MacLellan: Capitals Want To Add Top-6 Winger In Offseason

The Washington Capitals got down to business going into the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, shipping out a number of pending free agents in a sell-off. Going into the summer, the team expects to have more flexibility with regard to moves, and one of those is looking for a top-6 winger.

General manager Brian MacLellan joined the Grant and Danny Show on Monday to discuss the deadline and the team's moves and goals going forward. MacLellan said that going into the summer, one of the goals that would benefit the team is to bring another forward on board to add some secondary scoring.

"I think our lineup needs a little skill right now," MacLellan said on the show. "If we could add a top-6 winger that has skill in the offseason, I think that would help."

Alex Ovechkin is the only forward to manage more than 20 goals this season, leading the team with 36 tallies so far. The next highest goal scorer on the team is T.J. Oshie, who has 16 goals. The team's 3.08 goals per game are the 13th-lowest average in the league.

For MacLellan, the team will look to utilize the draft picks they acquired in the pre-deadline deals to potentially make some moves. Forwards Garnet Hathaway, Marcus Johansson and Lars Eller and defenseman Dmitry Orlov were shipped out for a myriad of picks and sharp-shooter Craig Smith, while blueliner Erik Gustafsson was sent out for defenseman Rasmus Sandin. Fee agency should have some strong options as well. Ultimately, there's a lot to work with, and MacLellan is ready to dive in.

"We have some draft capital that we can use going forward. We've acquired some picks, and I think next year's first-round pick is going to be a good pick," MacLellan noted. "We should get a good player there, and then moving forward into the offseason and into the draft, we have a lot more flexibility to trade for players."