Home / News / Capitals re-sign defenseman Matt Irwin to one-year, two-way deal

Capitals re-sign defenseman Matt Irwin to one-year, two-way deal

By Ian Oland

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July 13, 2022 2:40 pm

The Washington Capitals have re-signed an important depth defenseman, especially with Justin Schultz gone and Alex Alexeyev recovering from shoulder surgery.

The Caps re-signed 34-year-old defenseman, Matt Irwin, to a one-year, two-way deal. Irwin will make $750k at the NHL level and $450k if he plays in Hershey.

The news was first reported by @PuckPedia.

The left-shooting Irwin will likely compete for a roster spot with Lucas Johansen in training camp.

Irwin was a mainstay on the roster for the Capitals last season as the team’s seventh defenseman. Irwin played in 17 games and the Caps tilted the ice at five-on-five when he was playing. In a semi-small sample-size (203 minutes), the Capitals saw 56.7-percent of the shot attempts, 59.3-percent of the expected goals, 54.8-percent of the scoring chances, and 55.7-percent of the high danger chances when Irwin was on the ice.

Irwin recorded four points, including one goal, last season.

7/14 update: The Capitals just made it official. Here’s the full press release.

Capitals Re-sign Matt Irwin

ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenseman Matt Irwin to a one-year, two-way contract ($750,000/$450,000), senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today.

Irwin, 34, recorded four points (1g, 3a) in 17 games with Washington in 2021-22. The 6’2”, 189-pound defenseman played in his 400th career game on April 14 at Toronto.

Prior to joining the Capitals, Irwin recorded two assists in 24 games with the Buffalo Sabres in 2020-21. Irwin ranked fourth among Sabres defensemen with 1:56 penalty kill minutes per game and 56 hits.

Irwin, who was signed with San Jose as an unrestricted free agent on March 23, 2010, has recorded 88 points (23g, 65a) in 400 career NHL games with the Capitals, Anaheim Ducks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Nashville Predators and San Jose Sharks. The Victoria, British Columbia native has also played in 47 career playoff games and has recorded four points (1g, 3a). Irwin appeared in all 22 games during Nashville’s run to the Stanley Cup Final in the 2016-17 season, where he registered two assists.

In addition to his NHL experience, Irwin has appeared in 249 games with the Worcester Sharks, Providence Bruins and Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL), recording 119 points (27g, 92a). Additionally, Irwin played two seasons at the University of Massachusetts from 2008-10, where he produced 42 points (14g, 28a) in 67 games.

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