The Capitals have made their first pre-trade deadline move, sending forward Nic Dowd to the Golden Knights in exchange for Vegas’s second-round pick in 2029, their third-round pick in 2027, and goaltender Jesper Vikman.
Dowd has been part of the Capitals since the 2018-19 season when he signed as a free agent, the longest tenured player who was not on the Stanley Cup team, and posted 166 points in 506 games in Washington.
Here’s the release from the Caps, with more to come…
The Washington Capitals have acquired a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Draft, a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft (originally from San Jose) and goaltender Jesper Vikman from the Vegas Golden Knights for forward Nic Dowd, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today.
Vikman, 23, was selected by Vegas in the fifth round (125th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. The 6’4”, 205-pound goaltender has an 8-7-3 record, a 3.41 goals-against average and a .866 save percentage in 18 games with the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League (AHL) this season. In 41 career AHL games with Henderson, the Danderyd, Sweden native has posted a 16-18-5 record, a 3.48 goals-against average, a .880 save percentage with one shutout. Vikman played two seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Vancouver Giants from 2021-23, where he had a 36-36-3 record, a 3.19 goals-against average and a .903 save percentage. He was named the BC Division’s First Team All-Star Goaltender for the 2022-23 season.
Dowd, 35, recorded 16 points (4g, 12a) in 55 games with the Capitals this season and 166 points (79g, 87a) in 506 games with Washington since 2018-19. Originally drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Dowd has registered 192 points (88g, 104a) in 637 career games with Washington, the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles.