Team: 2020-21 Washington Capitals

Initial Creation Date: Sep. 18, 2020

Published: Sep. 19, 2020

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

I didn't want to get into the values of the trades. The point is that Jensen, Panik, Kovalchuk, Kempny, Gudas, Dillon and Holtby out, Vatanen, Puljujarvi, Johnsson, Hjalmarsson, Weber and Crawford in.

There are only so many years left in the Ovechkin era to win a Cup, and I really think we need to go all out for it every year. Getting Johnsson to play 3LW and bump Hagelin down to the 3rd line does wonders for us. It might cause some cap problems next year, but he should be able to get dealt for a late round pick then have McMichael take that spot. Puljujarvi has more offensive upside than Panik, plus he could potentially take Oshie's spot in the top six when he inevitably gets taken by Seattle. Having those guys in the top nine allow for some lineup flexibility and some more potential line combinations if things need to be shaken up.

The Vatanen contract was what The Athletic projects him to get on the open market. I think he's a really good fit on our second pairing with Orlov and gives us a lot of stability. A smooth skater that will move the puck and not be a defensive liability is really what we need. Hjalmarsson can be the pure shutdown partner for Carlson that he'll thrive with as he's become more offensive minded the last couple years. As long as he stays healthy he'll be our best penalty killer block a ton of shots. Weber is signed for depth and to help with Laviolette's system since he played for him in Nashville.

Crawford is signed to tandem with Samsonov for a year. Vanecek will get a few games here and there as well to make sure Sammy and Crawford are fresh during what might be a condensed schedule. Assuming there's an 82 game schedule, I'd hope the starts get split 47/28/7. Samsonov still has the majority of games, but there's enough starts going to Crawford and Vanecek to keep him fresh both physically and mentally.

Fehervary is ready for regular minutes. I'd like to see Alexeyev get a few games, as well as getting Sprong in the mix. All of these moves are a big push for the Caps to win this year and gives us a chance to try again in the coming years.

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