MacLellan: Capitals seeking move for top-six forward

Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan has been actively shopping for forwards throughout the summer and still aims to reinforce his club's top six before training camp gets underway next month.

"We had a few discussions at the draft; it might carry forward or it might not carry forward," MacLellan said, per The Athletic's Tarik El-Bashir. "We'll see where it goes."

The Capitals brought in six-time 30-goal scorer Max Pacioretty on a one-year contract in free agency, but his age and recent injury history likely aren't enough to rectify Washington's 20th-ranked offense from last season.

MacLellan reportedly told teams in June that forward Anthony Mantha is available to be moved, but a deal never materialized. This summer, longtime center Evgeny Kuznetsov asked to be dealt and is also rumored to be a trade option throughout the summer.

The Capitals' options for a potential trade are limited, as the club is currently $700,000 over the $83.5-million limit, according to Cap Friendly.

Washington missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014 this past season. The down year resulted in the club replacing head coach Peter Laviolette with Spencer Carbery.

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