The Washington Capitals seem to be preparing for quite a busy trade deadline as general manager Brian MacLellan revealed during his recent press conference that the team would like to repeat the strategy they implemented last year.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman is now reporting that several Capitals players have been drawing interest from teams around the league. Friedman shared the rumors on the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast alongside Jeff Marek.
The newest tidbit regards the team’s goaltending situation just a week after Charlie Lindgren reportedly had a high level of interest despite a “significant” asking price.
“I’ll tell you this, I think the Capitals have also discussed goaltending because they have a kid, Clay Stevenson, who is ready soon,” Friedman said. “[MacLellan] has given the ‘we’ve gotta get younger’ quote.”
While any news on Lindgren wouldn’t be new, the Capitals actively discussing a move in their crease is. Previously, Lindgren being dealt at this year’s deadline was considered unlikely by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli. The overall goaltending market has ramped up in recent days, especially with the Calgary Flames reportedly pulling top target Jacob Markstrom off of their trade block.
Stevenson, a rookie in the AHL, just turned 25 on Sunday and is already signed through the 2026-27 season at a very cheap $775k cap hit. He recently tied the Hershey Bears’ franchise record for shutouts in a single season (7) and leads the entire AHL in goals-against average (1.82), save percentage (.932), and shutouts.
The Capitals stand to get a “premium” return for Lindgren and may now be more willing to consider that due to both Stevenson’s play and their depressing loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Sunday afternoon. Moving either Lindgren or Darcy Kuemper should help the Capitals’ “rebuilding on the fly” move in the right direction.
Up front, Friedman had a new report on Beck Malenstyn and just one additional note on the high-in-demand Nic Dowd. The always dependable Dowd has had teams clamoring for his services since early October.
“And, [Nic] Dowd,” Friedman said. “They’ve put him in a bubble just to keep him safe. He’s another guy that definitely there’s interest in. They have players that people are looking at. Basically, it’s going to come down to preference.”
Dowd has been out of the Capitals’ lineup since suffering an injury against the New Jersey Devils on February 20. Friedman is insinuating that the team is holding him out of action so that they do not risk further injury to him which would impact whether or not they’d be able to get the first-round pick value that he has been quoted to be worth.
The most recent rumors out there have connected both Dowd and Anthony Mantha with a move to the Edmonton Oilers. Dowd has 16 points (8g, 8a) in 45 games this season and is signed through next season at a cheap $1.3 million cap hit.
Friedman also shared updates on a handful of other players we’ve heard a lot about in recent weeks. He started with a few of the names on the team’s blueline.
“I think Nick Jensen is another one that has had a few people look at him,” Friedman said. “[Joel] Edmundson’s had a few people around on him. Jensen has a couple more years after this one so I don’t know how teams view that, if they do view that well or not.”
This is the second time in a few days that Friedman has mentioned Jensen possibly being on the move. The Toronto Maple Leafs were reportedly interested in acquiring him before they settled on a cheaper alternative in Ilya Lyubushkin from the Anaheim Ducks.
Jensen, 33, has gotten into 56 games this season and has recorded eight points (8a). The Capitals have him under contract through the 2025-26 season at a $4.o5 million cap hit. The Capitals still hold all three available slots to retain money on any contract they trade.
Edmundson has been oft-spoken about since early February when he was linked to the Maple Leafs, Oilers, and Colorado Avalanche. The Montreal Canadiens ate half of his salary when they dealt him to DC and the Capitals could retain even more in any potential deal. His contract does hold a modified no-trade clause where he can submit 10 teams he can block a trade to.
