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Alzner meets with Vegas, but will test free agency

Washington Capitals v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 06: Karl Alzner #27 of the Washington Capitals takes the puck as Sergey Kalinin #51 of the New Jersey Devils defends on February 6, 2016 at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.The Washington Capitals defeated the New Jersey Devils 3-2 in an overtime shootout. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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It definitely sounds like Karl Alzner won’t be with Washington next season.

And it doesn’t sound like he’ll be with Las Vegas, either.

Alzner, the UFA blueliner that’s spent the last nine year with the Capitals, met with the Golden Knights during the expansion outfit’s 72-hour interview window, but ultimately opted against signing there.

From TSN’s Pierre LeBrun:

At 28, Alzner’s hitting the open market at a good time. This year’s free agent class isn’t especially strong, especially when it comes to defensemen, and Alzner’s pretty well established as a top-four, shutdown rearguard that can log 20-plus minutes per night.

As such, he’s expected to get a raise on the four-year, $11.2 million deal that just expired -- one that carried a $2.8M average annual cap hit. That was a nice value contract for the Caps, but Alzner’s looming payday would likely be too much for the club to stomach.