The Washington Capitals have gotten off to a surprisingly good start to their 2023-24 campaign after missing the playoffs last season. With an aging core who would like to win another Stanley Cup before they retire, the Capitals have been making moves over the past couple of seasons to try and give themselves an edge. With the acquisition last season of Rasmus Sandin and the offseason addition of Joel Edmundson, the Capitals find themselves in a good spot 22 games into the season, have a 12-8-2 record, and sit fifth in the Metropolitan Division.
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One player that the Capitals could end up moving on from though, is Evgeny Kuznestov. He was a healthy scratch in the Capitals’ last matchup against the Arizona Coyotes where his team lost 6-0. While the coach stated the move was a “mental reset”, there is a chance Kuznetsov could be growing unhappy with the Capitals and would like a shot to win a Stanley Cup somewhere else. With that being said, here are three trade partners for the Capitals in a potential Kuznetsov deal.
Columbus Blue Jackets
Kuznetsov’s contract is going to be hard to move as it currently sits at $8.7 million average annual value (AAV). One team that wouldn’t have trouble making room for him is the rebuilding Columbus Blue Jackets. They have just over $3.1 million in cap space and could be a team that attempts to go all-in for Kuznetsov, should he be willing to join them. Now, it will take a lot for this to happen, but with the Blue Jackets having shown they’re willing to spend big in recent seasons with the signing of Johnny Gaudreau and the acquisitions of Ivan Provorov and Damon Severson, it would be no surprise if they tried to make a move for Kuznetsov.
The Capitals currently have no cap space but any deal that gets made will be closer to or at the trade deadline when they’ve accrued enough cap space to consider retaining some money to maximize their return. Kuznetsov is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, so I think he only joins the Blue Jackets if he sees a long-term fit there and is interested in playing alongside Patrik Laine and Gaudreau. The Blue Jackets seem to be interested in competing for a playoff spot as early as next season, and a move like this could help them do that.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have been an interesting team this season. From the unexpected awful start to their 2023-24 season, to the atrocious goaltending, to even the coaching change from Jay Woodcroft to Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers have been a surprising team and not in a good way. They sit near the bottom of the Pacific Division with a record of 9-12-1 and while there is still hope that they can make the playoffs and make a run this season, time is running out on them to make a move to improve their roster before it’s too late.
The Oilers are also tight to the salary cap, so any deal between the Oilers and Capitals will likely have to wait until the deadline, similar to the Blue Jackets. The Oilers’ main issue has been defending and one would argue Kuznetsov doesn’t fit with the Oilers or help their issues, but I disagree. For a guy who is consistent offensively and solid defensively, he is a player many teams would be interested in if his contract wasn’t so high. But, if near the deadline the Oilers feel like they want to add some depth scoring, Kuznetsov should be their guy.
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars recently lost out on arguably the biggest free agent in the NHL when Patrick Kane chose to sign with the Detroit Red Wings. Now, while the Stars have been playing well and have a chance at making a run this season, it wouldn’t be surprising if they were still looking to add a goal scorer. They currently sit at 14-6-3 and are second in the Central Division. The Stars have a little under $500,000 in cap space to work with, so similar to the other two listed above, any deal would have to wait until the trade deadline.
The Stars may be the best fit out of all three teams listed and the most appealing to Kuznetsov as far as contending this season. It will come down to if Kuznetsov is going to be used as a rental this season and test free agency next offseason, or if he’s going to try and find a team he can play with until he retires and be a leader on said team. Either way, someone is going to be acquiring an elite offensive talent should Kuznetsov be dealt this season.
The Capitals are back in action on Thursday (Dec. 7) in a matchup against the Dallas Stars. They haven’t played each other since Dec. 15, 2022, when the Stars took a 2-1 victory so the Caps will be looking to do just the opposite and bring home a win after the team’s terrible loss to the Coyotes. Kuznetsov is also expected to be back in the lineup so hopefully, the mental reset was enough to help him find his confidence again.
