Washington Capitals Trade History: Best and Worst Trades of All-Time

[LastWordArmy]

The History of Trade is a mini series going through each team’s best and worst trades of all time. Each team has their own history and some may cross over, but the series will try to stick to each team. This article will focus on the Washington Capitals trade history, finding the best and worst of all time.

Washington Capitals Trade History: Best and Worst Trades of All-Time

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[brachyrynchos]

Gartner and Murphy for Ciccarelli and Rouse
Malarchuk, Ledyard, 6th rd (Holzinger) for Johansson and 2nd rd (Dafoe)
Two of the better trades.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Carpenter and a 2nd round pick for Ridley, Miller and the long forgotten, one time 36 goal scorer for the Whalers, Bob Crawford.

Langway, Jarvis, Engblom, Laughlin for Ryan Walter and 1976 1st overall Rick Green.

That Langway trade happened 10 days after Rookie GM Poile was hired.

We know what the worst was.....I refuse to type it.

 

[Hivemind]

Best: Langway
Worst: Both Jagr trades

 

[Sam Spade]

There has never been a "best", no Cup shows us that.
Worst, Forsberg.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

There has never been a "best", no Cup shows us that.
Worst, Forsberg.

Oh stop.

 

[Sam Spade]

Oh stop.

Actually I will modify by post. The Caps had a "best" trade when they unloaded Varlamov for that Avs 1st round pick in 2012.

 

[RandyHolt]

Bringing in the minister of defense changed this team forever.

Langway + for Walter + = no brainer

 

[Corby78]

The Langway is by far the best.

Worst is he who will not be named.

 

[Calicaps]

Best = Langway for sure.
Worst = Stevens -- I know it wasn't exactly a trade, but they gave him up for a few picks and cash

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Rod should have a statue in DC for what he did for the franchise.

 

[Alexander the Gr8]

Oh stop.

Trades are only great if they bring you a Stanley Cup. You didn't know that? Come on CCF.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Trades are only great if they bring you a Stanley Cup. You didn't know that? Come on CCF.

My bad!

 

[Ajax1995]

Worst = Stevens -- I know it wasn't exactly a trade, but they gave him up for a few picks and cash

A few picks? They got 5 first rounders, and in Pollin’s mind at least they didn’t have to pay him, plus the limo incident.

The ‘trade’ itself was fine given the circumstances. The use of the picks could have been better but that is a different matter.

 

[RandyHolt]

The trade was horrible. SS was the least complicit of anyone in the famous limo incident - basically just rode home in the limo leaving the bar. Yeah we got Kolzig but if we didn't draft Kolzig we would have had a different goalie that most likely would have met reasonable expectations.

Pollin and Poile blew it. They didn't foresee the inevitable rising of salaries and chose to hold firm. I am thankful for all else Abe did to keep the team here etc, but look at what we were forced to pay players immediately after trading him, for what were 5 coin flips. Regardless the bar was raised and players salaries suddenly were topping 1M all over the league. And it has never looked back.

What a total stud he was. The real kick in the crotch is that the StL 5 first rounders were presumed to be late 1st rounders, after adding an elite D like him. It's not like they were a lottery grade team. Sure, they lost him to Jersey but that is another story. We lost him over what was probably 200K per year, easily recouped in playoff ticket sales, jersey sales, etc.

 

[VaCaps Fan]

What was the full limo incident?

 

[RandyHolt]

What was the full limo incident?

Google.... but this excerpt is relevant to Stevens

Stevens ... said through his attorney, Earl Silbert, that "during the investigation the government told me that I was merely a witness, as were others. I was interviewed by government authorities and voluntarily appeared before the grand jury."

 

[VaCaps Fan]

Looked it up, darkest moment for the franchise... Wrong place, wrong time for Stevens.

 

[Calicaps]

A few picks? They got 5 first rounders, and in Pollin’s mind at least they didn’t have to pay him, plus the limo incident.

The ‘trade’ itself was fine given the circumstances. The use of the picks could have been better but that is a different matter.

Whatever. They gave up a guy who was ALREADY an obvious game changer for a few bucks and some unknown quantities. Terrible decision.

 

[Ajax1995]

Whatever. They gave up a guy who was ALREADY an obvious game changer for a few bucks and some unknown quantities. Terrible decision.

What, you wouldn’t have traded Stevens straight up for Trevor Halverson, Sergei Gonchar, Brendan Witt, Nolan Baumgartner and Miika Elomo...?

Out of date but it seems like gold to me:
http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1564987/Scott_Stevens_Tree.jpg

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

I understand they gave up a HoF in the Stevens move, but I think context is relevant. Forsberg was shipped off in an era where we constantly have been searching for a top line pairing for Backstrom and Ovechkin. Stevens as a deal at least ends up yielding us Witt and Gonchar, two serviceable defensmen. Us not turning those other 3 picks into anything of note is really our own fault. Not to mention St. Louis clearly is the real loser in that trade.

In the case of Forsberg we gained nothing that we have to show for it. In fact I would argue the Forsbeg trade even hurt the team by adding Erat, he was a black hole of offense that we probably would have filled with a more capable player had we not been so committed to pretending the deal wasn't bad.


Forsberg is a franchise player that was given away for scraps. Stevens was a franchise player that was given away for 5 first round picks, it's our fault that 3 of those became scraps.

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Franchise level....slow your roll...he’s at best an all star level guy. When he wins a Richard or a scoring title or some major awards....then you can start claiming he’s a that level IMO....

 

[Calicaps]

I understand they gave up a HoF in the Stevens move, but I think context is relevant. Forsberg was shipped off in an era where we constantly have been searching for a top line pairing for Backstrom and Ovechkin. Stevens as a deal at least ends up yielding us Witt and Gonchar, two serviceable defensmen. Us not turning those other 3 picks into anything of note is really our own fault. Not to mention St. Louis clearly is the real loser in that trade.

In the case of Forsberg we gained nothing that we have to show for it. In fact I would argue the Forsbeg trade even hurt the team by adding Erat, he was a black hole of offense that we probably would have filled with a more capable player had we not been so committed to pretending the deal wasn't bad.


Forsberg is a franchise player that was given away for scraps. Stevens was a franchise player that was given away for 5 first round picks, it's our fault that 3 of those became scraps.

Ehhhh.... Stevens was the guy you build a winner around; instead they effectively rebuilt without that core piece and look what happened. Here we are decades later and still haven't figured it out. In the end, he captained a team to multiple Cups. Is Forsberg really a franchise guy like that? I'm not convinced. He's terrific but his ultimate value is TBD.

 

[brachyrynchos]

At the time, Washington had the best defense core in the league. Stevens, Hatcher, and Johansson were all 25yrs old or younger, Langway, Rouse, Houlder, and Sheehy made it complete. Once Stevens left, it all changed, and that's not a knock against the other guys, just more a testament to who and what Stevens was.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Ehhhh.... Stevens was the guy you build a winner around; instead they effectively rebuilt without that core piece and look what happened. Here we are decades later and still haven't figured it out. In the end, he captained a team to multiple Cups. Is Forsberg really a franchise guy like that? I'm not convinced. He's terrific but his ultimate value is TBD.

Stevens became the central piece to a Cup 12 years after he was already in the league, it's not like he made every team he played for an instant cup contender, the 94 Devils had 3 (soon to be 4) HoFers.

Filip Forsberg is only 23 and was an alternate captain and big contributor on a Cup finalist last season. I'm just saying if you measure the trajectory I'd probably take Forsberg over Stevens, I understand how ridiculous that sounds but I think his ceiling is so high.

People forget if Forsberg was with us only Vrana, Burakovsky and Bowey would be younger than him.

Also if you want to talk how trades change team dynamics, with Forsberg we probably don't get Oshie and we probably aren't looking at paying a guy 7 million until he retires.