He’s back! Michal Kempny is staying with the Capitals

In the wake of their championship win, the Washington Capitals have had some tough decisions to make. But as of now, everything’s coming up in their favor.

For a team that just took home the Stanley Cup, there has been a lot of stress on which players, or even coaches, the Washington Capitals are going to re-sign.

They’ve parted with head coach Barry Trotz; they’ve locked down John Carlson and Devante Smith-Pelly. One other huge name on the list was Michal Kempny.

But fear not, Washington fans; according to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Kempny has agreed to a multi-year deal, despite having offers from other teams. This seems to be a theme, as Devante Smith-Pelly also waved away numerous offers just to spend one more year going for a back-to-back championship with the Capitals.

The deal itself has been reported to be a $10 million, four-year contract, which is a hefty payout considering Kempny didn’t even join the Caps until Feb. 2018.

Kempny was acquired through a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks and wasn’t expected to make huge waves. However, Trotz saw his potential and put him on a line with John Carlson… and when you can still look good next to the best defenseman in the league, that means you must be really good.

His greatest asset perhaps is his consistency. There was a certain safety that came in knowing that Kempny and Carlson were protecting the net. Kempny is a pretty big guy and wasn’t afraid of going out of his comfort zone to shoot the puck or slam an opponent into the boards when necessary.

His scores for a defenseman are pretty solid. He clocked five points (2 goals, 3 assists) throughout the Capitals’ Stanley Cup campaign, which wasn’t the highest for their defense (Carlson swept that with a criminally insane 5 goals and 15 assists) but pushed that team toward the Cup regardless.

Most importantly, Carlson needs a solid wingman. He needs to know that if he goes for an offensive play, there will be someone more defensively minded backing him up… a role that Kempny plays perfectly.

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It’s clear the Capitals are strategically planning for a second run at the Cup. They’ve made fantastic decisions already in this offseason, and have been able to keep key linchpin players. Watching Kempny and Carlson once again hit the ice as a duo should be a highlight to watch out for in the early 2018-19 season.