It has been reported tonight that the Washington Capitals have traded forward Chandler Stephenson. This trade is to the Vegas Golden Knights and the return is a fifth-round pick. The news that Stephenson was on the block was reported earlier today.
Awaiting confirmation. Stephenson to @GoldenKnights for a 5th round draft pick.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) December 3, 2019
Chandler Stephenson Dealt
Chandler Stephenson is a 25-year-old center from Saskatoon. He was drafted by the Capitals in 2012, however, he did not play for them right away. Stephenson went in the third round but has had a tough time becoming a full-time NHL player. The 77th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Level Draft played another season of WHL hockey and two years in the AHL. He made his NHL debut in 2015-16.
In his career, Stephenson has only played for the Washington Capitals. He has 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 168 games played. This year, he has three goals and one assist for four points in 24 games. He is a depth player who can plug into the bottom few lines. He won’t add too much scoring but can be a spark at times when the team needs him.
Going Forward
Washington clearly feels they have better options for the bottom of their lineup. Names like Brendan Leipsic, Nic Dowd, Travis Boyd, Garnet Hathaway, and Richard Panik round out the bottom-six nicely. This move also gives them yet another contract space as well as an extra million dollars to work with come deadline time. Washington is among the elite of teams again, however, they may still want to add at the deadline this year.
For Stephenson, Vegas may look for him to give their depth a boost. They have struggled so far this year and currently sit just outside the playoffs. This is not a massive move by any means but could be enough to try and spark the bottom of the lineup to get going. Overall, it’s a low-cost and low-risk move for Vegas to try and shake things up.
Main Photo:
