Washington Capitals: 3 Players With Expiring Contracts

With the off-season almost completed, it feels right to take a preview into next year's. In this segment, we will be looking at three players from each team who have expiring contracts. Both restricted and unrestricted free agents are eligible for discussion.

In this piece, we will be focusing on the Washington Capitals. They have a good amount of players who have expiring contracts, so it should be eventful summer for them next year.

Vítek Vaněček G (RFA): Vítek Vaněček was selected by the Seattle Kraken at the Expansion Draft, but was then traded right back to the Capitals. He has one year left on his current contract and is due for a raise from his $716,667 AAV. He would end up becoming the starting goaltender for the Capitals this past season. In 37 games, he had a 21-10-4 record and .908 SV%. It will be intriguing to see how he follows that up this year.

Ilya Samsonov G (RFA): The Capitals also have goaltender Ilya Samsonov to re-sign next off-season. In 19 games this past season, he had a 13-4-1 record and .902 SV%. The 2015 first-round pick also had a 0-3 record in the postseason against the Boston Bruins. At just 24 years old, he still has potential to improve and it will be interesting to see what he's capable of doing this year. It will impact his next contract and even future with the team.

Justin Schultz D (UFA): Veteran defenseman Justin Schultz also has an expiring contract. In 46 games this past season, he scored three goals and recorded 27 points. In just as many games the season before with the Pittsburgh Penguins, he had only 12 points. When he's healthy, he is a very productive offensive defenseman. If he has another strong year offensively, the Capitals certainly could look to keep him around longer.