The Washington Capitals re-signed defenseman Alex Alexeyev to a two-year contract extension Tuesday, keeping the 23-year-old Russian in the fold as the team looks to solidify its blue line for next season and beyond.
While the Capitals continue their search for a new coach who will be able to connect with their veteran core, they are also looking for a leader who can help develop younger players such as Alexeyev, who was set to become a restricted free agent this summer. He is projected to be one of Washington’s primary six defensemen next season.
At 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds, Alexeyev is a big, physical presence who showed flashes of promise on the blue line for Washington late in the season. After undergoing shoulder surgery last summer, Alexeyev worked his way into the lineup late in March and logged heavy minutes as the Capitals endured attrition through injuries and dealt multiple defensemen at the trade deadline. Alexeyev averaged just over 16 minutes of ice time and finished with five assists in 32 games. He also tied for fifth on the Capitals in blocked shots per 60 minutes (5.46).
Alexeyev is the second young Russian player in the organization to earn a new contract in as many days. On Monday, the Capitals signed 19-year-old forward Ivan Miroshnichenko, the team’s 2022 first-round pick, to a three-year entry-level contract worth $855,000 in the NHL. That deal came after Miroshnichenko moved on from the Kontinental Hockey League, where he played last season.
Washington also added a potential future depth piece last month in defenseman Hardy Haman Aktell, a 2016 Nashville Predators draft pick who signed a one-year, two-way, entry-level contract with the Capitals after shining in the Swedish Hockey League last season.
Alongside right-handed veterans John Carlson, Nick Jensen and Trevor van Riemsdyk, Washington has three left-handed defensemen who are just 23 years old and figure to be in the top six next season: Alexeyev, Rasmus Sandin and Martin Fehervary, who is a restricted free agent this summer and could be next to receive an extension as Capitals General Manager Brian MacLellan looks to strengthen the defensive corps.
“I think we could still improve it a little bit. We’ll look at opportunities to do that,” MacLellan said last month. “I like the right side, what they’ve contributed. They all have roles they fill within our team, and they all do it well. The left side, we’ve got three 23-year-old guys that are all looking to improve and get better and get to the next level.”