When we talk about players at risk of changing address, we don’t often talk about Connor McMichael. In fact, he’s never mentioned at all.
After all, the names of Martin Necas, Rutger McGroarty and Patrik Laine come up far more often.
Yet McMichael is not an untouchable. He’s not necessarily on the market like the other three either, but his GM is talking to other teams. At the draft, the Caps and Jets reportedly discussed a trade for the youngster.
And a few days later, Washington was among the teams involved in the McGroarty rumours. Coincidence?
We have good reason to believe that the two names were mentioned repeatedly by the two GMs at the draft, then. Kent Hughes also spoke with his counterpart in Winnipeg about the young American’s services.
As for McMichael, he was never really close to being traded, so much so that a few days after the draft, he signed a two-year contract with Team USA.
In 80 games this season, he scored 33 points, and the fans love him. He’s a very talented young man who, in a few years’ time, could become a star player. The Jets’ interest in the 23-year-old makes sense: the team’s new head coach Scott Arniel was an assistant coach with the Caps during McMichael’s rookie year on the Bettman circuit.
The pilot probably spoke highly of the youngster to his new boss, hence the sudden interest. And given that Winnipeg wants to part with one of its guys, a one-for-one trade could have worked. The club also needs a center…
In Washington, the center line is no slouch. Pierre-Luc Dubois, who has just been acquired, Hendrix Lapierre, who has won two consecutive Calder trophies in the AHL, Nic Dowd and Dylan Strome are excellent players. Add to this central line Nicklas Backstrom (at the end of his career) and Connor McMichael, but according to his coach, he has the best chance of playing on the wing.
