Contending teams must often make a difficult distinction between a good player and a “core player.”
The Washington Capitals could very well feel that sting if they decide that pending RFA Marcus Johansson’s asking price is simply too steep.
GM Brian MacLellan dropped some hints that the Swedish forward might not fit into the Capitals’ budget when addressing the media on Tuesday.
Capitals getting calls from GMs on Marcus Johansson but preference remains to sign him. Contract talks continue. He's RFA.
— Craig Custance (@CraigCustance) June 21, 2016
MacLellan on Johansson: "He got some pretty decent stats & some of the comparables could have a higher number than we’re comfortable with."
— Stephen Whyno (@SWhyno) June 21, 2016
Johansson’s a nice piece, no doubt, but he’s been bumped down the pecking order thanks to a combination of added veterans (Justin Williams and T.J. Oshie) along with rising young forwards (Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky).
Even if a trade isn’t happening, it sounds like Johansson’s deal might be the first domino to fall.
If teams are looking to make a move, perhaps quality depth players would be involved in the exchange:
Caps GM Brian MacLellan said he'd like to upgrade team's bottom 6 Fs. Have some players they might target as UFAs or available via trade.
— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) June 21, 2016