Could the Washington Capitals Add Two Players from the Montreal Canadiens
Dave Pagnotta of the Fourth Period was on TSN Radio in Montreal and was asked about the Washington Capitals and their plans for the upcoming trade deadline. Pagnotta mentioned that the Capitals could target players like Jake Evans and Joel Armia from the Montreal Canadiens.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
NHL Rumors: Montreal Canadiens; Jake Evans, and Joel Armia
Host: “It’s funny, because we keep hearing about all these contending teams and the moves that they might want to make before the March 7th NHL trade deadline. And Washington got out to it pretty early with the with the Lars Eller acquisition, and they were familiar with him, and they bring him back. But nobody seems to be talking about the Capitals adding when they are one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. What do you think they might like to try to do?
Dave Pagnotta: “Well, they’ve got cap space because of their LTIR pool. They’ve got, I think, 3.5 , 3.6, 3.7, somewhere in that range of cap space. And it wouldn’t surprise me to see them look at making a mid-six type addition. Look, maybe you add a depth piece, and that actually wouldn’t surprise me either if they add a veteran depth presence on the blue line. You can never have, especially come playoffs, it’s cliche, everybody says it, but it’s true, you can never have enough defensemen come playoff time.
So I wouldn’t be surprised that they look there or in that mid-six type of role, mid-six calibre, second-line calibre, but likely, in that third line to kind of just deepen them a little bit more upfront. And then depth on that, on that back end. They’ve got the cap space to do it. Brian McClellan, their GM has been very quiet in his pursuit, but they are looking at those options.”
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Host: “(Joel) Armia?”
Pagnotta: “Possible. He would be somebody that would fit, cap-wise. Obviously, it fits $3.4 (million). I think they want to give them a little bit of flexibility. Because, as I said, to get a depth defenseman, you’re probably in the $2 million range there. So you know, it may take a little bit of cap juggling, cap maneuvering, but he would certainly be like that caliber player, the one that we’re seeing this season and have seen in the past, but also this season that would certainly not surprise me.
Jake Evans might make more of a financial fit for them at his $1.7 million cap hit, but there’s certainly, I wouldn’t be shocked if there’s been at least a discussion between these two clubs about the guys they have upfront.”
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