Here’s long-time Rink writer Luke with his take on what could be a very interesting next couple of months…

It’s no secret that the Caps are in search of a high-end top-six forward - General Manager Chris Patrick has been public about that stretching back to at least last summer. They were reportedly very close to signing Nikolaj Ehlers before he chose Carolina, then, at this past trade deadline, the Caps were supposedly deep in discussion to get Artemi Panarin before he decided he only wanted to go to Los Angeles. Washington didn’t end up with either but it shows how much Caps want to add that top forward.

Unfortunately for the Caps, throughout this past season, these types of players were simply unavailable. The only top forward moved was Panarin, and as stated, he only wanted to go to Los Angeles. To make things worse, just about every big forward name that was supposed to hit free agency this summer re-signed with their teams, leaving an extremely thin free agent class, with Alex Tuch as potentially the only good forward available, but more on him later. 

So with a weak free agency and it being a bit of a sellers’ market on the trade front, because so few teams are trying to rebuild, there aren’t a lot of names that would entice the Caps and the prices will be high. Let’s take a look at some that might be available, how they would fit with the Caps, and if Caps will pay the price to get them. 

Note: all images below come via HockeyViz and Evolving Wild.

Robert Thomas’s name started to pop up close to the trade deadline, though he was ultimately not moved. Thomas is a 26 year old, elite first line center that plays with speed and skill, both things that Caps need. But there are two main issues with the idea of adding Thomas. First is the fact that the Caps might not even be looking at the center position. They are probably very happy with Pierre Luc-Dubois, Ilya Protas, Dylan Strome and Justin Sourdif as their centers, and why not? That’s amazing center depth. Granted, Thomas is better than all of them but I can see the Caps saying they don’t need another center.

The second issue is the price for Thomas will likely be through the freakin’ roof. You’re talking two first round picks, probably Ilya Protas and more. it’s hard to see the Caps being willing to do that. They have been pretty adamant on keeping their top young players, assuming that means Protas, Ryan Leonard, Cole Hutson and possibly Andrew Cristall as well. So between the Caps not being desperate for a center and not wanting to give up one of their very promising young players, it’s doubtful that a Thomas trade would make sense.

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It’s crazy to think Jason Robertson would be available, but Dallas, for some reason, hasn’t committed to signing the big, elite two-way winger. The rumor is they do not want to sign anyone on their team to a higher AAV than what Mikko Rantanen is being paid, which is $12 million a year. Robertson, easily, deserves at least $13M a year, if not more. Why’s that? Over the last five seasons he has averaged 90 points per 82 games and only missed 8 games, and those all came in the 2021-2022 season; he hasn’t missed a game the last four seasons. He’s also only 26 and is elite at both ends of the ice. You can play him in literally any situation, with any players, against any players and he’s usually coming out on top.

His only true flaw is his speed. He’s not very fast and the Caps in general are not a fast team, so would his lack of speed limit him here? Maybe, but his skill set is just too elite that it’s hard to think he’ll just become neutered on a team that isn’t very fast. He’s very much worth the risk. 

The main question, though, is what would the cost be to acquire him? Dallas is not a team that would need to rebuild or re-tool, they are still one of the best teams in the league so futures probably wouldn’t interest them too much unless they can flip those picks for something immediate. I imagine their first ask will be for Leonard, which Caps would not do, but maybe something can be worked out around Connor McMichael. He had a down season but he’s a very skilled top six winger that would probably thrive in Dallas. He’s not too far off in play style to Wyatt Johnston, who has thrived as a power play specialist there. Obviously, it wouldn’t be just McMichael, a LOT more would be added, but it could be a start off point. It’s a shame Dallas does not need left handed defensemen because that’s the position the Caps are flush at. 

Here’s an out of the left field idea: offer sheet. This would be a historic offer sheet because anything over $11,700,193 AAV would require FOUR first round picks. Yes, four first round picks. That would mean Caps wouldn’t have a first round pick from 2027-2030, or at least their own, they could always acquire another team’s first through trades. It seems like a lot but Robertson is worth it and with the team that Caps have, with an addition of Robertson, those first round picks would be very late so Caps won’t miss out on too much.

Ultimately, I think Dallas breaks their own rule and signs Robertson over the $12M limit they are putting on him right now. It would be crazy to let him go, but if for some reason he becomes available, the Caps should be willing to go all in to get him, even if it means offer sheeting him. With a fixed special teams, an addition of Robertson would instantly make the Caps Stanley Cup contenders. 

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I know this one will ruffle some feathers but with so many limited names out there I have to bring up Brady Tkachuk. Yes, his face is incredibly punchable, his politics are garbage, and the rumored locker room issues aren’t great, but I would be amiss if I didn’t mention a 26 year old power forward that has point per game potential. Over the last four seasons he’s averaged 75 points per 82 games, while having elite offensive impact with decent defensive impact.

Usually the cost would probably be crazy high for someone like him but he has a full no movement clause that’s a part of his contract (that will have two years $8.2M AAV left on it after this season), meaning he gets to pick where he goes if he’s moved. In that case, if he tells Ottawa there’s only a handful of teams he’ll go to, then the price should come down. He won’t be cheap by any means, but not as much as what a player like him will usually get.

I still think another team will pay more than what the Caps would offer (for instance would Florida give up their eighth overall pick this summer to reunite the Tkachuk brothers?), but it shouldn’t stop the Caps from making the call to see what they are asking for. Could you imagine him with Dubois and Leonard or Wilson? That line would drive other teams nuts and score a lot of goals. 

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If we are going to do one player that will cause an uproar then let’s talk about another one: Elias Pettersson (the forward, not defensemen). Through his first six seasons he averaged 83 points per 82 games, though that’s greatly helped out by 102 point season. But his last two seasons he’s averaging just 57 points per 82 games, which isn’t bad but he’s getting paid $11.6M per year for the next four years after this season. 57 points a season won’t cut it for that much. 

So the Caps could get a potential elite player for a cheap price because Pettersson’s value is pretty damn low right now. The Caps have proven as of late they can take very promising players that other teams can’t handle and get the most out of them. Dubois, Strome and Jakob Chychrun are all recent examples of this. Imagine if the Caps could get Pettersson back to over a point per game player, that would be huge for the price they would have to pay for the 27 year old forward.

The reason that the Caps might not be interested in Pettersson is the same reason I mentioned above about Thomas: the Caps don’t really need centers. But Pettersson has also played left wing so maybe they can acquire him to play there but if he doesn’t like that then they’d have a problem on their hands. It’s a huge gamble by the Caps but it has the potential to be a low risk, very high reward. 

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Let’s head back to St. Louis to look at Thomas’ teammate Jordan Kyrou. Kyrou is just about everything the Caps desperately need: elite speed with elite two-way impacts. He’s essentially what Robertson is, just not as offensively potent. Still, he’s averaged 73 points per 82 games the four seasons prior to this past season. This past season was a down one for him, only scoring 46 points in 76 games. That’s not good but that, along with being a healthy scratch in one game, could be a reason his price might not be that high, therefore Caps could take advantage. 

The first issue is, is Kyrou that real piece the Caps need? Is he that top flight piece that will really put the Caps over the top. Hard to say, but it is undeniable that he wouldn’t make the Caps better. As stated earlier, his speed and elite-way impacts would definitely improve the Caps, the question is will it make them Cup contenders. The second issue is Kyrou has a No Trade Clause, meaning he can’t be traded without his approval so if he doesn’t want to come to DC then he doesn’t have to. Could he look at the Caps, see they missed the playoffs and not be interested? That’s fully believable.

But gun to my head, in terms of a mix of need, price and want, I think Kyrou is the best fit for the Caps and it would not surprise me at all if he was the player they snagged this summer. Whether he is that real piece that Caps need to be a contender or not, he’d still be a huge boost to the team's speed and two-way ability which they really need. 

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As I mentioned earlier, Alex Tuch is the only real top six player in free agency. There are possibly some others like Anthony Mantha, and as much as I love him, he’s not going to put the Caps over the edge at this point in his career. Tuch might not do it either but it’s worth looking into since he’s the only player in this article that could be had without giving up any assets besides cap space, which the Caps have a lot of. 

Tuch has been a good power forward for years now and has some good speed and bite to him as well, so he’d fit it very well with the Caps style. The last four seasons he’s averaged about 72 points per 82 games, which is good. The issue is Tuch just turned 30 and this past season was a decline for him in terms of production and analytics, so his best years are probably behind him. Though the Caps have the cap space to pay him the ~$11M he’s asking for, it’s probably best not to still. If all avenues fail in getting a legit piece, Tuch certainly isn’t the worst consolation prize. But this could all be moot because reports are the Buffalo Sabres will get him signed. 

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A team to keep an eye on is the Toronto Maple Leafs. After a very disappointing season where they ended up as one of the worst teams in the league, would they look to blow it up? Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Matthew Knies are all intriguing names but the chances Toronto moves them this summer is probably very low. I imagine they’ll give this upcoming season a chance first especially after just winning the draft lottery to pick first overall, so they’ll add a great piece. If they struggle again I could see those names surfacing closer to the trade deadline, in which case the Caps could make a call. 

Similarly, the Winnipeg Jets were in a very similar boat as the Maple Leafs. They went from President Trophy winners to one of the worst teams in the league. Their lynch pin is goalie Connor Hellebuyck, arguably the best at his position in the world. Reports are he’s starting to get tired of the Jets lack of success, if he wants out then the Jets could go into a rebuild, which would make Kyle Connor available. His elite speed and shot would be great for the Caps. Even Gabriel Vilardi could have potential. But like the Maple Leafs, it’s not worth diving into too much because it’s more than likely no one will be moved this summer, but could be something that opens up closer to the trade deadline. 

There are other interesting names out there like Pavel Dorofeyev, Alexis Lafrenière, Timo Meier, Luke Evangelista, Cole Perfetti, and Brock Boeser but the question is are any of those players the type of player that will really make the Caps contenders? I’d argue they aren’t but it doesn’t mean they won’t help the Caps, because they certainly would. Maybe the Caps would pivot to one of these names if any big names don’t work out, but at that point it might just be better to let some kids have those spots. 

It’s tough because the Caps seem poised to add a great player they need to be contenders: they have the cap space, the assets, smart management, great coaching and lots of good to great players, but there seems to be too many people and not enough chairs. Teams, rightfully, are going to ask for the moon for some of their players and the Caps might, rightfully, not want to pay that price. Either way, it’s going to be an interesting summer. 

What do you think? Should the Caps go big? Should they stay pat and start to build around their young core? Should they focus on depth?