Washington Capitals of the 1980s: The Trade

The Washington Capitals turned their franchise around after a trade with the Montreal Canadiens in 1982. From left are Rod Langway, Doug Jarvis, and Brian Engblom who, along with Craig Laughlin, came to the Capitals in exchange for Ryan Walter and Rick Green. The contributions of these four players led to a 29-point increase in the standings and Washington making the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
Source: https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2017/09/09/rod-langway-trade-35-years-ago-today-helped-save-washington-capitals-franchise/
(May be subject to copyright)

There is no single move in the history of the Washington Capitals that had as big an impact on their future as this trade in 1982.

It pretty much instantly vaulted them from pretender to contender. It changed the culture and mindset of the franchise, sowing the seeds for the success that followed.

The move before the move
It was actually two moves by the Washington Capitals that changed the direction of the franchise forever.

The Capitals were a perennial doormat who won no more than 27 wins in their first eight seasons. After the 1981-1982 season, they went in a new direction, hiring a young hockey executive out of the Calgary Flames organization.

David Poile was just 32 years old when he became the general manager of the Capitals, a position he would occupy until 1997.

He immediately set about re-making his team.

The first trade he made changed the complexion of the team, remade the roster, and signalled Poile was not afraid to shake things up.

The trade
On September 9, 1982, David Poile made his first move as general manager of the Capitals. He pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Montreal Canadiens, two years removed from winning the Stanley Cup. He sent Ryan Walter and Rick Green to the Habs in return for Rod Langway, Doug Jarvis, Brian Engblom and Craig Laughlin.

At first I thought, “What are the Canadiens doing?” Three of those players were regulars on Montreal’s last Stanley Cup team, especially Jarvis who was a strong defensive player. Langway was up and coming and Engblom had always been solid.

I honestly thought Montreal got fleeced, but I was not altogether right.

Immediate impact
The effect the four new Capitals had on the team that 1982-1983 season was dramatic. Langway was named captain a few weeks after the trade and immediately shored up the defence, dramatically reducing Washington’s goals against.

He went on to win the James Norris Trophy as the NHL’s top defenceman in 1982-1983 and again in 1983-1984, and was named an NHL first team all-star in 1982-1983 and 1983-1984. In 1983-1984 he also finished runner-up to Wayne Gretzky for the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player. He also recorded three goals and 29 assists for 32 points in his first season in Washington. The Capitals would go on to make the playoffs every one of the 11 seasons he played with them. He would serve as captain of the team until and retired.

Rod Langway is credited with saving the Washington Capitals, who were rumoured to be on the move before they turned things around.

Doug Jarvis, who cut his teeth as one of Montreal’s best defensive forwards and penalty killers, also helped shore up Washington defensively. He would win the Frank Selke Trophy for best defensive forward in 1983-1984 for his two-way play. That first season in Washington he had eight goals and 22 assists for 30 points. He would go on to Hartford where he broke the record for most consecutive games played at 964, a record that still stands.

Brian Engblom brought strong defensive credentials as well. The defenceman was the NHL’s plus-minus leader in 1980-1981 with a plus-63, and a second team all-star in 1981-1982. He played just one full season in Washington, scoring five goals and adding 22 assists for 27 points in 73 games. After seven games the following season, he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings for future Hall of Famer Larry Murphy, who turned out to be another piece in the puzzle that turned around the franchise.

Craig Laughlin made a major contribution too, scoring 17 goals and 27 assists for 44 points. He would play with the Capitals until 1987-1988 when he too was traded to the Kings. The following year he played for Toronto then retired.

Turn around
For all their efforts, the Washington Capitals improved by 29 points with a record of 39 wins, 25 losses and 16 ties for 94 points. They finished third in the Patrick Division, qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in history. They lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion New York Islanders in the first round, but that season marked the first of 14 straight playoff appearances.

Things had changed in Washington.

The others
David Poile served as Washington's general manager for 15 years, finishing his tenure with the Capitals with a record of 594-454-124.

He would take on the role of president and general manager of the expansion Nashville Predators in 1998, and holds that position to this day.

Meanwhile in Montreal, the trade was not as lopsided as I first thought. Not only did Rick Green and Ryan Walter contribute, they provided veteran leadership to a team laden with rookies that put it all together to win the Stanley Cup in 1986. They are the only two of the six players in the trade to win the Stanley Cup after the trade.

Parting thoughts
It is often difficult to pinpoint exactly when something changes. Often it is a slow rise or decline.

In the case of the Washington Capitals, it was dramatic, keyed by one blockbuster trade.

General Manager David Poile knew he needed to cut down the goals against. He already had an explosive offence with goal scorers such as Mike Gartner, Dennis Maruk and Bobby Carpenter, so shoring up the back end meant they really could be competitive.

And they were – qualifying for the playoffs for the first time and starting a 14-season streak of playoff appearances.

It was the precedent for the success that followed, changed the culture, and made it possible to believe that some day a Stanley Cup could come to Landover, Maryland.

And it would.