The Washington Capitals have re-signed young AHL standout Christian Djoos to a two-year, contract worth a total of $1.3MM. The deal is two-way in 2017-18, but turns into a one-way deal in 2018-19. Djoos was a pending restricted free agent.
Selected in the seventh-round of the 2012 draft, Djoos exploded this season in the AHL to the tune of 58 points in 66 games. That put him third among league defensemen behind only veteran AHLers T.J. Brennan and Matt Taormina. The puck-rushing Djoos has excellent skating ability and was actually touted as a fairly well-rounded if undersized defenseman coming over from Sweden. This offensive explosion puts him right into the discussion for a Capitals roster spot at some point, as the one-way second half of the contract suggests.
At just 22, he still has time to refine his game quite a bit but if it’s possible to carry over any of his offensive success to the NHL he could be a fine replacement for the outgoing Nate Schmidt. Schmidt, another smooth skating left-handed defenseman, was selected by the Golden Knights last night in the expansion draft. While Djoos has a long way to go to reach his heights, it’s not inconceivable that he could have a similar impact on the Capitals down the line.
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