Dylan McIlrath signs two-year extension with Capitals

The Washington Capitals announced Thursday that the club has signed veteran defenseman Dylan McIlrath to a two-year extension worth $800,000 per season.

Through 11 appearances with the Capitals this season, McIlrath has recorded two points coupled with 14 penalty minutes and a plus-one rating while averaging nearly 11 minutes of ice time per game.

Since joining the Capitals in 2021, McIlrath has spent the majority of his playing time with the AHL affiliated Hershey Bears, a stretch highlighted by back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024. Across three seasons and 192 contests with Hershey, McIlrath has collected seven goals and 25 assists for 32 points while amassing 301 total penalty minutes. In all, since 2010, McIlrath has totaled 618 AHL games in which he has notched 122 points and 1,204 penalty minutes.

Originally chosen 10th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2010 NHL Draft, the 32-year-old Winnipeg native has seen 86 career contests at the NHL level counting stops with the Rangers, Florida Panthers, Detroit Red Wings, and Capitals in which he has registered three goals and six assists for nine points alongside 147 penalty minutes. McIlrath has also made five appearances in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

McIlrath is the second defenseman to re-sign with the Capitals this week as on Tuesday the club announced that it had re-signed star blue-liner Jakob Chychrun to an eight-year pact worth $9 million per season. Skating in his first season with the Capitals, Chychrun has collected 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points in 66 outings.

On the season, the Capitals sit atop the NHL standings with a 47-15-9 record and 103 points. Earlier this month, the Capitals became the first team to clinch a spot in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Capitals next game comes Thursday against the Minnesota Wild.