- Capitals veteran blue-liner Trevor van Riemsdyk draws in tonight against the Canadiens, The Washington Post’s Bailey Johnson reports. The Middletown, New Jersey, native had missed the last four games with an illness and has only played in four of Washington’s last 11 games due to a handful of healthy scratches. He’s fallen down the depth chart after the team picked up Ethan Bear in free agency, a concerning development given he has two years remaining on a deal carrying a $3MM cap hit. He has eight assists and a -11 rating while averaging 18:30 in 40 games.
- As one returns for Washington, another defenseman departs as Martin Fehérváry sustained a lower-body injury early in tonight’s game against Montreal and will not return, the team says. The 24-year-old Slovak suffered a non-contact injury after falling awkwardly behind the Capitals net, per NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti. He’s remained in a top-pairing role alongside John Carlson for most of the season, recording 12 points and a -6 rating in 46 games while logging 19:08 per game, down from an even 20 last season. The 2018 second-round pick also missed five games with a lower-body injury in November.
Capitals Rumors
Salary Cap Deep Dive: Washington Capitals
Navigating the salary cap is one of the more important tasks for any GM. Teams that can avoid total cap chaos by walking the tightrope of inking players to deals that match their value (or compensate for future value without breaking the bank) remain successful. Those that don’t see struggles and front office changes.
PHR concludes its look at every NHL team and give a thorough look at their cap situation for the 2023-24 season. This will focus more on players who are regulars on the roster versus those who may find themselves shuttling between the AHL and NHL. All cap figures are courtesy of CapFriendly.
Washington Capitals
Current Cap Hit: $85,054,827 (over the $83.5MM Upper Limit)
Entry-Level Contracts
F Connor McMichael (one year, $863K)
F Aliaksei Protas (one year, $789K)
Potential Bonuses
Protas: $82.5K
Last season was a step back for McMichael who went from being a regular in Washington to a regular in Hershey. This year, he’s back to being a regular but hasn’t been all that productive despite seeing a lot of top-six minutes. While he’s still almost certainly part of their future plans, he’s likely heading for a bridge contract around double his current price tag. Protas has already signed a new deal which we’ll cover later but it’s worth noting his bonuses are based on games played. A full-time regular, Protas should max out on those as long as he stays healthy.
Signed Through 2023-24, Non-Entry-Level
F Nicolas Aube-Kubel ($1.25MM, UFA)
D Joel Edmundson ($1.75MM, UFA)*
F Beck Malenstyn ($762.5K, RFA)
F Anthony Mantha ($5.7MM, UFA)
F Max Pacioretty ($2MM, UFA)
D Rasmus Sandin ($1.4MM, RFA)
*-Montreal is retaining an additional $1.75MM on Edmundson’s contract.
Potential Bonuses
Pacioretty: $2MM
After struggling with consistency in Detroit, Mantha hasn’t been able to improve on that with the Capitals. At times, he plays like a top-liner and at others, he’s barely noticeable. While he has played better as of late, it’s hard to see him matching his current contract. A one-year pillow deal could be a viable option while a multi-year agreement likely starts with a four. Pacioretty missed more time than expected while recovering from his second Achilles surgery and has been relatively quiet since returning. Meanwhile, $1.5MM of his games-played bonuses have already been met while the final $500K should be reached this week. There will still be a market for Pacioretty this summer but it’s likely to be a deal structured similar to this one with some performance bonuses in there.
Aube-Kubel cleared waivers at the beginning of the season but has done relatively well with Washington where he has still spent most of the year. That said, as a long-term fourth liner, his earnings upside is going to be limited this summer and a small cut in pay isn’t out of the question. The same can’t be said for Malenstyn who has locked down a full-time roster spot, spending a lot of time on the third line. His offensive numbers are low enough that his next deal won’t be too expensive but he should at least double his current cap hit, especially with arbitration eligibility.
Edmundson battled injury issues early in the season and has been limited to duty on the third pairing since returning. With injuries causing him to miss significant time over the last few years, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Edmundson’s next deal come closer to what Washington is paying him now compared to his full $3.5MM AAV. As for Sandin, he hasn’t been able to keep up the level of production he had down the stretch last year but he is still logging top-four minutes and is a part of their longer-term plans. He’s owed a $1.6MM qualifying offer but could more than double that on a long-term agreement that buys out some of his UFA-eligible seasons.
Signed Through 2024-25
D Alexander Alexeyev ($825K, RFA)
F Nicklas Backstrom ($9.2MM, UFA)
D Ethan Bear ($2.0625MM, UFA)
F Nic Dowd ($1.3MM, UFA)
F Evgeny Kuznetsov ($7.8MM, UFA)
G Charlie Lindgren ($1.1MM, UFA)
F T.J. Oshie ($5.75MM, UFA)
F Michael Sgarbossa ($775K, UFA)
Backstrom was able to return from hip resurfacing surgery last season where he performed relatively well, not so much relative to his contract but simply for coming back and being a top-six player. However, he struggled early on this season before shutting it down with lingering pain. He’s on LTIR and may very well stay there through next year.
The hope was that Kuznetsov would rediscover his offensive touch under new head coach Spencer Carbery after a trade failed to materialize in the summer. Instead, he struggled through the first half of the year and is now in the Player Assistance Program. Assuming he returns from that, it’s quite unlikely that he’ll be able to command anywhere close to this type of contract in 2025; something in the $4MM range might be the more realistic target.
Oshie provided plenty of value on this deal early on but it was always expected that the final couple of years could be a drag on Washington’s cap. He’ll be 38 when this deal is up so if there is another contract for him, it’s likely to be a bonus-laden one with a base price tag between a quarter and a third of what it is now.
Dowd has worked his way from being a depth player to a capable third liner since joining the Capitals. He doesn’t provide enough scoring to really top out his earnings but as a good penalty killer and someone who can hold his own at the faceoff dot, he could plausibly double his current cost on a multi-year deal in 2025. As for Sgarbossa, he’s up with Kuznetsov out of the lineup and has been an AHL recall for several years now. That doesn’t seem likely to change unless he can grab hold of a full-time spot while he’s up.
Bear recently signed this contract and will be looking to rebuild some value after an injury sustained at the Worlds kept him out for nearly half the season. His contract is backloaded – next year’s salary sits at $2.75MM – and that price tag is likely where he’s hoping his next contract will land, assuming he can move into a more prominent spot in the lineup next season. Alexeyev is a waiver-blocked young defender who has had a hard time cracking the lineup so far this season. Until he’s able to grab a hold of a spot, it’s unlikely that he’ll be able to command much more than this.
Lindgren has slowly worked his way from a third-string goaltender for the first several years of his professional career to a decent backup early in his time with Washington to now a strong-side platoon netminder as he is in the midst of a career year. Considering the market value for a decent platoon option is three times his current price tag (if not a bit more for some), the Capitals are getting great value here. Meanwhile, if Lindgren can keep up his level of play through next season, he will be in line for a substantial jump in pay, one that could push past the $4MM mark on a multi-year agreement based on contracts handed out to similar netminders in recent years.
Signed Through 2025-26
D John Carlson ($8MM, UFA)
D Martin Fehervary ($2.675MM, RFA)
D Nick Jensen ($4.05MM, UFA)
F Sonny Milano ($1.9MM, UFA)
F Alex Ovechkin ($9.5MM, UFA)
D Trevor van Riemsdyk ($3MM, UFA)
Ovechkin provided a decent return on the first two years of his contract but he has slowed down considerably this season despite a recent hot stretch. This is a legacy deal as he tries to chase down the all-time goal record. It wouldn’t be surprising if this is his last NHL contract unless he winds up just a few tallies short and takes a one-year agreement to take one final crack at Wayne Gretzky’s mark. In that instance, a bonus-laden deal with a much lower base salary would be quite likely. Milano had to settle for a league-minimum contract in-season last year but played well enough to get some stability. A back-to-back 30-plus-point player, he’ll give Washington some good value if he can stay around that level of production while setting himself up for a small raise down the road.
At his peak, Carlson was one of the premier point producers from the back end. Those days are gone now although he’s still above average on that front while logging number one minutes. As long as that continues to be the case, they’ll get a reasonable return on this contract. Having said that, by the time he goes to sign his next deal, it will almost certainly come in a few million below this. Jensen had a career year last season to earn this contract but hasn’t been able to play at the same level. As a right-shot defender who can play on the second pairing, it’s not all bad news but right now, this contract looks like a bit of an overpayment especially with him being 33 already. Accordingly, it’s hard to see him looking at a raise in 2026.
The same can be said for van Riemsdyk who turned his best year into a three-year deal as well but hasn’t been able to repeat it this season. More of a player best suited as a fifth option on a third pairing, this price tag is also a bit on the high side based on van Riemsdyk’s current level of performance. If he stays at that level for the rest of the deal, he’ll be looking at a pay cut as well. Fehervary has become a capable checking blueliner, one that plays with plenty of physicality. With a limited offensive skill set, he won’t produce enough to command a significant raise with his arbitration rights in 2026 but a small one should be coming. With his deal being front-loaded, his qualifying offer checks in at just over $1MM so that won’t be a factor in discussions.
Capitals Activate Sonny Milano Off Injured Reserve
The Capitals will be welcoming back a key winger into their lineup as team reporter Mike Vogel relays that Sonny Milano has been activated off injured reserve and will suit up tonight against Montreal.
The 27-year-old has missed more than two months (27 games in total) with an upper-body injury. Before he was injured, Milano, like many of Washington’s players, had gotten off to somewhat of a quiet start offensively, notching four goals and four assists in his first 23 games while averaging a little over 12 minutes a night of action.
However, after recording back-to-back seasons of double-digit goals and at least 30 points, Milano’s return will be a welcome one to a Capitals team is the lowest-scoring team in the Eastern Conference, a big reason why they enter play today six points out of the final playoff spot. It’s expected he’ll line up on the third line with Michael Sgarbossa and Max Pacioretty.
Washington had an open roster spot so no corresponding move was needed to activate Milano. Their roster now stands at the maximum of 23 players.
Penguins Claim Matthew Phillips Off Waivers From Capitals
The Penguins claimed forward Matthew Phillips off waivers from the Capitals on Friday, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports.
Washington placed Phillips, 25, on waivers yesterday after making him a healthy scratch in 15 of their last 16 games. The undersized winger had one goal and four assists in 27 appearances with the Caps after signing a one-year, one-way deal worth $775K last summer upon reaching Group VI free agency.
A member of the Flames organization for more than half a decade after they selected him in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, Phillips developed into one of the best players at the AHL level over the past two seasons. He posted back-to-back seasons above a point per game with their affiliates in Stockton and Calgary in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and produced at a top-six pace for a pair of campaigns prior.
His 5-foot-7, 140-lb frame was always going to make life difficult for him in the NHL, however. He got off to a strong start this season, posting three points in his first four games, but he hasn’t recorded a point in over two months and has a poor 43.1% Corsi share at even strength.
Pittsburgh takes a chance on him with four regular forwards out of the lineup due to injuries – Noel Acciari, Jake Guentzel, Jansen Harkins, and Matthew Nieto. Despite his struggles this season, Phillips is a higher-ceiling scoring option than most of the minor-league call-ups they have occupying bottom-six roles in their absence, and he carries little to no financial impact on their deadline plans with a league-minimum cap hit.
The Penguins will maintain control of Phillips’ signing rights this offseason, as he’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights when his contract expires.
Washington Capitals Place Matthew Phillips On Waivers
The Washington Capitals have placed forward Matthew Phillips on waivers, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. The 25-year-old winger is set to become a restricted free agent this summer and currently carries a $775K cap hit.
Phillips made headlines this fall when he made the Capitals roster out of training camp. This season has marked his official rookie year, after playing in three games spread across the 2020-21 and 2022-23 seasons with the Calgary Flames. But Phillips has yet to find his scoring at the top level, netting just one goal and five points this season – the only scoring of his NHL career. He’s been much more productive in the AHL, where he scored 36 goals and 76 points last season. That mark ranked Phillips fifth in the league in scoring. He accomplished a similar feat two seasons ago as well, ranking ninth in the AHL with 68 points in 75 games.
This season marks Phillips’ first outside of the Calgary Flames organization. The team originally drafted the winger in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Draft – taking him in the same round that featured players like Jesper Bratt and Brandon Hagel. Phillips made his professional debut during the 2016-17 season but didn’t play out his full AHL rookie season until 2018-19. He scored 38 points in 65 games that season.
Phillips will now be exposed to the entire league for the second time in his career. He was previously waived by the Flames ahead of the 2021-22 season, passing through and getting assigned to the AHL.
Trevor van Riemsdyk Remains Out Sunday
Bruins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk has been fined $5K for spearing Capitals winger Max Pacioretty late in the first period of Saturday’s game, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Sunday. The fine is the maximum allowable under the Collective Bargaining Agreement and comes after Grzelcyk was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the play, sidelining him for the last two periods of the game.
- Capitals defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will remain sidelined due to illness Sunday against the Canucks, head coach Spencer Carbery said (via Tarik El-Bashir of Monumental Sports Network). The 32-year-old also missed yesterday’s win over Boston and has only appeared in four out of Washington’s last nine games due to illness and a handful of healthy scratches. Now in the first year of a hefty three-year, $9MM extension that makes him a UFA in 2026, van Riemsdyk has eight assists and a -11 rating in 40 games and has seen his possession metrics nosedive from last season’s strong two-way performance. His average ice time (18:30) is also down from last season’s 19:04, and although he should have a more regular role in the lineup if the Capitals move out Joel Edmundson by the deadline as rumored, this year hasn’t been a strong indication that van Riemsdyk will provide much value for his $3MM cap hit as he enters his mid-30s.
Could Pacioretty Waive Trade Protection To Go To A Contender?
- When Max Pacioretty signed with the Capitals in free agency, he landed a full no-move clause as part of the contract, seemingly hoping to stick with them for the full season. However, Pierre LeBrun notes in his latest column for The Athletic (subscription link) that his sense is that the 35-year-old might waive that trade protection for the right fit and a chance to go for a Stanley Cup. Pacioretty has a base $2MM cap charge, plus another $2MM in games played bonuses. Half of those bonuses have been met already while another $500K will be earned when he plays his next game which should come on Saturday versus Boston.
Capitals Looking To Move Joel Edmundson
The Capitals have been carrying eight blueliners for a while now since they added Ethan Bear in late December and it appears they’re intent on clearing that logjam. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that they’re looking to move blueliner Joel Edmundson prior to next month’s trade deadline.
The 30-year-old is in his first season with Washington after being acquired from Montreal just minutes before free agency opened up back in July. However, injuries have limited Edmundson to 32 games so far and when he has been in the lineup, his playing time has been considerably lower than usual. He’s averaging 16:08 per night, down nearly three and a half minutes from a year ago. While he has never been a big point producer, Edmundson has just three points so far while also recording 41 blocked shots.
Edmundson is in the final season of a four-year, $14MM contract he signed with the Canadiens back in 2020. However, Washington is only responsible for half of his $3.5MM AAV with Montreal retaining the other half as part of the trade which saw the Caps part with a third-round pick and a seventh-rounder for his services.
Edmundson has 75 career playoff appearances under his belt including a pair of runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 with St. Louis and 2021 with Montreal. Between that and a relatively low cap charge, there should be some teams that have interest in a player who could aid their third pairing or at least add some depth for a potential playoff push. Whether GM Brian MacLellan can get a return that matches or beats the one he gave up in the summer remains to be seen but they should be able to get something for his services and clear up the backlog on their back end.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Evgeny Kuznetsov Enters NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program
Capitals center Evgeny Kuznetsov entered the NHL/NHLPA Player Assistance Program on Monday, the league announced.
Kuznetsov was absent from practice this morning for what the team labeled “personal reasons.” 31-year-old AHL veteran Michael Sgarbossa was recalled from AHL Hershey to replace Kuznetsov on the active roster.
The Russian center will now be out indefinitely while he receives care from the program, and he will not be cleared to return until PAP administrators clear him for on-ice competition. The 31-year-old is in his 11th season with the Capitals after the franchise selected him 26th overall in the 2010 draft.
This is Kuznetsov’s second time entering the program, which was previously known as the NHL/NHLPA Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program. He did so voluntarily in 2019 after a positive drug test for cocaine while playing for Russia at the 2019 IIHF World Championship.
Kuznetsov’s 0.40 points per game this season are the lowest of his career, including his limited rookie showing in the 2013-14 campaign. Through 43 games, he has six goals, 11 assists, 17 points, and a 43.2% Corsi share at even strength while averaging 18:47 per game.
He’s only two years removed from a 24-goal, 78-point season, both of which were the second-best numbers of his career. He has one season after this remaining on an eight-year, $62.4MM deal signed in July 2017 that carries a $7.8MM cap hit. The contract carries a modified no-trade clause which awards Kuznetsov a 10-team no-trade list.
With Kuznetsov out for the foreseeable future, Sgarbossa is expected to make his season debut for the Capitals on Tuesday against the Canadiens in a third-line role between Anthony Mantha and Max Pacioretty. Sgarbossa likely won’t be a longer-term fixture in Washington’s top-nine, however, and Kuznetsov’s absence could influence the Capitals to give 21-year-old Hendrix Lapierre another shot after playing 25 games earlier this season. Lapierre, the 22nd overall pick in the 2020 draft, is currently on assignment to Hershey, where he has 11 points in 16 games this season.
Capitals Recall Michael Sgarbossa
The Capitals have recalled center Michael Sgarbossa from AHL Hershey, the team announced Monday.
Sgarbossa, 31, joins the Capitals’ roster to provide veteran injury insurance during a packed schedule this week. Washington has four games in six days to kick off their post-All-Star break schedule, starting at home against the Canadiens on Tuesday.
He’s yet to suit up for the Capitals this season, but he’s been recalled for one-day stints on the roster twice to serve as a healthy scratch. The Campbellville, Ontario, native cleared waivers after being cut from training camp on Oct. 6 and has played exclusively for Hershey.
Now in his sixth season in the Capitals organization, Sgarbossa continues to be one of the most consistently productive players at the AHL level. He’s going through a down season in the goal-scoring department, only lighting the lamp seven times in 44 games, but his 36 assists lead the league, and his 43 points are fourth league-wide.
Sgarbossa is in the first season of a two-year, two-way, $1.55MM extension he signed in May of 2023. The contract has a cap hit of $775K and pays him $525K at the minor-league level, making it one of the most lucrative two-way deals in the league.
An undrafted free agent signing by the Sharks in 2010, Sgarbossa has since played 65 NHL games while appearing in parts of seven seasons with the Avalanche, Ducks, Panthers, and Capitals. He last suited up for an NHL game in January of 2022, capping off a 10-game stint in Washington in which he scored twice and added two assists.
The Capitals had 23 contracts on the roster before this transaction, so a corresponding move is coming later on Monday. Evgeny Kuznetsov is absent from today’s practice due to personal reasons, per the team (via Sammi Silber of The Hockey News), so he’s likely headed for the non-roster list to free up a spot.