The Washington Capitals added more offensive depth.
After acquiring Marcus Johansson earlier that day from the Seattle Kraken, the Capitals acquired Johan Larsson from the Arizona Coyotes for a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. The Coyote will receive 50% of Larsson’s salary.
Elliott Friedman of Sportsnet was the first to break the news.
Larsson predominantly played center for the Coyotes and occasionally played left wing.
The Swedish striker is currently on standby after undergoing surgery for a sports hernia in February. He missed the last 19 games for Arizona, but according to Tariq El-Bashir of The Athletic was supposed to return to full training today before it was canceled on Monday.
Johan Larsson, acquired by WSH, has quietly become one of the most effective centers in the league. He’s done it for years in the bottom 6 in Buffalo and this season – in the form of flexibility – in the top 6 in Arizona. Classic MacLellan pickup. #All uppercase pic.twitter.com/lyebzhCNHz
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) March 21, 2022
Larsson has 15 points in 29 games this season, which would see him score over 40 points in a full 82-game roster. He was a former teammate of former Capitals defenseman Christian Joos when they both played for Brinas in the Swedish Elite League. Brinas is also the former team of Niklas Backstrom.
The versatile forward is an unrestricted free agent this summer, and with 50 percent of his contract intact this season, he will be worth $700,000 to the Caps.
Screenshot via @ArizonaCoyotes/Twitter