1 player Capitals must acquire before 2025 NHL Trade Deadline trucc

The Washington Capitals are surprisingly on top of the Metropolitan Division over halfway through the season. After an uninspiring playoff appearance last year, they were not seen as contenders for the division crown. But with the playoffs a near-sure thing, the Capitals should add at the upcoming NHL trade deadline. Canucks center Elias Pettersson should be on the top of their wishlist.

The Capitals have one of the most prized prospects in the entire league in Ryan Leonard. At 19 years old, he captained Team USA to a gold medal at the World Junior Championships. He was also the MVP of the tournament with 10 points in seven games. While that would be a significant price to pay, Pettersson is worth it.

Trade rumors around Pettersson have intensified in recent weeks. A reported strife with JT Miller has both of them on the trade block and could end in the two biggest deals of the deadline. The Capitals should be in on both but Pettersson is the younger and better player. If they are going to give up Leonard, it should only be for Pettersson.

The cherry on top for the Capitals is that Elias Pettersson does not have trade protection until July 1. He cannot decline a trade to America's capital so if they offer the most, they could land Pettersson. The Canucks are going to get a lot of offers for both of their centers but no one is in a better position than the Capitals.

This surprising season is built on goaltending that no one expected to be good coming into the season. Add on a dominant first half from Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals are unbeatable. Pettersson would put them in a great position to make a playoff run.

What would an Elias Pettersson-Capitals trade look like?

Ryan Leonard would be the biggest piece of this trade but only the beginning for the Capitals. Pettersson just signed an extension worth $11.6 million per year so they will have to move money off the books as well. They have $3.8 million in cap space now, so they have to clear $7.8 million to make the money work.

The first player the Capitals should add to the deal is Andrew Mangiapannie. He is having a solid season, with 17 points in 45 games, and is hitting unrestricted free agency. His $5.8 million brings the overage down to $2 million and it should not be an issue to trade him. He has an eight-team no-trade list, so the odds are he can be moved to Vancouver.

Lars Eller was just acquired from the Penguins but would clear enough space to add Pettersson. Sonny Milano comes within $100,000, so he might be the player going the other way with a different move to get the numbers in the right spot. Milano is a much more valuable piece than Eller.

The salary cap aspect of this deal will be difficult for the Capitals to figure out but they should make it work. Their top prospect would change everything for Washington moving forward but the chances Leonard is better than Pettersson is slim. The Swede has three straight 30-goal seasons and kills penalties at a high level as well.

The Capitals have an opportunity with a new-look core surrounding the greatest player in franchise history. Elias Pettersson would be a great addition to the team at the NHL trade deadline.