Edited Jun. 27, 2018 at 4:36 p.m.
I like the DSP and Yak contracts. Wilson seems 1M high. Kempny seems 1.75M high. Yes, he scored 5 points in the playoffs and two were at crucial moments to change the outcome of key games. Orpik had five points in the playoffs, three of which were at crucial moments to change the outcomes of key games, including the first Cup-winning goal in Caps history and primary assists on lead-changing goals in games to eliminate Columbus and Vegas, and just got bought out because even with a playoff better than Kempny's, his regular season performance was bad enough that he wasn't wanted back. If you add the regular season and the playoffs together, they got about the same offense and about the same plus minus. What this doesn't take into account is that Orpik played the playoffs next to an unheralded rookie, while Kempny rode shotgun with the 5th place Norris trophy candidate. Carlson started the year with Orpik and took the lead in points by defensemen. Then he played with Djoos and just didn't lose it. Then he played with Kempny and nothing changed. Edit: Kempny is not any harder for Carlson to play with than Orpik or Djoos. Djoos will be back. Orpik could be back for, I'd guess, about 1.5M per season. Paying Kempny 3M per year would be a blunder.
More Edit: That's a huge overpayment for Klefbom, who is almost as good as Orlov when he's healthy, but has only been healthy for one full NHL season. Much like Kempny, I just don't see a consistent NHL body of work to justify the contract, let alone trade a 1st round pick to acquire the player. Definitely wouldn't include Burakovsky, and would strongly hesitate to include Bowey, who was 11th among rookie defensemen in even strength points last season, and is going to be really good. Johansen was a first round pick, sure, but he peaked at 49 points in juniors. Bowey had back to back 60 point years. With Carlson and Niskanen in the fold, they could trade him for someone they really really need, but please be a little bit aware that he's really, really, really good.
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=134163
For comparison, PK Subban had one year above 60 points in juniors:
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=89716
Weber had two:
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=62488
Recent 7th overall pick Haydn Fleury didn't have any, and got fewer NHL points than Bowey this year:
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=148769
People think Bowey might not be worth much because he was a 2nd round pick, but maybe the Caps were just really really lucky to draft him in the second round, because it looks to me like he's gonna be awesome, one of these days. I think Bowey and a 2nd should get you Klefbom, not that I'd do it.
Third edit: obviously I left Klefbom out because Swedish leagues are lower scoring than Canadian juniors, and I left off Carlson and Niskanen because they played in America.... Klefbom's teammate, who just pretty much took over from him as their top pairing left D, Darnell Nurse, maxed out at 50 points in juniors, about the same as as Lucas Johansen. Nurse was picked 7th overall.
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=131921
When someone like Bowey slides to the 2nd round, there's probably a reason. maybe he wasn't tough enough? But he got close to a hit per game played this year, close to a shot block a game. He didn't get much playing time at the WJCs, and maybe that was the missing piece, but maybe the coach just didn't like him. The Caps have an absolute blue chip offensive defenseman in Bowey. He's not a throw-in and they shouldn't trade him for anything they don't really need, which, right now, is anyone on a one-way NHL deal.
I'd trade him for Jake Bean. I'd trade him for Noah Juulsen. If Bowey won't take a two-way deal and the Caps are able to load up their blueline on cheap UFAs hoping to be a part of a repeat Cup win, then I would trade Bowey for a 1st round pick defenseman with two or three years left on an ELC, whom they can stick in Hershey, but given that Bowey scored 12 points at even strength last year, in the NHL, in really limited minutes, with no power plays, the other team probably has to throw in a future late pick or a forward prospect.