Another part of the Washington Capitals’ bottom-six forward group from last season has found a new team.
Taylor Raddysh signed a two-year, $3 million contract with the New York Rangers late on the first day of NHL free agency, per PuckPedia. Raddysh became an unrestricted free agent after playing out the one-year, $1 million deal he signed with the Capitals last summer.
Raddysh is the third Caps player from this past year to move on in free agency, joining Lars Eller and Ethan Bear.
Raddysh played in 80 games for the Capitals during the 2024-25 campaign, recording 27 points (7g, 20a). The 27-year-old winger skated primarily on the club’s fourth line with Nic Dowd and Brandon Duhaime. His spot in the lineup was less guaranteed once the Caps added Anthony Beauvillier at the trade deadline and signed top prospect Ryan Leonard to his entry-level contract.
Raddysh experienced a particularly cold three-month stretch during the season, scoring just one goal in 38 games from December 3 to March 5.
Head coach Spencer Carbery scratched Raddysh for three of the team’s 10 playoff games. Raddysh grabbed an assist in the first round against the Montreal Canadiens but did not find the scoresheet in three second-round games against the Carolina Hurricanes. He skated 11:10 of ice time per game in the postseason, 1:11 less than his regular season average (12:21).
The Capitals acquired right wing Justin Sourdif from the Florida Panthers last week, and the 23-year-old forward appears slated to take Raddysh’s spot in the team’s lineup. General manager Chris Patrick stated this past weekend that the organization views Sourdif as a full-time NHL player next season.
According to PuckPedia, after inking Raddysh to his new deal, the Rangers have only $778k left in cap space. New York also added defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov to a big-money contract ($7M AAV), re-signed forward Will Cuylle ($3.9M AAV), and traded defenseman K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The Rangers finished six points out of a playoff spot in 2024-25 and fired head coach Peter Laviolette. Moving forward, they’ll be led by former longtime Pittsburgh Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan.
