The Washington Capitals went back to the Marcus Johansson well, re-acquiring their former winger in a trade with the Seattle Kraken on Monday. The Kraken received forward Daniel Sprong, a 2022 fourth-round pick and a 2023 sixth-rounder in return. Seattle will retain 50% of Johansson’s salary as part of the move.
It’s been a few years since Johansson suited up for the Capitals, but it should be a happy homecoming, nonetheless. We’ll put the GMs on the hot seat as we break this one down:
This had to feel like a layup for GM Brian MacLellan.
Johansson already spent seven seasons in Washington from 2010-11 to 2016-17 and was the team’s third-leading scorer over that span (102 goals and 290 points in 501 games). The 31-year-old departed right before Washington won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and has bounced around since, from New Jersey to Boston to Buffalo to Minnesota to Seattle.
But Johansson has remained a useful player throughout. He’s notched six goals and 23 points in 51 games with the Kraken this season, and the pending unrestricted free agent is signed to a reasonable $1.5 million deal.
That all makes this a low-risk, high-reward move. Johansson is a definite upgrade on Sprong, who’s struggled to stay in the lineup while producing 14 points in 47 games. The Capitals need more of a boost in their scoring depth, and that’s what Johansson can provide. He’s been a second-line winger in Seattle, but has the versatility to play any forward role in Washington’s bottom six as they move towards the postseason.
The Capitals weren’t hurting for draft picks either, so parting with a couple mid-rounders for a chance to get better now was a no-brainer. Johansson knows the system, he knows most of the Capitals’ top players (he and Nicklas Backstrom are especially close) and the transition should be seamless.
This on-brand trade deserves top marks for GM Ron Francis.
Quick recap: Seattle has made four trades in the last 24 hours, and Sprong is the first actual player acquired. Including this pair of picks, the Kraken have collected 10 draft choices in their dealings. So if moving Johansson leaves this season’s lineup increasingly thin, Francis isn’t worried — his focus is on the future for Seattle.
The expansion draft didn’t work out nearly as well for the Kraken as it did for Vegas — side deals? what side deals? — and Francis’ philosophy on building this new franchise from the ground up has clearly had to pivot.
Right now, it’s centered on setting Seattle up to draft, draft, and draft some more. The result of it all can (and will) be hotly debated, surely. But in terms of sticking to his process, Francis continues to make all the right moves.