NHL Free Agency: Capitals sign D Matt Roy, extend Connor McMichael in flurry of moves

The Washington Capitals made a couple of big moves last week and kept going as NHL free agency opened Monday, signing defenseman Matt Roy to a six-year, $34.5 million deal, forward Taylor Raddysh to a one-year, $1 million deal, and forward Brandon Duhaime to a two-year, $3.7 million contract.

They also announced they have re-signed forward Connor McMichael to a two-year, $4.2 million contract extension, re-upped goaltender Mitchell Gibson and defenseman Chase Priskie to one-year, two-way contracts, and re-signed forward Ethen Frank to a two-year, $1.55 million contract.

Roy, the big addition, was a seventh-round pick of the Kings in 2015 and established himself across from Drew Doughty, playing in 203 games over the last three years and notching 16 goals, 56 assists, 1.72 hits per game, 1.96 blocked shots per game, and a plus-52 rating.

Raddysh has shown to be more of a defensive forward of late, with just five goals and nine assists in 73 games with the Blackhawks last season, while Duhaime – whose father, Trevor, was a ninth-round pick of the Caps in 1991 – has a similar bottom-six profile; he had five goals and eight assists in 80 games between Minnesota and Colorado last year, but his 208 hits were more than any current Capital other than Tom Wilson (who had 228).

Duhaime was also a key penalty killer for his teams last season, averaging 1:54 of short-handed ice time.

Those additions will help the bottom half of a forward group that saw Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Max Pacioretty hit unrestricted free agency and Beck Malenstyn dealt to Buffalo, while Roy and a trade for Ottawa’s Jakob Chychrun gives Washington a pair of top blue-liners to pair with veteran John Carlson and emerging youngsters Rasmus Sandin and Martin Fehervary.

With all of their moves so far this offseason, the Caps are now just under $5 million over the cap, so it is likely at least one big departure is coming sometime soon.