Caps trade 1st round pick to Chicago for Troy Brouwer
Washington Capitals GM George McPhee indicated that he was rather unimpressed with the 2011 NHL Draft Class. Worse yet, the Caps were not slated to pick until the 26th overall pick. Rather than risk a late round pick in a weak draft class, McPhee swapped the 26th pick to Chicago for F Tory Brouwer. Brouwer is a restricted free agent this year.
Brouwer spent his last two seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks. Last season, he played in 79 of the 81 regular season games, scoring 17 goals and adding 19 assists. Out of the 17 goal, 5 were game winners. In 2009-10, his first full season in the NHL, Brouwer played in 78 games and scored 22 goals and 18 assists with a +9 rating.
The addition of Brouwer makes a sticky situation even sticker on whether to resign Brooks Laich. Laich could likely demand a pretty decent number on the open market, something the Capitals may not want to commit to.
