One of the mysteries of the offseason has finally been revealed. Twenty-six-year-old forward Sonny Milano will be signing with the Washington Capitals, according to Elliotte Friedman. Milano, who scored 14 goals and 34 points in 66 games for Anaheim last season, had been a conspicuous holdout in free agency.
According to Friedman, it’s a one-year, one-way deal worth $750,000. Milano will start the season in Hershey if he passes through waivers, which is yet another layer of mystery.
But the player! Milano played a lot with Rickard Rakell and Trevor Zegras last season, creating one of the most exciting lines in hockey. Milano got the goal on this notorious highlight play:
And while his linemates were very strong, there’s reason to believe Milano was a substantial contributor to their success. Here’s how Micah McCurdy’s HockeyViz reckons the impact of Milano:
That’s a net plus-13 impact on five-on-five play. Very strong.
Which makes it all-the-more interesting why Milano went unsigned for so long. He didn’t sign a deal when free agency hit and ended up with a tryout deal with Calgary that went nowhere. No reports or insiders have shared insight as to why he hadn’t signed a deal until now. We won’t speculate either. The main point for tonight is that this is a very interesting player who will soon be in the Capitals organization.
Update (10/16/22, 11:44 am): The team has now made it official.
NEWS | The Capitals have signed forward Sonny Milano to a one-year, $750,000 contract.
Milano will be placed on waivers for purpose of loan to the Hershey Bears.#ALLCAPS | @FTX_Officialhttps://t.co/wG31o5qeio
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) October 16, 2022
“He was a good player last year,” head coach Peter Laviolette told WaPo’s Samantha Pell. “He was available. He’s a real good young player and adds depth to our organization.”
Per the team:
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed forward Sonny Milano to a one-year, $750,000 contract, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced today. Milano will be placed on waivers for purpose of loan to the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL).
Milano, 26, recorded 34 points (14g, 20a) in 66 games with the Anaheim Ducks in 2021-22. The 6’0″, 194-pound forward established single-season career highs in assists (20), points (34) and games played (66) and tied a career high in goals (14) last season. Milano has recorded 81 points (36g, 45a) in 197 career NHL games with Columbus Blue Jackets and Anaheim.
The Massapequa, New York native was selected by Columbus in the first round, 16th overall, in the 2014 NHL Draft. Milano, who has recorded 115 points (40g, 75a) in 166 career AHL games, won the Calder Cup with the Lake Erie Monsters in 2016.
Internationally, Milano has represented the United States at the 2014 U18 World Junior Championship, the 2015 and 2016 U20 World Junior Championships and the 2018 World Championship. Milano scored the gold medal clinching goal for the U.S. at the 2014 U18 World Junior Championship and earned bronze medals at the 2016 U20 World Junior Championship and at the 2018 World Championships.
