Cap's Cap- And Slava Kozlov News

EDIT- A rumor has surfaced that Slava Kozlov is close to signing a contract with CSKA Moscow of the Russian Premier League (not KHL). Good luck, Slava!


The Washington Capitals have signed Nicklas Backstrom to an extension. According to DChesnekov's Twitter, the deal is for 10 years at about a 6.5mil/year cap hit.

Taking a quick look at NHL Numbers, we can see that they estimate the current cap at $56.8 million and they have the Caps this season with a hit of 55.53 million. They will be paying Michael Nylander only 3 million to not play next season as opposed to the 5.5 they paid him not to play this season. It remains to be seen what they do about their goaltending situation with Jose Theodore's 4.5 million contract expiring and Varlamov down for one more year at less than 800k. They could give V the reigns, bid adieu to Jose and bring in a cheap backup to save some cash there.

The Caps will be looking to upgrade their defense, which means spending a good bit of money. After sending Brian Pothier to the Canes, the Caps only had two Dmen making more than 2 million, and most of those cheaper guys are up for new contracts. They will either get raises or get replaced with pricier, more reliable talent.

It has been speculated by many since the Caps' early playoff exit that Alexander Semin may have played his last game with the team. He has one year left at 6 million dollars, then will be a UFA next July. Between a lack of headroom under the cap and a need to shift money into the D corps, it certainly does look like he'll be looking for a new home. He will probably be the #2 Russian left winger on the market this Summer behind Kovy. Kovy is available for cash alone and a team doesn't have to give anything up to acquire him unless they have to shed salary. However, it is looking more and more like the Czar is packing his bags for Mother Russia. Any team looking to trade for Semin has to also be wary that he might opt for the homeland over re-signing with his new team next July. After all, Semin stayed in the Russian leagues for two or three years longer than the Caps would have liked after drafting him, so what confidence can anyone have that he's now content playing in North America?