Washington Capitals
If I told you that the San Jose Sharks had scored the fewest goals of any team in the NHL, would you be surprised? Of course not. Now, the team second bottom is the Washington Capitals, and that may come as a shock. With the great eight meeting father time, things in the nations capitol aren't as pleasant as they used to be. This Capitals team is getting up there, and this could very well be their final shot with this core.
If the Capitals are going to make any form of progress, they are going to need help putting the puck in the net. Whether that is some of their current players waking up or getting help from somewhere else via the trade market, Washington cannot continue its tire-spinning if they want to be taken seriously in the search for the second Stanley Cup Championship in the history of the organization.
Now, the Capitals are well over the cap due to the cotract os Nicklas Backstrom. With the Swedish center not expected to return this season as he continues to fight his way back from hip surgery he had last season, the Caps are operating in long-term injured reserve relief, or LTIR relief. It means that they do not build cap space like other teams, but with Backstrom out for the year, they can reassign that money elsewhere.
Today, they have a little more than $3 million available, meaning Duclair could fit into the system in Washington without skipping a beat. They wouldn't need to make any corresponding moves, other than sending someone down to free up a roster spot. This makes for a good fit between two teams that could help the other figure out their problems.