The Washington Capitals have all six regular defensemen from last season’s roster under contract for the 2025-26 season, but their next move could be to ensure a big piece of that defense corps is around even longer.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, the Capitals want to get an extension done with Martin Fehervary as soon as he becomes eligible for one on July 1. Fehervary’s current contract, a three-year deal signed in 2023, expires at the end of the 2025-26 campaign where he will then become a restricted free agent.
“Another guy that I’m potentially looking at for July 1, who is a quietly really good player, is Martin Fehervary in Washington,” Friedman said. “I think they have a real desire to get him extended, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens.”
Fehervary set a new career high in points (25) and assists (20) last season in 81 games for the Capitals. He unfortunately saw his year end prematurely when he suffered a torn meniscus in the second-to-last game of the regular season and underwent surgery to repair the injury.
The 25-year-old Slovakian blueliner spent most of the season skating on the team’s second pairing with Matt Roy and shutting down the opposition’s best players. He was also a vital part of the Capitals’ penalty-killing group and ranked second on the club in blocked shots (150) behind just Trevor van Riemsdyk (151).
Head coach Spencer Carbery commented on the loss of Fehervary for the team’s entire playoff run and called it “a massive blow to lose him” after the Carolina Hurricanes eliminated the Capitals in the second round. With Fehervary out, the rest of the Capitals’ top defensemen saw significant increases in their average ice time per game, with Roy (+4:00), Jakob Chychrun (+2:49), and Rasmus Sandin (+2:07) being the most impacted.
Capitals general manager Chris Patrick mentioned in May that he’d like to find quick contract extension solutions for both Fehervary and Connor McMichael. Patrick referred to the rest of the NHL witnessing the successful use of offer sheets by the St. Louis Blues on two Edmonton Oilers players during the 2024 offseason as a potential reason for the urgency.
“I think we’d like to be ahead of the curve on our higher-end restricted free agents,” Patrick said. “I mean, you saw what happened last year with Edmonton. You get yourself in a tough spot pretty quickly if a team gets aggressive, so we’d like to make sure we’re covered off there.”
According to @AFPAnalytics, Fehervary’s extension is projected to be a six-year, $35.8 million deal ($5.97 million AAV). The most common contract comparables cited are Adam Pelech’s eight-year, $46 million extension ($5.75 million AAV) he signed with the New York Islanders in 2021 and Danny DeKeyser’s six-year, $30 million extension ($5 million AAV) he signed with the Detroit Red Wings in 2016.
The Capitals are currently scheduled to have $47.7 million in cap space next summer.
