Capitals re-sign Vrana to a two-year deal

The Washington Capitals resigned forward Jakub Vrana to a two-year, US$6.7-million deal Tuesday, securing the team’s foremost restricted free agent and top priority of the off-season. Vrana’s contract will carry an average annual value of $3.35 million.

The 23-year-old is coming off a career season with 24 goals and 23 assists and ranked third on the National Hockey League team in goals. Despite that success, he tallied zero points in the Capitals’ first-round playoff exit against the Carolina Hurricanes.

The Czech native has established himself as a top-six forward in the league and again will be a restricted free agent in two years when the deal runs out, giving the Capitals an opportunity to extend him to a long-term contract.

“Jakub is a highly skilled player with a tremendous upside and is a big part of our future,” said Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan. “We are pleased with his development the past two seasons and are looking forward for him to continue to develop and reach his full potential with our organization.”

The Capitals signed Vrana to a team-friendly deal, which was helped with no arbitration rights and recent comparable deals to restricted free agents Andreas Johnsson and Kasperi Kapanen in Toronto. Also dealing with limited cap space, the Maple Leafs passed on a long-term deal to Kapanen and signed the talented 22-year-old forward to three-year, $9.6-million bridge contract on June 28. Johnsson signed a four-year, $13.6-million deal. The Capitals have also made comparable bridge deals in the past, notably for Andre Burakovsky — traded to Colorado in June — when they signed him in 2017 to a two-year, $6-million deal.

According to CapFriendly.com, the breakdown of Vrana’s two-year bridge deal includes a $2.7-million base for the 2019-20 season with a $1-million signing bonus. Vrana, who was drafted by the Capitals 13th overall in the 2014 NHL draft, will receive $3 million in base money for the 2020-21 season.