Penguins Almost Landed Star Forward Before Capitals Did

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins are very familiar with rival Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie, but in 2015, they almost got to know him in a whole different way. According to Oshie, he was told the Penguins were interested in trading for him at the draft.

In an interview with Tarik El-Bashir of the Monumental Sports Network, Oshie said he was told the St. Louis Blues were closing in on a deal with the Penguins.

“I was told there was a trade in the works with Pittsburgh at the draft,” Oshie said. “It was almost a done deal.”

What may have been heading back to St. Louis in return is unknown, but the deal never went through. The Penguins did not make any moves at the 2015 Draft and, just a few days later, landed Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Oshie also remained with the Blue organization through the 2015 Draft, eventually being traded to the Capitals the following week.

For nine seasons, Oshie has been a crucial face in the Capitals' forward room. In 557 games with the Capitals, he’s scored 191 goals and 188 assists for 379 points. He’s also never been afraid to throw his body around, accumulating 921 hits with the Capitals.

Oshie won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018 and was a major contributor to their postseason run. He scored 21 points in 24 playoff games that year.

In 2015, Oshie was riding high as one of the growing stars of the NHL. He scored 60 and 55 points in his final two seasons with the Blues and shot to stardom when he represented Team USA at the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Most American fans will know Oshie as the skater who took multiple shootout attempts against Team Russia. International rules allow players to repeat attempts rather than forcing a new skater each round.