The Washington Capitals have recently signed two young players to deals, as they came to terms with defenseman Nate Schmidt (pictured) and goalie Vitek Vanecek.
Schmidt, 22, received a one-year, two-way contract. He might not be well-known at this point, but his numbers look pretty promising for a depth blueliner. Japer’s Rink does a great job of illustrating why the logjam on defense might hurt a player with some strengths, who might just be a little too “one-dimensional” to make an impact on what Capitals owner Ted Leonsis calls the defensive corps the team’s had since he bought the franchise.
Then again, if the Capitals were to defy their previous claims and actually trade a player like Mike Green, Schmidt could very well find himself with a larger role (or at least a role) with the team. The two-way deal gives him room to breathe and the Capitals a little leeway with their NHL-level roster.
The two-way contract #Caps defenseman Nate Schmidt signed today will pay him $625,000 at the NHL level and $110,000 in the AHL.
— Mike Vogel (@VogsCaps) July 13, 2014
The Caps also signed 2014 second-rounder Vanecek to an entry-level deal, according to TVA’s Renaud Lavoie:
#capitals signed G Vitek Vanecek, 2nd round pick in 2014. ELS contract at $776 000 AAV (2 way) #tvasports
— Renaud Lavoie (@renlavoietva) July 13, 2014
Washington traded the 44th and 74th picks of the 2014 NHL Draft to select Vanecek, 18, with what was the Buffalo Sabres’ 39th pick. Giving up a third-rounder just to move up a few spots to grab the goalie is a strong signal that the team has pretty high hopes for the Czech-born netminder.