The Washington Capitals and forward Hendrix Lapierre have agreed to the one-year, $850K contract, per PuckPedia. The 23-year-old will be eligible for restricted free agency next offseason, and his minimum qualifying offer then would be $892,500.
Lapierre appeared in 27 games last season for the Capitals, producing zero goals, eight assists, and a minus-three rating while averaging 9:48 of ice time per game. He fared much better in 32 games for the AHL’s Hershey Bears, scoring seven goals and 32 points.
Drafted by Washington with the 22nd overall pick of the 2020 NHL Draft, Lapierre has posted nine goals and 22 points through 84 NHL games. Known for his stick handling and play-making abilities, Lapierre was viewed as a top prospect heading into the draft, but injury concerns allowed him to slip out of the top 20.
While he hasn’t found his footing in the NHL, he has tallied 79 points in 113 AHL games and gained valuable experience as part of two Calder Cup-winning teams for Hershey (2022-23 and 2023-24). What’s more, he earned the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as playoff MVP in 2023-24 after recording seven goals and 22 points in 20 games.
Lapierre will likely compete for a bottom-six spot in training camp, or at the very least, provide the Capitals with a reliable depth option in the AHL. If he hopes to make the team, he’ll likely need to improve his faceoff percentage, which sits at a paltry 37.4% for his career.