Washington Capitals Re-Sign Beck Malenstyn
The Washington Capitals have re-signed one of their depth forwards, inking Beck Malenstyn to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal will carry an NHL salary of $750K and pay Malenstyn $90K in the AHL.
For Malenstyn, just getting back on the ice will be a triumph after missing the entire season. The 23-year-old forward tore his Achilles tendon in December during offseason training, and was given a recovery timeline of six to eight months. That means he’ll be competing for a spot next season following a very long layoff and likely will need some time in the AHL to really get his game back on track.
That track had him in the Capitals lineup for three games during the 2019-20 season, though he did not register a point. The 6’3″ winger is likely going to top out as a fourth-line option in the NHL thanks to a lack of real scoring upside, but for the league minimum, he’ll be in consideration for a spot. Selected 145th overall in 2016, he scored 15 points in 46 AHL games the last time he was healthy enough to play.
Capitals Winger Beck Malenstyn Out Six To Eight Months
With the Capitals needing to keep some low-priced players at the end of their roster, winger Beck Malenstyn was expected to push for a spot with Washington in training camp. That won’t be the case now as the team announced (Twitter link) over the weekend that he will miss the next six-to-eight months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon. The injury was sustained during offseason training.
The 22-year-old made his NHL debut last season, getting into three games with the Caps. He was held off the scoresheet while collecting five hits but was invited back as part of their reserves for the postseason this past summer. Malenstyn spent most of the season with AHL Hershey, putting up seven goals and eight assists in 46 games while playing an energy and penalty killing role which is what Washington will need from their depth options. However, this timeline basically takes out his entire 2020-21 campaign before it even gets started.
Even with defenseman Michal Kempny out long-term after undergoing Achilles tendon surgery of his own which makes him LTIR-eligible, the Capitals will still have very limited cap space to work with to round out their roster. As things stand, wingers Daniel Sprong, Shane Gersich, and Daniel Carr plus center Michael Sgarbossa are all likely in the mix for the 12th and 13th forward positions due to their low price tag and the fact they’ve had some NHL experience although GM Brian MacLellan could opt to add a veteran free agent to that mix as well.