According to industry sources, the Washington Capitals have checked in on New York Islanders‘ pending unrestricted free agent forward, Brock Nelson.
While any potential team that acquires Nelson would likely want him to extend, given the cost, the Capitals are believed to have no issue with him being a pure rental.
Nelson, 33, is likely to be one of the most sought-after players ahead of March 7th’s NHL Trade Deadline.
But with Alex Ovechkin not getting any younger and the team proving they are legit, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Capitals go all in with the hopes of a deep playoff run.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
In year two of the Spencer Carbery era, the Capitals are riding high, currently sitting as the best team in the NHL with an eight-point lead on the Carolina Hurricanes for second in the Metropolitan Division.
The Capitals’ top-six has played extremely well, with Pierre-Luc Dubois making many eat their words after he was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings this summer for Darcy Kuemper.
Nelson would just make the Capitals much deeper.
Despite playing center, Nelson can also play wing and is a proven goal scorer, having reached the 30-goal mark in each of the last three seasons.
Nelson hasn’t been scoring at the same clip, with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points in 46 games, but he can still be a difference-maker and has 82 games of playoff experience (27 goals, 23 assists).
The Capitals currently have $3.65 million in available cap space and cannot fit Nelson’s $6 million.
However, while the Islanders may be willing to retain some of his cap hit in any trade-deadline deal they make, that will require their trade partner to offer more.
The Capitals are unlikely to trade Aliaksei Protas, their 24-year-old second-line left winger, with 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) in 46 games.
His cap hit is $3.38 million, which would allow the Capitals to take on Nelson’s contract if he were included in the deal.
Colleague Sammi Silber wrote a story off a report that the Capitals would part ways with prospects to bolster their offensive depth.
Per ESPN’s Rachel Doerrie, the Capitals could trade one of their prospective defensemen in order to bring in forward depth for a playoff run.
More on the #ALLCAPS surplus on d, who could be on the move and who the team should take a look at:https://t.co/dVFrdgVWL6
— Sammi Silber 🏒 (@sammisilber) January 17, 2025
Boston College and Team USA’s gold medal-winning defenseman Cole Hutson is obviously off the table.
Would the Islanders be interested in Henrik Rybinski, a 23-year-old right-winger with 22 points (16 goals, 22 assists) in 35 games this season with the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League?
Or what about the Capitals’ 2020 first-round pick, center Hendrix Lapierre, who has struggled to find a consistent game at the NHL level?
The 22-year-old has five assists in seven games with Hershey after just eight assists in 27 games with the Capitals.
“The Caps have a surplus of young defensemen and could move one of Ryan Chesley, Leon Muggli or Vincent Iorio to bring in forward depth for a playoff run,” per ESPN’s Rachel Doerrie said.
Ryan Chesley (2022, Rd. 2): 23, RD, University of Minnesota, 16 points (7G, 9A) in 26 GP.
Leon Muggli (2024 Rd. 2): 18, LD, Zug EV of Swiss-A, 7 points (2G, 5A) in 28 GP
Vincent Iorio (2021, Rd. 2): 22, RD, Hershey: 13 points (3G, 10A) in 35 games, Capitals: 0 points in GP
Forward Sonny Milano, a Massapequa native who is currently on long-term injured reserve, could come back the other way if he’s healthy. He is on an expiring deal worth $1.90 million.
The Capitals, including any player at league minimum, would clear the remaining $720,000 needed for them to acquire Nelson at his full cap hit.
Nelson has a modified no-trade clause, which is another thing to remember as we approach the trade deadline.
The Warroad, Minnesota native will cost at least a first-round pick, and for an inter-division rival, the Islanders could surely acquire a top-tier prospect or two an NHL-caliber player and a pick for Nelson’s skillset.
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