The Capitals took care of one their pending restricted free agents today, announcing the re-signing of defenseman Lucas Johansen to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal is worth $700K in the NHL and $95K at the AHL level.
Washington selected the 22-year-old in the first round (28th overall) back in 2016 but his development has stalled, to say the least. After playing in just 45 games with AHL Hershey last season due to injury, things were even worse this year as two separate injuries limited him to just nine contests overall. As a result, he has basically missed a season and a half worth of development and has yet to make it to the NHL level.
Given how important Johansen once was in their prospect pipeline, it’s not surprising to see the Capitals bring him back despite the injury trouble. He’ll have to pass through waivers next season to get back to the minors but that seems like a probable outcome with how much time he has been out. From there, he’ll need to stay healthy and show some signs of progress or risk facing a different outcome before the tender deadline next offseason.
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