More grit and experience for the Vegas Golden Knights was the order of the morning on Thursday.
Vegas GM Kelly McCrimmon traded for center Nic Dowd sending goaltender Jesper Vikman, a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft, and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft to the Washington Capitals.
The 35-year-old Dowd is one of the best fourth line centers in the NHL.
Born in Alabama, Dowd has skated in 55 games for the Capitals this season and recorded 16 points (4 G, 12 A) with an average time on ice of 15:33. Dowd’s shorthanded ice time per game of 2:40 was the highest among Washington’s forwards and ranked 10th out of all forwards in the NHL this season. Dowd has also produced 113 hits on the 2025-26 season, which were the third-highest total on the Capitals.
Dowd is in the first of a two-year deal with an AAV of $3,000,000. He’s a defined fourth line center, takes lots of defensive zone starts and kills penalties. Dowd is extremely competitive and aggressive on pucks and will work well with Cole Smith and Colton Sissons.
McCrimmon has a fourth line now that will win shifts and change the momentum in games. They will also help improve the team’s starts and shorten lulls.
The native of Huntsville, Alabama, spent each of the last eight seasons in Washington and posted at least 20 points in six of those campaigns. Dowd earned career-highs in goals (14) and points (27) last season while appearing in each of Washington’s 82 games.
Prior to his time in the nation’s capital, Dowd played one season with the Vancouver Canucks (2017-18), and parts of three with the Los Angeles Kings (2015-18). The Kings drafted Dowd in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and later signed the forward following four seasons at St. Cloud State University, where he had 121 points (52 G, 69 A) in 155 NCAA games and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2014.
