Devante Smith-Pelly Returning To Washington Capitals

Thursday: The team has officially announced the contract. One year worth $1MM for Smith-Pelly.

Wednesday: Among those players who did not receive qualifying offers on Monday, one name conspicuously stuck out among all the rest. Devante Smith-Pelly, fresh off playing a huge role for the Washington Capitals en route to their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, was without a contract and set to hit the open market. Now, Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic tweets that the veteran forward has turned down two other offers to remain with the Capitals, and has agreed to return on a one-year deal. Kevin Weeks of NHL Network and Bob McKenzie of TSN both report that the deal will be worth $1MM.

Smith-Pelly, 26, scored just seven goals and 16 points for the Capitals this season. He was a workhorse in the bottom of the lineup, but didn’t have much of an offensive impact. That all changed as soon as the postseason started, as Smith-Pelly posted another seven goals in 24 games including two game-winning tallies. He was a physical force recording 78 hits, and was a big part of bringing home the Stanley Cup.

Though he may not offer that kind of offense in the regular season, you can bet that Washington fans are happy to see Smith-Pelly reunited with the team. The Capitals need cheap contributions from their bottom-six now that they’re paying huge dollars to several players, and he’s at the very least proven he can be relied upon in big situations. The deal comes with very little risk for Washington too, as a $1MM salary can be completely buried in the minor leagues if necessary.