Washington Capitals: Marcus Johansson would fill a left-wing need

In the summer of 2017, the Washington Capitals had to trade Marcus Johansson to create cap space. A little over 18 months later, they should bring him back.

The Washington Capitals had to make a very tough decision about 18 months ago. Top six forwards T.J. Oshie and Evgeny Kuznetsov both signed long-term expensive contracts. This caused a bit of a cap crunch for the Capitals. It forced them to trade Marcus Johansson to the New Jersey New Jersey Devils. The trade had nothing to do with him as a player. As they say, it was strictly business.

It turned out alright for the Capitals, as they won their first Stanley Cup as a franchise without Johansson. Because life is nothing but a circle, the Devils are going to be sellers at the trade deadline. The Capitals could use Johansson as they try to match the Pittsburgh Penguins back to back Stanley Cups.

Why He’s A Perfect Fit

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Obviously, the Caps are familiar with what Johansson can bring to the table. He’s a very good playmaker who can surprise you with a goal from time to time. Johansson’s numbers since leaving Washington have not been good – he has just 39 points in 75 games. However, those struggles are largely due to injuries. This season, he has 25 points in 46 games as of Feb. 17.

When healthy this season, Johansson has shown he can still be a valuable player. He’s a quality two-way forward who could help the Capitals in a variety of ways.

First, Johansson would add a playmaker to the Caps third line. And should a top-six forward get injured, he could easily fill in for them. A lot of what contenders do at the deadline is about adding depth. Johansson would be an impressive addition for the Capitals on the left side.

Jakub Vrana is having a career year on the second line, which is the Caps de-facto shutdown line. Defense, though, isn’t his strong suit. Johansson could fill in there during close games, as he formed an impressive shutdown line with Backstrom and Oshie during his glory days in Washington. He’s shown this season he can still fill that role.

Secondly, the Caps power play is struggling. It has been inconsistent ever since Johansson left and it’s not a coincidence. The Capitals struggle at entering the offensive zone cleanly, which was his role on the first power-play unit. Kuznetsov, who has replaced Johansson on the half-wall on their power-play, is gifted at a lot of things, but zone entries aren’t his forte. Getting Johansson back could make the Capitals power play lethal again.

Lastly, any time you trade for someone at the deadline, there’s a learning curve as players get adjusted. This wouldn’t be the case with Johansson. The Capitals haven’t changed much since he left. Johansson is a very smart player who can quickly adjust to those little changes they’ve made.

The Cost

Here’s the tricky part. The Capitals can only afford to add just over $1 million of cap space at the trade deadline. Johansson’s cap hit is $4.53 million. So even if the Devils retain half of his salary, the maximum they are allowed to retain, the Capitals would have to move a roster player who’s making over $1.1 million.

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There’s no way around it. It would cost them Andre Burakovsky. A few weeks ago, the Capitals might not have minded that ask. But now, with Burakovsky and the third line looking as dangerous as they were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it’s not so simple. They might have to throw in a mid or late round pick as well.

The chances of the Capitals trading Burakovsky are pretty low. But if they do trade him, I’d imagine it would be for someone like Johansson would makes them better right now. Then again, Burakovsky needs a raise after this season. It’s a raise the Capitals likely can’t afford.

What do you think? If the Capitals had to trade Burakovsky to get Johansson as a rental forward, would you do it? Let us know in the comments!

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