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Caps in Toronto, Update : Carl Hagelin a Cap |
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The Washington Capitals have acquired forward Carl Hagelin from the Los Angeles Kings. The Capitals send back a 3rd rd pick in the 2019 draft and a conditional 6th round pick in 2020.
Originally drafted in 2007 by the New York Rangers 168th overall, Hagelin has now played over 500 games with New York, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles collecting 90 goals and 140 assists and is a career +83. General Manager Brian MacLellan had said he wanted to improve his middle-six with a player who could help defensively. Hagelin will be an improvement there though his point production has slowed somewhat with only 2 goals and 8 points in 38 games this season.
Hagelin made his NHL debut against the Capitals on November 25th, 2011 registering an assist. Caps fans will remember him from his days in Pittsburgh quite well as he was a pivotal player in back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017.
He will be a cap hit of 1.875M as the Kings will retain 1.875.
When the 33-20-7 Washington Capitals take to the ice against the 36-19-4 Toronto Maple Leafs tonight at Air Canada Centre they will have a different look. How different is anyone’s guess. Devante Smith-Pelley was placed on waivers yesterday and it is widely speculated (Elliotte Friedman of HNIC) that Dmitrij Jaskin is on his way out as well in a deal to LA. We should know more as they day progresses.
The Capitals are 2-2 on a current 6-game road trip as they look to break to seesaw win one lose one they currently are on since starting the trip against Columbus last week. With two days rest since their last game in LA on Monday, the Caps will need all the energy they can muster up when they matchup against a Toronto team looking to break a 2-game losing slide though they are 6-2-2 in their last 10. Toronto has scored 26 goals in their last 5 games in which they won and only 7 in the last 5 they have lost so there seems to be no middle ground lately. It would bestow the Caps to not get into a run and gun track meet and getting the early lead would bode well against Toronto team that can score.
Leaf forward Nazem Kadri was injured in the Leafs last game vs the Blues during the 3-2 OT loss and is out with a concussion so the Leafs C depth is not as strong as it usually is and the Caps should now hold the edge in that department. With Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nicklas Backstrom, and Lars Eller the Caps are one of a few teams that match up with the Leafs C depth. Tonight, however, the Caps have the advantage.
Toronto has won both meetings so far with a 6-3 win in Toronto on Jan 23rd and a 4-2 road win in DC on October 13th.
Alex Ovechkin had a pair of goals in the Caps last game in LA and leads the NHL with 42. Ovi is heating up at the right time as the Caps are in a dogfight in the Metro Division standings. In his last 5 games, he has registered 5 goals and 3 assists. In fact, over his last 11 and he has missed points in only 2 games with 9 goals and 8 assists during that span.
Game time is 7PM EST at Air Canada Centre.
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