The Washington Capitals traded veteran center Nic Dowd to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday morning for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a 2027 third-round draft pick, and a 2029 second-round draft pick.
The deal was first reported shortly before 9 AM by The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta. The Golden Knights officially announced the news nearly three hours later.
Vikman, the only player the Capitals received in return, is a 6-foot-4 depth goaltender who was originally drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft by Vegas. The 23-year-old Swede has spent the entire 2025-26 campaign in the AHL with the Henderson Silver Knights. In 18 games this season, Vikman has posted a record of 8-7-3 with a 3.41 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage. He previously played with Justin Sourdif on the WHL’s Vancouver Giants in junior. He will report to AHL Hershey.
The trade ends Dowd’s tenure with the Capitals after eight seasons. The 35-year-old pivot had been a staple on the Capitals’ fourth line and penalty kill since first signing with the team ahead of the 2018-19 season, taking over the duties left by Jay Beagle. He posted a career best 27 points (14g, 13a) just last season.
Dowd signed a two-year, $6 million ($3M AAV) extension with the Capitals this past April. He has 16 points (4g, 12a) in 55 games this season.
With the move, general manager Chris Patrick has seemingly opened up a permanent center spot for Sourdif. The 23-year-old rookie had been forced out onto the wings in recent games after Pierre-Luc Dubois’ return from a long-term injury.
The Golden Knights, who placed Mark Stone on injured reserve to free up a roster spot for Dowd, have been using star winger Mitch Marner up the middle after losing centers William Karlsson and Brett Howden to long-term injuries earlier this season. The acquisition of Dowd could allow them to move Marner back to the wing and shore up their bottom-six forward depth.
The Capitals will not have to wait long to reunite with Dowd, as the two teams will meet on March 28th in Vegas.
Here’s the full press release from the Washington Capitals:
Capitals Acquire 2029 Second-Round Pick, 2027 Third-Round Pick and Goaltender Jesper Vikman from Vegas for Nic Dowd
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have acquired a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft (originally from San Jose) and goaltender Jesper Vikman from the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Nic Dowd, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today.
Vikman, 23, was selected by Vegas in the fifth round (125th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. The 6’4”, 205-pound goaltender has an 8-7-3 record, a 3.41 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage in 18 games with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season. In 41 career AHL games with Henderson, the Danderyd, Sweden native has posted a 16-18-5 record, a 3.48 goals-against average, a .880 save percentage with one shutout. Vikman played two seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Vancouver Giants from 2021-23, where he had a 36-36-3 record, a 3.19 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He was named the BC Division’s First Team All-Star Goaltender for the 2022-23 season.
Dowd, 35, recorded 16 points (4g, 12a) in 55 games with the Capitals this season and 166 points (79g, 87a) in 506 games with Washington since 2018-19. Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Dowd has registered 192 points (88g, 104a) in 637 career games with Washington, the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles.
