At 12p ET on Wednesday, July 1st, Free Agency opened up in the NHL and the frenzy began.
While trade talk for Zach Werenski, Dylan Larkin, Connor Hellebuyck, Vincent Trocheck and others continued to dominate the conversation, it was the free agent signings that took center stage.
For the Washington Capitals, they would sign three forwards and two defensemen for the 2026-27 season and beyond.
On one year deals, the Capitals signed forwards Jonny Brodzinski and Joshua Dunne, both for $850k, and defenseman Justin Holl for $900k.
All three are depth signings for the Capitals, and will most likely spend a majority of their time in Hershey of the AHL, with the exception potentially for Holl who will more likely be the 7th or 8th defenseman the team will carry until Rasmus Sandin returns from his ACL surgery.
For the more major signings, the Capitals signed both defenseman Vincent Desharnais and forward Boone Jenner to 4 year deals. Desharnais, who will carry an AAV of $4.2 million per season, is a 6’7″ defensive defenseman who is known for net coverage and playing on the penalty kill. The Capitals is now the fifth team for Desharnais after spending time with the Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, Pittsburgh Penguins, and San Jose Sharks since coming to the NHL during the 2022-23 season.
Desharnais brings valuable Stanley Cup Playoff experience from his time with Edmonton, where he was part of the Oilers team that fell to the Florida Panthers in seven games in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final. Over 28 career playoff appearances, he has recorded three assists with a minus-12 rating while averaging 15:41 of ice time per game.
With Jenner, he will carry an AAV of $5.75 million per season, and will play a role in the Capitals bottom six, most likely on the fourth line. Jenner has played in 808 career NHL games, all with the Columbus Blue Jackets, recording 212 goals and 209 assists for 421 points.
Jenner has also played in 37 career playoff games recording 8 goals and 7 assists for 15 points, however, the last time Jenner played in the playoffs was during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs that were played in the bubble during the return to play during COVID-19. One concern regarding Jenner is his health. He has not played a full season since the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season, and has averaged around 53 games played per season since that time.
Overall the Capitals had a very busy first day of free agency, and look to have set themselves up for a return to the playoffs. Now the question at this time remains what will captain Alex Ovechkin do? Will he return or will he call it a career and return home to Russia? With Ovechkin appearing at Fanatics Fest NYC on July 18th, that could be the day we learn what his future will be.