The Capitals have sent defenseman Matt Niskanen to Philadelphia in exchange for blueliner Radko Gudas. The move helped the Caps shed the remaining two years of Niskanen’s $5.75M contract, replacing it with one year of Gudas for $3.35M (with the Flyers retaining 30% of his salary this season).
Niskanen is coming off of a disappointing 2018-19 season, with 25 points in 80 games and plenty of struggles in the defensive end. The departure of Niskanen begins what could be a big transformation on the blue line this summer, as Brooks Orpik will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and is most likely not returning to DC next season.
Here’s the team release on the trade: