Nylander READ DESCRIPTION FIRST

Team: 2019-20 Washington Capitals

Initial Creation Date: Mar. 6, 2019

Published: Mar. 9, 2019

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I know everyone is going to go crazy on this because they'll say TOR could go out and trade Nylander for a legit top pairing RHD that's better than Niskanen. Which is totally true. But with this trade TOR gets 2 things: 1) a cheaper top 4RHD with only 2 years remaining AND 2) a top 6 forward to replace Nylander.

1) True, Niskanen isn't as good of top 4RHD that TOR could get for Nylander. But Niksanen can bring that top 4RHD defense TOR desperately needs on a cheap price. If TOR traded for a better player than Niskanen they'll be paying $7M+ probably. Plus Niskanen has years of experience, including a Cup, to playing that defensive shutdown guy. He'd be a perfect match for Rielly. Rielly can do his offensive thing while Niskanen watches the backend (much like Kempny does for Carlson). Or you could go for the shutdown pair of Muzzin-Niskanen. As for his contract, he only has 2 years remaining, which is perfect timing for Liljegren to be ready for top 4. Most likely a trade for a top RHD would cover a lot of years at a higher price. Are there RHD out there that will cost less and have less years that are better than Niskanen? Sure, but good luck finding a team to give one up.

2) Burakovsky won't be a Nylander but you put him in TOR top 6 (I suggest with with Matthews and Johnsson) and PP time he'll get you 55-60 points. Sure Nylander is capable of 70+, but you'll be sacrificing some of those points for much much needed cap space while still getting a great player. Bura has high end speed, skill, and vision, with a hell of a wrister. Sure he isn't having a great year but he's on pace for 30 points in a 82 game playing in just bottom 6 with no PP time and getting a lot of defensive starts. (He's also on pace for 55 points in his last 21 games and a 60 point pace in his last 15 games- he just had a slow start with low PDO). Nylander is on pace for 34 points in 82 games while playing with much better teammates, getting PP time and starting a lot in the offensive zone. Again, Nylander may be better but you'll be saving $4M+ while getting a player that can still really help the team. Is sacrificing 10-20 points worth $4M+? I think for a cash strapped team like TOR it is. Here's how they compare this season:

Burakovsky/Nylander
5v5 Average Time Per Game - 10:42/12:40
5v5 Points Per 60 - 1.99/1.46
PP Average Time Per Game - 0:16/1:52
PP Points Per 60 - 3.43/3.29
5v5 Offensive Zone Starts %: 47.14%/55.06%
2 most common linemates:
Eller-Conolly and Boyd-SmithPelly
Kadri-Brown and Kadri-Marleau

It looks like Bura is producing more at 5v5 and PP even though he's getting less minutes in both than Nylander. Bura is also starting in the defensive way more while also playing with worse teammates.

So to close, sure TOR could go out and get a better dman but Niskanen is still good and he'll save you precious money. All the while you'll also get a young top 6 talent that will be very cheap. Will this happen? Probably not. But don't think it's a crazy no like many will say. It's an actually good deal for both sides when you look into it. WSH gets a bit better offensively while TOR gets much better defensively and saving cap space.

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