Picks the Caps have traded away

Team: 2023-24 Custom Team

Initial Creation Date: Mar. 18, 2024

Published: Mar. 18, 2024

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

2/28/23
Send to TOR: Gustafsson, 23 BOS 1st (Cowan)
Receive: Sandin

Grade for Capitals: B+

I'm a big Sandin fan, so I love this trade no matter what Cowan turns into. He plays like the lite version of Orlov; great offensively, solid defensively, and he can throw a big hit. He's just a few inches shorter.

7/24/21
Send to NYR: 21 ARI 3rd (Korczak)
Receive: 21 NYR 3rd (B. Johnson), 21 NYR 6th (Krebs)

Grade for Capitals: C?

Too early to tell.

4/12/21
Send to DET: Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik, 21 WSH 1st (W Johnston), 22 WSH 2nd (Buchelnikov)
Receive: Mantha

Grade for Capitals: D

Mantha did not fit in Washington until this season, and by then he had one foot out the door. Vrana at the time felt like a lot to give up, but unfortunately he didn't pan out in Detroit. The real kicker here is the 1st and 2nd round picks. This for me is the worst trade the Caps made since the Filip Forsberg deal.

10/6/20
Send to CGY: 20 WSH 1st (Zary), 20 WSH 3rd (Boltmann)
Receive: 20 CAR 1st (Lapierre)

Grade for Capitals: B

This could be a pick swap that benefitted both squads as Lapierre and Zary have both looked very promising as rookies this season. Lapierre has really stood out since the deadline and has even earned top line minutes lately. It's still early, but if he continues developing at this pace, the Caps center depth could become a strength in the coming years.

2/22/19
Send to DET: Bowey, 20 WSH 2nd (Hanas)
Receive: Jensen, 19 BUF 5th (Gritsyuk)

Grade for Capitals: B+

While I wasn't a huge fan of Jensen in his first year in DC, but he has been really solid over his tenure here and can show the occasional flash of offense. Plus he was extended at an affordable number. Bowey never panned out, and to my knowledge Hanas has not cracked the NHL yet. Pretty damn good trade if you ask me.

2/27/17
Send to STL: Malone, Sanford, 17 WSH 1st (Frost)
Receive: Shattenkirk, Copley

Grade for Capitals: D+

The only thing keeping this from a D or an F is that Copley became a pretty good backup. Shattenkirk was absolutely not worth what the team gave up for him, and that first round pick is currently on a 50 point pace this season in Philly.

6/24/16
Send to STL: 16 WSH 1st (Thompson)
Receive: 16 STL 1st (Johansen), 16 WSH 3rd (Pilon)

Grade for Capitals: D

Yes, this is unfair. You have no idea what these kids are going to be when you draft them. But while Johansen and Pilon are Hershey Bears legends, neither of them have a 40 goal season in the NHL.

6/24/16
Send to MTL: 17 WSH 2nd (Ikonen), 18 WSH 2nd (Rodrigue)
Recieve: Eller

Grade for Capitals: A

I mean, the dude scored the Stanley Cup winning goal. This trade is wrth it based on that alone. Combined with the fact that Ikonen never panned out and Rodrigue isn't even a Habs prospect, I'd say the Caps won this trade pretty handily.

2/28/16
Send to TOR: Carrick, Laich, 16 WSH 2nd (Grundstrom)
Receive: Winnik, 16 ANA 5th (Malenstyn)

Grade for Capitals: C

Winnik wasn't bad here, but he wasn't awesome either. I really liked Carrick, but he never really seemed to stick in an NHL lineup. Grundstrom has turned into a good botoom 6 player, but so has Malenstyn. Kind of just a wash.

3/1/15
Send to CGY: 15 WSH 2nd (Lauzon), 15 WSH 3rd (Looke)
Receive: Glencross

Grade for Capitals: F-

This may not be a significant trade to anyone other than myself. But Curtis Glencross gave up the puck that led to the Rangers overtime goal in game 5, and then eventual come back from 3-1 down in the series to beat the Caps. And my teenage self will never, EVER forgive him for it. So this trade sucks.

6/28/14
Send to NYR: 14 CHI 4th (Shesterkin), 14 WSH 4th (R. Mantha)
Receive: 14 NYR 3rd (Walker)

Grade for Capitals: D

This is another one that's unfair because nobody knew until years later. But oof... that's a doozy. One of the top goalies in the game for a 4th liner. And I absolutely love Nate, but that's a one way trade.

6/24/11
Send to CHI: 11 WSH 1st (Danault)
Receive: Brouwer

Grade for Capitals: B-

This is a fun one. Brouwer was a fan favorite here in DC and put up solid numbers during his time. And then he got flipped for TJ Oshie (which was an absolute fleecing btw.) But the Hawks picked Phil Danault. Did he break out with Chicago? Not fully, but once he got to Montreal, he really flourished, and has been one of the better shutdown centers in the league for a few years now.