Washington Capitals' Best Trade Of The Past Year

In terms of value, you can't argue with any of the returns the Washington Capitals have gotten for their players in the past year. They did extremely well at the trade deadline where they acquired a total of five draft picks in the third round or higher, moving on from five upcoming UFAs, and getting back one young player.

The Capitals were already slipping and had too many teams to pass to get into a playoff spot. Even if they did, the East is far too stacked to be able to do much damage and even get out of the first round. With all the assets they got, they can use them to get better in the short-term instead of using them in the draft.

Their first big trade deadline deal sent Dmitry Orlov and Garnett Hathaway to the Boston Bruins for a first, second, and third round pick as well as Craig Smith. Though the trade has worked out very well for the Bruins, that doesn't mean it also isn't a win for the Capitals who were going to lose Orlov in the offseason anyways and got a key asset to use to acquire what is their best trade of the past year.

In a deadline where the Capitals were selling off assets, their best trade involved adding one as well. In the deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Capitals sent Erik Gustafsson and the first rounder they got from the Bruins over in exchange for Rasmus Sandin who just needed a bit more playing time and a better opportunity to immediately look like he will reach his full potential.

Sandin, now 23 years old, was in and out of the lineup and playing on the third pair in Toronto. Once he was acquired by Washington, he was inserted in the top-four where he should remain. After trading Orlov and Gustaffson as well as still having John Carlson on the injured reserve, Sandin immediately got big, key minutes. He has one goal and 13 points in 13 games while averaging nearly 24 minutes a game. On Toronto this season he averaged under 18 minutes a game and had 20 points in 52 games.