In a straight swap of minor league forwards, the Washington Capitals have acquired forward Ryan Bourque from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Chris Brown, the team announced Sunday night.
On Thursday, Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan said he was looking for “a depth guy that’s done it a little bit, that has some experience doing it. They can come up and play six or seven minutes and not hurt you.” Bourque could fit the bill, but this relatively minor move doesn’t necessarily signal the end for Washington ahead of Monday’s 3 p.m. trade deadline.
The Capitals have cap flexibility with defenseman John Carlson on long-term injured reserve, as his nearly $4 million salary is off the cap until he’s activated again.