The Washington Capitals have been very active this offseason, bringing in reinforcements to try and make a push for their first Stanley Cup since 2018, and they continue to add players both up front and on their blue line.
One player they signed came as a bit of a surprise, not with who it was, but the contract itself. Vincent Desharnais was brought in on a four-year contract, worth $4.2 million annually. The cap hit came as a shock, not only to Capitals fans but to fans around the league.
In an article recently from RMNB, citing Greg Wyshynski, it was revealed that the Capitals tried to acquire Desharnais at the 2026 Trade Deadline and failed.
Wyshynski wrote, "The Capitals had attempted to acquire him from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline but were rebuffed by the surprise contender in the Western Conference."
It has now become clear that the Capitals have had interest in Desharnais for quite some time, which makes sense considering he can provide depth on their bottom pairing as a shutdown physical defender.
Desharnais, who is 30 years old, played 53 games last season where he scored one goal and added six assists for seven points. Throughout his career, he has scored two goals and added 24 assists for 26 points through 218 games.
It wasn't reported what the Capitals offered for Desharnais at the deadline, but considering there was some speculation that he was being dangled around then, it makes sense that they would've made a solid offer, even though they didn't land him at the time.
However, that was in the past, and heading into the 2026-27 season, Desharnais steps into the Capitals' lineup trying to help them make a deep playoff run after a disappointing end to last season.
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