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Free Agent Focus: Washington Capitals

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Free agency is now just a couple of weeks away from opening up and there are quite a few prominent players set to hit the open market while many teams have key restricted free agents to re-sign.  The Capitals already put pen to paper with one of their free agents of note but they still have several players in need of new deals.  Here’s a closer look at their free agent situation.

Notable Restricted Free Agents: F Jakub Vrana – After a relatively quiet sophomore season, Vrana was much-improved in 2018-19 and took several strides towards locking down a spot in Washington’s top six on a more permanent basis.  GM Brian MacLellan has indicated that he’s open to signing the 23-year-old to a long-term contract but that may be a tricky one to navigate between their salary cap situation and a lack of track record as a scorer in the NHL.  A bridge deal of two or three years would ease their cap burden a little bit and give them more time to evaluate Vrana’s long-term fit with the franchise.

F Andre Burakovsky – A few years ago, he looked like a future top-six piece (not unlike Vrana’s situation now).  However, his development and production have plateaued and he actually took a step back this past season and found himself on the fourth line quite frequently in the second half.  At 24, there’s still some cause for optimism that Burakovsky could turn things around but his qualifying offer of $3.25MM makes that a risky proposition due to their limited cap space.  All options are on the table at this point but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Capitals try to convince him to sign below his qualifier or try to find a team that’s willing to pay him that and deal his rights around the draft.

Other RFAs: F Mathias Bau-Hansen, F Dmitrij Jaskin, D Christian Djoos, F Hampus Gustavsson, F Mason Mitchell, F Chandler Stephenson, G Vitek Vanecek, D Colby Williams

Notable Unrestricted Free Agents: F Brett Connolly – After showing flashes of his potential over the first several years of his career, the 27-year-old started to put everything together with more consistency this past season.  He blew past his previous career high in points (27) by picking up 22 goals and 24 assists on the year and most importantly, he did so almost exclusively at even strength; just two of his 46 points were on special teams.  It’s also worth noting that he averaged just 13:20 of ice time per night which is low for someone with that type of production.  Secondary scoring is always something teams try to find in free agency and the fact that Connolly just showed that he can produce at five-on-five with limited minutes is going to make him a popular target next month.

D Brooks Orpik – His second go-around with the team came just after his first one ended after Washington dealt him to Colorado.  The Avalanche bought him out and Orpik returned to the Caps.  His role was a lot different in 2018-19, however.  Instead of being a fixture in their top four most nights, Orpik was relegated to more of a depth role.  He’ll turn 39 next month so, at this stage of his career, he’s going to be going year to year on his contracts.  It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be back in Washington but a team looking for veteran depth could come calling as the summer goes along.

Other UFAs: F Riley Barber, F Jayson Megna, D Aaron Ness, F Michael Sgarbossa, F Devante Smith-Pelly, F Nathan Walker

Projected Cap Space: Right now, Washington has a little over $72.2MM tied up in 17 players for next season, per CapFriendly.  With the Upper Limit now being projected to be a little lower than anticipated, that’s going to leave MacLellan with less than $10MM to round out the roster.  Vrana’s going to take up a fair-sized chunk of that even on a short-term deal while if Burakovsky sticks around, their cap room will drop quite a bit again.  Accordingly, expect them to be shopping for bargains in free agency, players that are willing to take a bit less to play on what they believe can still be a Cup-contending team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Metropolitan Notes: Available Draft Picks, Hayes, Orpik, Burakovsky

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With the NHL Entry Draft fast approaching later this week, there are plenty of teams looking to make trades or even better, looking to move up in the draft, especially in the first round. The trick is finding a team who would be willing to move their first-round selection.

The Athletic’s Craig Custance (subscription required) looks at the entire first round and identifies team that might be open to trading their first-round pick and it doesn’t take long to notice that there are plenty of Metropolitan Division teams on his list of teams. The New York Rangers, already picking at the No. 2 position, also have the 20th pick in the draft, acquired from Winnipeg for Kevin Hayes, and might be willing to move that to further hasten their rebuild. In fact, it’s already been rumored to be sent back to Winnipeg as part of a package to acquire Jacob Trouba. The Philadelphia Flyers could be a team that might be willing to move the 11th overall pick as they are also looking to make changes to get them back into the playoff discussion.

Custance adds that you can’t count out either Pittsburgh (#21) or Carolina (#28) as well. The Penguins might be more open to moving the pick as they want to get one more chance at the title before the Sidney Crosby era ends, while Carolina wants to continue with the success they had last year and wants to continually build its core.

  • NHL.com’s Bill Meltzer writes that the Philadelphia Flyers are still working on a new contract for Hayes, according to general manager Chuck Fletcher. The team traded a fifth-round pick to acquire Hayes’ rights recently in hopes they could begin negotiating early and convince him to sign before other teams could be allowed to speak to him. “We’ve had some very good, constructive dialogue with Kevin. We’re continuing to work with his representation. We’ll see how things play out, but so far it’s been a positive process,” Fletcher said.
  • NBC Sports’ J.J. Regan writes that when the Washington Capitals acquired Radko Gudas from Philadelphia for Matt Niskanen, it likely ended the team’s relationship with veteran Brooks Orpik as well. The Capitals already had six defensemen under contract and restricted free agent Christian Djoos would make seven once they re-sign him. That would make Orpik the team’s eighth defenseman and with plenty of cap issues, it would be highly unlikely the team would consider bringing him back. Orpik said he would decide later this offseason whether he would retire or come back for one more year, but if he does want to come back, it’s likely going to be with another team.
  • NBC Sports’ James O’Brien also adds that with the signing of Carl Hagelin to a new four-year extension, that leaves little money left for the rest of their roster. The team already has committed $72.26MM committed to 17 players, leaving them with approximately $10.7MM in cap space to fill out their roster, assuming the salary cap will be set at $83MM this year, which is not a certainty. The team still has a number of key unsigned players, included unrestricted free agent Brett Connolly and restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky. O’Brien wonders whether the Hagelin deal could mean the team considers moving Burakovsky’s rights. The Capitals and Burakovsky have had issues with each other at times, but the 24-year-old might be worth something as he still has quite a bit of talent left in him.

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Carl Hagelin To Four-Year Extension

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed one of their top unrestricted free agents as the team announced that it has inked forward Carl Hagelin to a four-year, $11MM extension. The deal will give him a $2.75MM AAV.

According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, the contract is as follows:

2019-20: $2.5MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2020-21: $2.7MM salary, $2MM signing bonus
2021-22: $2MM salary, $1MM signing bonus
2022-23: $1.8MM salary

“We are pleased to have signed Carl to a new four year contract,” said Washington general manager Brian MacLellan. “Carl is a versatile player who can play on any line and is an excellent penalty killer. He is a proven winner and provides great leadership to our team.” Hagelin came over to Washington at the trade deadline when the team acquired the speedy forward in exchange for a 2019 third-round pick to give the team some added depth for a playoff run. While they were eventually eliminated in the first round of the playoffs to the Carolina Hurricanes, the team was real happy with his production as he scored three goals and 11 points in 20 regular season games and proved to be a good fit in the team’s middle-six as the veteran is a two-time Stanley Cup Champion when he was with the Pittsburgh Penguins. The trade to Washington seemed to renewed the 30-year-old forward as he struggled with Pittsburgh to start the season, then was traded to Los Angeles in November for Tanner Pearson, but did little to impress them. He finished the season with a combined five goals and 19 points between the three teams. However, in Washington, he fared much better and also played a big role on the Capitals’ penalty kill, averaging 2:21 per game on that unit, first on the team.

One issue was whether the Capitals would have the cap space available to sign Hagelin as the team was very tight against the cap. However, after Saturday’s trade that sent defenseman Matt Niskanen to Philadelphia for Radko Gudas, Washington freed up $3.4MM in cap space, which allowed the team to lock up Hagelin. That won’t be it for changes with Washington as the Capitals still must find some money to lock up restricted free agents Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky. It also suggests the team is likely to allow forward Brett Connolly, who is an unrestricted free agent, to walk away.

Capitals Hoping To Re-Sign Carl Hagelin

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Carl Hagelin made a positive impression on the Capitals after they acquired him from Los Angeles in advance of the trade deadline.  However, keeping him in the fold was going to be tricky given their salary cap situation.  As a result of today’s defensive swap with Philadelphia though, they now have over $3MM in room to work with.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Washington is hoping to put that some of that money towards keeping Hagelin around as they are still trying to get him signed to a new contract.

While Washington was able to get away with carrying Hagelin at a reduced rate in 2018-19 thanks to the Penguins and Kings retaining part of his $4MM contract, that won’t be the case this time around.  The question for them now is how close to his old AAV will they have to get to in order to keep him in the fold.

Although he’s coming of a particularly rough season offensively (just five goals and 14 assists in 58 games), Hagelin was somewhat productive in his time with Washington as 11 of his 19 points came with them in just 20 contests.  However, he was largely held off the scoresheet in their first-round loss as he had just a single assist in seven games.

Even if he’s no longer much of an offensive threat, the 30-year-old is still a very strong skater and penalty killer and should be able to play in that role for a few more years.   Those qualities are what made Washington interested in him in the first place so it’s no surprise that they want to keep him around.  As a result of the trade, they now have at least $10MM in cap space for next year (the actual amount won’t be known until the Upper Limit is officially set) so their ability to bring Hagelin back has certainly gotten a boost.

Washington Capitals Trade Matt Niskanen

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The Washington Capitals have cleared some much needed cap space, trading Matt Niskanen to the Philadelphia Flyers in exchange for Radko Gudas. The Flyers will be retaining 30% of Gudas’ remaining contract, which leaves Washington responsible for just $2.345MM for the 2019-20 season. Niskanen meanwhile has two years left on his deal which carries a $5.75MM cap hit.

This deal has plenty of layers to it, but the most obvious one for the Capitals is how it gives them more operating space this summer. The team is dealing with a very tight cap situation thanks to some big contracts they’ve handed out over the last few seasons, and are carrying a $1.15MM bonus overage as well. With new contracts needed for players like Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky there was always someone that would be a cap casualty. If it had to happen, Niskanen was perhaps the most obvious choice given the acquisition of Nick Jensen last season and his subsequent extension. The Capitals can move Jensen—or Gudas, if they choose—into the top four for a much lower price tag.

While he may come with a reputation as a player who sometimes crosses the line, Gudas has also been relatively underrated throughout his career. The physical right-shot defenseman is an excellent player in his own end and can effectively get the puck out of the zone. His possession numbers have been strong for years, and he has tallied more than 20 points three times in his career despite never seeing consistent powerplay time. While he may not be as experienced or as effective as a healthy Niskanen, he’s certainly not just a throw in for the Capitals.

For the Flyers though, a move like this is to get an experienced reliable veteran to help guide their young blue line over the next two seasons. Niskanen has averaged more than 20 minutes a night for the last seven seasons and has taken on all kinds of different roles throughout his career. Sometimes a powerplay quarterback, sometimes a shutdown defender, the 32-year old will come to Philadelphia with something to prove after a down season. Niskanen recorded just 25 points in 80 games, his lowest total since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. The Flyers will hope that’s not the first sign of a rapid decline, as he’ll likely be asked to play a huge role for them in 2019-20.

Washington Capitals Re-Sign Liam O’Brien

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed minor league forward Liam O’Brien to a one-year, two way contract. The deal will pay O’Brien $700K in the NHL, and allows him to avoid restricted free agency this summer. Because of his age, O’Brien could potentially become a Group VI unrestricted free agent next year should he fail to play in another 63 NHL games this season.

O’Brien, 24, was signed as an undrafted free agent back in 2014 after a long junior career in the QMJHL. The physical forward eventually made his NHL debut that season, earning himself 23 penalty minutes in 13 games as a rookie. Those 13 contests would be more than he has seen in the NHL since, but O’Brien has now worked his way to more of an offensive threat in the minor leagues. For the Hershey Bears this season, he still ended up with his normal 100+ penalty minutes but also added 15 goals and 28 points.

Unless something changes in training camp, O’Brien will likely serve as a depth option for the Capitals again this season. His minimum salary might come in handy, but the Bears will likely see more of him.

Offseason Keys: Washington Capitals

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With the postseason down to just two teams, most squads are now well into their offseason planning.  What storylines lie ahead around the league in what is shaping up to be a likely busy NHL offseason?  Next up in our Offseason Keys series is a look at the Washington Capitals.

After Washington won the Stanley Cup last season, they opted to keep the core of the team intact heading into 2018-19.  The decision certainly made plenty of sense and the Caps wound up winning the Metropolitan Division.  However, they were then upset at the hands of the upstart Hurricanes in the first round so there could be some changes to the roster this time around.  Here’s what’s on GM Brian MacLellan’s to-do list this offseason.

Extension Talks

If it seems like so long ago that center Nicklas Backstrom was coming to the end of his contract, it’s because it has been.  His current ten-year contract (one that is no longer permissible in the CBA) was signed back in 2010 and since then, he has been a bargain considering how much time he has spent on Washington’s top line.

However, he’s now entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible to sign a contract extension as of July 1st.  Backstrom has already indicated a willingness to sign a new deal but it’s also fair to say that he’s going to be looking for a decent-sized raise on his current $6.7MM AAV.  Considering Washington is perpetually up against the Upper Limit, there is a limit to what MacLellan will be willing to pay but it wouldn’t be surprising to see a deal worked out fairly quickly.

The same can’t be said for their other core player entering the final year of his deal.  Goaltender Braden Holtby is coming off his second straight season with a GAA and a SV% below the league average.  While he’s still viewed as a starter for now, has he started to decline or were the last two seasons just an aberration and he’ll get back to being one of the better netminders in the league?  That type of uncertainty will complicate things.

So too will the looming Seattle expansion.  Top prospect Ilya Samsonov will need to be protected for that draft.  If he re-signs, so will Holtby.  There’s also a chance that Holtby will have enough leverage to yield a no-move clause which would guarantee him protection.  Long story short, this could be a Pittsburgh situation all over again.  With that in mind, it may be more prudent to see how the start of next season goes before deciding what to do but there should at least be cursory discussions that occur this summer.

Vrana Contract

Washington doesn’t have a long list of notable free agents to re-sign but winger Jakub Vrana’s case will be an interesting one to follow.  He spent a fair amount of time in the top six and upped his production accordingly, beating his point total from 2017-18 by 20 while jumping to a respectable 23 goals.  Unfortunately for both him and the Capitals, Vrana struggled in the postseason which will likely affect his value.

MacLellan stated previously that he’s open to signing the 23-year-old to a long-term deal but last month, it was noted that the focus is a shorter-term bridge contract or one that is only slightly longer.  Considering their cap situation, going with a bridge pact would give them a bit more flexibility this summer but it will result in a higher AAV a couple of years down the road.

In recent years, MacLellan has been able to lock up his core players to long-term pacts when he wants to but this may wind up being one of the exceptions.  Getting Vrana to forego potential UFA years will take the team being willing to pay him top-six money when he has yet to establish himself as a regular in that role.  Given how few dollars they have to work with this summer, that may just be too much risk for their liking.

Reshape The Bottom Six

The majority of players that spent time in Washington’s bottom six up front are slated to become free agents (either restricted or unrestricted) this summer.  Not many are likely to be back for financial reasons as wingers like Brett Connolly (UFA), Carl Hagelin (UFA), and Andre Burakovsky (RFA with a qualifying offer of $3.25MM) are all likely to be out of their price range unless one is willing to take a below-market deal to remain with the team.

Internally, there aren’t many options that are ready to step up.  Players like Shane Gersich and Liam O’Brien could be fourth line fits.  Nathan Walker, a Group VI free agent, is open to re-signing but he’s only a depth option as well.  They’ll likely have to look outside the organization to find a player or two that can step onto their third line.

Burakovsky could be dangled to yield one of those pieces, as long as there’s a team willing to tender him a qualifying offer.  Beyond that though, watch for Washington to be active on the UFA market to find role players willing to take a short-term bargain deal as they change the makeup of their bottom six group.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AHL Notes: Milner, Whitney, Ollas Mattsson

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Goaltender Parker Milner provided the Washington Capitals with some depth in net this season, but the organization is content to move forward with him on an AHL contract instead of continuing his short-term NHL pact. Milner, 28, signed his first NHL contract back in February to close out the 2018-19, simply to serve as emergency depth as Washington pushed toward the playoffs. Milner has mostly played in the ECHL in his pro career after coming out of Boston College as a well-regarded prospect, but has settled in with the Capitals organization, splitting the past three seasons between the AHL’s Hershey Bears and and the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. The Bears announced today that they have re-signed Milner to a one-year contract, bringing him back for yet another year. Between potential future starter Ilya Samsonov and another promising young keeper in Vitek Vanecek, Milner is not guaranteed starts in Hershey again next season, but has shown that he is more than willing to spend time in the ECHL if asked.

  • The Bears have also signed forward Steven Whitney to a one-year extension. Whitney is a long-time teammate of Milner’s, as the 28-year-old also played at Boston College and has spent the past two years with South Carolina and Hershey, respectively. Whitney stands just 5’7″, but like brother and former NHLer Joe Whitney, he doesn’t let his size (or lack thereof) prevent him from being a difference maker. Despite heading toward the latter part of his career, Whitney had arguably his best pro season in the AHL last year and will continue to be a valued forward for Hershey.
  • As expected, Adam Ollas Mattsson is headed back home to Sweden. The SHL’s Malmo Redhawks have announced a two-year contract with the promising 22-year-old. Ollas Mattsson was a sixth-round pick by the Calgary Flames back in 2014 and, while it took some time, he broke out this year, skating in 65 games on an AHL contract with the Stockton Heat, recording 18 points and +22 rating. Yet, the depth on the blue line in Calgary made it unlikely that Ollas Mattson would be in the NHL ice time conversation any time soon. Rather than even wait to see if he was offered an NHL contract, Ollas Mattson is set to depart, as was reported earlier in the month. The former junior star in Sweden will switch teams, jumping from Djurgardens to Malmo, who are very excited to add the big defender.

Bonus Overage Could Force Washington To Non-Tender Burakovsky

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Washington’s salary cap situation doesn’t leave them a lot of wiggle room to work with this summer.  Restricted free agent winger Andre Burakovsky is arguably their most intriguing player in need of a new contract.  His qualifying offer checks in at $3.25MM which is on the pricey side for a forward who has scored a dozen goals in each of the last three seasons but at the same time, he’s only 24 and has shown flashes of considerable upside.  Despite that, NBC Sports Washington’s J.J. Regan posits that their $1.15MM bonus overage from 2018-19 (bonuses for fellow RFA Jakub Vrana and UFA blueliner Brooks Orpik) could ultimately force Brian MacLellan to non-tender him next month.  It’s rare that a player with some track record of NHL success becomes available on the open market so if he was to become available, there would undoubtedly be considerable interest in him despite his struggles.

Elsewhere out East:

  • Contract talks between the Sabres and winger Jeff Skinner are expected to resume this week at the Draft Combine, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link). Talks between the two sides have gone back several months but they’ve yet to find an agreement just yet.  Complicating matters is that Skinner had a torrid start that saw him score 30 goals in his first 44 games.  However, he had just ten in 38 contests the rest of the way.  It’s plausible to think that Skinner will want to be paid for reaching the 40-goal mark while Buffalo GM Jason Botterill will be looking for a cheaper deal given his late struggles and concussion history.
  • With Brock Nelson now locked up for six more years, the Islanders will likely shift their focus to captain Anders Lee, notes Brett Cyrgalis of the New York Post. There is mutual interest in getting a deal done but the issue continues to be the term of the deal.  The winger will turn 29 in July so a near max-term pact will certainly carry some risk; Cyrgalis suggests the Isles may not want to go more than four years.  However, he’s a big part of their attack and one of the top wingers on the open market so GM Lou Lamoriello will likely have to compromise and give him a longer-term contract to keep Lee in the fold.

Snapshots: Trouba, Zucker, Vrana

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The Winnipeg Jets suffered an early defeat in the Stanley Cup playoffs after lazily struggling through the last part of the regular season. Something seemed off for months as the team lost their grip on the Central Division, and failed to crack 100 points despite being 34-16-2 at the beginning of February. That may lead to some changes this offseason as the team decides how they can better compete, and Jacob Trouba’s name has come up in trade talks once again. Both Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun and Murat Ates of The Athletic (subscription required) examined the Trouba situation and the potential outcomes.

Most prevalent in both pieces is a trade of the right-handed defenseman, given his unwillingness to sign a long-term contract to this point. Trouba was previously unhappy with his role on the team, playing behind Tyler Myers and Dustin Byfuglien or asked to hit the ice on his unnatural left side. This year much of that changed and Trouba became the premiere offensive weapon on the Jets’ blue line, recording 50 points in 82 games. Unfortunately he is now without a contract and just a single year away from unrestricted free agency. If the Jets don’t trade Trouba, he could elect salary arbitration again in order to secure himself a one-year deal.

  • It’s hard to talk trade these days without mentioning the Minnesota Wild, who are expected to be active this summer in their pursuit of a return to the playoffs in 2020. Wild GM Paul Fenton has already torn apart the previous core of the team by trading the likes of Charlie Coyle, Nino Niederreiter and Mikael Granlund, but has more work to do in order to get his team back to the promised land. Michael Russo of The Athletic (subscription required) reports that Jason Zucker is being dangled once again in trade talks, as he was at the deadline when he was almost sent to the Calgary Flames. Russo examines potential trade fits for the Wild including Phil Kessel, Tyler Johnson and William Nylander, though it is not clear who Fenton is targeting at this moment.
  • While writing about the upcoming cap crunch facing the Washington Capitals, Chris Kuc of The Athletic (subscription required) notes that the team is exploring a two-year bridge deal with restricted free agent Jakub Vrana. The two sides, Washington and agent J.P. Barry have also discussed a “slightly longer” deal for Vrana, and conducted initial talks on another client, Carl Hagelin. The Capitals are in a tough cap situation heading into next season, and much of it will depend on what number they can get Vrana at. That’s why a bridge deal makes sense, though Vrana is coming off a 24-goal season and will be looking for a healthy raise regardless.

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