The Vegas Golden Knights have acquired veteran center Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round pick, and a 2029 second-round pick. Dowd will provide added depth behind the Golden Knights’ big three centers, while the Capitals received a solid return of draft capital and a goaltending prospect.
Golden Knights Get Depth For the Bottom Six
The Golden Knights already filled a hole by acquiring Rasmus Andersson, a right-shot defenseman from the Calgary Flames, in January. However, they were still looking for additional depth scoring. Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad have underwhelmed on the wings this season, and William Karlsson could miss the rest of the regular season.
Related: 2026 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
The Golden Knights tried to address this with two moves. First, they acquired Nashville Predators right winger Cole Smith for prospect defenseman Christoffer Sedoff and a 2028 third-round pick on March 3 to add depth to the wings. However, they still needed at least one center who could stabilize the bottom six until Karlsson returns.
Enter Nic Dowd. He has four goals and 12 assists through 55 games this season – he averaged roughly 13 goals and 11 assists in the three seasons before this one. The 35-year-old center is good in his own zone, earning votes for the Selke Trophy in each of the last two seasons (2023-24, 2024-25).
Dowd’s contract isn’t outrageous either: two more years with a $3 million AAV. The Golden Knights currently have very little cap space ($1.5 million, according to PuckPedia), so getting Dowd at that price was a smart move by the front office.
Capitals Get Generous Return for Veteran
The Capitals, meanwhile, got a great return for Dowd, considering how few picks and prospects Vegas has left to trade. Jesper Vikman is a 23-year-old goaltender, selected 125th overall by the Golden Knights in 2020, who has yet to make his NHL debut, spending the last four seasons with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL), where he has a .866 save percentage through 2025-26.
Losing Dowd stings. He’s a veteran who has been with the team since 2018-19. However, the Capitals are a few points out of a playoff spot, so selling Dowd for a few draft picks to improve their farm system is a smart move, especially a second-round pick in 2029.
Washington could also try to acquire some players. “I wouldn’t label the Capitals as pure sellers despite the Dowd trade to Vegas,” Pierre LeBrun posted on Thursday morning. “My understanding is that Washington is trying to do a bit of both, buying and selling, over the next 27 hours or so. Easier said than done but let’s see where the Caps end up tomorrow.”
However, with Alex Ovechkin’s future in Washington uncertain after this season, it’s unlikely they will completely sell off.
Schedule and Standings
The Golden Knights are currently at the top of the Pacific Division, but with just 72 points, they are only eight points ahead of the San Jose Sharks, who are just outside the cutoff line in the Western Conference. They’ll face the Minnesota Wild at home on Friday, March 6, after the trade deadline, before they host the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday.
The Capitals, meanwhile, have 69 points, four behind the Boston Bruins for the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Their first match-up post-deadline will be on the road against the Bruins on Saturday, before they host the Calgary Flames on Monday.
