ARLINGTON, V.A. — The Washington Capitals have handled some outstanding business, re-signing restricted free agent Henrik Rybinski to a one-year, two-way contract extension.
Rybinski’s new deal will carry an average annual value of $775,000 at the NHL level and $130,000 at the AHL level, general manager Chris Patrick announced.
Rybinski is coming off a career-best year with the Hershey Bears, where he registered 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points through 60 games, along with a plus/minus of plus-11 and a shooting percentage of 16.4 percent. He was among the Bears' top performers over the course of the year and thrived in a middle-6 center role, while earning more ice time as the year went on.
Though the 24-year-old earned a call-up earlier in the season, he is still waiting to play his first NHL game, though he's a hopeful to try and potentially compete for a roster spot this upcoming season with the team wanting to inject more youth into the mix.
Rybinski was originally drafted by the Florida Panthers but became a free agent after choosing not to sign with Florida. He inked his entry-level contract with the Capitals in 2022.
With Rybinski's contract taken care of, only five RFAs remain for Washington to address: Alex Alexeyev, Hendrix Lapierre, Pierrick Dubé, Tobias Geisser and Mitchell Gibson, who signed an AHL deal for next year.