Capitals trade candidates: Which trade board names would fit best in Washington?

Earlier this week, The Athletic published its first NHL trade board of the offseason — and it has some intriguing names on it.

It includes the kind of names that could be of interest to a team like the Capitals, who are expected to attempt an aggressive retool this summer after missing the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

The Caps could use an infusion of youth and speed, particularly up front. A bit more offense wouldn’t be bad, either, after ranking 20th in goals per game. One could also argue that the core has grown stale and might benefit from some new blood.

“Sometimes making a change just to make a change is not right, but we’re going to look for opportunities,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said at the team’s season-ending media availability. “Opportunities present themselves in free agency and the trade market as we go towards the draft.

“So we would be more open-minded to opportunities that present themselves this year, would be the way to put it for me.”

What does that mean? Anything and everything is on the table.

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And with the free agent market shaping up to be weak, the trade route might be MacLellan’s best hope of adding an impact player or two. He prepared for that scenario at the trade deadline, when he flipped five veterans on expiring contracts for 23-year-old defenseman Rasmus Sandin and a haul of NHL Draft picks to be dangled in trade talks this summer.

Which brings us back to The Athletic’s big board.

Bolstering the forward group figures to be MacLellan’s priority this summer, and he’s going to have options. Here are seven potential options that stood out.

Mark Scheifele, C, Jets

• Trade board rank: 2
• Age: 30
• 2022-23 stats: 42 goals and 26 assists in 81 games
• Cap hit: $6.125 million
• Signed through: 2023-24

As trade board authors Michael Russo and Eric Duhatschek wrote, “this could be a summer of upheaval” in Winnipeg after the Jets bowed out meekly in the first round to the Golden Knights. Hence, there are four Jets among the top eight: Connor Hellebuyck, Scheifele, Blake Wheeler and Pierre-Luc Dubois.

Hellebuyck and Wheeler aren’t fits in D.C. But Scheifele and Dubois? Let’s talk it out, beginning with Scheifele.

MacLellan is on record saying he’d like to add more players like Sandin. Which is to say young with upside.

At 30 years old, Scheifele is not that. But he’s an alternate captain, a two-time all-star and scored a career-best 42 goals this season. Although his defensive numbers in recent seasons haven’t been flattering, he could certainly jumpstart a top six in Washington that needs a high-end piece or two.

Is this a good time to mention that Anthony Mantha made the big board at No. 24 or that Evgeny Kuznetsov is listed in the “others we’re watching” category?

William Nylander, RW, Maple Leafs

• Trade board rank: 3
• Age: 27
• 2022-23 stats: 40 goals and 47 assists in 82 games
• Cap hit: $6.962
• Signed through: 2023-24

After another postseason flameout, there’s going to be a lot of smoke around the Leafs’ “Core Four” and, potentially, Nylander.

As far as right wings, the Caps have Tom Wilson, T.J. Oshie and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. If we are to assume Wilson will be in the top six, Oshie will skate on the third line and Aube-Kubel will play on the fourth, that ostensibly leaves an opening on either the first or second line.

Nylander can be a frustrating player at times, but his ability to create offense can’t be denied — he’s produced back-to-back 80-point seasons and has 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists) in 50 career playoff games.

The Caps are also believed to be interested in Toronto assistant Spencer Carbery for their head coaching vacancy and, of course, Carbery worked closely with Nylander the past two seasons.

If the skillful Swede’s name does indeed get dangled, though, there will be no shortage of suitors, many of whom figure to have more to offer than MacLellan. But that shouldn’t preclude him from making the call; MacLellan is under pressure to improve his roster — quickly — and Toronto could be itching to shake things up. Nylander has a 10-team no-trade list that kicks in July 1, meaning that if he does get dealt, it could happen at the draft.

Fun fact: Nylander has ties to the DMV. Well, sorta. He and his brother Alex skated for Team Maryland AAA briefly as youth players while his father, Michael, was on the Caps.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, C, Jets

• Trade board rank: 8
• Age: 24
• 2022-23 stats: 27 goals and 36 assists in 73 games
• Signed through: Restricted free agent with arbitration rights ($6 million cap hit in 2022-23)

As Russo and Duhatschek wrote, this is the summer Dubois and the Jets must decide if they want to commit to each other, and that decision probably needs to be made prior to next month’s draft. It’s widely believed that Dubois, a Quebec native, wants to play in Montreal — speculation that should give potential suitors pause.

That said, Dubois is a top-two center and, like Scheifele and Nylander, could bolster the Caps’ needy first and second lines. And like the Leafs, the Jets figure to be looking to shake things ups after a disappointing postseason.

Could MacLellan jump into the fray anyhow? Should he?

Dubois’ next contract won’t be inexpensive. But it might be worth investigating if there’s a fit, particularly with the questions about Nicklas Backstrom’s health and the persistent trade speculation swirling around Kuznetsov.

Alex DeBrincat, LW/RW, Senators

• Trade board rank: 9
• Age: 25
• 2022-23 stats: 27 goals and 39 assists in 82 games
• Signed through: Restricted free agent with arbitration rights ($6.4 million cap hit in 2022-23)

In his first season in Ottawa, DeBrincat saw a drop in goals, to 27 from 41 a year earlier in Chicago. He did, however, finish with 66 points — a total that would have ranked second on the Caps between Ovechkin’s 75 and Dylan Strome’s 65.

The Senators are in a tricky spot. They’re in the midst of a sale. They’re also desperate to take the next step after missing the playoffs for the sixth straight season.

DeBrincat, like the other players mentioned here, would provide a significant and immediate boost to the Caps’ top six. But he would come at a substantial cost in assets and cap space. A year ago, the Senators sent the No. 7 pick, the No. 39 pick and a 2024 third-rounder to the Blackhawks for the 5-foot-8, 178-pound winger. DeBrincat’s qualifying offer is $9 million. All of that would seem to be a stumbling block for a team like the Caps, who find themselves in a tough spot eyeing the future while also trying to win now.

Brock Boeser, RW, Canucks 

• Trade board rank: 10
• Age: 26
• 2022-23 stats: 18 goals and 37 assists in 74 games 
• Cap hit: $6.65 million
• Signed through: 2024-25

Boeser is a four-time 20-goal scorer who established a career high in assists this season for a Canucks team that missed the playoffs for the third year in a row. And with two years left on his contract, there’s some short-term cost certainty built in if, of course, the Caps were able to send some salary the other way.

Where would Boeser fit? Depending on how things shake out, the Caps could go Wilson, Boeser, Oshie, Aube-Kubel down the right side next season.

Back in December, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculated whether a Boeser-for-Mantha deal “makes sense for both” teams. Given how the season ended, could it be worth seeing if such a swap actually makes sense?

Nick Schmaltz, RW/C, Coyotes 

• Trade board rank: 13
• Age: 27
• 2022-23 stats: 22 goals and 36 assists in 63 games
• Cap hit: $5.85 million
• Signed through: 2025-26

Schmaltz is coming off another solid season in the desert and is under contract for three more seasons at a reasonable average annual value. His contract is backloaded, though, so the actual dollar amounts are high — $7.5 million, $8.45 million and $8.5 million. That could present an issue for the Coyotes, whose revenue stream will be limited once again by playing in 4,600-seat Mullett Arena next season.

When healthy, Schmaltz can be a force on the right side, but injuries have been an issue in recent seasons.

Schmaltz also has a 10-team no-trade list that kicks in July 1 which, like Nylander, potentially adds some urgency to the situation.

Elias Lindholm, C, Flames

• Trade board rank: 16
• Age: 28
• 2022-23 stats: 22 goals and 42 assists in 80 games
• Cap hit: $4.850 million
• Signed through: 2023-24

If it feels like Lindholm kills the Caps, well, that’s because he pretty much always does. In fact, in 26 career games against Washington, he’s got 13 goals. The only team he’s victimized more often is Edmonton — and he’s played them nine more times.

There are a lot of balls in the air in Calgary right now. President of hockey operations Don Maloney needs to hire a GM to replace Brad Treliving and a head coach to replace Darryl Sutter. Until those hires are in place, it’s hard to handicap which direction the team is headed.

Lindholm took a step back this season, scoring 20 fewer goals than he did in 2021-22, when he was a Selke Trophy finalist. But he’s still a top two-way center and, if Lindholm ends up becoming available, it might make sense for MacLellan to at least make a call, even if Lindholm’s age (he’ll be 29 in December) makes him one of the older players discussed here.

(Photo of Mark Scheifele: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)