Washington Capitals’ 3 Worst Contracts Entering 2026-27 – The Hockey Writers – Washington Capitals

Among the Washington Capitals’ worst deals entering the 2026-27 season are two new free-agent contracts and Pierre-Luc Dubois’ extension signed in 2023. Players who reach free agency are paid a premium to take their skills to a new team, so these two were not surprising.

Alex Tuch and Boone Jenner were handsomely rewarded for their extended careers, but Capitals fans felt the sticker shock and will debate these contracts for the next decade. Meanwhile, Dubois needs a strong season to justify his AAV for the remainder of his deal. Here are the three worst Capitals contracts entering the 2026-27 campaign. 

Alex Tuch

The best thing about a free agent signing is that the value typically looks better over time as more expensive deals are handed out around the league. Washington completed a sign-and-trade with the Buffalo Sabres this summer before handing Alex Tuch an 8-year, $84 million contract. That $10.5 million average annual value (AAV) ranks 23rd in the NHL, according to Spotrac. 

Tuch arrives with three 30-goal campaigns in the last four seasons, including 33 goals in his final season with the Sabres. He has scored 200 goals in 615 games, a 0.32 goals-per-game rate over a 10-year pro career. The 18th overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft usually finds a way to impact the scoresheet with 448 points for an average of 0.72 points per game. 

Now, the veteran forward must seamlessly blend into a new group in Washington while learning a new coaching system under head coach Spencer Carbery. Tuch’s size and skills should complement the Capitals’ lineup, but there will be a ton of pressure to perform in what could be Alex Ovechkin’s final NHL season. 

Tuch’s contract should age gracefully as the best players in the game strike new deals, but his AAV is high given the Capitals already have similar players in Tom Wilson and Aleksei Protas. Perhaps that is part of the Capitals’ genius, but it could leave them with an easily defendable lineup if opponents figure out how to counter the relentless brute-force attack of wave after wave of 6+-foot forwards jumping over the boards. 

Boone Jenner

Jenner signed a four-year, $23 million contract with a $5.75 million AAV. The 33-year-old brings leadership skills after spending a decade with a letter stitched onto his sweater for the Columbus Blue Jackets, including the “C” over the last five seasons. 

The second-round selection from the 2011 NHL Entry Draft has scored 212 goals and 421 points in 808 career games, averaging 0.52 points per game across 13 seasons in Columbus. Jenner celebrated 13 goals and 38 points in his final season before deciding to move further East when free agency opened on July 1. 

The AAV on Jenner’s contract matches Matt Roy’s six-year, $34 million free-agent deal from the 2024 offseason. It ranks just behind the contracts of Logan Thompson ($5.8 million), Martin Fehervary ($6 million), and Tom Wilson ($6.5 million). Therefore, the Capitals are paying a decent amount for a player looking to break the 40-point plateau for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

It’s possible the veteran forward receives enough ice time to impact the score sheet this season and justify the deal, but we have to wait and see.  

Pierre-Luc Dubois

Dubois landed with the LA Kings during the 2023 offseason and signed an 8-year, $68 million extension with an $8.5 million AAV following a trade from the Winnipeg Jets. He scored 16 goals and 40 points in a disastrous first season with the Kings before being flipped to the Capitals during the 2024 offseason.

The third overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft scored 66 points in a resurgent first season in Washington, but the injury bug limited him to 19 points in 29 games last season. With a ton of high-priced talent added on the wings, Dubois will likely be tasked with more center responsibilities from Carbery, a move that could limit his point production despite looking promising in that role last season. 

Dubois’ $8.5 million AAV is the third richest on Washington’s cap sheet behind Tuch and Jakob Chychrun ($9 million). It is also slightly higher than trade acquisition Jordan Kyrou’s $8.12 million deal signed with the St. Louis Blues in September 2022. Expectations will be very high for Dubois to earn his cap hit over the remainder of the decade. 

While none of these contracts are particularly debilitating, Washington could face some salary issues when the Ovechkin era finally wraps up. Until then, the Capitals are running with a playoff-or-bust mentality with less than $100,000 in remaining cap space under the $103.9 million limit for the season.