Capitals put forward thinking atop trade to-do list

ARLINGTON, Va. --The Washington Capitals' recent struggles have not changed their approach to the 2019 NHL Trade Deadline, general manager Brian MacLellan said Monday.

Although the Capitals (28-18-6) have lost eight of their past nine games (1-6-2), they are third in the Metropolitan Division with 62 points heading into their game against the Vancouver Canucks at Capital One Arena on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SN1, SNE, SNO, SNP, NBCSWA, NHL.TV).
MacLellan remains hopeful they'll regain the form that helped them win the Stanley Cup last season.
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"I think it's the same team that found it at the end of last year and went on to win a championship," MacLellan said. "It's the same players. I think there's aspects of our game that need to be improved, and we're looking for that up until the trade deadline that if we feel there's something there that can help us get over that hump in certain areas, we'll pursue it."
MacLellan said Jan. 11 that he'd like to make a forward-for-forward trade before the deadline to upgrade the Capitals' top nine. He didn't rule out Monday trading a forward for a draft picks or prospects and then using those assets to acquire another forward.
The deadline is Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. ET.
"I think we look at everything," MacLellan said. "I like to think our chemistry has stayed the same, but it's changed a little bit and if we can affect the forward group, we'll try to affect it if we thought we could make a move that would solidify it."
MacLellan said he has been active talking to general managers but has not found a trade that fits the Capitals' needs.
"We're trying to see what's happening in the market," he said. "You like certain guys. Are they going to be available? Are they not going to be available? Does it fit your long-term plan? Does it fit (salary) cap-wise? We continually talk to teams and monitor what they're thinking, and you try and find matches."
Andre Burakovsky's name has been mentioned in trade rumors for much of this season. The 23-year-old forward has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 46 games this season, including four points (one goal, three assists) in his past 18 games, and has been a healthy scratch six times.

A first-round selection (No. 23) of the Capitals in the 2013 NHL Draft, Burakovsky was projected to be a top-six forward and has showed flashes in his five NHL seasons. He scored two goals in a 4-0 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 7 of the 2018 Eastern Conference Final and had four assists in the five games against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
But Burakovsky is eligible to become a restricted free agent July 1 and the Capitals would have to make him a qualifying offer for $3.25 million (his salary this season) to maintain his contract rights.
"He's a good young player. He's got upside," MacLellan said. "We've all seen it where he's played in the playoffs in a top-six role and played well. That's the player we want to have here. …We're hoping that he gets back to that level as soon as we can get him there."