NHL Network analyst Brian Lawton reports that the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals are both seeking a trade with the St Louis Blues for defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk.
So if you were expecting an anxiety-free deadline, that’s over now.
About the supposed bidding war, we’ve got just what Lawton shared.
Hearing @penguins & @Capitals are locked in a fierce battle for Kevin Shattenkirk. What's at stake a trip to #StanleyCup Final. @NHLNetwork
— Brian Lawton (@brianlawton9) February 27, 2017
Shattenkirk is pending unrestricted free agent, and his current team is barely holding onto a wild card spot. He had already been the topic of trade speculation, but the Capitals had not been heavily involved in that buzz. Until now.
The Capitals have their deepest, best defense in memory, but Brooks Orpik and Matt Niskanen are both injured. Those injuries are not expected to be long term; both are on a day-to-day basis.
According to Cap Friendly, the Caps have just over $2.4 million of salary cap space. Shattenkirk’s current contract has an annual value of $4.25 million. He’s unrestricted this summer.
Shattenkirk is a solid defenseman who supports the offense. He doesn’t play particularly tough minutes lately, but he has better than a 40-point pace, mostly assists, in each of his last six seasons. He definitely makes the Blues better.
All the teams rumored to be connected to Shattenkirk are in the east; most are in the Metro. Whoever gets him will likely play whoever misses out. This could be an intense negotiation. Until someone with a blue check next to his name makes a definitive tweet about a trade, we’re left with more questions than answers:
- Are the Blues full-on deadline sellers?
- Is the Caps defense more injured than we thought?
- Would this be a player for player trade? Who would the Caps move?
- Which defenseman would sit for Shattenkirk to play?
- Did anyone else totally forget that Brian Lawton existed?
There is a pattern with Caps GM Brian MacLellan. He tends to call his shots, and he tends to get his man. We had expected a tame deadline, but that’s over now. Watch this space.
