The Washington Capitals announced Sunday afternoon that the team signed center Nic Dowd to a three-year extension worth $3.9MM. The deal, which spans from 2022-23 to 2024-25, will carry an average annual value of $1.3MM. Per PuckPedia, the structure of the contract is as follows:
2022-23: $1.6MM salary
2023-24: $1.3MM salary
2024-25: $1.0MM salary
Dowd will enter his fifth season with Washington in 2022-23. He’s been a reliable fourth-line center for the team since joining in free agency prior to the 2018-19 campaign.
The native of Huntsville, Alabama, is in the final year of a three-year, $2.25MM extension he signed with the team on April 11, 2019. In his Capitals tenure, Dowd has 27 goals, 26 assists and 53 points in 185 games played along with a 53.3% winning rate in the faceoff dot. He had a career-best 11 goals in 56 games last season while averaging 14:22 per game, also a career-high.
Dowd’s been limited to just nine games in 2021-22 due to a recurring lower-body injury, scoring just a goal in those nine contests. It’s his ability in the faceoff circle and reliable game that draw Washington’s coaching staff and front office to him, though.
As a variety of young prospects like Connor McMichael, Hendrix Lapierre, and Brett Leason are close to becoming full-time players at the NHL level, Dowd will likely be a valuable pivot and mentor to help solidify the team’s bottom six.
Dowd will be 34 years old at the expiry of this contract extension.
Congrats Nic!
love those blue Collar grind it out in the Corner players. Dowd has been nails the last few years in the Faceoff dot