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Washington Capitals Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division
Trade Details
FLYERS, CAPITALS SWAP DEFENSEMEN Friday, June 14, 2019
The Philadelphia Flyers acquired defenseman Matt Niskanen from the Washington Capitals for defenseman Radko Gudas.
What does it give the Philadelphia Flyers?
The Flyers receive a more all-around defender in Niskanen here. He comes with a higher salary-cap hit ($5.75 million) and the team is also retaining 30 percent ($1.005 million) of Gudas' salary. Niskanen should fill a top-four rearguard role in Philadelphia for at least the next two seasons. He will see a lot of ice time in all game situations for the Flyers.
What does it give the Washington Capitals?
The Capitals decided to shed some salary here, while bringing back a defenseman in the process. Gudas is a more physical blueliner than Niskanen, so perhaps the team will not bring back veteran Brooks Orpik (UFA) this off-season. The money saved here (more than $3 million for 2019-20) might be used to re-sign Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby.
Fantasy Impact
Gudas has very little fantasy value, so this trade does not change anything for him. As for Niskanen, he might see a slight spike in his overall fantasy numbers after this deal. He had a bit of an off-year in 2018-19 but is a decent bounce-back candidate.
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