Photo: @Capitals
According to Washington Capitals’ senior writer Mike Vogel, the team tendered qualifying offers to pending restricted free agent goaltender Ilya Samsonov and left-handed defenseman Lucas Johansen before Monday’s 5 PM ET deadline to do so.
Samsonov, 24, finished the 2020-21 season with a 13-4-1 record, a .902 save percentage, a 2.69 goals-against average, and two shutouts. He is coming off of a three-year contract that carried a $925,000 cap hit.
Johansen, 23, recorded two assists and a +2 rating in five games with the AHL’s Hershey Bears last season. He made $700,000 in 2020-21.
The team currently has $9,735,407 remaining in salary cap space with left-wing Alex Ovechkin, left-wing Michael Raffl, and left-handed defenseman Zdeno Chara set to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday. It has been reported that the Capitals are trying to create cap space before they sign Ovechkin to a contract.
Although the Capitals really like Michael Raffl, and neither side has closed the door on a return, he’s likely entering the free agent market on Wednesday.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) July 26, 2021
By Harrison Brown
Injuries aside, it’s surprising the Caps keep signing Johansen. He’s not a very good player when he’s healthy.