NHL Rumors: Capitals & Canucks Emerging as Trading Partners

In a recent piece for Daily Faceoff, Frank Seravalli noted that the Washington Capitals will likely try to add a top-six winger before the deadline passes. This is easy to understand, as they have dealt with injury trouble all season, so it would be wise for them to add a bit of a jolt to their lineup. With the Canucks likely to be sellers and Andrei Kuzmenko being a pending unrestricted free agent, he could be a big rental target for the Capitals.

Since joining the NHL this season, Kuzmenko has been very good and is a legitimate top-six winger. However, his excellent start to his NHL career may price him out of Vancouver, so the Canucks could look to move him while his value is high. After all, in 37 games this campaign he has 17 goals and 34 points.

Seravalli also noted that Kuzmenko may be a player who Vancouver moves, so we will have to wait and see if the Capitals decide to make a major push for him. On paper, it looks like a perfect fit, as it would allow the Russian winger to play with stars like Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov.