The Washington Capitals reunited with Marcus Johansson on Monday as the club acquired the forward from the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken received Daniel Sprong, a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick in the deal for Johansson and will retain 50 percent of his salary, according to Washington Post’s Samantha Pell.
The 31-year-old Johansson is a pending unrestricted free agent with a one-year deal with an average annual value of $1.5 million. Chris Johnston reported potential movement on the forward and the Capitals’ interest three hours before the trade. Meanwhile, the Kraken add 25-year-old Daniel Sprong, who is a restricted free agent this offseason.
Johansson Returns to Washington
Johansson returns to the Capitals after four seasons away from the club as the team prepares for a Stanley Cup playoff run. The organization traded the forward in the 2017 offseason to the New Jersey Devils for two draft picks. Therefore, Johansson was not a part of the Capitals’ 2018 Stanley Cup win. Since then, he’s played with the Devils, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and Kraken.
The Capitals add Johansson as a middle-six winger who can also play centre. The club has struggled to find production from their second and third lines due to injuries to a few of their key forwards, including Nicklas Backstrom, T.J Oshie and Anthony Mantha. Johansson has six goals and 23 points in 51 games this season.
Related: 2022 NHL Trade Deadline: Deal Tracker
The Capitals drafted Johansson with the 24th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Draft, and he played seven seasons with the club. He totalled 102 goals and 290 points in 501 games with the organization.
Seattle Adds Young Forward & Pick
The Kraken’s inaugural season has not gone as well as the organization likely hoped, as they sit 31st in the standings with 19 wins in 64 games. Therefore, the club has decided to trade multiple forwards on expiring deals for younger players and draft picks.
They’ve added Sprong, who is now in his sixth NHL season, scoring 40 goals and 64 points through 186 games. The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted the forward in the second round of the 2015 NHL Draft with the 46th overall pick. The Penguins traded Sprong to the Anahiem Ducks for Marcus Pettersson in 2018, where he scored a career-high 14 goals in 47 games in the 2018-19 season. He spent two seasons with the Ducks before joining the Capitals in the 2020-21 season. This season he scored eight goals and posted 14 points in 47 games.
The Kraken also added a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2023 sixth-round pick. The club continues to add draft picks heading into the trade deadline. Along with Johansson, they’ve traded Calle Jarnkrok to the Calgary Flames, Mark Giordano and Colin Blackwell to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jeremy Lauzon to the Nashville Predators and Mason Appleton back to the Winnipeg Jets. They’ve added nine draft picks in total.
