Marcus Johansson was traded to the Washington Capitals by the Seattle Kraken on Monday.
The Kraken received forward Daniel Sprong, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft and a sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft for the forward, who can become an unrestricted free agent after the season. Seattle will retain 50 percent of Johansson's contract.
Johansson played for the Capitals from 2010-17.
"Absolutely. I think this is the one place I wanted to go," he said Tuesday. "We were here a few weeks ago, and coming here always still feels like home. I'm just very excited for the opportunity. This feels special and I'm just very happy to be here."
Johansson played for Washington against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday.
"I think he's a versatile player that has a comfort level with people off the ice and I think on the ice," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "A lot of games playing with [Evgeny Kuznetsov], a lot with [Nicklas Backstrom], knows our power play really well. He can come in and he's comfortable right away, in my mind. He knows how guys play, he knows what he can do to play with them. That was attractive in our mind. We'll work it out. We'll see what works in the lines, the coaches will have him, try him with different guys and see what role he can play with us."
Washington (35-19-10) held the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
Johansson scored 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 51 games this season. He scored an NHL career-high 24 goals and 58 points with Washington in 2016-17 under coach Barry Trotz.
"It's always easier than coming somewhere where everything is new," Johansson said. "Some of the systems are a little bit different with a new coach (Peter Laviolette) and all that, but it's familiar and just walked through it. So I'm just excited to get out there tonight and just play hockey."
A first-round pick (No. 24) by the Capitals in the 2009 NHL Draft, Johansson has scored 401 points (141 goals, 260 assists) in 735 regular-season games for Washington, the New Jersey Devils, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Minnesota Wild and Seattle. He has scored 41 points (13 goals, 28 assists) in 97 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
"Since he left, I think he's developed a lot as a player," Backstrom said. "I talk to him often, good friend of mine, and it will be fun to see him back here. I think it's good for us as a team and fun for him to be back here."
The Capitals also acquired forward Johan Larsson in a trade with the Arizona Coyotes on Monday for their third-round pick in the 2023 draft.
Sprong scored 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 47 games this season. A second-round pick (No. 46) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2015 NHL Draft, he has scored 64 points (40 goals, 24 assists) in 186 games for the Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and Capitals. He can be a restricted free agent at the end of the season.
"Daniel brings some speed and creativity to our roster," Kraken general manager Ron Francis said. "We're looking forward to adding him to our team."
Seattle (19-38-6) was last in the Pacific Division. It traded defenseman Mark Giordano and forward Colin Blackwell to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday for a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, a second-round pick in the 2023 draft and a third-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.
The Kraken also traded defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to the Nashville Predators on Sunday for a second-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and forward Mason Appleton to the Winnipeg Jets for a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft. They traded forward Calle Jarnkrok to the Calgary Flames for a second-round pick in the 2022 draft, a third-round pick in the 2023 draft, and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft on Wednesday.
NHL.com staff writer Tom Gulitti contributed to this report
