The Capitals have potentially just made a steal in the free agent market
We talked about it recently, but a very interesting free agent was available on the market and was attracting the attention of several NHL teams. He is an offensive defenseman from Sweden named Hardy Haman Aktell.
His profile was really intriguing for a team like the Canadiens, who were looking to find an intriguing talent to potentially make a big splash. However, it was ultimately the Washington Capitals who managed to sign him today.
Moreover, a talent evaluator like Corey Pronman of The Athletic had him at the top of his list of European free agents this year.
At 24 years old, Haman Aktell was a fourth-round pick by the Nashville Predators in 2016. He is a defenseman with an impressive size of 6 feet 4 inches and 200 pounds, who is very mobile on the ice.
This season, in the top European league, Aktell accumulated 36 points, including 9 goals, in 51 games. For those who are not familiar with this league, this is a really solid production, especially for a defenseman, as not many goals are scored in the SHL.
He could become a really nice find for the Capitals who have a significant need on defense.
| POLL | ||
Do you believe the Canadiens will trade one of their 2023 first round picks for an established NHL player during the draft? | ||
| Yes | 56 | 62.9 % |
| No | 33 | 37.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
