Darcy Kemper, Washington Capitals Mandatory Photo: Jeff Burke – USA TODAY Sports
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The Washington Capitals have had a busy offseason. We’ll take a look at everything they’ve done up to this point, from the draft to free will.
At first, the Caps focused on the draft. In the first round, with their 20th pick, they chose Ivan Miroshnichenko, the left flank from Russia.
The Caps then traded in the second round with the New Jersey Devils. In this deal, they traded goalkeeper Vitek Vanechek. Ryan Chesley was selected at number 37 in the second round.
In the third round, number 70, the Capitals selected Alexander Suzdalev, another Russian left winger. Also in the third round, under the 85th number, they took the left winger Ludwig Persson.
The Caps had no other choice until the fifth round in 149th place, where they took center Jake Karabela. In the sixth round, they took Ryan Hofer, who is the center with his 118th pick. Finally, in the seventh round, with their 213th pick, they took defenseman David Gucciardi.
Finally, let’s look at their other moves. In June, they re-signed Brett Leeson and Beck Malensteen to two-year contracts. They then promoted Emily Engel Natzke to video coordinator. They also parted ways with Scott Arniel and promoted Scott Allen to assistant coach.
The Caps decided not to make a qualifying offer to Ilya Samsonov, officially saying goodbye to both young goalkeepers. When free agency began, the Caps signed goaltender Darcy Kemper, a recent Stanley Cup winner, to a five-year contract. To support Kemper, the Caps signed Charlie Lindgren to a contract.
The Caps also extended defenseman Matt Irvin’s two-way contract by one year. They also patched up Niklas Backstrom’s injury by signing Dylan Strome to a one-year deal.
The Caps signed draft-picked Persson and Suzdalev to three-year entry-level contracts. That was not all. They also signed center Henrik Borgström and traded for right winger Connor Brown.
In addition, the Caps re-signed Markus Johansson. They also signed Erik Gustafsson in their defence. In addition, a one-year bilateral contract was signed with Gabriel Karlsson. The Caps also extended Lukas Johansson’s contract.
Wow, that was tiring. That pretty much sums up how busy the Caps have been this offseason. The return of hockey is only a matter of time. We cannot wait.