 7 | 20 % |
| Trade deadline day | 6 | 17.1 % |
| LIST OF POLLS |
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