Tuesday afternoon, Jakub Vrana officially re-signed, inking a two-year, $6.7 million contract to stay in Washington through the 2020-21 season.
Former teammate Devante Smith-Pelly was one of the first people to congratulate Vrana on social media despite being without a contract himself.
Vrana had a classic response.
Brooks Oprik announced his retirement through a Capitals release on Tuesday morning.
During his time in Washington, the hulking defenseman left an indelible impact on his teammates. From his big goals to his big hits, Capitals players looked up to Orpik as a leader, role model, and friend. On social media and in statements released through the team, the Capitals showered Orpik with praise and thanked him for his time in Washington.
“Batya was a great leader in our locker room and was so important for us to win our first Stanley Cup,” Alex Ovechkin said.
“He is a terrific person and a friend,” TJ Oshie said.
“Thanks for always looking after me on and off the ice,” Andre Burakovsky said. “You have been a true friend and role model for me.”
Hockey players can sometimes be inarticulate. This is not one of those times.
By Ian Oland 4 weeks ago
The 2019 NHL Draft begins on Friday, June 21 in Vancouver. The first round will be broadcast on Friday night and the following six rounds will all be squeezed in on Saturday. Later draft picks basically get the same treatment as technical awards at the Golden Globes.
The Capitals’ current roster has had some pretty memorable moments from their NHL draft days–let’s take a look!
By Brennin Weiswerda 1 month ago
Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan made a rare appearance in front of the media on Thursday to discuss all the happenings of the team from injuries to the NHL Draft.
The most interesting part of the discussion came when Mac took questions on the team’s philosophy on moves this summer and beyond. The Capitals have a glut of middle and bottom six forwards that are free agents including Jakub Vrana, Andre Burakovsky, Brett Connolly, and Devante Smith-Pelly. Braden Holtby and Nicklas Backstrom are also unrestricted free agents the summer of 2021 and can begin negotiations on a new deal as soon as July 1.
We wrote about how the Capitals would like to bring back Andre Burakovsky, but are listening to offers. Here’s what MacLellan had to say on the others.
Devante Smith-Pelly has had a memorable week. The Capitals forward celebrated his hometown basketball team, the Toronto Raptors, win an NBA championship on his birthday.
Now, he has a new addition to his family.
Up 3-1 over the Golden State Warriors, the Toronto Raptors were in position to wrap up their first ever NBA championship on Monday night. And the stars were out north of the border to show support to the team, including one player who knows a thing or two about clutch scoring in a decisive championship game.
Capitals forward Devante Smith-Pelly, who is an unrestricted free agent come July, attended the game and sat in the lower bowl behind one of the baskets. Smith-Pelly, a Scarborough, Ontario native, has attended several Raptors playoffs games since the Caps season ended, including some with his mother and family.
By Ian Oland and Cara Bahniuk 1 month ago
Many of the Washington Capitals celebrated the one-year anniversary the first Stanley Cup Championship victory in franchise history on social media.
Here are the memories and moments shared by Alex Ovechkin, Tom Wilson, Lars Eller, Devante Smith-Pelly, Jakub Vrana, and Michal Kempny.
By Brennin Weiswerda 1 month ago
For Devante Smith-Pelly, the Cup hangover had a cost.
By Peter Hassett 2 months ago
Brett Connolly celebrated his 27th birthday over the weekend and Devante Smith-Pelly was there for the festivities.
Smith-Pelly documented the party with two pieces of media on his Instagram Story.
With the Washington Capitals entering their offseason earlier than anticipated, the future of several players remains in flux, with restricted and unrestricted free agency coming up on July 1.
Devante Smith-Pelly has yet to secure a contract with the Capitals for the 2019-20 season, and there appears to be no plan to send him back to Hershey — who are playing the Charlotte Checkers in the Atlantic Division Final — for the remainder of their Calder Cup run.
Smith-Pelly was called back up to the Capitals roster after a broken collarbone sidelined TJ Oshie. He was waived and sent to the Capitals AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, back in February. DSP tallied 14 points in 20 games with the Bears, including a hat trick in March against the Hartford Wolf Pack.
On breakdown day, Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said that the Capitals were open to signing Smith-Pelly to another contract, but only if he met certain requirements.
By Donya Abramo 3 months ago
