The Capitals announced the acquisition pending UFA winger Anthony Beauvillier from the Penguins for their 2025 second-round pick. After losing Jakub Vrána on waivers to the Predators yesterday, Washington had an open roster spot, so they won’t need to make a corresponding move.
Beauvillier, 27, spent less than an entire season with the Pens and now moves to his sixth team in the past three years. Pittsburgh signed him last offseason to a one-year, $1.25MM contract, and he’s played in every game this season aside from a healthy scratch in January. He has 13-7–20 in 63 appearances, including a minus-one rating and 120 shots on goal while averaging an even 13 minutes per game.
A first-round pick by the Islanders back in 2015, he hit the 20-goal mark in his sophomore season back in 2017-18 but hasn’t touched it since. He remained in New York until he headed to the Canucks in 2023 in the Bo Horvat deal. 2023-24 saw him change teams twice – first heading from Vancouver to Chicago via trade before the Blackhawks flipped him to the Predators at the deadline. Amid the movement, he had just 5-12–17 in 60 games and understandably took a significant pay cut last summer from his previous $4.15MM AAV.
With insane costs on the rental market this March, the Capitals turn to a more inexpensive pickup to address their need for an additional bottom-six winger – both in terms of acquisition cost and salary. Washington still has $3.175MM in flexibility after the pickup, per PuckPedia, so they may not be done adding to their roster. He’ll likely replace recent AHL call-up Ethen Frank in a bottom-six role and, while not a significant impact piece by any stretch, softens the blow of losing Vrána as a solid depth scorer on the waiver wire.
The Penguins now have a second-rounder in this year’s draft after trading theirs to the Canadiens in the 2023 Erik Karlsson three-team blockbuster. Washington, meanwhile, owns the Bruins’ second-rounder this year after acquiring it in the Dmitry Orlov deal at the 2023 deadline.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet was first to report the trade. Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic was first on the return.