Washington Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan entered into two deals on the deadline of the day to try to make the team stronger in the post-season. MacLellan made a huge success and brought Anthony Mantha from Red Wings to Washington in exchange for Jakub Vrana, Richard Panik and two high concepts. He also acquired Michael Raffl of the Philadelphia Flyers for a fifth round.
But perhaps the biggest headline of all was that the capitals moved from there Jakub Vrana, a popular player among fans and a first round that Craig Laughlin said earlier is destined for superstars. Vrana, a member of the team’s 2018 Stanley Cup Championship team, scored 25 goals and 52 points last season. Vrana was second on the Capitals this season in 5v5 goals (9), despite being healthy two games and not getting much ice time from Peter Laviolette.
What went wrong then?
“He was a good young player,” MacLellan said at a news conference after the deals were announced. “We won a trophy. He is part of it. He is a kind person. Highly skilled. Great speed. I think Jakub was a little frustrated where he was here in the organization. Probably want another ice age. Want more responsibility. There was a tug of war between coaching staff and staff that had him and the way he played. I think we had a frustrated player and we tried to move from there. ”
MacLellan explained that the capitals had a conversation with Detroit Red Wings about Mantha a few weeks ago and that the two clubs ‘along the way’ continued over him. It came into being today. ”
Vrana was healthy on April 2 and April 4 against the Devils. The forward was challenged in the media by Peter Laviolette for his competitiveness. When Vrana returns, he seems discouraged. He called the disappointment disappointingly and said, “The only thing I can control is to go out there and work my ass off.”
MacLellan revealed that although Vrana did not ask to be traded, he could see how unhappy he was by how he looked there.
“I see a frustrated player,” MacLellan said. “Maybe he is. Maybe he is not. But the body language is frustrated. I think we gave it some time and see if we could work it out. ‘
At the end of the season, Vrana will also be a free agent, as his $ 6.7 million two-year bridge contract expires. This, according to MacLellan, also played a role in the Capitals’ decision.
“He has arbitration rights,” he said. “He has good numbers. If we predict the salary, we get cost certainty with Mantha ($ 5.7 AAV). We know what that contract is. ”
Three teams in the Capitals division also did big business before the deadline. The Boston Bruins acquired Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar, the islanders of New York landed Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac, and the Pittsburgh Penguins traded for Jeff Carter. MacLellan said it does not affect the Capitals’ thinking.
“I don’t think we made a decision based on what other teams are doing,” MacLellan said. “We are independent and try to make our team better. If there was nothing we thought we could improve our team, we would not try it. ”
In the end, the capitals like Mantha’s size, skill, shot and scoring ability. He is really a good skater for his size. MacLellan is also of the opinion that the forward tower will flourish under Peter Laviolette’s system and that he does not have to be The guy as he was in Detroit.
“I think Detroit is a young team,” MacLellan said. “They build their youth. He’s the boss and there’s probably a bit of pressure on him to produce. I think he’s coming here and he just needs to fit in. He’s going to have a veteran group of players. I think he’s going to learn from those veterans. I think we have a good leadership group of older guys that already existed. We have a lot of guys who won a trophy. So I think it’s up to him to fit in, play well, relax and compete and I think everything will work out. ”