TJ Oshie initially dreaded finding out he was traded to the Capitals: '[It was] the first time in my life I really felt defeated'

"I had been told that there [was] a chance I was gonna get traded to Pittsburgh at the draft. I was told the deal was in the works and then it didn't go through. I knew once they got a right winger that I wasn't going. So I was like, 'Okay, I'm gonna retire as a Blue, live here the rest of my life, just like all the old Blues do.' And I was super proud of that, happy about that."

"I was really let down. I felt like I let like the whole city down, right? Because they treated me so well. I took so much pride in being a Blue. I guess maybe [it was] the first time in my life I really felt defeated... But it was only [for] like 10 minutes because once [Capitals GM] Brian MacLellan called me, I've never heard anyone more happy that I was gonna join the organization."

TJ Oshie believed he would remain a St. Louis Blues player after a possible trade to Pittsburgh fell through at the 2015 draft. He planned to retire as a Blue and felt proud to stay in St. Louis. The Washington Capitals traded for Oshie the following day, sending Troy Brouwer and prospect Phoenix Copley to St. Louis. Oshie felt deeply let down and briefly defeated, thinking he had let the city down. The mood shifted when Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan called, and Oshie became excited by the prospect of playing with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom.

Read at RMNB