Capitals re-sign Tom Wilson and Zach Sill

"The Neutral Zone" Staff Report

ARLINGTON, VA. – The Washington Capitals on Thursday re-signed right wing Tom Wilson to a two-year, $4 million contract, senior vice president and general manager Brian MacLellan announced. Wilson will earn $1.75 million in 2016-17 and $2.25 million in 2017-18.

The Capitals also re-signed forward Zach Sill to a two-year, two-way contract, MacLellan also announced.

Wilson, 22, registered 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) and 163 penalty minutes in 82 games with Washington last season. The 6’4”, 215-pound right wing set career highs in points, goals, assists and plus/minus (+4) and played in all 82 games for the second time in his three-season NHL career. Wilson led the Capitals and ranked third in the NHL in penalty minutes (163) last season and led Washington and ranked 10th in the NHL in hits (253). He scored his first career game-winning goal against Columbus on March 28 and tallied four multi-point games in 2015-16.  Wilson played in his 200th NHL/Capitals game against Philadelphia on Feb. 7, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to play 200 games before his 22nd birthday (Bob Carpenter, Scott Stevens, Gaetan Duchesne, Kevin Hatcher). 

Wilson has earned 50 points (14 goals, 36 assists) and 486 penalty minutes in 231 career NHL games with Washington. He has led the Capitals in penalty minutes in each of his three NHL seasons. The Toronto native was drafted by Washington in the first round, 16th overall, in the 2012 NHL Draft. He ranks first in penalty minutes (486) and fifth in games played (231) among the 2012 NHL Draft class.

Sill, 28, scored one goal in 10 games with the Capitals last season. The 6’1”, 202-pound forward scored his first Capitals goal on Jan. 10 against Ottawa and made his Washington debut on Dec. 30 against Buffalo. Sill has earned five points (two goals, three assists) in 93 career NHL games with Pittsburgh, Toronto and Washington.

Sill earned 22 points (nine goals, 13 assists) in 63 games with the Hershey Bears (AHL) in 2015-16. He served as alternate captain with the Bears last season and helped lead the team to the 2016 Calder Cup Finals. Sill earned 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 21 Calder Cup playoff games with Hershey in 2016 and ranked tied for second on the team in goals and fifth in points during the playoffs. Sill earned three points (one goal, two assists) and scored the game-winning goal in Game 5 of the second round against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on May 11 and scored two goals, including the game-winning goal, in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Toronto on May 25. Sill has earned 95 points (42 goals, 53 assists) in 340 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Hershey.