Capitals Agree To Terms With Lapierre On One-Year Bridge Deal
The Washington Capitals checked another item off their offseason to-do list on Saturday, re-signing restricted free agent Hendrix Lapierre to a one-year deal.
The Washington Capitals checked another item off their offseason to-do list on Saturday, signing restricted free agent Hendrix Lapierre to a one-year bridge deal.
Per PuckPedia, Lapierre's extension is a one-way contract that pays $850,000. He'll be a restricted free agent when it expires.
The 23-year-old is coming off one of the more challenging seasons of his still-young career. Lapierre made the Capitals opening night roster in 2024-25 and was pegged as the third-line center after he impressed in his stint with the big club in the year prior.
However, he struggled to open the season and had just eight assists and a minus-3 rating through 27 games before Washington ultimately sent him back down to the AHL to continue developing with the Hershey Bears.
"I have no idea, honestly (what happened)," Lapierre said of his struggles to start the season. "I think I was just not playing well... I had a great summer, felt good, worked hard. So it was kind of weird to arrive and have a tough camp."
The Capitals front office had an honest conversation with Lapierre regarding expectations for the forward, and down in Hershey, he was able to find his game again and show some consistency. He had seven goals and 25 assists for 32 points in 32 games and added three assists in the playoffs.
"I think (his play in Hershey’s) put him in a good position here to say, ‘Hey, I’m deserving of this opportunity,'" Patrick said. "I hope he comes in and has a great training camp and really comes in and makes some tough decisions for the coaching staff."
With Lapierre still having a lot to prove, general manager Chris Patrick noted that a bridge deal may be the best scenario, and that’s exactly what he got. Now, he’s expected to come into training camp and try to make the full-time NHL jump as the team looks to its prospects to fill some vacancies on the roster.