NHL Trade Rumors: Insider David Pagnotta claims Washington Capitals eyeing Jake Evans & $13,600,000 star ahead of deadline

The Washington Capitals are looking to add depth before the trade deadline, Mar. 7. They are having a solid season with 38 wins in 59 games. They have earned 84 points and stand second in the League leaderboard below the Winnipeg Jets. The team is performing well in the Eastern Conference, just like star captain Alex Ovechkin, who has scored 30 goals this season.

Speaking on "The Latest by the Fourth Period," NHL insider David Pagnotta said that the Capitals want to strengthen their bottom six forwards and defense.

"Yeah, they're looking at depth," Pagnotta said on Friday. "They'd like to be able to add some pieces, not just to the back end, but potentially up front as well. They have that flexibility. They'd like to bring in a bit of a veteran presence to kind of help them along. And if they can do that, that seems to be something that is a top Brian MacLellan's wish list, their GM."

The Washington Capitals' two possible targets are Montreal Canadiens forwards Jake Evans and Joel Armia. Evans has a $1.7 million cap hit and 27 points in 59 games this season, while Armia has a $3.4 million cap hit and 24 points in 59 games.

"So, you know, looking at somebody that has a bit of a two-way style - in the bottom six via Jake Evans or Joel Armia in Montreal," Pagnotta said. "Armia $3.4 million cap hit. That might be a little bit, I don't know if they want to go that high and not give themselves, a little extra flexibility with bringing in, perhaps a call up or some of their rookies later on in the season.

So they're going to kind of navigate things to see how they can maneuver this next week. But it certainly looks like that's something that they would like to address depth in the bottom six and on the blue line."

The Washington Capitals' situation with the cap space

The Washington Capitals must decide if Armia’s higher cap hit fits their budget. Evans may be a more affordable option. The Capitals currently have a cap space of $3,650,000. However, it is projected to go down, according to PuckPedia.

Armia has played seven NHL seasons and scored 102 career goals. Evans, in his sixth season, has 119 career points.

Montreal, seventh in the Atlantic Division, could be open to trades. The Washington Capitals will finalize their plans in the coming days.