The Washington Capitals are active now that the free agency window has opened. General Manager Brian MacLellan cooked up some serious trades to shore up the defense and we'll break it all down here.
The #Caps’ retool has gone into hyperdrive…and they’ve done it without giving up a ton.
— Tarik El-Bashir (@Tarik_ElBashir) July 1, 2024
IN
🏒PL Dubois
🏒Andrew Mangiapane
🏒Logan Thompson
🏒Jakob Chychrun
🏒Matt Roy
🏒Brandon Duhaime
OUT
🏒Darcy Kuemper
🏒Nick Jensen
🏒Beck Malenstyn
🏒Max Pacioretty
🏒Nicolas Aube-Kubel
WOW
The Caps had to give up veteran Nick Jensen to get younger. They acquired a 26 year old from the Ottawa Senators in Jakob Chychrun. The Caps also sent Ottawa a 2026 third rounder in the move. MacLellan talked more about the move in a press release by the Caps:
""Jakob is a 26 year old defenseman who has nearly 500 games of NHL experience. His unique skill set and experience will undoubtedly bolster our blueline, substantially increasing our offensive capabilities.""MacLellan
Mac also thanked Jensen in the release saying, "We also want to thank Nick for his contributions to our organization and wish him the best moving forward in his career."
The Caps would then shore up the defense even more by signing Matt Roy to a six year, $34.5 million dollar contract. He's 29 years old and comes from the Los Angeles Kings. GMBM said in a statement:
""Matt is a steady right-handed defenseman who plays important minutes against the opposition's top players and is extremely reasonable in his own end. We feel his addition will strengthen our blueline for the next several years.""GMBM
Roy recorded 25 points in 81 games with the Kings with five goals and 20 assists last season and he also established single season career highs in assists and average ice time averaging out 20:59.
The Caps additionally signed forward Taylor Raddysh to a one year deal worth $1 million. The 26 year old recorded 14 points with five goals and nine assists in 73 games with the Chicago Blackhawks. He ranked second among Blackhawks forwards in shorthanded ice time at 112:45 while tied for fourth in takeaways with 43 while sixth in hits with 84 and blocked shots with 28.
Additionally the Caps signed forward Brandon Duhaime to a two year, $3.7 million contract that will carry an average annual value of $1.85 million. The 27 year old recorded 13 points in 80 games with five goals and eight assists with the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche. The Caps drafted his dad in the ninth round back in the 1991 NHL Draft at 190th overall.