Former Washington Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan made significant moves this offseason, including a key free agent signing on July 1. He secured defenseman Matt Roy with a six-year, $34.5 million contract. Roy, who previously played parts of six NHL seasons with the Los Angeles Kings, will bolster the Capitals’ defense as they aim for the 2025 playoffs and a strong postseason performance.
Drafted by the Kings in the seventh round (194th overall) of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Roy developed his skills in the USHL with the Indiana Ice and in the NCAA with Michigan Tech. He also spent time in the AHL with the Ontario Reign, where his stats included:
– 2016-17: 1 assist in 8 games
– 2017-18: 4 goals, 13 assists (17 points) in 49 games
– 2018-19: 8 goals, 21 assists (29 points) in 45 games
Roy made his NHL debut with the Kings in 2018-19, playing 25 games and scoring 2 goals with 4 assists. He had his first full NHL season in 2019-20, recording 4 goals and 14 assists (18 points) in 70 games. His offensive output increased over the following seasons:
– 2020-21: 2 goals, 8 assists (10 points) in 44 games
– 2021-22: 2 goals, 19 assists (21 points) in 67 games
– 2022-23: 9 goals, 17 assists (26 points) in 82 games
– 2023-24: 5 goals, 20 assists (25 points) in 81 games
Roy’s career-high of 26 points came in the 2022-23 season. He has also played 18 playoff games with L.A., scoring 1 goal and 5 assists for 6 points.
Joining the Capitals, Roy will add depth to a defensive lineup that now includes Jakob Chychrun, whom MacLellan acquired from the Ottawa Senators on the same day. Washington’s defense will feature John Carlson, Rasmus Sandin, Martin Fehervary, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Ethan Bear, and Alexander Alexeyev, with Roy and Sandin being the only long-term contracts extending to at least 2029.
The Capitals’ top four defensemen for the 2024-25 season are expected to be Carlson, Chychrun, Roy, and Sandin. Despite some criticism of Carlson’s age and performance, he put up 10 goals and 42 assists (52 points) in the 2023-24 season. Roy may not match Carlson or Chychrun in offensive production but will enhance the blue line defensively. Head coach Spencer Carbery might pair Carlson with Chychrun and Roy with Sandin or experiment with other combinations. Training camp and preseason will determine the best pairings.
Overall, this defense group is poised to be skilled and reliable, with Roy bringing solid defensive play and penalty killing ability to complement the talents of Chychrun, Carlson, and Sandin.
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