The Washington Capitals kicked off free agency Wednesday afternoon with a depth re-signing, agreeing to a two-year contract with forward Stanislav Galiev annually worth $575,000 at the NHL level.
It’s a two-way deal for the upcoming season, allowing minor-league flexibility for the 23-year-old Russian winger, who entered last year with significant uncertainty about his future within the organization before exploding with 25 goals and 45 points for the Hershey Bears. The contract shifts to one-way in 2016-17.
By the end of the regular season, the former third-round pick had demonstrated enough to justify his first career promotion to the Capitals, facing Boston on April 8 in his NHL debut and later scoring his first career goal against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning New York Rangers.