In need of some NHL-ready defensive depth with two rookies (Madison Bowey and Christian Djoos) playing in their top four, the Washington Capitals acquired defenseman Michal Kempny from the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday afternoon.
Kempny, 27, has one goal and seven points in 31 games with the Blackhawks. He can become an unrestricted free agent July 1. He currently carries a $900,000 cap hit. He will wear number 6 for the Caps.
NEWS | #Caps acquire defenseman Michal Kempny from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a third round draft pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. #ALLCAPS
More info: https://t.co/4zhkLI3484 pic.twitter.com/gdYEuLk85F
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 19, 2018
Washington will send their 2018 third-round pick to Chicago in return for Kempny. Washington acquired a third-round pick as part of the Marcus Johansson trade with New Jersey. The pick was originally Toronto’s and still have their own third-round pick in the upcoming draft in June. Chicago will acquire the higher pick according to NBC Sports Washington’s Tarik El-Bashir.
The Capitals have been looking for a defenseman since Nate Schmidt was selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the expansion draft. He was expected to slide in a top-four role next to John Carlson with Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk leaving in free agency.
Kempy will now likely slide beside Carlson on the second-pairing and that will force one of Djoos, who has three goals and 13 points in 49 games this season, or Bowey, who has 10 points, all assists out of the lineup. Kempny was on the second pairing with defenseman Connor Murphy in Chicago.
A look at Michal Kempy’s three-career @NHL goals including one outdoors at the Winter Classic. #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/nvyP0JGLh4
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 19, 2018
In 81 career NHL games, Kempny has recorded 15 points (3g, 12a) and 34 penalty minutes. Kempny was signed by the Blackhawks as a free agent on May 23, 2016. Prior to joining the Blackhawks, Kempny recorded 60 points (21g, 39a) in 213 games with the Czech League.
Kempny’s plus-13 rating leads all Chicago skaters this season.
He played his last game as a Blackhawks against the Capitals and tallied an assist and a plus-2 rating on Saturday. Chicago won the game 7-1 at the United Center.
The Capitals may also be forced to put Taylor Chorney, who has not seen much action this season, on waivers. He can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He has one goal and four points in 24 games this season.
He will join defensemen Chorney, Bowey, John Carlson, center Jay Beagle, winger Alex Chiasson as the Capitals who can become unrestricted free agents July 1. The Capitals re-signed center Lars Eller to a five-year contract worth $17.5 million ($3.5 million AAV) on February 10. He could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
Kempny will most likely not join the Capitals for their 3:00 match against the Buffalo Sabres but could be in the lineup when the Capitals take on the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning at Capital One Arena tomorrow night.
The NHL Trade Deadline is a week from today at 3 PM eastern time so Capitals’ GM Brian MacLellan will get an opportunity this week to see what holes the Capitals need to fill before then.
By Harrison Brown
The Blackhawks are a poor defensive team. Yet they give up on their best defender—a 27 y\o blue liner with some size?
Why? Something just doesn’t add up here. Just because he’s about to become a free agent doesn’t mean they shouldn’t attempt to retain him…I mean, it’s not like he’s going to cost an arm and a leg to keep him on their roster….Or maybe–as with Kevin Shattenkirk last year–he isn’t as good as we’re being told…
In any case, the bottom line is that this move won’t result in the Capitals winning a Cup. That’s because Washington’s problem is team wide. In case you haven’t noticed they have to be told and told and told and told over and over and over and over and over and over and over again to move their feet and play DESPERATE for a full sixty minutes–and then play that way again and again and again and again until it becomes second nature. But either they dion’t listen or else they don’t retain very well…
I’ve been watching this shit from the Capitals going back to the run-and-gun era under Bruce Boudreau and things haven’t changed a whole lot despite their gaudy regular season record under coach Trotz for the past two years…
Perhaps I’m wrong about this but somehow I doubt it…
End,
Clifford
what the heck are they thinking not to happy on this trade two promising rookies for this wash board whaaaaat!!!!
AGREEEEEEEEEEEEEEED!!!!
I am not sure Kemp is much better than the rookies
Is Kempny a happy camper with this trade? His name means “campgrounds”. (I was surprised it’s a noun. Most Slavic words ending with “ny” are adjectives or adverbs”. At least that’s the case of “ny” surnames.)
Very good, Diane 🙂
I still think the Caps should trade Grubbie+Djoos+Gerisch for a young ELC D…. and a back up goalie for the playoffs.
What are you thinking? They’re not going to trade Djoos.
If they could trade him for a better ELC D then why not? Pipeline has more young D
Djoos has by far been the better of the Djoos/Bowey Rookie Defensemen Round Robin this year. I don’t see a way that they trade Djoos away, especially considering he’s a LH to D and has great footwork. IMO the Kempny trade is more about finding a long-term solution for when Orpik either moves on or retires after next season. The unfortunate side affect is that it looks like Djoos will sit for Kempny unless Trotz wants to sit Bowey and play a lefty on the right D slot next to Orpik.
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I like his “I see dead people” stare.
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