Washington Capitals rumors: T.J. Oshie extension all but done
The Washington Capitals are close to signing T.J. Oshie to an extension.
Going into the 2017 offseason, the Washington Capitals could have some major changes. From the start, it has appeared the Caps might be able to re-sign one of their big free agents – specifically, T.J. Oshie. He expressed a desire to stay with the team and the feeling’s mutual with the Capitals.
According to John Shannon of Sportsnet, the Caps are close to signing Oshie to an extension.
.@JSportsnet tells the 2ManAdvantage @SiriusXMNHL "TJ Oshie and the Caps is all but done."
— jonathan davis (@westcoasthky) May 27, 2017
While I don’t have audio of this, I can confirm he said this. Obviously, things can break down at any given moment. But it appears the Caps will be able to keep arguably their best overall wing in Oshie.
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He’s coming off a career season which saw him score 30 goals for the first time in his career. Considering Oshie is arguably the best wing in free agency, it likely won’t be cheap. Expect the annual cap hit to be around $6 million with the term anywhere from five years to eight years. It wouldn’t be surprising to see eight years considering how early the Caps are closing with Oshie.
Keeping the veteran forward is very important if the Capitals want to remain contenders. However, this could come at the expense of other players if the extension gets done. It almost certainly means the departure of Justin Williams, Karl Alzner and Kevin Shattenkirk.
The Caps will likely go with a younger lineup to balance out the heavy contracts. Keep in mind Washington still has to give Evgeny Kuznetsov and Dmitry Orlov fairly big extensions. Andre Burakovsky, who seems to be at the cusp of greatness, needs one as well.
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Nothing is final yet, but if the Caps manage to keep Oshie, there will be some moving parts. However, if it helps them win a Stanley Cup, it’ll be worth it.