The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Matt Roy to a six-year, $33MM contract, per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). The deal will carry an annual cap hit of $5.5MM. The Capitals have also signed depth forward Taylor Raddysh to a one-year, $1MM deal per PuckPedia (Twitter link).
Attempting to improve their finish from last season, the Capitals are making heavy investments in their defensive core. After acquiring left-handed defenseman Jakob Chychrun from the Ottawa Senators, Washington improved their right side with a long-term commitment to Roy. The two-day defenseman had spent the last six years with the Los Angeles Kings after being selected by the team in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Draft.
Behind Drew Doughty in Los Angeles, Roy became a significantly underrated defenseman. Over the last three years, Roy suited up in 230 games for the Kings while collecting 16 goals and 72 points overall and posting a combined +52 rating. Additionally — Roy averaged 1.72 hits per game and 1.96 blocked shots per game in those three years proving he is not shy about using his body to impact the play.
The only downside of Roy’s contract in Washington is that the team is now $4.88MM over the cap after factoring in the lost contract of Nicklas Backstrom. To trim up their cap situation, the team may look to move on from T.J. Oshie, Trevor van Riemsdyk, or Ethan Bear in the next couple of days.
Raddysh represents an investment in the team’s middle six, but he may end the 2024-25 season on the Hershey Bears. After a strong showing with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 2022-23 regular season, Raddysh experienced a downfall last year as he only mustered five goals and 14 points in 73 games. He did show some strengths on the defensive side of the puck; however, which may have led the Capitals to give him a $1MM deal for next season.