ARLINGTON, Va. -- The buzz when the Washington Capitals visit the Pittsburgh Penguins at PPG Paints Arena on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; SN-PIT, MNMT) will be different from what each team has been accustomed to from their rivalry over most of the past two decades.
With the game coming on the eve of the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline at 3 p.m. ET on Friday, much of the focus will be on what players might be leaving each team instead of who they might add to gear up for another possible showdown in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
For the first time since 2006, when Washington captain Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby were NHL rookies, each team is on the fringe of the Eastern Conference race and expected to be sellers prior to the deadline.
The Capitals (28-23-9) trail the Philadelphia Flyers by seven points for third place in the Metropolitan Division and are also seven points behind the Detroit Red Wings and the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are tied for the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. The Penguins (28-24-8) are eight points behind the Flyers, Red Wings and Lightning.
“It’s always tough at this time of year when you feel like you’re kind of in it, and guys are leaving or whatever, but we’ve also been around long enough to understand that’s how it goes,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “So I think that’s maybe where the frustration the last few weeks or month have come in. We wanted to put ourselves in a spot that this doesn’t happen, but the reality is every year those teams that are right on the bubble have to make a decision.”
Washington already made a trade Tuesday, sending forward Anthony Mantha, who is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent after this season, to the Vegas Golden Knights (while retaining half of his remaining salary) for a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a fourth-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. More trades are likely with defenseman Joel Edmundson and forwards Max Pacioretty and Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who each can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, among those who could be moved, along with some players signed beyond this season, including forward Nic Dowd (close to returning from an upper-body injury) and goalie Charlie Lindgren.
Pittsburgh is in a similar situation after general manager Kyle Dubas said the eight games leading to the deadline would determine its strategy, particularly involving forward Jake Guentzel, another pending unrestricted free agent, on long-term injured reserve because of an upper-body injury. Goalie Alex Nedeljkovic and defenseman Chad Ruhwedel each is also a pending unrestricted free agent who could be traded to a contender as a rental.
“Obviously, we’re in a similar spot and for both teams the goal is still to make the playoffs and make a run at it,” Lindgren said. “So it is funny how these two similar organizations have been on similar paths the past 15 years or whatever.”
The Capitals were also sellers before the deadline last season, when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Penguins missed the playoffs last season for the first time since 2006 but acquired forwards Mikael Granlund and Nick Bonino and defenseman Dmitry Kulikov prior to the deadline in a failed effort to bolster their roster for a postseason push.
The players on Washington and Pittsburgh haven't given up on qualifying for the playoffs this season and will try to keep their focus on that, rather than which players might be leaving.
“The same thing is on the line,” defenseman Kris Letang said before the Penguins’ 5-3 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. “It’s within reach. So it’s the same goal for us.”
Still, seeing teammates traded away for draft picks or prospects can be a blow to the belief of the those left behind. Coach Spencer Carbery said he “noticed it a little bit” among the Capitals players Wednesday after Mantha was traded.
“Any time that a teammate leaves here that’s been here as long as ‘Mo’ has been here, all that he’s done this year, it's tough,” Carbery said. You can feel it, definitely. I think the guys worked really hard today. I liked the pace of practice, but you could definitely tell there’s an anxiousness.”
That anxiousness could hang over the game Thursday, especially if players on either team
are held out for trade-related reasons. Carbery said there are no plans for Washington to do that -- yet.
“We’ll go to Pitt with the expectation that everybody here is available and ready to play," Carbery said, "and if that changes then we pivot from there.”
Perhaps, when the puck is dropped, the emotions of the rivalry and the competitive drive to push for a postseason berth will take over and the concerns about the trade deadline will be put aside. Whoever wins will keep its hopes of qualifying alive for at least a few more days.
“Anything can happen in this league, and we’ve seen that,” Capitals defenseman John Carlson said. “We’ve seen it come down to the stretch almost every year, so I think we’ve got some talent in here that can make some noise, and that’s what we’re focused on.”
