Photo: NHL.com
The Washington Capitals announced just prior to the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on Friday that they have re-signed left-wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel to a one-year, $1.225 million contract extension. The 26-year-old could have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
Washington claimed Aube-Kubel off of waivers from the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 5.
Aube-Kubel has tallied two goals and eight points in 30 games with Washington after going scoreless in six outings with Toronto this season. He has 23 goals and 58 points in 205 career NHL games with Washington, Toronto, Philadelphia Flyers, and Colorado Avalanche.
He won the Stanley Cup with Colorado last season, appearing in 14 postseason games.
Defenseman Trevor Van Riemsdyk, left-wing Conor Sheary, right-wing Craig Smith, right-wing Connor Brown, and defenseman Matt Irwin can all become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Van Riemsdyk will reportedly not get moved prior to the trade deadline. Assuming that the NHL salary cap increases by $1 million next season, Washington currently has $17,524,166 remaining in cap space with 16 players (11 forwards, three defensemen, and two goalies) under contract.
Washington has traded defenseman Dmitry Orlov and right-wing Garnet Hathaway (Boston Bruins), center Lars Eller (Colorado Avalanche), and defenseman Erik Gustafsson (Toronto Maple Leafs) in the past eight days. The team is currently four points out of a Stanley Cup Playoff spot with a game in hand on the New York Islanders, who occupy the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Everyone else that Washington is currently competing with has at least one game in hand on them.
Aube-Kubel will likely remain on Washington’s fourth-line with center Nic Dowd for the foreseeable future.
Washington has also extended the contracts of center Dylan Strome (five years, $5 million cap hit), right-wing Sonny Milano (three, $1.9 million), and defenseman Nick Jensen (three, $4.05 million) since the NHL All-Star break began.
Aube-Kubel’s 1 year #ALLCAPS $1.225M Cap Hit Deal is:
Salary $1M
Signing Bonus $225KRep’d by Phil Lecavalier @QuartexxHockey https://t.co/dr4G3IT2f6 https://t.co/jd3sSiQXYj
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) March 3, 2023
By Harrison Brown
Not a bad move and not a good one either; but does that mean that Brown is out? How about Smith? Not really excited about keeping him next season. Don’t see a need to keep him unless Backy retires. And if Sheary gets resigned then basically the guys in Hershey might as well walk after this year; guys like Pilon, Sutter and Borgstrom. Both Snively and Malenstein have 1 year left before becoming a UFA and a RFA. And you have to deal with Protas and Wilson after next season. So may be loosing several good players all to keep the idea that this team is a playoff team and get Ovie a record Going to be a hard fall in 2 or 3 years when Ovie retires.
Wondering how many of these signings are so that there is no rebuild and how many are being done because the owner and GM are going to resign PL to a new contract after the season, probably in the summer when it gets little press so not to piss off the fans totally, and satisfy his want for older players.
Losing several good players…. alluding to Protas, Snively, Borgstrom, Sutter and Pilon I guess….is dead accurate. Good doesn’t allow you to take spots in the NHL that some want given.
How many 4th lines do we need druid? These players you list don’t have more goals/points in the AHL than the old players they are trying to replace have in the NHL.
What is wrong with you guys???