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Stanton signs with Capitals after Canucks let him go to free agency

Vancouver Canucks v New Jersey Devils

NEWARK, NJ - FEBRUARY 20: Ryan Stanton #18 of the Vancouver Canucks skates against the New Jersey Devils in the first period on February 20, 2015 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

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The Washington Capitals added organizational depth along their blue line, signing 26-year-old defenseman Ryan Stanton to a one-year, two-way contract in a deal announced Friday.

The Vancouver Canucks, having signed left-shooting defenseman Luca Sbisa to a contract extension this past season, didn’t tender Stanton a qualifying offer, eventually turning him into an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

From Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post:

An undrafted free agent who parlayed three American Hockey League seasons into his NHL debut with Chicago in 2012-13, Stanton will likely bring a veteran presence to an expectedly young blue line in Hershey, where three professional rookies — Madison Bowey, Tyler Lewington and Christian Djoos — will compete for time. Mike Moore, Erik Burgdoerfer and Connor Carrick round out the corps.

The Canucks, under former GM Mike Gillis, claimed Stanton off waivers from Chicago just prior to the start of the 2013-14 season. He showed potential in his first few months with Vancouver, before suffering an ankle injury that kept him out of the lineup for more than a month.

In 118 career games with the Canucks over two seasons, Stanton scored four goals and 27 points.

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