The Washington Capitals made another trade Monday afternoon to bolster their forward depth.
A few hours after acquiring Seattle Kraken forward Marcus Johansson, the Capitals announced the acquisition of another versatile forward in Arizona Coyotes lefty Johan Larsson.
The Capitals are sending back a 2023 third-round pick to Arizona, with the Coyotes retaining 50% of Larsson’s contract.
In his 10th season in the NHL, Larsson is averaging more ice time — 17:52 — in 29 games with the Coyotes than in any other season of his career. After making his debut with Minnesota a decade ago, Larsson spent the next seven seasons in Buffalo and the last two in Arizona.
Larsson, 29, is currently on injured reserve after having sports hernia surgery in February. He is reportedly close to returning to practice.
Prior to his injury, Larsson was having arguably the best season of his NHL career with 15 points (six goals, nine assists) in 29 contests. Similar to Johansson, Larsson is able to play winger and center, giving Capitals coach Peter Laviolette options at the forward position.
The team’s health at forward is better now than at the beginning of the season, but veteran winger Carl Hagelin was recently sidelined indefinitely with an eye injury in early March. Hagelin immediately underwent surgery for the “serious eye injury,” according to Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan.
• Jacob Calvin Meyer can be reached at jmeyer@washingtontimes.com.
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