Carl Hagelin traveled from his native Sweden and had dinner last night with his “brother in law,” Capitals teammate Jakub Vrana, in Prague. And now there’s another confusing layer to this onion dip of a trip to the Czech Republic.
Jaromir Jagr was there too!
Jakub Vrana may not have signed a new contract with the Capitals yet, but he’s calling Carl Hagelin his “brother in law” on Instagram, so I feel pretty confident he’s coming back.
Vrana posted a video to his Instagram Story of himself having dinner with Hagelin in Prague.
The Washington Capitals have lost four players from their 2018 Stanley Cup championship team this offseason and the latest Capital to fly the coup, Brett Connolly, cut one particular teammate deep.
After having a career year, Connolly signed a four-year, $14 million deal with the Florida Panthers, parlaying his 22 goals into a $3.5 million salary.
Jakub Vrana dedicated multiple screenshots in his Instagram Story on Tuesday to say goodbye to his former liney, but he made sure to encourage Conno to improve his talents in one specific area of his game.
Andre Burakovsky had previously requested a trade and the Capitals needed salary cap space. So late last week, Brian MacLellan sent the popular Capital to the Colorado Avalanche for draft picks.
Many Capitals players have been silent on Burakovsky’s exit, but Jakub Vrana, whose success last season will net him a big raise this summer, was not.
The Czech winger said goodbye to Burakovsky on social media.
Shortly after 4 pm, the Washington Capitals announced which restricted free agents they are giving qualifying offers to before Tuesday’s 5 pm deadline. We already knew Andre Burakovsky would be getting an offer as well as star forward Jakub Vrana.
The others being extended offers are Capitals skaters Christian Djoos and Chandler Stephenson as well as Hershey Bears players Vitek Vanecek and Colby Williams.
Dmitrij Jaskin was not given an offer and will become an unrestricted free agent in July unless the two parties work out a deal before then.
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 1 year 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 year 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.
The Czech… 😎… mates, V & V, are back together. (No, I’m not apologizing for that pun.)
Monday, Jakub Vrana and Vitek Vanecek both posted videos of each to their respective Instagram Stories announcing they were hanging out likely in their native Czech Republic.
We’ll explain why this is a very significant development in a minute.
Matt Niskanen was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers for Radko Gudas on Friday morning in a move that freed up cap space, potentially for a Carl Hagelin re-signing.
Nisky’s Capitals teammates took to social media to say goodbye and wish him the best.
By Brennin Weiswerda 1 year ago
