5 Moves the Washington Capitals Should Have Made at the Trade Deadline

Brian MacLellan's first NHL trade deadline at the helm in Washington has come and gone, and as was the case during free agency, the first-year general manager made a splash. 

While he didn't land a star by any means, MacLellan did manage to get one of the better two-way wingers on the market in Curtis Glencross as well as a more imposing defensive partner for Mike Green in Tim Gleason. 

It cost him a combined haul of Washington's second, third and fourth picks in 2015 and veteran rearguard Jack Hillen, but MacLellan clearly believes his club is capable of doing damage in the Eastern Conference this spring. 

But whether Glencross and Gleason prove to be impact players remains to be seen, and neither acquisition is of the same magnitude as those made by the New York Rangers with Keith Yandle or the Pittsburgh Penguins with David Perron.

It'll be awhile until we'll know if MacLellan did enough to get the Caps beyond the conference semifinal for the first time since 1998, but here's a look at five moves he should have made on deadline day. 

5. Acquiring a Proven Playoff Veteran Up Front

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Largely due to his presence on a series of mediocre Calgary Flames teams, Glencross has a grand total of three assists in six career postseason games. So while he's a former 26-goal man, he's not exactly the most proven playoff commodity. 

And those types of forwards have been valuable on some of the better Capitals teams in recent memory—Sergei Fedorov, Mike Knuble and Jason Arnott come to mind. 

Troy Brouwer remains the only member of the team with a Stanley Cup on his resume, so would it have been crazy for MacLellan to chase someone like Erik Cole or Michael Ryder to add experience and scoring depth? 

In hindsight, the price for Cole, who won with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, was two middling prospects and a second-rounder, which isn't all that different from the package MacLellan gave up for Glencross. 

They're different players, but Cole's speed and offensive upside would have been a nice addition to a relatively young group of forwards. 

4. Adding Depth in Net

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As of now, Braden Holtby leads the league in games played with 56, and if Barry Trotz is intent on making a deep run during his first year behind the bench in D.C., there's a degree of risk of overusing his starter down the stretch. 

Ideally, Justin Peters or Philipp Grubauer will get a handful of starts over the final 17 games of the campaign, especially if the Caps lock up a playoff berth with time to spare. 

But thus far, Grubauer has played in just one game, and Peters hasn't been overly impressive with a mark of 3-5-1 with an .875 save percentage. 

The market for goalies was relatively light this year, but a more reliable backup such as Jhonas Enroth, Anders Lindback or even former Capital Michal Neuvirth would have been a nice insurance policy in the event that Holtby were to get hurt or show signs of fatigue. 

Peters has no NHL postseason appearances under his belt, so Holtby's ability to stay healthy and fresh is critical to the Caps' success come April. 

3. Upgrading Center on the 2nd Line

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Evgeny Kuznetsov has improved since he was first installed as Washington's primary No. 2 pivot, but he has just six goals and 24 points, including zero in his last nine. The Caps could benefit from a more consistent threat at center. 

Antoine Vermette was arguably the most coveted center available, and while the package the Chicago Blackhawks gave the Arizona Coyotes to land him—a first-rounder and prospect Klas Dahlbeck—is a lot for a rental, the Caps would be a more imposing playoff opponent with the four-time 20-goal scorer on board.

Kuznetsov has shown flashes of brilliance during his first full NHL season, but with the playoff hunt in full swing, he's been missing in action far too often. That's why he's seen just over a combined 20 minutes of ice in his last two games. 

The emergence of Eric Fehr has solidified the third line down the middle, and Nicklas Backstrom has been his usual self alongside Alex Ovechkin. But Trotz has yet to find an ideal fit on the second unit. 

The team could have addressed that at the deadline, but all will be forgotten if Kuznetsov regains his offensive touch over the next 17 games. 

2. Moving a Valued Prospect for Picks

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Right now, the Caps have just one pick in the first four rounds of the 2015 NHL draft, one that features arguably the deepest pool of prospects in the last five years. 

Even if the Caps were still to acquire Glencross and Gleason, the team has a glut of talented prospects it could have moved in a package for a veteran and some combination of picks. There simply isn't room in Washington for all of them now. 

On the back end, Connor Carrick showed high-end offensive skill during his time with the big club in 2013-14, and former World Junior All-Star Team selection Dmitry Orlov (who has been sidelined with a wrist injury) could have been attractive to rebuilding clubs. 

But the Caps still have Canadian World Junior standout Madison Bowey in the pipeline, so MacLellan could have afforded to move at least one young blueliner. 

Now that Holtby is firmly entrenched as the starter, Washington could have dealt the promising young stopper Grubauer or, if a second-rounder was dangled, maybe even a gifted forward such as Riley Barber. 

Either way, MacLellan may ultimately regret dealing nearly half of the franchise's selections in a draft class that goes far deeper than Jack Eichel and Connor McDavid. 

1. Finding a Change of Scenery for Brooks Laich

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As Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post reported, longtime forward Brooks Laich was a healthy scratch for the first time under Trotz on Tuesday night in Columbus. 

Laich's health appears to be better than it had been during the previous two seasons, as the 31-year-old is on pace to reach 67 games played this season—seven more than the 2013 lockout-shortened season and the 2013-14 campaign combined. 

But his five goals and 14 points are a long way off the 16 and 48 respectively Laich tallied in 2010-11 just before he signed his six-year, $27 million deal. He could have been a buyout candidate last summer, but the combination of an injury and optimism that he'd regain his offensive touch kept him in Washington.

He's been a fan favorite since he first rose to prominence under Bruce Boudreau, but at this point, Laich's contract is far too much for that of a spare piece. And as we saw with the Los Angeles Kings and Mike Richards, regardless of a player's reputation, if the results aren't there, then the player should lose his roster spot. 

It would have entailed the Toronto Maple Leafs retaining some of David Clarkson's salary or having to deal with the uncertainty surrounding Nathan Horton's future, but maybe MacLellan could have found a taker for the final two seasons of Laich's contract. 

Of course, there's the option of sending Laich to Hershey, but even then, Washington would still be on the hook for more than $3.5 million against the cap. So at least for the time being, the former assistant captain will continue to rank behind only Ovechkin and Backstrom among the team's highest-paid forwards.