The Washington Capitals find themselves in a precarious position ahead of the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. Alex Ovechkin’s squad sits outside of the wild card position with a 29-23-7 record and 65 points. When the NHL returns from the 2026 Winter Olympics, Washington will face a 23-game gauntlet to return to the postseason picture later this spring.
Last season, the Capitals made one trade deadline deal in acquiring Anthony Beauvillier from the Pittsburgh Penguins. General manager Chris Patrick spoke on record last month regarding Washington’s desired deadline deal. “We view our biggest need as kind of a higher-end, skilled winger, and those aren’t always available at the deadline.”
With Ovechkin’s career in question following the 2025-26 season, here are three options for Washington to look into (and what it might cost) ahead of March 6, 2026. According to PuckPedia, the Capitals have $12.6 million in cap space at the deadline to make roster moves without adding additional salary.
Jordan Kyrou
Jordan Kyrou, 27, represents a long-term investment for the Capitals if Washington decides to chase the St. Louis Blues forward. The winger is currently in the third year of an eight-year, $65 million contract extension signed in 2023. Kyrou is scheduled to earn $8.125 million per season through the end of the 2030-31 season. Given his no-trade protection, the winger should have a say on where he ends up if he is moved out of St. Louis.
The Toronto-born forward has seen his production slide this season as the Blues have struggled in 2025-26. Kyrou has scored 13 goals and recorded 32 points in 47 games, a significant drop-off from his 32-goal-per-season average over the last four seasons.
Related: NHL Trade Bait List for 2026 Trade Deadline
The winger has made four playoff appearances over his eight years in St. Louis, including a Stanley Cup championship in 2021-22. Kyrou has scored 11 goals and provided 13 points over 28 playoff games. While the sample size is much smaller, his postseason shooting percentage is higher (16.9%) than in the regular season (13.3%), underscoring his ability to raise his game in the playoffs.
The 27-year-old should fetch a premium draft pick and/or a “B” level prospect, according to Bleedin’ Blue. The Capitals haven’t been willing to include top prospects Ilya Protas or Cole Hutson in trade discussions. Could a prospect like Ivan Miroshnichenko or Leon Muggli (and draft picks) be enough to move the needle for GM Doug Armstrong in St. Louis?
Steven Stamkos
Steven Stamkos, 36, represents a seasoned option from the Nashville Predators who can play inside the top-six. He is only two years removed from a 40-goal campaign for the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2023-24. Stamkos’ free agent contract in Nashville has not worked out as intended. However, the Markham, Ontario product sits two goals shy of the 30-goal mark with 25 games remaining on the Predators’ schedule. Stamkos has scored 610 goals over 1,221 regular season contests with a 0.49 goals per game average in his career.
Stamkos has scored 50 goals and collected 101 points in 128 playoff games on the way to two Stanley Cup championships for the Lightning. A move for the NHL veteran would provide another important piece for Spencer Carbery to work with heading into the playoffs, where teams will already be focused on stopping talented wingers like Ovechkin and/or Tom Wilson.
One complication with any Stamkos trade is his $8 million contract, which runs through the 2027-28 season. If a trade materializes for the two-time NHL All-Star, it would likely be similar to Kyrou’s suggestion: a “B”- level prospect (like Milton Gastrin) and/or a mid-round draft pick. If the Predators are willing to retain salary, they will likely improve their haul in a potential deadline trade.
Bobby McMann
If the reported price of a first-round draft selection in a Bobby McMann trade drops, the Capitals should initiate conversations with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Washington has retained its first-round picks at recent trade deadlines and has acquired promising prospects such as Terik Parascak (in 2024) and Lynden Lakovic (in 2025).
McMann, 29, is one of the Maple Leafs’ best trade chips, not named Auston Matthews or William Nylander. The Alberta-born forward is on pace to shatter career highs this season. McMann needs one goal to tie a new career high at 20 goals and two points to equal his 34 points from the 2025-26 season.
Unsurprisingly, McMann’s usage was limited given Toronto’s stacked forward lineup. He finished with three points and an average of 12:36 in ice time over 13 playoff games in 2024-25. A trade out of Toronto would likely provide an increased role for the speedy winger.
McMann is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2025-26 season, so many teams will be reluctant to part with a high draft choice for a player who can walk out of the locker room at season’s end. If the Capitals can stomach the cost, a high mid-round draft selection might be a way to add some speed to Carbery’s lineup.
Washington will need to find a way to put wins on the board following the NHL’s return to action in a few weeks. Most teams in the Eastern Conference have multiple games in hand on the Capitals, making every post-break game more critical. If Washington decides to invest in a postseason run this spring, one of these three forwards could provide that desired injection of talent inside the top six grouping at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline.
