Earlier today, speaking on First Up, TSN’s Darren Dreger indicated that the Washington Capitals were working on an extension with forward Connor McMichael. McMichael is projected to become a restricted free agent this summer and an unrestricted free agent after the 2027-28 season.
It’s easy to see why the Capitals would want to start early on a McMichael extension. The former 25th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Draft has become a promising secondary scorer for Washington, registering 52 goals and 121 points in 221 games since the beginning of the 2023-24 campaign.
It’ll be interesting to see the length of the reported deal. The Capitals could very well conclude the Alex Ovechkin era this season, but they do have multiple pieces locked in through the 2029-30 season. If they perceive McMichael as a long-term fixture, and there’s no reason to think they don’t, then McMichael could line up with Washington on a seven-year deal, which would match with defenseman Jakob Chychrun‘s contract.
Other updates from the Metropolitan Division:
- After trading winger Bobby Brink to the Minnesota Wild earlier today, the Philadelphia Flyers may recall one of their top prospects to fill the void. According to team reporter Bill Meltzer, the Flyers are expected to recall Alex Bump for his NHL debut this weekend. A year after winning a National Championship with Western Michigan University, Bump has scored 11 goals and 26 goals in 36 AHL games throughout his first full professional season.
- Arguably winning deadline day, the New York Islanders provided a few updates on a few injured players. According to Ethan Sears of the New York Post, there is no change to defenseman Alexander Romanov‘s recovery timeline, who is expected to return in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for veteran netminder Semyon Varlamov, who isn’t expected back this season and has likely finished his NHL career.