Washington Capitals sign Conor Sheary

The Washington Capitals have signed former Penguin Conor Sheary.

The Washington Capitals still need to address the goaltending situation but they made an upgrade to depth scoring by signing Conor Sheary. It is a one year deal worth $735,000. Sheary was an undrafted free agent that signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins back on July 1, 2015.

The 28 year old recorded 23 points with 10 goals and 13 assists in 63 games with the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins last season. The 5 foot eight forward who weighs 179 pounds was tied for sixth among Buffalo forwards with 19 points with nine goals and 10 assists before being traded back to the Penguins on Feb. 24.

In 325 career regular season games with the Penguins and Sabres, Sheary has recorded 150 points with 72 goals and 78 assists. Sheary is known for his time with the Pittsburgh Penguins where he is a two time Stanley Cup champion in 2016 and 2017. Sheary has recorded 21 points with six goals and 15 assists in 61 playoff games.

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Since making his playoff debut in 2016, Sheary’s 61 playoff games are tied for 21st in the NHL among forwards. During their 2016 Stanley Cup Final series against the San Jose Sharks, Sheary scored an overtime goal in Game 2, which made him the first rookie to score an overtime goal in a Stanley Cup Final since Montreal Canadien Brian Skrudland in the 1986 Stanley Cup Final.

Additionally, Sheary played four seasons with the University of Massachusetts-Amherst from 2010-2014 where he recorded 104 points with 38 goals and 66 assists in 138 games. He finished his collegiate career seventh in school history in assists and points.

Now the question surrounding this signing is where exactly can Sheary fit into this 2021 Capitals lineup? The team might not be done making moves. Someone could get released. Sheary has a left handed shot and could play on either side of the wing.

Sheary is short in size but very durable. He’ll likely play on the third or fourth line adding depth to the bottom six. He’s also the third former Penguin to come to the Caps this year. It started when the team traded for Daniel Sprong and continued in October when they signed Justin Schultz. Carl Hagelin was added a year prior.

Could the Caps make a move among the forwards to make room for Sheary? Is he competing with Sprong for a spot on the third line? These are the questions I have as well as everyone else and it’s only a matter of time before these are answered.