The Capitals are moving on from three restricted free agents, choosing not to qualify forward Ryan Hofer or goaltenders Garin Bjorklund and Jesper Vikman. That decision sends all three to unrestricted free agency on Wednesday.
Hofer’s case comes after a season spent mostly with South Carolina, Washington’s ECHL affiliate. The 24-year-old, a sixth-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, finished with two goals, 15 assists and 79 penalty minutes for the Stingrays, along with a plus-6 rating.
He also logged one assist and two penalty minutes in 11 games with Hershey. Hofer had played 40 games for the Bears in 2023-24, but he’s since spent most of his time back in South Carolina.
Bjorklund, another sixth-rounder, this one from 2020, has battled his way through back surgery and other injuries earlier in his career. This season, though, he slipped down the depth chart as Mitchell Gibson climbed.
In 17 games with Hershey, Bjorklund went 5-9-3 with a .876 save percentage and a 3.72 goals-against average. He also appeared in eight games for South Carolina, where he posted a .935 save percentage and a 5-2 record.
He was called up to D.C. as a backup, but never made his NHL debut.
Vikman’s run with the organization was brief. Acquired in the Nic Dowd trade with the Vegas Golden Knights, he was dealing with injury when he arrived and played only one game for the Capitals’ system. In that appearance, he stopped 13 of 14 shots in a Stingrays win.
In Other News...
Sabres Just Made A Roster Shakeup Fans Can't Ignore
Buffalos draft weekend brought a little bit of everything, starting with the Sabres using the fourth overall pick on defenseman Daxon Rudolph and then continuing with a flurry of moves that reshaped the organizations blue-line picture. The Sabres also dipped into the trade market, adding Olen Zellweger from Anaheim in exchange for the 45th-overall pick and prospect Anton Wahlberg, a swap that gives them another young defenseman to fold into a system thats trying to get faster and more dynamic.
The biggest ripple for Washington came from the Sabres decision to move Alex Tuchs rights, a deal that sent one of Buffalos most recognizable names out the door and into a new chapter. For the Capitals, it was the kind of opportunistic move that can change a roster conversation quickly, while Buffalo quietly banked additional assets in the process and left the rest of the league to sort through what the reshuffling means moving forward. [Read more 🡒]
Capitals Just Made The Kind Of Moves Fans Have Wanted For Years
Washington spent last week reshaping its roster in a way that should look familiar to anyone who has been waiting for a more aggressive approach from the front office. General manager Chris Patrick has already made the kind of changes that point directly toward improving the Capitals' offense and special teams, while also creating room for more work when free agency opens Wednesday at noon EST.
Hendrix Lapierre was part of the movement out of Washington, and the team now appears positioned to keep pushing for veteran help at forward and on the blue line. The next phase will tell the real story, because the Capitals still have a chance to turn a promising set of trades into a much deeper offseason overhaul. [Read more 🡒]