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Report: Caps were ‘souring’ on prospect Forsberg

George McPhee

In the wake of some heavy criticism for Capitals general manager George McPhee following yesterday’s trade that sent prospect Filip Forsberg to Nashville for veteran forward Martin Erat, ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun has a possible explanation:

I believe the Caps were going to trade Forsberg at some point no matter what, internally souring on the prospect, a player they no longer viewed as a top center in the making.

Scouts I’ve spoken with have mixed opinions. Some still view him as a top center in the making, at least a No. 2, but others are concerned by his foot speed. The latter is what concerned Washington.

Forsberg, 18, was Washington’s first-round pick (11th overall) at the 2012 draft.

Obviously, we’ll have to wait and see how his NHL career turns out. Maybe McPhee is proven right. Maybe not.

Regardless, it’s always going to raise eyebrows when a general manager, especially one that may be on the hot seat, trades away a top prospect for a player that’s in the good-but-not-great (and-getting-kinda-old) category. Is the GM looking out for the team’s best long-term interests? Or, is he looking out for himself?

Washington hosts the Islanders tonight. With a win and a Winnipeg regulation loss in Montreal, the Caps would take over first place in the Southeast Division.

Update (2:14 p.m. ET):

Here’s what agent Allan Walsh had to say about the above: