The Washington Capitals will be looking to make it back into the playoffs after missing in the 2022-23 season. With a 1-1-0 start to their 2023-24 campaign, they look like a much stronger team and should be able to improve their record and squeak back into the playoff picture. Looking at the possibility that they don’t find success and are on the outside looking in closer to the trade deadline, the Capitals have some valuable trade pieces that might be able to bring them a good number of assets in return.
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Capitals forward Nic Dowd is one of those players who could fetch the team a good return if they opt to move him later in the season. At 33 years old, he provides a strong defensive presence up the middle for the Capitals and would be a massive upgrade to almost any contending team’s penalty kill down the stretch and into the playoffs.
While he has no points in his first two games this season, he has scored 58 goals and added 69 assists for 127 points through 438 games in his career. While his biggest strength is his defensive game, he can still put up decent numbers offensively. Having put him 24 and 25 points respectively during the previous two seasons, he is a perfect fourth-line centreman. With that being said, here are three potential trade destinations for Dowd.
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers have started out their season the exact opposite of what they were expecting. Luckily, the season is still young and they have a ton of time to fix their little mistakes and still become a dominant team. One of their biggest weaknesses is their lack of defensive strength both from their forwards and defensemen. Dowd would be a much-needed upgrade on their penalty kill and at 5-on-5 as well.
The Oilers are tight to the cap ceiling as it is, and would likely have to give up a player to make any trade for Dowd work. Luckily for them, I doubt the Capitals would ask for too much in return. With two years left on his contract worth $1.3 million a season, the Oilers will have to find a player close to equal value. I wonder if the Oilers would consider parting with Warren Foegele if he’s not performing well closer to the trade deadline. Taking on his $2.75 million contract could even fetch the Capitals an extra prospect or draft pick in exchange for Dowd.
Boston Bruins
Another team that may be looking for an upgrade up the middle in their bottom six is the Boston Bruins if they’re contending closer to the trade deadline. Coming off of a Presidents’ Trophy-winning season that ended with a first round playoff exit at the hands of the Florida Panthers in seven games, they will be looking to make it back to the playoffs and past the first round this time around. Losing both David Krejci and Patrice Bergeron who retired after the 2022-23 season was massive, and the team has holes they need to try and fill if they want to make a push for a Stanley Cup this season.
The Bruins currently have John Beecher as their fourth-line center. While he had a fantastic training camp and earned his spot on the roster this season, I doubt the opportunity to bring in Dowd as an upgrade would be turned down. The Bruins have about $520,000 in cap space to work with, so they’ll have to find a player to move as well, who is close to Dowd’s contract.
For the Capitals, I wonder if they’d show any interest in Kevin Shattenkirk, who has a $1.05 million cap hit. While he’s a veteran, bringing him in near the end of the season would fix the Bruins’ center depth issue, and the Capitals’ defensive depth issue if the two sides are both contending.
Florida Panthers
The last team that makes sense to have some interest in Dowd is the Florida Panthers. After a terrific run to the Stanley Cup Final last season, they are looking to prove it wasn’t a Cinderella run and can continue to contend amongst the best of the best. While the Vegas Golden Knights ended their season in the Final in five games, they were able to surprise everyone and beat out the entire Eastern Conference after being underdogs heading into the playoffs.
While the Panthers still have a very strong team, they are yet another team that could benefit from a defensive centreman come playoff time. Dowd is the perfect fit for the Panthers as a fourth-line center, and I think they would be one of the main teams interested in him if he becomes available. With no cap space to work with, it will be tough to make a deal work, but I wonder if they’d consider parting with defenseman Mike Reilly or Dmitry Kulikov. They both have $1 million cap hits, so the Capitals may have to retain some money for this to work, but I can see it happening.
While the Capitals’ goal is to make it back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they have to be prepared for anything, including becoming sellers at the trade deadline. While I think a few more teams could be interested in Dowd if he becomes available, these are the three that make the most sense in my eyes.