The Washington Capitals finished as the top team in the Eastern Conference after the regular season. This would give them their tenth playoff berth in their last 11 seasons. Still, they would be eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Carolina Hurricanes. It has been a quiet NHL free agency period for the Capitals overall this summer, but they did make some moves that benefited the team.
The Capitals may be looking into the trade market after missing out on most free agents. They have already completed one trade this summer, bringing in Declan Chisholm from the Minnesota Wild. He played in 66 games last year with 12 points for the Wild. They also lost a fair number of players. TJ Oshie has officially retired, but he did not play last season. Lars Eller moved on, signing with the Ottawa Senators. Hunter Shepard will be joining Eller in Ottawa. Meanwhile, Andrew Mangiapane is now with the Edmonton Oilers. Taylor Raddysh also signed with the New York Rangers.
The Capitals would make six signings this summer. This is how they each grade out.
Sheldon Rempal joins the Capitals on a one-year, $775,000 contract
Rempal was undrafted in 2018 and signed an entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings. He would play seven games at the NHL level and spend the next year in the AHL. He has spent time with the Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, and Vegas Golden Knights in his career, but has played in just 21 NHL games with just two goals and one assist. Last season, the Canadian forward played with the Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the KHL, playing in 68 games. He showed promise there, scoring 31 goals and adding 30 assists during the regular season. He would add another eight goals and 13 points in his 19 playoff games as well.
This deal is a two-way contract, and most likely 2019 AHL All-Star will be playing much of this year with the Hershey Bears. He has 252 points in 328 career AHL games, but has yet to translate his AHL success into consistent playing time at the NHL level. Overall, he can be a fill-in player who is called up due to injury, which gives the Caps some value, but it is not a signing that will bring much excitement to the fan base.
Sheldon Rempal contract grade: C
Hendrix Lapierre re-signs with Washington on a one-year, $850,000 contract
Lapierre was the 22nd overall pick of the 2020 NHL draft by the Capitals. He would make his NHL debut with the Capitals in October of 2021, playing six games with the team that year, and scoring one goal. The Canadian center has spent time on both the NHL roster and with the Bears in the AHL over the past three seasons. Overall, he has played in 84 games with the Caps, scoring nine goals and adding 22 assists.
This was a solid deal for Lapierre as well. It is a one-way contract that will pay him $850,000 regardless of whether he is with the AHL or NHL team. There is the expectation that he will spend more time on the NHL roster this year, though. Further, with this being a one-year deal, he will still be a restricted free agent next year. If things go well for the forward at the NHL level, the Caps can re-sign him. If not, they can move him next offseason and still potentially get something in return.
Hendrix Lapierre contract grade: B
The Capitals re-sign Anthony Beauvillier on a two-year, $5.5 million contract
Beauvillier will be returning to the Capitals next year, signing a new two-year deal with the team. The Canadian forward was drafted 28th overall in the 2015 NHL draft by the New York Islanders and would break into the NHL with the Islanders in the 2017-18 season. He was a consistent player with New York, scoring 12 or more goals in six of his seven full seasons there. Still, he has been bounced around the league since then. In January 2023, he was traded to the Vancouver Canucks, and was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks that November. In March of 2024, he would be sent to the Nashville Predators, playing on his third different team that season. Last summer, he signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but was traded to the Caps during the season.
The left-handed forward was a solid addition to the Capitals this year. He played in just 18 regular-season games, scoring twice and adding three assists. Beauviller was also great in the playoffs, scoring twice and adding four assists in ten games. He has been a consistent 25 to 30 point scorer in his NHL career. Only once in his career has he not reached the 20-point mark in a season, and that year he played for three different teams. With the ability to now stay with a team longer term, he is a solid signing for the Caps.
Anthony Beauviller contract grade: A-
Defender Louie Belpedio signs a two-year deal worth $775,000 with the Capitals
The Capitals brought in defender Louie Belpedio on a two-year deal, and also under a two-way contract. He would be drafted in the third round of the 2014 NHL draft by the Minnesota Wild, but chose to play four years of college hockey with the Miami RedHawks. The blue liner was a solid player for the RedHawks, being recognized as an NCHC All-Star three different times, and making the All-Rookie team in his freshman year. He made his NHL debut in the 2017-18 season, but has mainly been an AHL player.
He has played just 16 games at the NHL level in his career, with the last games being with the Philadelphia Flyers in 2023-24. That year, he played in 12 games with two goals and two assists. Last season, he spent the entire year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL. At the age of 29, the fact that he has not been able to regularly secure NHL games may show that it might not happen for him. This is also a two-year deal for the Caps for a player who may never skate on the NHL roster. A deal like this for a younger player would have been solid, but this was not that.
Louis Belpedio contract grade: F
Calle Rosen joins the squad on a one-year $775,000 contract
Calle Rosen is another aging defender who is mainly an AHL-level player. The Swede was undrafted and would begin his professional career in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He would spend three seasons there and be a solid player, leading to NHL teams inquiring about him. He would ultimately sign a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but played just 12 games over three seasons with them. The Swede has also spent time in the Avalanche and St. Louis Blues organizations.
Unlike Belpedio, he has spent some time at the NHL level, playing in 93 total games. The most he played in a season was in 2022-23, playing 49 games for the Blues. Still, he has not played at the NHL level since six games in the 2023-24 campaign. Ultimately, this is just a depth piece for the Bears at the AHL level and will not make an impact on the Capitals this year.
Calle Rosen contract grade: F
Forward Graeme Clarke gets a one-year deal worth $775,0000
The final signing for the Caps was that of Graeme Clarke, and this one is a little more compelling. He was the 80th overall pick of the 2019 Draft by the New Jersey Devils. The Minnesota native would finish time in the OHL, scoring over a point per game in his last season with the Ottawa 67's. He would then spend four years in the AHL with the Devils organization and become a solid scoring threat. In his last two seasons with the Utica Comets, he scored 107 points in 135 games. He made his NHL debut in 2024 with the Devils, playing three games without a point.
He was traded to the Minnesota Wild last summer and would spend the year with the AHL. While he is expected to remain in the AHL this year, being just 24, there is still time to develop. He has shown potential in the past, and if the Caps can get a bottom-six forward in the future from his development, this will be a good signing.
Graeme Clarke contract grade: B-
Final grade on the Washington Capitals' 2025 free agency signings
The Capitals did not make a lot of moves this offseason. With this possibly being the last year of having Alex Ovechkin on the roster, there was the expectation that the Caps would be more aggressive in the free agent market. Overall, the Capitals did not improve their roster, and with some players leaving, they may have gotten worse. They got a solid signing by bringing back Beauviller, but beyond that, not much was done. The team overperformed last year, but could still be a threat in the East this season. Yet, with no major signings, it was a bad summer for the Caps.
Overall grade for the Capitals' 2025 free agency Class: D+
