NHL Trade Rumors: Capitals have interest in Dustin Byfuglien
According to reports, the Washington Capitals could make a huge move for defenseman Dustin Byfuglien.
Injuries have recently hit the
blue line, as their entire top pairing of John Carlson and Brooks Orpik have missed the past three games. Carlson is expected to return as soon as their matchup on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins. Orpik has been out since early November and there is no timetable for his return. If Orpik is going to be out past the trade deadline,
the Caps could be interested in Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien
.
The Capitals interest in Dustin Byfuglien relies on the health of Orpik. If he’s healthy, the Caps probably don’t have the cap space necessary to get Byfuglein and his $5,200,000 without clearing some fairly significant cap space first. Considering that Orpik hasn’t played since November 10th and hasn’t even practiced with the team since December 7th, don’t rule out the Caps interest in Byfuglien.
Byfuglien would be an impressive addition to the Caps. His combination of size and skill would allow him to flourish in Barry Trotz’s system and he can play top pairing minutes. While Orpik is left-handed and both Carlson and Byfuglien are right-handed, it’s worth noting that Trotz had two left-handed defensemen in Nate Schmidt and Dmitry Orlov playing on the third pairing until Orpik’s injury and they’ve been the second pairing while Carlson’s been out, so handedness might not matter as much to Trotz as it does to other coaches.
He has 23 points in 38 games for the Jets and will be a free agent after this season.