Who adds what?
Joined: Jul. 2017
Posts: 13,677
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As the Caps fan who keeps posting that they need PK help, I have no idea what they actually want. Only that their PK% ranks 27th out of 31 teams. Some playoff games have no penalties, so they might not care, but I think effective PK players have speed, defensive wisdom, and reaction time that can help out at evens, as well.
If they want to fix what's wrong with their PK, they should ask for Ben Hutton and Tyler Motte.
I don't know how Burakovsky's value compares to theirs, but two young, quick penalty killers with good defensive positioning have a very good chance of improving Washington's PK, together, and continuing to improve it over time, even as Burakovsky has a very good chance, on a team that believes in him and doesn't change his linemates every week, of scoring 20 to 30 goals a year for the next decade.
My guess is that Washington adds a depth defensive prospect like Lewington or Bindulis. I would try not to bring up Djoos unless he's out for the season and the team feels its window is closing.
The on-paper value is decent on Grandlund, plus picks and prospects, but the Caps have enough wing depth to bench Burakovsky, win games, and leave Cup-winning offensively skilled wings Nate Walker and Shane Gersich in the AHL. Granlund is playing a lot of PK minutes, but he and MDZ seem to be making too many mistakes there, so far this year. Hutton and Motte are quietly showing they can play, defensively, and I think that's more valuable to Washington right now than Granlund's offensive skill and big shorthanded minutes. Burakovsky's 23, with 127 career points. Motte is 23 with 22. Hutton is 24 with 63. Granlund is 25 with 88 in about as many games as Burakovsky.