The Washington Capitals have signed forward Michael Sgarbossa to a two-year, two-way contract extension, according to CapFriendly. The deal reportedly has a league-minimum $775k AAV and a hefty $525k min0r-league salary. It represents a small raise for Sgarbossa, who took home a $500k AHL salary this past season.
This contract is a significant guarantee to a player who has been the best player on the Capitals’ AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, for several years. The 30-year-old is a two-time AHL All-Star who has 393 points in 530 career games in the American league. The former Sudbury Wolves star has filled in as NHL depth on 65 occasions across his 11-year professional career, and scored 16 career NHL points.
This season, Sgarbossa has been the Bears’ top scorer with 58 points in 60 games. He’s led Hershey to the AHL’s Atlantic Division Finals, with his three points helping push Hershey past the Charlotte Checkers. Sgarbossa has played for the Bears since 2018-19, and seems to have found his long-term role as a top-of-the-lineup Hershey Bear and priority call-up for the Capitals.
In a league where stability can be hard to find, this two-year contract extension serves as a nice reward for Sgarbossa’s strong play, as well as an important investment by the Capitals and their AHL affiliate in the success of Washington’s player development pipeline.