Despite currently sporting a two-game losing streak, the Washington Capitals have been one of the hottest teams in the entire NHL since the beginning of December. The team ranks near the top of the league on offense and defense, and they are beginning to look like a team that could be dangerous in the playoffs.
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The team could be even better were it not for a terrible personnel decision a few seasons ago. The Capitals used the 11th overall pick in the 2012 draft to select a young man by the name of Filip Forsberg. Many projections had him as a top-five pick, and he was considered a steal on draft day.
Not interested in developing a future superstar, former Washington general manager George McPhee traded Forsberg to the Nashville Predators for Martin Erat and Michael Latta. Erat was utterly terrible for the Capitals in his 62-game stint with the team, netting as many goals against Washington as he did for them (two of each). Erat was eventually traded away for pennies on the dollar.
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Latta is still with the team, although he is a low-line player, and he does not project as anything better that a replacement-level player.
Forsberg, on the other hand, is running away and hiding in the race for the Calder Memorial Trophy, given each year to the NHL's rookie of the year. He has 39 points in 44 games - an outstanding total for a rookie - and has helped Nashville become one of the best teams in the league. Many around the league are projecting Forsberg as a future star.
Current Washington general manager Brian MacLellan worked underneath McPhee at the time of the Forsberg trade, and he recently admitted that it was a mistake, according to CBS Sports. "I think [Forsberg] has played well. Obviously he's one of the leading candidates for the Calder Trophy. If you're asking if I would like to do a do-over? Yeah, sure."
Unfortunately for MacLellan and the Capitals, sports do not work that way, and Caps fans will just have to wonder what might have been.
The Capitals and Predators played last week, and the highlights from the game are below.
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