Capitals Bolstered Defensive Depth and Looking Back At The TJ Oshie Trade
Also, a look at comments made from NHL insider Elliotte Friedman about the Capitals' interest in Andrei Kuzmenko
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In today’s edition, we look at the Capitals’ defensive depth being bolstered, the TJ Oshie trade several seasons ago, and more!
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Now on to the good stuff….
Capitals Bolster Defensive Depth with Ethan Bear Signing
January 1, 2024 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
The Washington Capitals have been rather surprising out of the gates to open their 2023-24 campaign. They had low expectations entering the new season after a surprisingly bad 2022-23 season where they missed the playoffs, but they have shocked many fans and analysts around the league with solid play at both ends of the ice that has them right in the middle of the Metropolitan Division playoff battle coming out of the Christmas holidays. The Capitals helped bolster their defensive depth recently with their signing of free-agent defenseman Ethan Bear to a two-year contract.
The TJ Oshie Trade Analyzed
December 23, 2023 by THW Archives
It has been more than eight years since a blockbuster trade went down during the offseason between the St. Louis Blues and the Washington Capitals. The Blues sent forward TJ Oshie to the Caps in exchange for forward Troy Brouwer, goaltender Pheonix Copley and a third-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
As with most deals in the NHL, there’s a winner and a loser. Who won the trade may not have been clear initially, but revisiting what each team received years later, there appears to be a clear winner.
Friedman Believes Capitals Interested In Canucks’ Kuzmenko
December 20, 2023 by Jesse Courville-Lynch
One player who has surprisingly been in and out of the lineup on his team is Vancouver Canucks forward Andrei Kuzmenko. He has been a healthy scratch several times this season and seems to be a player that head coach Rick Tocchet isn’t a fan of. Kuzmenko has six goals and has added 11 assists for 17 points through 29 games this season which is quite good for a player who has spent the majority of his time in the bottom six, but his play is still something the Canucks don’t seem to like.
If the Canucks don’t want to play him, that’s no issue for a Capitals team who will be looking to bolster their roster come the trade deadline. A connection between the two teams seems to have been made by Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman.