Caps re-sign Carl Hagelin

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The Washington Capitals have re-signed forward Carl Hagelin, the team announced Sunday.

The Caps and Hagelin have agreed to a four-year, $11 million deal which will pay him an average annual value of  2.75 million, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced.

"We are pleased to have signed Carl to a new four year contract," MacLellan said. "Carl is a versatile player who can play on any line and is an excellent penalty killer. He is a proven winner and provides great leadership to our team."

The move comes just days after Washington dealt defenseman Matt Niskanen to the Philadelphia Flyers in a cost-cutting move for defenseman Radko Gudas. The savings in the Niskanen deal, of about $3.4 million, will more than cover the salary of Hagelin. 

After the Niskanen trade, MacLellan said the move gave them more "financial flexibility as we look for additional ways to strengthen our team."

The Caps are projected to have over $10.7 million remaining to stay under the salary cap, per Cap Friendly. The team will now likely turn their attention to re-signing 23-year-old restricted free agent Jakub Vrana.

Washington acquired Hagelin, who turns 31 in August, from the Los Angeles Kings in a February trade for a third-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Hagelin was a member of the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017 and has a seller playoff tally of 48 points (22 goals and 26 assists) in 128 career games. 

Over 546 career regular season games with the Capitals, Rangers, Ducks, Penguins, and Kings, he has tallied 241 points (93 goals, 148 assists) after New York made him a sixth-round pick in 2007.

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