The Washington Capitals announced Sunday they have agreed to re-sign forward Carl Hagelin to a four-year deal worth $11 million. The deal will pay him an annual average salary of $2.75 million.
Washington had re-signing the 30-year old at the top of their priority list for this off-season.
The Capitals acquired him in February for a 2019 third-round pick in the NHL Draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in 2020 from the Los Angeles Kings. He was in the final year of a four-year deal that paid him $4 million.
In 20 games during the regular season, Hagelin fit right into the Capitals’ offensive scheme, tallying 11 points including three goals. However, his postseason regression — one point in seven games — mimicked his offensive struggles during the four years of his contract.
Hagelin showed enough in 20 games that intrigued the Capitals. Paying him $2.75 million appears to be a fitting middle ground. He is now seventh-highest paid forward on the team, according to CapFriendly.
Now, the Capitals will turn their attention to addressing pending free agent forwards Jakub Vrana and Andre Burakovsky.
Washington also has Brett Connolly, Chandler Stephenson, Devante Smith-Pelly, Dmitrij Jaskin, and defenseman Christian Djoos as free agents.
