Juan Herrera
WMAL.com
WASHINGTON (WMAL) – The Washington Capitals placed forward Devante Smith-Pelly on waivers Wednesday after spending nearly two seasons with the team.
According to an update from Capitals head coach Todd Reirden on Twitter, the team had initially planned on placing forward Dmitrij Jaskin on waivers, but Reirden said the organization changed its mind and came to a decision to place Smith-Pelly on the waivers instead.
Reirden said the move was expected as the team tries to clear up space on its salary cap. He also mentioned that the team may still make more moves ahead of next week’s NHL trade deadline.
“We’re always trying to improve our team and the direction we’re going and get better,” Reirden said in a video on Twitter posted by the Capitals. “There’s lots of moving parts right now in a number of different spots.”
Smith-Pelly scored seven goals in last year’s playoffs, where the Capitals won the Stanley Cup, but the 26-year-old has recently struggled to replicate his past success. In 54 games with the Caps this year, Smith-Pelly has only scored four goals and collected four assists.
Here is the video the team posted where Reirden discusses the move:
Head Coach Todd Reirden’s update on Devante Smith-Pelly #ALLCAPS pic.twitter.com/hmjCqfgKf6
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) February 20, 2019
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