Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan indicated that forwards Connor Brown and Dylan Strome are still young enough that they could play their way into being part of Washington's future beyond next season.
The Washington Capitals signed free agent center Dylan Strome on Thursday to a one-year, $3.5 million contract.
The Washington Capitals were far from the only NHL team that pounced on its targets to open free agency this week. But the fact that other teams were quick to put pen to paper with free agents made the Capitals' urgency even more important.
With several injuries at the forward position heading into the season, the Capitals bolstered the group on Wednesday by trading for winger Connor Brown and re-signing Marcus Johansson.
After getting rid of both Vitek Vanecek and Ilya Samsonov within the last week, the Capitals wasted no time once free agency began Wednesday. Washington signed former Avalanche goalie Darcy Kuemper to be the starting goaltender and ex-Blues netminder Charlie Lindgren. Kuemper as a backup.
A hectic start to the NHL's free-agency period Wednesday closed with the Columbus Blue Jackets landing the highest-profile player: "Johnny Hockey."
Johnny Gaudreau, Evgeni Malkin, Nazem Kadri, Darcy Kuemper and John Klingberg headline one of the deepest groups of free agents in recent history. Even though the salary cap is only going up $1 million per team, record revenues have made for the first increase since 2019, setting the stage for significant money to flow when the market opens Wednesday.
The Washington Capitals on Monday elected not to issue a qualifying offer to goaltender Ilya Samsonov -- a surprise move that leaves the team in dire need of a netminder heading into free agency.
The goaltending duo of Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek has been the status quo in the District since Braden Holtby left after the 2019-20 season. But with Vanecek gone, MacLellan is forcing himself to take a risk and find another goalie this summer.
The St. Louis Blues traded the free-agent rights to Ville Husso to the Detroit Red Wings, who immediately signed him to a three-year contract, and the New Jersey Devils acquired Vitek Vanecek from the Washington Capitals.
Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said he and his staff were "somewhat comfortable" in selecting Russian forward Ivan Miroshnichenko with the 20th pick based on having team doctors review the player's medical report.
Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin said Kirill Kaprizov remains in Russia and is doing well, denying a report the star winger returned to the U.S. and adding the team is trying to find out more about the situation.
A day before the start of the NHL draft, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said that Backstrom intends to play "at some point this year" after he recovers from left hip surgery, although he admitted that the timeline is "uncertain."
Emily Engel-Natzke has been hired as video coach of the Washington Capitals, making her the first woman to hold a full-time position on a National Hockey League coaching staff.
Stephen Strasburg's deal -- on the books for $35 million per year -- is on track to end up among the worst handed out in D.C. sports history, right alongside John Wall, Albert Haynesworth and a handful of others whose deals now make fans cringe when brought up.
A Winnipeg brewery says it will give Barry Trotz free beer for life if he returns to his native province to coach the Jets.
The Washington Capitals are going to be without hard-hitting forward Tom Wilson for at least the start of the 2022-23 season.
One week after firing Barry Trotz, the Islanders on Monday promoted his assistant, Lane Lambert, to the post. Lambert has been an assistant for Trotz for more than a decade, including during Trotz's four-year stint in the District that ended with Washington's first Stanley Cup title in 2018.
The Capitals current goalie tandem just has not taken the leap that the franchise keeps waiting to see. Now, entering a busy offseason, Ilya Samsonov and Vitek Vanecek are set to be restricted free agents -- and the likelihood that both of them return seems slim.
Four years, four first-round exits. Since winning the Stanley Cup in 2018, the Washington Capitals have failed to advance in the playoffs. But days after losing to the Florida Panthers in six games, Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin sounded like a man who wanted to run it back. So too did coach Peter Laviolette, who insisted Washington's aging core could still be successful.
