NHL free agency: Washington Capitals to sign Richard Panik
According to Bob McKenzie, the Washington Capitals are expected to sign Richard Panik to a four-year deal once NHL free agency begins.
The Washington Capitals are shuffling their roster around a bit. After trading Andre Burakovsky and letting go of Brett Connolly, they’re remaking their third forward line. Re-signing Carl Hagelin gave them one of their new pieces. According to Bob McKenzie, their fourth piece will be Richard Panik. He’s heading to the Capitals on a four-year deal at around $2.5 million annually once NHL free agency starts.
According to Brian McNally of NBC Washington, the deal will be worth $2.65 million annually. This seems like a pretty solid deal for the Capitals. The four years seems like a bit much for Panik, who is 28 years old. However, the cap hit is perfectly reasonable. No word yet on if there is any trade protection, but it’s worth noting the Capitals rarely give out no-trade clauses.
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Panik will be replacing Connolly as the Caps third-line right wing. Last season, he had 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in 75 games for the Arizona Coyotes.
He was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009. He has spent time with the Lightning, Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Coyotes.
In 410 career games, Panik has 75 goals and 84 assists for 159 points. He’s done this in a third-line role. The Capitals have shifted their third line to be more balanced.
With the additions of Hagelin and Panik, along with incumbent center Lars Eller, the Caps third line is suddenly a bit more reliable. Panik is a shooter, which fits with what the Capitals needed to add to their third line.
While he’s not an impressive scorer, he has shown an ability to consistently drive possession. Moreover, Panik’s team has at worst matched their opponent in goals and usually wound up outscoring them. From a middle-six forward, that’s about all you can ask for.
The Capitals got a nice bargain with Panik. Which is important because now they have to re-sign Jakub Vrana, who could get some offer sheets tossed his way on July 1. The Capitals will likely have to keep him to a bridge deal, but that was all but a guarantee after the salary cap ceiling fell to $81.5 million. It was expected to be at $83 million.
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Washington also has to add at least one more forward. They could re-sign Chander Stephenson, but they should have some money left over to perhaps invest in a higher-end fourth-line forward. The Capitals have gotten most of their work done before July 1, so give credit to general manager Brian MacLellan.