Confirmed with Link: [WSH/PHI] Matt Niskanen for Radko Gudas

[trick9]

I don't really like it, but i assume they know more about Niskanen and his long-term condition than we do. Gudas seems like a direct replacement to Brooks Orpik, albeit he plays on the right side.

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[peterthegreat12]

I almost always love BMacs moves but this is some hot garbage.

 

[Lindemann]

Many speculated this could happen.

Many shot it down

Yet it happened. We needed the cap space

But, i can’t remember how Gudas is

 

[stanleycaps18]

It creates off-season flexibility; Orpik and Nisky brought a Cup to DC, but it is time to move forward. It isn't the best return, but I trust this leadership.

 

[John Price]

 

[txpd]

Well...There is your penalty killer.

 

[twabby]

On top of Gudas being one of Philly's best possession defenseman and eating a lot of PK minutes as well. This trade is a home run, or at the very least a double off the fence, especially when you take into account the cap savings.

 

[The Instigator]

No real issues with this honestly. We’re banking on Gudas being as good as last year and Philly wants to bank on Niskanen being better.

Plus we free up a good chunk of change.

I think people are discrediting Gudas. He can be a very good player.

 

[Brian23]

I mean it can't hurt for the cap hit he's brought in for. And they opened up 3.5 million I assume? I think we were probably kidding ourselves if we thought we'd get anything of value out of a Niskanen trade. This also makes our defense significantly cheaper then it's been in the last half decade.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

GMBM is playing 3D Chess, how some of you have little faith at this point is beyond me.


TRUST THE PROCESS

 

[txpd]

This would seem to confirm that Orpik isn't coming back.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Wonder if this is the trade Joe B was talking about

 

[kogeh]

gonna miss nisky but he fell of the cliff last year. good luck in philly. love bmac bring on the offseason !

 

[ToddBrew]

The cap room the Caps just got is the headline. Not the players. But getting a serviceable defenseman in the deal makes this a total win.

 

[thelos]

Gudas is a much better dman than his reputation, you guys will be happy with him as 2nd or 3rd pairing RD. Lots of cap space for you, which I'm sure was the goal of your GM.

Fletcher must be hoping that Niskanen will be a good RD partner for Provorov for the next 2 years.

 

[Skrudland2Lomakin]

Bash Brothers

 

[John Price]

So listening to the Caps Talk podcast they recoreded live yesterday and Joe B / Locker were having a debate on Niskanen and they all agreed D was a growing weakness for this team so improving on Niskanen is good. I'm not going to say I watch much outside the Capitals and I mostly knew Gudas as a goon who was always suspended but I will be open to accepting him here because people have been posting on how much better he is statistically than Nisky so I'm fine with that.

 

[Hivemind]

Downgrade for Washington, at least compared to what Niskanen had done prior to last season. Obviously cap clearing move and/or GMBM trying to cash out on Niskanen if he feels he’s about to totally crater. But you can’t really call this one “selling high” if all we got back was a discounted Radko Gudas. Not in love with it, but I understand why it was done. Would have still preferred dumping Nisky for draft picks/prospects and finding a PKer via free agency

 

[JohnCarlsaurus]

Lol what? Very curious to see how he does here. He has looked decent recently.. other than the lack of discipline. At worst we acquired some cap space.

 

[txpd]

The cap room the Caps just got is the headline. Not the players. But getting a serviceable defenseman in the deal makes this a total win.

I would have preferred futures. Gudas on our defense doesn't excite me really. In the top 4 really doesn't excite me. The defense isn't improved. I like the cap space. I don't like the defense yet

 

[GoCaps2004]

I love this. Niskanen had a down year, was a 'serviceable' defender. Gudas is also a 'serviceable' defender, 3 years younger, and we save 3,405,000 in cap space this year. Also Gudas only has a year left on his contract so there is now more cap space to play with next year when we need to re-sign some bigger names (Backstrom, Holtby)

 

[CapitalsCupReality]

Still work to be done. I’m ok with this assuming GMBM isn’t done.

 

[txpd]

Downgrade for Washington, at least compared to what Niskanen had done prior to last season. Obviously cap clearing move and/or GMBM trying to cash out on Niskanen if he feels he’s about to totally crater. But you can’t really call this one “selling high” if all we got back was a discounted Radko Gudas. Not in love with it, but I understand why it was done. Would have still preferred dumping Nisky for draft picks/prospects and finding a PKer via free agency

A logical breakdown of this deal would indicate that this was the best defenseman for the defensive side of the game that they were going to be able to get to replace Niskanen. Philly wanted Niskanen.

My preference was to trade 2 for futures and find a veteran pk/defensive assignments defenseman in another deal/signing. My read on this is that there was not another veteran available in a trade or a reasonable chance of signing ufa that they could get. They got the best player that they could afford.

Reirden can coach him up a defenseman. So maybe he can make a top 4 d out of Gudas. Short of that, I see challenges

 

[Petteri12]

Excellent deal, great job GMBM. Now let's see how it pans out for both teams.

 

[JohnCarlsaurus]

Also Gudas only has a year left on his contract

Win.

I was already ok with the deal now I'm pretty happy with it