Wilson Shuster is not the type to rest on his laurels. The Washington Galaxy general manager was pleased by his team’s better-than-expected performance last season, coming up just one point shy of a playoff spot. Rather than approaching this season as though the Galaxy are playing with house money, however, Shuster was aggressive in free agency, in a bid to strengthen his roster. When he failed to land any of the top free agents, however, he pivoted to trading for one of the league’s best defensemen, Wyatt Barnes, and plugging a hole on the wing by signing veteran C Lars Karlsson.
“The playoffs are the goal,” said the Galaxy GM. “When it looks like you’re ahead of schedule in meeting your goal, that’s not the time to take your foot off the gas. That’s the time to double down.”
Armed with one of the highest cap-space figures in the league, Washington was heavily involved in the bidding for all the top free-agent targets this offseason, including LW Troy Chamberlain. Shuster even reportedly made a strong bid to bring disgruntled C Barry Sullivan back. Unfortunately for the GM’s plans, the Galaxy came up empty again and again, as the top free agents all signed elsewhere (reportedly taking less money to do so, in some cases).
“No regrets,” said Shuster after his free-agency strikeout. “We feel good about the offers we made. We can’t control whether a player says yes or no, but we put ourselves in a good position to land all the top guys. The puck just didn’t bounce our way.”
With Plan A – landing a big-name free agent – off the table, Shuster pursued Plan B. The cash-strapped Saskatchewan Shockers are in the process of blowing up their roster and rebuilding. This meant that practically every higher-salaried player over 25 was available – including 29-year-old Barnes, the five-time All-Star and multi-time Defenseman of the Year finalist. Barnes finished 2022 with 50 points (including a team-leading 37 assists) and 144 blocks (the seventh-highest total in the league).
Unsurprisingly, the cost to acquire Barnes was steep; Washington surrendered 25-year-old D Harald Haakom (7 goals, 18 assists, and 125 blocks in 2022) and their 2023 first-round pick. The Galaxy, however, didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger.
“It’s pretty rare that one of the top blueliners in the league becomes available,” said Shuster. “When you have that opportunity, you take it. Harald is a fine young player and that pick could be valuable, but a player of Wyatt’s caliber is worth it.”
After acquiring Barnes, however, the Galaxy still had a hole on their second line. They declined to re-sign LW Alan Youngman after a disappointing season; however, they whiffed on their attempts to replace him with Chamberlain, Vonnie McLearen, Pascal Royal, and other free agents. Here again, Shuster got creative, landing the 35-year-old Karlsson, who has been a center throughout his SHL career.
Karlsson has been in steady decline for several seasons now, and when his four-year, $12-million contract with Saskatchewan expired at the end of last season, the rebuilding Shockers made no effort to retain him. Due to a tepid free-agent market for centers, Karlsson found himself contemplating retirement when he was unable to find a deal to his liking.
But then along came Shuster, with an offer to play left wing for the Galaxy. The veteran was intrigued, and he signed a one-year, $1-million deal after a brief negotiation.
Karlsson is enthusiastic about the position switch. “They asked me if I was okay to play on the wing, and I said of course,” he told reporters. “To me, the most important thing is to be able to keep playing.”
Galaxy coach Nick Foster believes Karlsson’s experience will benefit the team. “Lars has probably forgotten more about playing hockey that most guys will ever know,” said Foster. “He’s like another coach for us, on the ice and in the locker room. The fact that he’s willing to move to the wing, that’s a sign of his leadership and his love for the game. He’s a huge add for us!”
Even with these big-name additions, Washington remains an underdog in the highly competitive East. But Shuster is confident in the team he’s putting on the ice. “Last season, nobody thought we’d amount to anything,” said the GM. “We proved them wrong. Now we’ve got an even better roster, and that same fighting spirit. The rest of the division had better look out!”
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