Matt Niskanen

It's hard to say goodbye, but Carlson and Niskanen approve the Capitals recent moves

Published Sep. 1, 2015 1:57 p.m. ET

foxsports

It's tough to say goodbye to a team mate. It's even tougher to say goodbye to four.

“I know the business side of things,” defenseman John Carlson said to CSN Washington. “You’ve got to learn to roll with it. We lost some great friends of mine, some great players on the ice. But I think we added some great, great quality players, too. So I think in this league it’s tough to stand pat and just say, ‘We’ll be better next year.’”

The Capitals added forwards T.J. Oshie and Justin Williams this offseason, but they also had to part ways with forwards Troy Brouwer, Eric Fehr, Joel Ward and defenseman Mike Green. As difficult as that is for the current team, as defenseman Matt Niskanen put it, it's a business, and the team felt the moves helped out the team. Niskanen believes the team added some skill, and he's really happy the new guys are a part of the team.

“The new guys, that’s exciting, real exciting,” Niskanen said. “They’re good players who have been on good teams. Williams’ track record at the right time of the year (specifically in Game 7's) speaks for itself. He plays better in the biggest games and that’s a good trait."

That's a good thing for the Capitals, who have struggled with Game 7's throughout their entire franchise's history. Washington is 4-10 all-time in Game 7's.

Niskanen also knows Oshie pretty well. The two battled with one another all through high school in Minnesota.

“Oshie’s a real competitive guy with skill," Niskanen said. "And hopefully we’ll see even more skill than we saw in St. Louis if he gets with guys like Ovi and Backy. He’ll get some open ice and he’ll open up some ice for them, too, because he’s a physical player and strong.”

(h/t CSN Washington)

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Matt Niskanen

John Carlson

Washington Capitals

National Hockey League