Mojo is back! (Caps Outsider)
The Washington Capitals have made a series of offseason moves since the NHL free agency period began, through free agent signings, re-signings, and trades. Here is a recap.
To fill the void at goaltender, the Caps made two key signings: Darcy Kuemper and Charlie Lindgren.
Kuemper, 32, just won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche, and then signed a five-year deal with Washington, which includes an annual salary cap hit of $5.25 million. The veteran goalie is coming off a career best season in which he notched 37 regular season wins and played a career high 57 games.
Lindgren, 28, is expected to be Kuemper’s backup, as he just signed a three-year deal with an annual salary cap hit of $1.1 million. Last year, he played five games for the St. Louis Blues, while spending most of the 2021-22 season in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Washington also acquired forward Connor Brown from the Ottawa Senators for the Capitals’ second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft. The 28-year-old Brown recorded 39 points (10 goals, 29 assists) with Ottawa in 2021-22. He also established a single-season career high in assists last season and ranked fourth on the team in assists and fifth in points.
The Capitals made a couple of re-signing moves by retaining Marcus Johansson and Matt Irwin.
Johansson, 31, was re-signed to a one-year, $1.1 million deal, as he is currently in his second tenure with Washington after originally being drafted by the team in the 2009 NHL Draft.
Irwin, 34, has a re-signage deal worth a one-year, two-way contract ($750,000/$450,000), as the defenseman has spent his decade-long career playing for multiple NHL teams, joining the Capitals in 2021-22.
Finally, Washington made three more moves of free agency signings for Dylan Strome, Henrik Borgstrom, and Erik Gustafsson, who all spent the 2021-22 season with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Strome, 25, recorded 48 points (22 goals, 26 assists) in 69 games with the Blackhawks last season, as his new Caps deal is worth $3.5 million for one year.
Borgstrom, 24, signed a one-year, two-way contract ($750,000/$400,000), while the 30-year-old Gustafsson agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract.
