2 Trade Targets For the Washington Capitals

There have been few surprises bigger this season than the play of the Washington Capitals. That's not to say that they were expected to fall off, their roster is just too good for that, but it's not a stretch to say that no one expected all three of Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Tom Wilson to be on pace for career years at the quarter mark of the season. To date, the Caps' top line has been the best in the NHL, and it's been good enough to have them tied for second in the entire league as of this writing. It's tough to nitpick when a team is performing so well, but perfection is hard to come by and despite the Capitals' resurgent season, there is still room for improvement. For one, that aforementioned top line is currently shouldering a lot of the team's success, and some depth scoring would help prevent the Caps from slumping when their stars eventually hit a cold spell. Then there's the close-out portion of the game where the Caps seem to struggle. Washington has gone to extra minutes in 9 games so far and has come away with a loss in 7 of them. While the Bettman points are useful in the regular season, come playoff time those OT losses could mean an early exit. The Caps need some help closing out games and not letting their opponents claw their way back, and some clutch scoring in overtime wouldn't hurt either. With that in mind, here are two players that could help solve these issues in Washington.

Hampus Lindholm

The Ducks are performing well above expectations this season, currently sitting first in the Pacific Division with a 17-9-5 record. It may seem unlikely that they'll move one of their top shutdown DMen, but Lindholm's contract being what it is and eating up $5.205 million of their cap space, as well as the extended list of RFAs and UFAs the team is going to try and re-sign next summer, there's a good chance Lindholm will be headed for a new city. The Ducks may want to make a push in the playoffs, but this is a young team and they aren't likely to mortgage the future for a run right now. Add to that the play of Cam Fowler, who is outscoring Lindholm across the board while playing fewer minutes a night, and the Ducks likely see an opportunity to ship out their 27-year old Swedish blueliner for some picks, or maybe a player who can shore up their middle-6 forward group. In comes Washington, who could use a guy like Lindholm to play big shutdown minutes. He's not a powerplay guy, but Lindholm will kill penalties and keep the puck out of his own net with the best of them. He's exactly the type of player who can help a team that struggles to close out close games. Some details would need to be hashed out on the Caps' end to make the salary work, but if they're planning to make another run for the Cup, this is a deal that could help immensely.

Kevin Fiala

Much has been made of Kevin Fiala's time in Minnesota. He's had two stellar seasons prior to this one, 23 goals in 64 games and 20 goals in 50 games respectively, but has cooled off in dramatic fashion this year. He's currently sitting at 4 goals and 18 points in 28 games and finds himself on Minnesota's third line making $5.1 million. That contract is up next July, and while Fiala will still be an RFA, his qualifying offer will be set at that same $5.1 million mark. That's a lot of cap space to spend on a forward outside of the top 6, and as a result, there is a good chance Fiala will be traded at some point this year. While the Capitals may be looking for a player that carries less salary, Minnesota may be willing to retain if the offer coming back is good enough. On the Caps' end, Fiala would be an immediate upgrade on the players they have on the wing for their third line, and between his ability to play centre and his 20-goal capability, there's plenty of potential upside in this deal for Washington. Given the situation surrounding Anthony Mantha's extended absence from shoulder surgery, there's even room in the top 6 for Fiala if he earns himself a look, and it could mean the Caps find themselves with an excess of scoring wingers next summer. That's not a bad problem to have.

KEVIN FIALA! ARE YOU KIDDING!?

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