Vegas Golden Knights acquire veteran center from metro division team
Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Nic Dowd is headed from the Washington Capitals to the Vegas Golden Knights, and Vegas just got meaner down the middle.
Dowd plays a hard, detail-first game that coaches trust late and on the penalty kill.
He is 35, drafted in 2009 in the 7th round by the Los Angeles Kings, and he has built a career on doing the ugly work.
Nic Dowd gives the Vegas Golden Knights a playoff lever
Dowd is a tough player to play against; he's responsible, defensively-sound, and physical -- exactly what teams want in the playoffs.
Dowd carries a $3.0M cap hit through 2026-27 and is set to be a UFA in 2027.
The full trade details are in, and it took a whopping package to acquire him. A second round pick in 2029, a third round pick in 2027, and a goalie prospect Jesper Vikman.
Vegas Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon announced today, March 5, that the team has acquired forward Nic Dowd from the Washington Capitals in exchange for goaltender Jesper Vikman, a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft, and a second-round pick in the 2029 NHL Entry Draft.
Dowd, 35, has skated in 55 games for the Capitals this season and recorded 16 points (4 G, 12 A) with an average time on ice of 15:33. Dowd's shorthanded ice time per game of 2:40 was the highest among Washington's forwards and ranked 10th out of all forwards in the NHL this season. Dowd has also produced 113 hits on the 2025-26 season, which were the third-highest total on the Capitals.
The native of Huntsville, Alabama, spent each of the last eight seasons in Washington and posted at least 20 points in six of those campaigns. Dowd earned career-highs in goals (14) and points (27) last season while appearing in each of Washington's 82 games. Prior to his time in the nation's capital, Dowd played one season with the Vancouver Canucks (2017-18), and parts of three with the Los Angeles Kings (2015-18). The Kings drafted Dowd in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and later signed the forward following four seasons at St. Cloud State University, where he had 121 points (52 G, 69 A) in 155 NCAA games and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2014.
Dowd, 35, has skated in 55 games for the Capitals this season and recorded 16 points (4 G, 12 A) with an average time on ice of 15:33. Dowd's shorthanded ice time per game of 2:40 was the highest among Washington's forwards and ranked 10th out of all forwards in the NHL this season. Dowd has also produced 113 hits on the 2025-26 season, which were the third-highest total on the Capitals.
The native of Huntsville, Alabama, spent each of the last eight seasons in Washington and posted at least 20 points in six of those campaigns. Dowd earned career-highs in goals (14) and points (27) last season while appearing in each of Washington's 82 games. Prior to his time in the nation's capital, Dowd played one season with the Vancouver Canucks (2017-18), and parts of three with the Los Angeles Kings (2015-18). The Kings drafted Dowd in the seventh round (198th overall) of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft and later signed the forward following four seasons at St. Cloud State University, where he had 121 points (52 G, 69 A) in 155 NCAA games and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in 2014.
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| POLL | ||
MARS 5|177 ANSWERS Vegas Golden Knights acquire veteran center from metro division team Will the Vegas Golden Knights win the Western Conference? | ||
| Yes | 60 | 33.9 % |
| No | 117 | 66.1 % |
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