Washington Capitals Grant Ivan Miroshnichenko Trade Permission
The Washington Capitals have given young forward Ivan Miroshnichenko permission to speak with other NHL teams as he seeks a trade away from the organization. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Saturday Headlines that the team is willing to deal the 22-year-old winger, provided the return is legitimate and meets their value standards rather than moving him simply for the sake of a trade.
Ivan Miroshnichenko, who is making his season debut tonight, scores his first career power-play goal to tie the game 2-2 with :26 remaining in the opening period.
Miroshnichenko has appeared in just three games for Washington this season, averaging 11 minutes and three seconds of ice time while scoring one goal against the Montreal Canadiens. The 20th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft has spent the majority of his North American professional career in the American Hockey League with the Hershey Bears, recording 101 points across 141 games and winning a Calder Cup championship in 2024.
Lineup Crunch Forces Trade Consideration
The decision to permit trade talks comes as Miroshnichenko struggles to crack a crowded Washington forward group. The Capitals are currently carrying 14 forwards on their active roster, leaving the Russian winger as a frequent healthy scratch. His limited NHL action this season arrived primarily when Pierre-Luc Dubois fell ill earlier in the month, a window that closed as the team’s roster returned to full health.
BVM Sports noted that Miroshnichenko has played in 55 career NHL games, accumulating 14 points over four seasons. While his minor league production remains strong—including 42 points in 53 AHL games during the 2024-25 season and 34 points in 41 games the prior year—he has yet to secure consistent minutes at the NHL level.
Waiver Exemptions Shape Roster Decisions
Last October, Miroshnichenko signed a two-year, $1.85 million contract extension and earned a spot on the Capitals’ opening night roster out of training camp. Because he is no longer waiver-exempt, returning him to the Hershey Bears would require clearing him through waivers, a risk the organization is unwilling to take given his potential and pedigree as a first-round selection.
Friedman reported that while multiple teams kept tabs on the winger while he sat out as a healthy scratch, the Capitals have made it clear they will not place him on waivers because they know he will not clear. Instead, the club seeks a legitimate return package, which BVM Sports suggests could land in the range of a second- or third-round draft pick depending on trade market interest.
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