The Caps have signed defenseman John Erskine to a two-year, $3 million contract extension. The 30-year-old would have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Washington still has eight remaining unrestricted free agents on its roster left to sign and three more restricted free agents.
Erskine, a nine-year veteran, earns a modest raise. He was making $1.25 million this season as part of a two-year deal signed in the summer of 2009. That goes to $1.5 million for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. He’s off to a pretty solid start this season with a career-high three goals, four assists and a +3 rating. Erskine also has 43 penalty minutes.
Originally signed by the Caps as a free agent in 2006, Erskine had been a second-round pick by the Dallas Stars in 1998, No. 39 overall. He spent parts of four seasons in Dallas and was traded to the New York Islanders, with whom he played just 34 games during the 2005-06 season.
Erskine said the negotiating process took about a month and that the Caps came to his representative about a contract extension. He ranks 10th in total ice time for Washington, including 1 minute, 39 seconds shorthanded per game.
“It’s nice to not have it in the back of my mind and just get on with the season,” Erskine said. “Definitely a pretty exciting thing…I just wanted to play the season and try not to think about it. If it happened, it happened.”
Follow me on Twitter @bmcnally14
