The Washington Capitals and center Nicklas Backstrom have agreed to a long term contract that will keep Backstrom with the Capitals for the next 10 years. His deal is worth $67 million over that time, marking a cap hit of $6.7 million per season. This is certainly a well deserved raise for the 22 year old who posted 101 points as Alexander Ovechkin’s center, in only his third season in the NHL.
While the Capitals have to be happy to have two thirds of their top line locked up long term, management certainly has some work to do. There are still quite a few roster spots to fill before next season, with a limited amount of cap space to work with. Beyond that, the team clearly has adjustments to make on defense if they plan to make a run in the playoffs. Their limited offensive focus might have proven effective in the regular season, as the Capitals became the Presidents’ Trophy Winners, but it will not cut it during the playoffs.
The biggest question mark that remains is the future of Alexander Semin, who was mostly absent during their first round playoff exit. Semin, who posted a career high 40 goals and 84 points this season, has one year remaining on his contract, and could be used as trade bait to bring in a top-tier defenseman at next seasons trade deadline. The future of the Capitals looks to be centered around Ovechkin and Backstrom, with no room left over for Semin.
[…] so as they also accounted for 35 percent of the team’s offense last season. With the former two locked up by long-term contracts, the most likely candidate to be moved appears to be Alexander Semin and his one-year, $6.7 million […]