Washington Capitals Acquire G Rémi Poirier from New Jersey Devils

The Washington Capitals made a trade Sunday morning, acquiring goalie Rémi Poirier from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for the club's seventh round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Poirier, a sixth round pick by the Dallas Stars in the 2020 NHL Draft, was claimed off waivers by New Jersey in late September but never played a game for the Devils before being moved once again.

For Washington, the move revives organizational depth after losing Clay Stevenson on waivers to the Winnipeg Jets.

Goalie Mitch Gibson was brought up from the American Hockey League to serve as a backup for the Capitals in recent weeks, but is averaging 3.5 goals against in two AHL appearances and is the only other goalie in the system with an NHL contract.

Poirier, however, would have to clear waivers in order to be sent him down to Hershey, which would open the door for the Dallas Stars to potentially reclaim their AHL centerpiece.

Poirier has not played in the 2026-27, but is the all-time wins leader for the Texas Stars, the AHL affiliate for Dallas.

His path this season has been intertwined with Connor Hellebuyck's holdout and trade, even through this deal.

The Devils added Poirier amid a need for goaltending depth on the NHL roster, but eventually traded for Hellebuyck and thus blocked any path to real playing time. The link continues with Washington as the Capitals take a chance acquiring Poirier after losing Clay Stevenson to the Jets as they moved to fill the organization during Hellebuyck's holdout.

Poirier played in 52 games for the Texas Stars in the 2025-26 season, amassing a record of 27-19-6 with a .912 save percentage and 2.61 goals-against average.

Poirier has yet to make his NHL debut and comes with a cap hit of $850,000

With the addition of Poirier, defenseman Dylan McIlrath is no longer on the Capitals' 23-man roster, according to multiple reports.