Capitals Re-Sign Martin Fehervary to Three-Year Contract

The Washington Capitals and defenseman Martin Fehervary have agreed to terms on a three-year contract.

The Washington Capitals are bringing back their 2022-23 hits leader, Martin Fehervary, on a three-year contract worth $2.675 million per season.

Fehervary, 23, ranked 20th in the NHL for hits, with 217. He also recorded six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 67 games in his second full season of NHL action. The 6-foot-2 blueliner also averaged 20 minutes per game in ice time, which ranked seventh on the Capitals and fifth among players who finished the season with Washington.

Throughout his 152-game NHL career, Fehervary has 482 hits, 14 goals and 20 assists for 34 points. And in the past two seasons combined, Fehervary leads the Capitals in hits with 468 (13th in the NHL) and ranks second in blocks with 245. 

Needless to say, the Bratislava, Slovakia native plays more of a shutdown role than putting up the points. He only started his shifts in the offensive zone about 32 percent of the time and has to handle those tougher assignments, according to naturalstattrick.com. As a result, the Capitals were expected to allow more goals against when Fehervary was on the ice than goals-for, with a 43.46 expected goals-for percentage, but the defenseman is still young.

The signing brings the Capitals to seven signed defensemen on their active roster and 20 players total. They have about $99,000 in cap space after also signing Max Pacioretty and Matthew Phillips as well as acquiring Joel Edmundson in a trade.