As the Washington Capitals approach the trade deadline on uncertain footing, several of their players are garnering attention from clubs looking to buy.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported that teams were looking at Brandon Duhaime as a potential depth acquisition, alongside Florida Panthers forward AJ Greer.
“Brandon Duhaime and A.J Greer are names I’m hearing from interested teams looking to add trusted bottom 6 depth,” Weekes wrote on Wednesday.
Duhaime, 28, is on the final year of a two-year contract worth $1.85 million per season and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
After reaching the 20-point mark for the first time in his career last year, ending the campaign with 21 points (9g, 12a), Duhaime has had a quieter offensive season in 2025-26, recording six points (4g, 2a) in 63 games. He’s also spent more time this season away from Nic Dowd, who was his consistent linemate in 2024-25, though he returned to playing with Dowd in several games since the Olympic break.
Head coach Spencer Carbery spoke highly of Duhaime’s recent play on Tuesday.
“I think Brandon Duhaime’s game has been in a really good spot of late,” he said. “I feel like the last probably three weeks, or since the break and then even a little bit before the break, he’s in a really good spot, just with all of his identity things that he has to do at a high level, whether that’s physicality, good puck decisions, using his speed and skating to make contact or create turnovers, really good decisions in the offensive zone, getting to the netfront.”
Duhaime isn’t the first Capitals player to attract rumored trade interest, with The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun reporting Tuesday that teams were calling to see if defenseman John Carlson is available.
Though the Washington expressed interest in buying at the deadline earlier in the season, the team’s middling record as of late may convince general manager Chris Patrick to reconsider. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Caps sit four points behind the Boston Bruins for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with four more games played, and they ended their four-game stretch between the Olympic break and the trade deadline with a 2-2-0 record—MoneyPuck predicts they have just an 18% chance of making the playoffs.
The Capitals, who were off Wednesday, will not play again before Friday’s 3 pm deadline.
