Washington Capitals Make Perfect Signing In Justin Williams

One of the most coveted wingers in a weak free agency class will go down as a bargain by the end of his deal. Justin Williams left the Los Angeles Kings to move across the country and sign with the Washington Capitals. His deal is a very affordable at $6.5 million over two seasons. This will provide the Capitals with something they desperately need — a presence once the playoffs start.

The Capitals knew they needed better playoff performers. During the Alex Ovechkin era, which is now in its 10th season, this team never made it past the second round of the postseason. The Capitals are still chosen as a championship favorite throughout that run, but they could not win the big one.

The team just brought on arguably the best player of this generation when it comes to winning the big one. Williams scored 25 points in the Kings’ last Stanley Cup run. He is just a better player when the games move from local coverage and they are watched by a national audience. Nobody really pays attention during the regular season because Williams makes his money during the postseason. During three Stanley Cup runs with the Kings and the Carolina Hurricanes, he has tallied 58 points. For a guy who isn’t an Ovechkin type, those are staggering numbers.

He will likely play on the first line with Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, who enjoyed another 60-plus assist season. That could provide an improvement to his regular season point totals. He is around a 20 goals scorer, but could reach 25 or 30 if he can stay healthy.

This is going to be a very good signing, if not the best signing of the offseason. Williams is a crown jewel to a team who needs a piece to get them over the hump. It is hard to think of a player and a team that fit better than Williams does with the Capitals as they are currently constructed. Even after this move, the Caps have close to $15 million to spend for the rest of the offseason. They do have to use some of that to resign Braden Holtby, but that will still leave plenty of money to make a few more moves. By the end of the offseason, the Caps could be the favorites in the Metropolitan Division. Moves like this one will have a major factor in that pick.