- Blackhawks, Canucks, Kraken, Flames and Kings are reportedly in on Ivan Miroshnichenko
- Capitals are asking for at least a first-round pick
- Read below for why Washington wants him out of the East
The Capitals have no shortage of suitors for Ivan Miroshnichenko, and several of them play out west. The Fourth Period’s David Pagnotta reported that the Blackhawks and Canucks are among the clubs Washington general manager Chris Patrick is talking to about the 22-year-old winger.
Pagnotta said the Kraken, Flames and Kings are also poking around. The Flyers have checked in too, but he doesn’t see a fit there.
Pagnotta and Jeff Marek talked about it on Wednesday’s DFO Insider. Pagnotta was asked about where Miroshnichenko might land.
“A lot of teams out west, a lot of teams in the Pacific,” Pagnotta said. He added that Washington wants him out of the East, especially out of the Metropolitan Division.
Marek explained what the Capitals want back. “At least a first-round pick,” he said. That matches the pick Washington spent on Miroshnichenko at No. 20 in 2022.
The ask lines up with what Elliotte Friedman said when the Capitals first gave Miroshnichenko permission to seek a deal. Friedman said Washington wants a legitimate return and won’t put him on waivers because he wouldn’t clear. Here’s the post on that from Friedman:
The problem for Miroshnichenko is simple. Washington’s forward group is deep, and he has played three games this season, scoring once while averaging 11:03 a night. He has six goals and 14 points in 55 career NHL games.
Marek was blunt about it on the show. “There’s no spot for him in Washington,” he said, and the forward group is “so stacked.”
He is on a two-year deal at $925,000 a year, so the cap hit is easy for a buyer to absorb. Pagnotta said agent Dan Milstein is working with the Capitals to find a resolution.
We first covered the door opening in our Miroshnichenko trade permission story, and the earlier Friedman report on teams watching him. Now the list of teams has names.
