The Carolina Hurricanes continue their blockbuster Jake Guentzel trade with another one. They have acquired Evgeny Kuznetsov from the Washington Capitals for a 2025 third-round pick; the Capitals will retain 50 percent of Kuznetsov’s contract.
After a long wait for the return of the Guentzel deal, the Hurricanes struck first on deadline day and acquired a struggling center who can hopefully regain his original form in Carolina.
Hurricanes Load Up Down The Middle
The Hurricanes are getting a player who was vital to the Capitals’ Stanley Cup run during the 2018 Playoffs. While his game has been streaky after that run, a change of scenery for Kuznetsov could be just the thing to get him going. Coming with a cap hit of $3.9 million in the final year of his contract before entering free agency as an unrestricted free agent (UFA) will give them a massive boost in their center depth. With six goals and 11 assists for 17 points, this season hasn’t looked suitable for Kuznetsov, but some new and young wingers could help him bounce back. Players like Seth Jarvis, Martin Necas, and Stefan Nosen could be huge to his playmaking game and complete them with their excellent puckhandling skills and shooting.
Interestingly, Kuznetsov was recently placed on waivers a couple of days ago. It would have been free for anyone to take him, but it would have included his entire contract of $7.8 million. The Hurricanes seemed to prioritize waiting for the Guentzel trade to go through and using their third-round pick to obtain half of his salary to ensure they still have cap space to make any more moves. They currently have $5.877 million in cap space to make other moves they see necessary, with a plethora of picks still available.
Beginning Of A New Era For Washington
The Capitals have had a rough season, to say the least. Alexander Ovechkin, while hot now, had a really cold start. Kuznetsov was dealing with many problems, and Nicklas Backstrom was placed on long-term injury reserve (LTIR) early in the season. It looks like a significant change of pace for the Capitals with their recent moves to sell off expiring UFA players, recoup some draft capital, and free up some cap space. Whether it was the Anthony Mantha trade or the Joel Edmundson trade, many pieces of their Stanley Cup run and past success are being shipped off for what seems to be a new era.
While it may seem rough, it isn’t all doom and gloom. Recent trades, including this one, have seen them add five draft picks, two being in this year’s 2024 Draft for the second and third rounds. Currently, with $6.76 million in cap space, the Capitals open themselves up to being either a potential broker in any other trades or moving another piece and being able to drive the price up with the option of salary retention.
Currently fifth in the Metropolitan Divison with 67 points and seven points behind the closest wild card spot that the Philadelphia Flyers hold, the Capitals’ offseason will be interesting when the season is over, playoff push or not.