The Washington Capitals re-signed restricted free agent right wing Tom Wilson to a six-year contract worth $31 million, or $5.167 million per season AAV. This contract carries him through the 2023-24 season.
NEWS | Capitals re-sign forward Tom Wilson to a six-year contract worth an average annual value of $5.17 million https://t.co/8DVbI8QV1i
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) July 28, 2018
Tom Wilson Re-Signs With Washington Capitals
Wilson has spent his entire five-year NHL career with Washington. Originally drafted by the Capitals in the 1st round, 16th overall of the 2012 NHL Draft, great things were expected from Ontario native. However, he initially fell short of expectations. Clearly, the intimidating forward struggled to find his role in the team.
Last season. Wilson found a better balance. It was his most productive season as he put up 14 goals and 21 assists for 35 points. Almost doubling statistics from the 2016-17 season. However, the 24-year-old’s growing reputation preseeds him adding a whopping 187 minutes in penalties. His possession numbers were 50.4 percent Corsi and a relative Corsi of 3.1. This added largely to Wilson’s 35 career goals with 69 assists, totalling 104 career points.
The Capitals winger continued this productive streak into the playoffs with five goals and 10 assists for 15 points in 21 games as the Capitals won their first Stanley Cup.
What This Means for the Future
Wilson has almost certainly created much attention in his short career span. However, love him or hate him, the 6-foot-4 forward has been pivotal to Washington’s success this year. Although the role of “enforcer” has been a controversial topic, there is no denying that playing next to greats such as Alex Ovechkin and Evgeny Kuznetsov has formed a well-oiled machine, one that new Capitals coach Todd Rierdenwill be unlikely to mess with this coming season.
The Capitals are a tough, hard-hitting team. They are also notoriously hard for players to find a divined role within it. Wilson is beginning to find his way and will only develop further in this highly-skilled team.
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