The Washington Capitals faced an injury to forward Anthony Mantha early in the season that has seen him stuck on long-term injured reserve since early November. Other key forwards like TJ Oshie and Nicklas Backstrom have also bounced in and out of the lineup.

With the rumors that Brian MacLellan is considering the terrible idea of signing Evander Kane, we can surmise that the front office thinks the Capitals might be lacking some top-six scoring touch.

I agree and think it’s about time the Caps went big at the deadline again. So let’s take a look at some of the alternatives so that our favorite team can try to avoid the nuclear heat from signing one of hockey’s most problematic players.

Pending RFAs or longer term targets

Let’s start with some players that are either restricted free agents after this season or have term left on their deals that might lend them more value on the trade market. These are guys the Caps will need to get very creative with salary cap-wise to consider. They will also probably lead to some hard choices concerning players already on the roster not being on the roster anymore through trade/waivers and I want to emphasize that they’ll for sure need to give up some pretty promising future assets in any sort of deal.

Alex Debrincat – There are varying reports on Debrincat’s availability but he’s a monster of an offensive weapon that every team should be checking in on. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli didn’t have him on Chicago’s “untouchable” list, but SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman says he is unless an absurd offer comes in. Debrincat is only 24-years-old and has a 70-plus point season in the NHL…the exact same circumstances Artemi Panarin was under when Chicago traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017.

The Capitals like a ton of teams in the NHL had the chance to select Debrincat in the 2016 Entry Draft. He fell to the second round, pick number 39 while the Caps took defenseman Lucas Johansen in the first round, pick number 28. Oof. He is currently fifth in the league in goal scoring with 24 goals and will be the Blackhawks’ lone representative at this season’s All-Star Game. He has one more year after this current one on his contract at $6.4 million and then will likely be due a major raise as an RFA for 2023-24.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Timo Meier – Meier was involved in some trade rumors over the past offseason although they were eventually again shut down by Friedman. The Sharks are an absolute mess of a team that cant exactly commit to a full rebuild due to some bloated, very long-term contracts of a handful of veterans that also keep them from truly competing due to them being past their prime (Couture, Burns, Karlsson, Vlasic). Meier is probably their most prized asset but they may want to strike on selling him while the iron is hot as he turns 26 next October and could be aged out of their upcoming rebuild.

He currently leads San Jose in scoring with 46 points in 37 games after two seasons in a row where he failed to live up to expectations and posted less than 50 points in each. You may have heard that he recently scored five goals in a single game and due to that is tied for eighth in the league in goal scoring with 21 goals. He, similar to Debrincat, has one more year on his contract after this one at $6 million and is an RFA after that expires.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Yanni Gourde – It’s pretty clear to most that Ron Francis probably botched the entire Expansion Draft process for the Kraken in terms of them being able to compete any time soon. The swiss army knife that is Gourde isn’t exactly a spring chicken at 30-years-old so it might be in Seattle’s best interest to cut ties while he still has similar value to when they plucked him from Tampa. Gourde can quite literally play all three forward positions and can adjust his game to play on any style of line you want him to as well as both special teams units. He was a giant piece in the Lightning’s back-to-back Cup runs.

Gourde would be on track for his second season above 50 points in his career if he didn’t go through a spell of injury issues and spend time in COVID protocol. He very much fits the Capitals’ current profile of forward as an absolute battler who throws his entire frame into plays to pick up loose pucks and win battles. The one question mark on Gourde is his contract as he has three more years after this season at $5.2 million.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Jared McCann – McCann has bounced around four NHL teams in his career and is still only 25-years-old. That’s not because teams don’t want him it’s more that teams in fact do want him so they trade for him. He has constantly pushed play in the right direction in his career and is still doing so in Seattle as they are constantly better at five-on-five with him on the ice (5.29 xGF% Rel). Given the lack of term on his contract, he’ll likely be expensive to trade for but less expensive than Gourde.

McCann currently leads the Kraken in scoring with 24 points in 36 games, which is a 55 point pace over a full 82 game season. Last season in Pittsburgh he was on pace for a career year, tallying 32 points in 43 games. He’s another really solid two-way forward and like Gourde could fit up and down the lineup at center or left wing. He is a restricted free agent after this season and likely due a raise on his current $2.94 million salary.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

JT Miller – Miller has been involved in trade rumors almost the entire season as the Canucks struggled out of the gate and still sit second to last in the Pacific Division. Seravalli reported that the Bruins, Wild, Flames, and Rangers have recently checked in on Miller and I think the Caps should add themselves to that list. As you can see versatility tends to be a common theme on this list and Miller can line up on the wing and at center. The package to get him will probably be pretty substantial as it has been quoted by Seravalli as being “a little more than a first and a highly touted prospect”. The Canucks also have Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat who I won’t give their own section in this post but could be moved this season as Vancouver tries to go through a massive culture change.

Miller is a point per game player this season, was on pace for over 70 points last season, and recorded 72 points during the 2019-20 season. In that same 2019-20 season he also put up 18 points in 17 playoff games. The guy is an all-around stud on both sides of the rink and is pretty cheap considering his output. He is signed for $5.25 million this season and the season after that. He will then become an unrestricted free agent.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Tyler Toffoli – Toffoli is a part of a Canadiens team that could trade several players at this year’s deadline as they launch themselves into a full rebuild. The Capitals have actually been rumored in the past to be admirers of Toffoli and he is a player that will thrive in a more offensive-friendly environment. He’s not the most dynamic option in the world but his natural goal-scoring ability is something the Caps could use more of.

Toffoli scored 28 times in 52 games last season and has been to two Stanley Cup Finals during his career with both the Habs and Kings. He is signed at $4.25 for the next three seasons and there might be better options out there around that same price for likely less term. This is about anyone not named Evander Kane that would fit the team and Toffoli fits those requirements.

Player rating: ⭐⭐☆☆☆

Victor Olofsson – This would be a bit of a project acquisition as Olofsson has not been good for the Sabres this season…but who really plays well on the Sabres? Olofsson has proved in the past that he’s an absolute snipegod on the power play and good lord could the Caps use some help there. I think rescuing Olofsson would be a great idea and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t cost that much to pry from Buffalo.

Olofsson scored 20 goals as a rookie in 2019-20 and really has never played with the sort of linemates he would get to see every night with the Caps. He is a restricted free agent after this season and is probably lined up for a “prove it” type contract where he would be playing every night to earn a bigger payday in the near future.

Player rating: ⭐☆☆☆☆

Patrik Laine – Another one that could be considered a bit of a project but Laine is still only 23-years-old and scored 44 goals in the NHL as a 19-year-old. That is not normal and getting him on a team with the sort of room the Caps have and the role he’d be in as not needing to be the primary goal scorer could be very healthy for him. I think Peter Laviolette would probably be driven mad by Laine’s defensive play but he could also maybe fix him in some way in that regard as well. He’s also another player that would instantly improve the Capitals’ power play with that absolute cannon of a shot.

Laine has only played 20 games this season for the Blue Jackets, recording 15 points. The whole divisional thing might be something Columbus has a hard time doing but the overall cost for Laine shouldn’t be ridiculous as I assume the Blooj do not want to deal with him in restricted free agency come summer. Wouldn’t it be awesome if he has a full redemption arc and fulfills that early potential he showed as an elite goal scorer right behind Ovi on the left side?

Player rating: ⭐⭐☆☆☆

Rentals/pending UFAs

Now, let’s move to some players that will be considered “rentals” as they are unrestricted free agents after the season. In some cases that will mean the cost to acquire them will be lesser but that will not make this season’s tight salary situation in Washington any easier to navigate. The same hard roster choices still will likely apply but teams are also more likely to retain some salary on players they will be done with by the end of the season.

Tomas Hertl – Hertl is one of the big names many expect to definitely move at this year’s deadline as the Sharks continue to fall out of playoff contention and as we discussed previously they have major contract issues. He is a fantastic, versatile forward that is tremendous in all three zones and due to that won’t come cheap in terms of a rental. He also plays both special teams’ sides.

Hertl is a former 70-point scorer and was on pace to hit that total again last season. The talented Czech tends to find himself in very dangerous scoring positions a lot and knows how to put the puck in the net. He is signed for $5.625 million this season which the Caps wouldn’t have that much trouble working out in terms of fitting him under the cap as long as Mantha stays sidelined.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Joe Pavelski – Pavelski is one of the most consistent goal scorers of the mid-2000s onward and even at the age of 37 is still filling the net with pucks. The veteran has heaps of playoff experience, playing 161 games since 2007 including a Stanley Cup Final appearance with the Sharks in 2016. He is yet another guy on this list that can play both center and wing and is a noted lethal power play weapon from the slot with his insane ability to tip pucks.

Pavelski is leading the Stars in scoring with 44 points in 29 games including 17 goals. As he is among the final years of his career he’ll surely be motivated for one last shot at winning the Cup that eluded him for so many years in San Jose. Pavelski is signed for $7 million this season and has a complicated no-move clause in his contract that allows him to select only three teams to be traded to. He can, of course, waive that to go somewhere else he sees a fit if the Stars ask him to.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆

Claude Giroux – The Giroux saga in Philadelphia has been talked about to death this season as the Flyers are an absolute mess and need to let ‘G’ go and chase a Cup. This is the one guy on this list if I had the ability to just pluck and place on the Capitals, I would. He is a fantastic leader, faceoff man, and can also play the wing or center. Can you imagine seeing him chase a Cup on a line with Alex Ovechkin and maybe Evgeny Kuznetsov?

We all know how good he has been as a point producer in the NHL over his career. He is signed for $8.275 million this season so the Caps would need to get a little creative with their roster but I think Giroux is way worth it. He’ll ultimately have the final say on where he goes due to his no-movement clause and will the Flyers really be able to stomach seeing him in a Capitals jersey? I think if the return is right…for sure it’s just a rental. He’s a former 100-point scorer and has prior ties to Peter Laviolette. Could it happen? I sure hope so.

Player rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Phil Kessel – Okay, okay, okay. Maybe not. But he’s not as problematic as Kane, right?

Player rating: ⭐⭐☆☆☆

What do you think you would do if you were in Brian MacLellan’s shoes? CapFriendly has a really fun tool where you can pretend to be GMBM. Let us know what you come up with in the comments.

Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB