Washington Capitals Rumors: Forward Being Linked to Lightning

The Tampa Bay Lightning are gearing up to be buyers at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, and one thing they are looking for is a bottom-six forward. As a result, in his most recent 32 Thoughts piece, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman brought up the possibility of the Lightning making a push for Washington Capitals forward Garnet Hathaway.

The Capitals are in a peculiar spot heading into the deadline. At the time of this writing, they are two points behind the Florida Panthers for the final wild spot in the Eastern Conference and teams that are right below them in the standings like the Detroit Red Wings and Buffalo Sabres have games in hand. As a result, their playoff spot is anything but guaranteed, so we could see them become sellers. In this scenario, Hathaway would be a solid trade target for them.

Hathaway makes sense for the Lightning, as he would give their fourth line more physicality and grit. With that, he can produce a tad offensively, as he has nine goals to go along with 16 points in 59 games. Alas, we will need to wait and see if the 31-year-old joins Tampa Bay before the deadline passes from here.