Capitals think twice, cut Devante Smith-Pelly loose

This week on the road in Toronto and Buffalo, a confusing and ultimately uncomfortable scenario played out for the defending champion Washington Capitals.

With a more significant move ostensibly in the works in the lead-up to the NHL trade deadline, Capitals management decided it needed to shed a body to create room on the roster. Absent for the start of practice on Wednesday, it seemed as though forward Dmitrij Jaskin would be the casualty of whatever was in the works — until he wasn’t.

That all changed when Devante Smith-Pelly was pulled off the ice during the skate, and officially placed on waivers ahead of Jaskin.

“We had made the decision to put Jaskin on waivers and we changed our mind and were notified during practice,” head coach Todd Reirden said, per the Washington Post. “We made that adjustment and now Devante has been put on waivers.”

Smith-Pelly is now available to all 30 remaining teams over the next 24 hours. If no one bites, only then can the Capitals stash him in the minor leagues in an effort to make an improvement to their roster over the next five days.

A hero of sorts for his contributions in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and, more specifically, the decisive Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, Smith-Pelly accepted less money in free agency to return to the Capitals. He explained in the summer that Washington was the best fit for him, not the organization offering the most money — or the long-term security that he’s lacked in his career to this point.

It’s possible that Smith-Pelly skates through waivers and the Capitals successfully execute a move without losing an asset. And perhaps Smith-Pelly still plays a meaningful role for the Capitals over the next few months.

It’s clear now though, if we didn’t know already, exactly where Smith-Pelly and Jaskin stand in the pecking order.

Smith-Pelly simply has not been an overly effective player from game-to-game in his career to date, but it will be interesting to see if a contender does take a flyer on him, given his impact last spring.

DSP has four goals and eight points this season. He matched his season total from last year with seven goals in the club’s first Stanley Cup championship run.

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