Pressed against the salary cap all season, the Washington Capitals traded forward Chandler Stephenson to the Vegas Golden Knights for a 2021 fifth-round draft pick Monday night.
The move cleared $1.05 million off Washington’s books and illustrated the team’s trust in other bottom-six forwards such as Travis Boyd and newcomers Brendan Leipsic and Garnet Hathaway.
Stephenson had a good training camp and started the year on the 23-man roster, unlike Boyd, but was squeezed out of a roster spot at the end of the day. The Capitals needed to make a move before activating Carl Hagelin from long-term injured reserve Tuesday.