Each NHL team is allowed to have up to 50 players under contract, so here is a look at Washington’s updated “50-man roster” and how long each player is under contract. The Caps were up against the 50-man limit at the end of the year last year, but we’ve removed the UFAs from this list.
FORWARDS (21)
SEE RELATED:
Alex Ovechkin, 2021
Michael Nylander, 2011
Chris Clark, 2011
Brooks Laich, 2011
Matt Bradley, 2011
Oskar Osala, 2011 (RFA)
Francois Bouchard, 2011 (RFA)
Mathieu Perreault, 2011 (RFA)
Alexander Semin, 2010 (RFA)
Nicklas Backstrom, 2010 (RFA)
Jay Beagle, 2010 (RFA)
Tomas Fleischmann, 2010 (RFA)
Andrew Gordon, 2010
David Steckel, 2010
Keith Aucoin, 2010
Quintin Laing, 2010
Eric Fehr, 2009 (RFA)*
Boyd Gordon, 2009 (RFA)*
Steve Pinizzotto, 2009 (RFA)*
Chris Bourque, 2009 (RFA)*
Kyle Wilson, 2009 (RFA)*
DEFENSEMEN (13)
Mike Green, 2012 (RFA)
Tom Poti, 2011
Karl Alzner, 2011 (RFA)
John Erskine, 2011
Sean Collins, 2011
Josh Godfrey, 2011 (RFA)
Brian Pothier, 2010
Tyler Sloan, 2010
Patrick McNeil, 2010 (RFA)
Viktor Dovgan, 2010(RFA)
Shaone Morrisonn, 2009 (RFA)*
Milan Jurcina, 2009 (RFA)*
Jeff Schultz, 2009 (RFA)*
GOALTENDERS (3)
Simeon Varlamov, 2011 (RFA)
Jose Theodore, 2010
Michal Neuvirth, 2010 (RFA)
* Extended qualifying offer for 2010
2010 CONTRACTS
Here are the guys who are signed and their deals kick in next season — if they play pro hockey in North America (i.e. if Della Rovere goes back to juniors and Gustafsson doesn’t come to the States, they don’t count and the clock gets pushed back a year):
FORWARDS
Anton Gustafsson, 2012 (RFA)
Stefan Della Rovere, 2012 (RFA)
Trevor Bruess, 2011 (RFA)
Jake Hauswirth, 2012 (RFA)
DEFENSEMEN
John Carlson, 2012 (RFA)
Joe Finley, 2011 (RFA)
Zach Miskovic, 2010 (RFA)
GOALTENDERS
Braden Holtby, 2012 RFA)
So that is potentially 45 guys under contract already for next year, but that’s only if all eight of the RFAs are retained and all eight kids play for Hershey/South Carolina. Gustafsson is not coming over, so it is likely to be 44 at most.
Near the end of the season when the college free agents were signing, GM George McPhee said he’d like to end up at 46-47 contracts next season. The Caps were at 48 last year, but then signed Bryan Helmer and added Staffan Kronwall during the season. It will be interesting to see how many of the Hershey UFAs (Giroux, Mink, Helmer, Kronwall) are brought back.
One last thing, here is a list of the unsigned draft picks that the Caps still own the rights to (I’m not including the European guys from years and years ago):
2009
Marcus Johansson, SEL
Dmitri Orlov, KHL
Cody Eakin, WHL
Patrick Wey, NCAA (BC next year)
Brett Flemming, OHL
Garrett Mitchell, WHL
Benjamin Casavant, QMJHL
2008
Eric Mestery, WHL
Dmitry Kugryshev, QMJHL
Joel Broda, WHL
Greg Burke, NCAA (UNH next year)
2007
Phil Desimone, NCAA (UNH Soph)
Dan Dunn, NCAA (St Cloud soph)
Nick Larson, NCAA (Minn. Frosh)
Andrew Glass, NCAA (BU frosh)
2006
Keith Seabrook, WHL (NCAA junior)*
* Because he went to college first, the Caps have his rights until his “class” graduates
