Alex Alexeyev has joined the dark side.
The 25-year-old defenseman signed a one-year, $775k one-way contract with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday afternoon. Alexeyev became an unrestricted free agent on July 1 after the Washington Capitals elected not to extend him a qualifying offer.
Alexeyev, the Capitals’ 2018 first-round pick, spent six seasons in the team’s organization. He played the entire 2024-25 campaign with the Caps outside of a short conditioning stint with the Hershey Bears in early March.
After playing just eight games during the regular season, the Russian defender became a regular in the playoffs when Martin Fehervary was lost to a torn meniscus, playing in all 10 of the Capitals’ postseason games. Alexeyev had six shots on goal and finished with a plus-minus of minus-2, receiving only 10:25 average ice time in the playoffs.
Over parts of four NHL seasons, Alexeyev recorded eight points (1g, 7a) in 80 games for the Capitals. He had zero points this past year.
Alexeyev will join a rebuilding Penguins team that has missed the playoffs for the last three seasons. He is one of eight defensemen the club currently has signed to their NHL roster for the 2025-26 campaign.
The depth blueliner is the second recent Capitals player to join the Penguins on Wednesday after forward Anthony Mantha signed a one-year, $2.5 million contract with the club.
Alexeyev will also reunite with his former head coach, Todd Nelson, who coached him for seven AHL games with the Bears. Nelson joined the Penguins’ bench as an assistant last month.
