Capitals trying to add ‘higher-end’ wing prior to NHL Trade Deadline

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The Washington Capitals are “actively pursuing” trying to acquire a skilled wing to play at the top of their lineup, general manager Chris Patrick said Friday.

That’s a need the Capitals identified after they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season and, after they were unable to fill it during the offseason, it’s become more amplified this season. Plagued by injuries and inconsistency, Washington (24-18-6) is two points out of a playoff spot heading into a visit from the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers at Capital One Arena on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MNMT).

With so many teams still in contention for the playoffs, however, the Capitals have been shopping from a limited market of sellers they hope will improve as they get closer to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline on March 6.

“With as many teams in the mix right now playoff-wise as there are, I think teams are very much trying to figure out their timing and what they need to do and when they want to do it and how aggressive they get or do they stand pat,” Patrick said. “But we view our biggest need as kind of a higher-end, skilled winger, and those aren’t always available at the deadline.

“It’s when they become available, they become available. So, we’re going to keep trying to pursue those guys if they’re out there.”

Patrick acknowledged that things went far more smoothly for Washington last season, when it finished first in the Eastern Conference with 111 points (51-22-9) and ranked second in the NHL in averaging 3.49 goals per game. The Capitals are 12th in the NHL in scoring 3.23 goals per game this season and have dealt with a slew of injuries, beginning with center Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has been out since Oct. 31 after having surgery to repair abdominal and adductor muscle injuries.

Dubois is not expected to play at least until after the NHL’s break for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 from Feb. 6-24, but the Capitals are hoping right wing Tom Wilson (lower body) and center Justin Sourdif (puck in the face) will be back soon. Wilson, who leads Washington with 22 goals and 42 points in 41 games despite missing the past six games, could return Saturday.

The Capitals also had left wing Aliaksei Protas (lower body) and defenseman Jakob Chychrun (illness) miss games recently. Patrick said being without key players is one of the main reasons they have been so inconsistent this season.

The Capitals went 17-9-2 in their first 28 games, but they are 7-9-4 in 20 games since then and have not won consecutive games since a six-game winning streak from Nov. 24-Dec. 3.

“We’re still in it and, hopefully, we can get healthy here,” Patrick said. “Hopefully, Tom gets back soon, Justin gets back soon, Pierre-Luc is, obviously, skating. So, if we can get healthy and stay healthy, we’ll be in, hopefully, a good spot to make a push.”

Patrick would like to help by then and make the most of what could potentially be left wing Alex Ovechkin’s final NHL season. Ovechkin, the NHL record-holder with 917 goals, is in the final season of his contract and has yet to decide whether he will return next season. Patrick said his conversations with Ovechkin, who is 40 and in his 21st NHL season, haven’t been about his plans beyond this season.

“We talked a little bit just about where the team is and what he feels we need and what I feel we need,” Patrick said. “But it didn’t get too much into his future outside of this year. I would say in his conversations with me, he seems very focused on kind of just the short term here and this team trying to get into the playoffs and have another shot at winning Stanley Cup.”

Patrick said he had some discussions with defenseman John Carlson, who also is in the final season of his contract and eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Patrick previously said that he would wait to see how the season went before talking about a contract with Carlson, 36.

“We’ve talked and I’ve talked with his agent as well,” Patrick said. “So, we’ll continue to have conversations here.”

Acquiring a scoring wing is probably the higher priority, but finding a trading partner has been difficult, particularly if the Capitals aren’t willing to part with any of their top prospects, such as center Ilya Protas, who was selected to represent Hershey at the American Hockey League’s all-star game, and defenseman Cole Hutson, who is in his sophomore season at Boston University.

Patrick indicated that he wasn’t willing to part with Hutson when he “checked in” with the Vancouver Canucks before they traded defenseman Quinn Hughes to the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 12.

“I really like Cole Hutson and, for me, I want to see what he can do in a Washington Capitals sweater,” Patrick said. “So, that wasn’t a piece that I was willing to move in that kind of trade.”

Patrick said his preference is to make a trade that will help the Capitals now and in the future, so it seems unlikely they would trade for a player who isn’t under contract beyond this season, unless they thought they could sign him to an extension.

“I hope we can do something that helps us in the short term for this team getting into the playoffs again, for Alex to have another run in the playoffs and also helps long term for whenever it is he’s not on the team,” Patrick said. “I think if you look at some of our history, even guys that looked like rentals when we acquired them, a lot of times we’ll end up signing them to deals after. So, I think that’s a situation we’ll look at, too.”