The Caps announced they have signed forward Matt Hendricks to a two-year, $1.6 million contract extension on Wednesday afternoon. That’s a pretty big deal for a 29-year-old veteran who entered this season on a professional tryout contract during training camp. In other words, without a guaranteed job.
But Hendricks had played in Hershey under Bruce Boudreau before and the Caps liked what they saw from him during 56 games in Colorado last season. He continued to impress during training camp, earning that coveted NHL spot and signing a one-year deal worth $575,000. A chat last summer with good friend Cody McLeod – a former teammate in Colorado – forced Hendricks to realize he needed to change his style of play if he wanted to stick in the NHL, especially on a deeper team in Washhington.
“When you kind of make that decision to change your game you’ve got to be all in,” said Hendricks, who during training game had a notable fight with Boston’s Gregory Campbell and had a hat trick against Columbus. “The potential for injury is too great if you aren’t committed to it.”
Hendricks has appeared in 57 of 61 games this season and leads the team in penalty minutes (84) thanks in large part to his willingness to fight. That’s left him bruised and battered more often than not and likely contributed to his status as a fan favorite. Hendricks’ seven goals are two shy of his career-high set last season. That was his first full year in the NHL Add in his 12 assists with the Caps and he’s already set his career-best mark in total points (19).
Hendricks has played both wing positions and taken shifts on the second, third and fourth lines. It’s a dubious stat sometimes because of how different arenas credit players, but he also has 121 hits, which is 52nd overall in the NHL. That ranks third on the team behind only Alex Ovechkin and John Erskine. He’s also fourth among forwards in short-handed time on ice per game (1 minutes, 25 seconds).
Caps Notes
» Just an update – or non-update, I guess – on Caps center Nicklas Backstrom. The team is still listing him as day-to-day. Backstrom told Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet after the Pittsburgh game on Monday that he has a fractured left thumb. The Caps were off for the second straight day after what turned into a five-game, 11-day road trip concluded. Bad weather kept Washington in Pittsburgh an extra night following that 1-0 victory.
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