It's April 2, 2013. Capitals general manager George McPhee knows his job is on the line, and he needs to make a move before the trade deadline if he hopes to get Washington into the playoffs. He goes to ownership with a proposed deal for a veteran winger that the Capitals need to make for its playoff run, along with a prospect that offers some added physicality. All he would have to give up is a kid from the minors – their 2012 first-round pick. Ownership thinks about it for about 30 seconds, and then remembers they have already all but decided that McPhee won't be coming back next year. So with that in mind, ownership vetoes the deal and tells McPhee he isn’t allowed to make any major moves. A furious McPhee leaves the office and decides to do nothing at the trade deadline.
Should that have happened? Yes. Did it happen? No.
Sadly, instead we all remember that as the day George McPhee dealt away Filip Forsberg for Martin Erat and Michael Latta. At the time, the deal was horrible, and looking back at it now … it’s even worse. McPhee dealt away a future all-star for a guy who would put up 27 points in 62 games with the Caps and another who would only go on to have 17 career NHL points (all with the Caps). Everyone agrees that Nashville won the trade. But what if the Caps just punted on the season and stood pat? What if they just kept Forsberg and let him develop?
Beginning
Let’s assume Forsberg would not have been called to the NHL immediately. Adam Oates was the head coach and was no fan of young players (just ask Tom Wilson). So, nothing would change for the Caps until the 2014 NHL draft.
The Caps originally selected winger Jakub Vrana with the 13th pick. But with Forsberg on the roster and 2013 first-rounder Andre Burakovsky waiting in the wings, they don’t need another winger. So,instead, the Caps select center Dylan Larkin to shore up the middle. The rest of the offseason stays the same, and with new head coach Barry Trotz, the future looks bright for the Caps.
2014-2015 season
Forsberg spends the first 20 games with Hershey before joining the team for the remaining regular season games. He contributes 41 points and finishes the year on the first line with Nick Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin. With Forsberg on the team, the Caps won't make the mistake of trading for Curtis Glencross because they won't need him. Despite the improvement, the Caps still can’t surpass the Rangers in the standings.Much like in real life, they open the playoffs against the Islanders and win in seven games. Unfortunately, even with Forsberg, the Caps can't seem to get past the Rangers and still lose in seven games.
2015 Offseason
In real life, the Capitals signed Justin Williams and traded for TJ Oshie. But in this reality, they wouldn’t have the money to get both of them because they have to sign Forsberg to a extension. So they decide to prioritize getting Oshie and make the same trade sending Troy Brouwer, Pheonix Copley, and a 2016 third-round pick going to the Blues.
In the draft they will still select goaltender Ilya Samsonov despite having a later pick because the teams ahead of them didn’t want a goalie. The Caps still need to bolster their defenseman prospect pool. Since they didn’t waste their second round pick trading for Glencross, Vince Dunn is available when their turn comes and thats who they pick. Jonas Siegenthaler who in real life they traded up to select, winds up with the Blues instead.
That's it for part one. Next time,we'll see how this new Caps team does against their arch-rival, the Penguins. Will they exorcize their demons earlier than they did in real life? Or will it be more of the same?
By Ethan Berman
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