The NHL trade deadline is set for 3 PM and it appears the Capitals may make a move to bolster their forward depth before it arrives. TSN’s Chris Johnston reports that the team has interest in bringing back former Caps forward and current Seattle Kraken player Marcus Johansson.
Johansson was a first-round draft selection of the Caps in 2009 and played seven seasons in DC.
After Johansson’s best offensive season of his career in 2016-17 with 58 points from 82 games, the cash-strapped Caps had to make the tough decision of dealing the Swedish forward to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a couple of draft picks. Since then he has spent time with the Devils, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild, and the Kraken.
There are rumors that some teams, including the Washington Capitals, are interested in Marcus Johansson from the Seattle Kraken per @reporterchris. Johansson is still good middle-six forward and could be a good add for almost every team for playoffs. He's pending an UFA. pic.twitter.com/tts0TZzA8U
— Andy & Rono (@ARHockeyStats) March 21, 2022
Johansson has 23 points in 51 games this season for the Kraken. One of his notable strengths has always been his ability to enhance a team’s transition game which you can see in the above chart he still has in his repertoire. His knack for entering the offensive zone with possession, especially on the power play really has never been matched with the Caps since he departed.
It’s unclear what the return for Johansson would exactly look like but we can see some potential comparables in other recent trades. For example, Seattle dealt forward Calle Jarnkrok to the Calgary Flames just four days ago. Jarnkrok is an unrestricted free agent after this season just like Johansson and someone the Caps were also interested in. He left for a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
Seattle has already dealt Jarnkrok, Mark Giordano, Mason Appleton, Jeremy Lauzon, and Colin Blackwell before Monday’s deadline.
Update (10:05 AM):
Elliotte Friedman on Sportsnet says there’s a belief Marcus Johansson will be a Capitals player by the end of the day. #SeaKraken #ALLCAPS
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) March 21, 2022
