Washington Capitals general manager Chris Patrick pulled off two big moves in one week. He brought in Jordan Kyrou from the St. Louis Blues and then worked a sign-and-trade with the Buffalo Sabres to land Alex Tuch on an eight-year extension. Two right-handed forwards with offensive talent. Exactly what the Caps needed.
But for a while, Patrick wasn’t sure any of it was going to happen.
What kept him up at night wasn’t the usual GM stress about contract numbers or cap hits. It was the worry that all those picks he’d stockpiled at the trade deadline might not be enough to get a deal done. He’d traded John Carlson and Nic Dowd for future assets, banking on flipping those picks into immediate help. But there was no guarantee the right players would become available or that other teams wouldn’t outbid him.
“That is what kept me up at night — I thought we did a good job making some hard decisions at the (trade) deadline to get these picks that we could use in deals, but my semi-concern was I just hoped I could get into the deal or there was enough to get into a deal,” Patrick told The Athletic on Thursday. “There’s other factors, too, like Jordan had to waive his no-trade clause to come to us, or some teams might like other prospects or another offer better. So, I was worried I’d have myself in a good position to make a trade but just for whatever reason, it wouldn’t come.”
Patrick’s anxiety was real. A GM can do all the prep work, make all the right trades, and still end up empty-handed if another team makes a better offer or a player refuses to waive a clause. But in this case, both Kyrou and Tuch agreed to come to Washington. Patrick called it a “big sigh of relief.”
What Tuch and Kyrou bring to Washington
Tuch put up 33 goals and 33 assists last season in Buffalo. He’s big and physical and can create his own shot. Kyrou had 18 goals and 28 assists for the Blues, though he’s capable of more production if he gets consistent ice time and a system that suits his speed. Both are right-handed shots, which helps balance a Capitals forward group that leans heavy on lefties.
These two additions don’t just fill roster spots. They give the Caps options up and down the lineup, especially if captain Alex Ovechkin decides to return. Ovechkin can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, and everyone is waiting on his call. But with Tuch and Kyrou locked in, Washington suddenly has a deeper forward group whether Ovechkin stays or goes.
Patrick built the war chest at the deadline by moving veterans for picks. It was a sell-off that could have backfired, but instead it paid off. The key was finding the right trade partners. St. Louis was willing to move Kyrou, and Buffalo was dealing Tuch in a sign-and-trade that let the Sabres get assets for a player they might have lost anyway.
Not every GM would have made the deadline trades in the first place, since they essentially punted on last season. Patrick did. And then he followed through. That’s the part that’s easy to overlook. The plan worked because he actually finished it.
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