After seeing Martin Fehervary's absence weigh heavily in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Washington Capitals knew it was necessary to shore up the blue line this offseason.

So, at the 2025 NHL Draft, Washington acquired another defenseman, bringing in Declan Chisholm from the Minnesota Wild and subsequently signing him to a two-year deal, while also parting ways with Alex Alexeyev.

Chisholm is a good passer and underrated puck mover who takes care of his own zone first, and at 6-foot-1, can get in his opponents' way. He also sacrifices the body to block shots and doesn't shy away from puck battles. 

The 25-year-old appeared in 66 games for the Minnesota Wild this past season, putting up 12 points while averaging 16:60 minutes per game.

While he's expected to play the role of the extra defenseman for Washington, who already has three established pairings, he's certainly expected to compete for games and ice time and is an NHL-ready option that can draw in at a moment's notice.

"Having seven really good D, you have a really good defenseman that's not happy, but I think it just gives us a lot of options," general manager Chris Patrick said.

Overall, though, Chisholm is looking forward to bringing a new look to the backend.