New Jersey Devils acquire Marcus Johansson from Capitals

In an attempt to free up some salary cap space, the Washington Capitals have parted ways with centerman Marcus Johansson. The New Jersey Devils needed some help down the middle of the ice, and Johansson provides just that.

The New Jersey Devils have acquired centerman Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals in exchange for Florida’s 2018 second-round pick and Toronto’s 2018 third-round pick. This frees up cap space for the cap-strapped Capitals and adds much-needed help down the middle of the ice for the Devils.

The Capitals had to make this tough decision due to the situation they are currently in with cap space. This frees up another $4,583,333 in cap space but still leaves them with much work left to do. Now with just over $9.2 million in cap space, they still only have eight forwards, five defensemen and one goalie signed for the 2017-18 season.

This is a smart move for the Capitals, even if it means them losing depth down the middle. The much-needed cap space is going to have to be used to re-sign players like Andre Burakovsky and Philipp Grubauer, as well as filling the holes in the roster they currently have.

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As for the Devils, this move, along with the others throughout the last two weeks, sets them up to be competitive much sooner than expected. The center position was one of the weakest, in regards to depth, in the Devils organization. And after drafting NHL-ready Nico Hischier in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, adding a player like Johansson while maintaining their current roster is a very smart move.

Even with the newly added Marcus Johansson, the Devils still have a whopping $20.3 million in cap space. This should allow the Devils to shift their focus solely on the blue line, providing more of a cushion in front of netminder Cory Schneider next season.