The Caps just placed 3 big names on the trade market, including a very interesting option for Kent Hughes

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Julien Trekker
April 11, 2023 (1:06 PM)

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For the first time in nearly 10 years, specifically since the 2013-2014 season, the Washington Capitals will not participate in the playoffs. According to journalist Dan Rosen, this disappointing season could bring significant changes to the Caps' lineup for next year.

While Alex Ovechkin's presence in the organization prevents a full rebuild for now, the Caps could still reset their roster. The excellent journalist even claims that as early as this summer, three big players from their organization could become available on the trade market: Tom Wilson, Evgeny Kuznetsov, and Anthony Mantha.

Wow!

While their names may be attractive, their salaries could cool the interest of several general managers in the league. Kuznetsov ($7.8M for another 2 years), Wilson ($5.166M for another season), and Mantha ($5.7M for another season) will take up a lot of space on a salary cap that will only increase slightly next season.

At the last trade deadline, general manager Brian MacLellan began the process by trading one of his best defensemen, Dmitry Orlov, to the Boston Bruins. It will be interesting to see how things unfold in the U.S. capital. As mentioned earlier, it would be surprising if Ovi agrees to lose during the last three years of his contract. Therefore, a rebuild on the fly should be expected!

Knowing this and being Kent Hughes, would you be interested in any of these three players? Even though he is disliked by many, I would certainly not say no to having a Tom Wilson in the Canadiens' lineup, even if only for a season. He would give confidence to the young players on the team and could easily support Arber Xhekaj in terms of toughness. With him in the lineup, there would be no need for Michael Pezzetta.

Do you believe that Tom Wilson should be of interest to Kent Hughes and the Montreal Canadiens?

A story to follow!