The Washington Capitals locked up another one of their strong, young defenseman for the foreseeable future. Martin Fehervary reportedly inked a seven-year, $42 million extension with the team that will see him rock the red through the 2032-33 NHL season.
Puck Pedia was the first to announce the news.
The 25-year-old Slovakian blueliner has been a staple of the Caps’ top four pairings for the last few years. His two-way abilities have coupled him with alternate captain John Carlson, yielding 25 points (5g, 20a) in 81 games last season.
Fehervary’s new deal carries a $6 million cap hit per year and will take effect starting with the 2026-27 campaign. He was set to become a restricted free agent after the upcoming season.
Currently recovering from knee surgery to repair his meniscus, Fehervary is apparently on track to resume offseason training ahead of preseason activities in the coming months, per general manager Chris Patrick.
“He’s doing great. All very positive progress from the medical group,” Patrick told reporters Saturday. “He’s pretty much at the point now where he can start his normal offseason training.”
Fehervary is now the third defenseman the Capitals have signed to a new deal this year. Jakob Chychrun got an eight-year, $72 million extension in March after being acquired via trade from the Ottawa Senators prior to the season. Patrick also brought in Minnesota Wild rearguard Declan Chisholm via trade during this past weekend’s NHL Draft and signed him to a two-year, $3.2 million deal on Monday.
Update (12:45 pm): The Capitals have made the news official. Here’s the full press release from the team:
Capitals Re-sign Martin Fehervary
25-year-old defensemen now signed through 2032-33 season
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenseman Martin Fehervary to a seven-year, $42 million contract extension, senior vice president and general manager Chris Patrick announced today. Fehervary’s extension will begin with the 2026-27 season and will carry an average annual value of $6 million.
“Martin possesses all the core qualities of a Washington Capital,” said Patrick. “His skating ability, conditioning and tireless competitiveness, combined with a team first attitude and relentless drive to excel, make him a vital part of our blue line. Signing him to a long-term contract at just 25 years old is an exciting step for the future of our organization.”
Fehervary, who recently completed his fourth full NHL season, established single-season career highs in assists (20), points (25) and games played (81) in 2024-25. The 6’2”, 203-pound defenseman led the Capitals in shorthanded ice time per game (3:02), while his 245:35 of shorthanded ice time was the fourth-highest total in the NHL. Fehervary also ranked second on Washington in blocked shots (150), third in hits (139), tied for third in shorthanded points (2), fifth in ice time per game (19:00) and sixth in plus-minus (+18). In addition, Fehervary had the fastest max skating speed (23.34 mph) among Capitals skaters this past season and ranked in the 95th percentile among NHL defensemen in top skating speed, per NHL EDGE.
Since the 2021-22 season, when he became a full-time NHLer, Fehervary leads Capitals defensemen and ranks sixth among NHL blueliners in hits with 795. In that same stretch, the Bratislava, Slovakia native ranks third among Washington skaters in blocked shots (504) and games played (293).
During the 2023-24 season, Fehervary recorded 16 points (3g, 13a) in 66 games and ranked third on the Capitals in hits (188) and blocked shots (109) and tied for third in ice time per game (19:38). In addition, Fehervary registered three points (2g, 1a) in four playoff games, leading the Capitals in goals and tying for the team lead in points while averaging 21:45 of ice time.
Fehervary averaged a career-high 20:00 of ice time during the 2022-23 season, while posting 16 points (6g, 10a) in 67 games. As a rookie in 2021-22, Fehervary recorded 17 points (8g, 9a) in 79 games and led the Capitals in hits (251). Fehervary’s eight goals led rookie defensemen, while his 17 points ranked tied for sixth among first-year blueliners.
Fehervary, who made his NHL debut at age 19 on Oct. 2, 2019 at St. Louis, has recorded 75 points (22g, 53a) in 299 career games with Washington. The Capitals selected Fehervary in the second round (46th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft.
Internationally, Fehervary has represented Slovakia at the 2024, 2022, 2019 and 2018 IIHF World Championships and the 2019, 2018 and 2017 IIHF World Junior Championships. On June 16, Fehervary was one of six players named to Slovakia’s preliminary roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
