Capitals Had Trade Offers For Sheary & TVR; Why MacLellan Said No

The Washington Capitals were in sell mode entering the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline, as they shipped out several pending free agents to build for the future. However, Conor Sheary and Trevor van Riemsdyk weren't among them.

General manager Brian MacLellan did have inquiries surrounding both Sheary and van Riemsdyk as the trade deadline approached. However, as 3 p.m. hit, MacLellan decided that the Capitals were closed for business.

"I mean, we like them. They have a good role on our team. We fielded a couple offers. I think there was a trade-off between we liked the players we have some interest in bringing them back and what the return is," MacLellan explained.

MacLellan said that the team still has interest in potentially bringing back Sheary and TVR and siad at the end of the day, them staying put for now outweighed what they would have gotten back in a deal.

"So if something really made sense, we would've pursued it, but we'd rather have the guys on our team and the chance to bring them back going forward than what we were being offered [in return]."

Sheary, who just welcomed his second child, has been playing up and down the lineup from the top line to the fourth line and has taken on a number of roles for the Capitals over his three-year tenure. The 30-year-old has also been on the power play and penalty kill.

Through 63 games this season, Sheary has 12 goals and 18 assists, and though his production has dropped off amid the team's struggles, he is still proving to be a vital part of the lineup.

The same can be said for van Riemsdyk, who is taking on top-pairing minutes with the team missing John Carlson (who could return by the end of the season) and trading away Dmitry Orlov and Erik Gustafsson. Van Riemsdyk, 31, has posted a career-high six goals and 16 points this season.