Quoting: villenash
I think the most I would give up for Johansen is a 4th. I know he's a former 1st rounder, but he has not looked good in the AHL and really seems to be puttering out. I'd be open to giving him a shot because NSH's D depth could use some bodies, but I don't have high hopes for him unfortunately.
Thanks. He was great as an AHL rookie. He's had a couple of injuries since then, and I agree his development might have taken a hit, but it's so hard to tell because when he came back last year he got so little ice time.
The Caps have drafted three more LHD in the top two rounds who have panned out, since drafting Johansen (Siegenthaler and Fehervary have already played in the NHL, and Alexeyev will soon) and signed a great college UFA at the same spot who just might be NHL-ready (Nardella).
That said, with expansion coming up, the Caps are better off keeping an absurd amount of prospect depth on the blue line, rather than adding a 4th round pick. To move Johansen right now, I think it takes a late 2nd or a high 3rd. Nashville has a high 3rd, at 71st overall, and, with Johansen's brother at center and not a ton of LHD depth, seems like a place where if his health is 100% Johansen might play a few NHL games this year, and get his development back on track.
A Montreal fan on here said Johansen is currently worth just a 3rd or a 4th, so even though the stakes are low, there exists the possibility of a bidding war. I see Johansen being happy playing with family in Nashville, so I've floated the possibility a couple of ways.
Other Caps fans want to swap him to Dallas for a recent 1st pick RHD who doesn't seem to have an immediate spot there, which is fine, too. If the return is a 4th, I think the Caps sign him for a couple more years, bring him to camp, and hope he can outplay an AHL veteran for a top four spot in Hershey this year, and get his development back on track. Since Alexeyev, Orlov, and Johansen can play either side of the ice, having a lot of LHD is not a problem. But in this build I signed four cheap NHL-veteran UFAs to Hershey, so I'd worry about Johansen getting a sweater. At that point, a high third gets it done in a rush.