Capitals have a Andre Burakovsky problem, and that’s a good thing

The trade freeze has hit and young Andre Burakovsky is back in the Capitals’ lineup, but will he stay?

The Washington Capitals have a wonderful problem on their hands.

Washington’s top lines are so incredibly skilled; with Ovechkin gaining back-to-back hattricks and Tom Wilson out of suspension limbo, they’ve become dangerous once more.

But the danger comes with a price for young forwards like Andre Burakovsky, who are fighting their way to play with the aforementioned world-class talent. Burakovsky, a former first-round pick for the Caps, has been a healthy scratch the past four games. Not for his lack of talent… but because the rest of the young Caps contingent seems to have usurped him.

Jakub Vrana is a key factor to bring up when measuring young talent in Washington. The Czech player (a full year younger than Burakovsky), has proved his worth in every game he’s played. He’s reliable; an immovable, if not slightly annoying, force to opposing teams. And his numbers deliver. Statistically, a good bet.

Herein lies the problem with Burakovsky. The skill is there, the consistency is not.

Fans love an inconsistent player and for that reason alone many have argued that Andre will stay in Washington. Throughout his past seasons, he’s battled back from injury and come out on top in Cinderella fashion… most notably with two goals that propelled his team into the Stanley Cup finals. Burakovsky makes games exciting. He reminds us why we watch hockey in the first place.

But with his lack of numbers on the board in the 2018-2019 season so far ( 5 goals, 3 assists in 29 games), things are looking bleak for when he becomes an RFA this summer.

There are some that think he’ll be leaving the organization before June. In layman’s terms: if Burakovsky wants even a small pay raise, the Capitals cannot reasonably afford to keep him.

Tom Wilson and John Carlson hit huge paydirt this last summer. This upcoming June will be even more intense for the Caps, as they have to decide whether or not to resign eleven players including Burakovsky, Vrana, Smith-Pelly, and Djoos to name a few.

With a team as offensively heavy as the Caps, they need Djoos. Before his recent injury, he was playing well enough to stay. Vrana will undoubtedly be in talks to receive a gigantic pay raise. All of which factor into Burakovsky becoming expendable.

So trading him before the summer is not out of the question. Arguably, Andre is an attractive player for many clubs. He’s a thoroughbred; quick, blinding almost. His skills with the puck are tactical and practically political, every move somehow perfectly calculated. Punctuated with a smirk. But we only see glimpses of that– little firing rounds of faith for him.

Luckily, others beyond Washington can see the diamond in the rough. Vancouver has publicly announced interest, but there have been rumors across the league that even the southern California teams could be interested.

And, in all honesty, they may be the ones who need him the most.

The Kings are a huge contender. They are outwardly sinking. Not even subjectively… statistically, they are the Titanic. They’re last in the league offensively and middle of the pack defensively. They also have the possibility of opening up a lot of cap space next year with eleven players to resign, many of whom are doubtful due to the result of this season.

Burakovsky could offer some much-needed light and energy to a team who has looked slow and downtrodden since the pre-season. His speed is almost necessary here, and he could see playing time in the top six. The issue would come down to pricing.

But it’s Anaheim who could make the best move.

Anaheim, defensively, has a Stanley Cup team. Even with the absence of Cam Fowler, their blue line is absolutely lethal. But their offense has screamed with inconsistencies, for few other reasons than injury. For the first few months of the season, it appeared that their offense had a rotating door, never truly finding footing. That is, until Pontus Aberg.

Pontus Aberg is the strange success story that every team wishes to have. He was bounced from team to team (Predators-Oilers-Ducks) never finding a home or a place to shine.

In Anaheim, he shines. He’s made the top line and deserves to stay there. This is being said about a guy with a seemingly non-existent career less than a year ago.

Aberg stepped up to the plate, and Burakovsky could too.

Burakovsky needs a place to shine– statistics prove he’s done better on the top two lines than anywhere else. A lot of it is down to comparison. A David can’t compare to the Goliath’s of Ovechkin and Kuznetsov, because they are so ungodly talented. But on a line with players like Rickard Rakell and Aberg… Burakovsky could do some damage.

The Ducks also have a large Swedish contingent. If you watch enough hockey, it becomes clear– the different playing styles of different nationalities. Finns are fast, Swedes are strategic, Russians are completely unapologetic, Canadians play a more physical game. Andre fits this pattern to a tee and could thrive because of it.

Lastly, the Ducks have room monetarily. They’ve gotten some huge names like Rakell and Hampus Lindholm for practically nothing, so if Burakovsky wants a raise, Anaheim is the right team to ask.

At the end of the day, Andre Burakovsky is young. Younger than most might think. He’s got time, and he’s got talent. He just has to find the right place.