Forward Aliaksei Protas showed plenty of room for improvement in 2023-24, which convinced the Washington Capitals to offer him a five-year contract extension on Friday.
The 1.80 m tall, 100 kg Belarusian will earn an average of $3.375 million per year for the duration of the pact. This is a nice raise for someone who was making close to minimum wage and was set to become a restricted free agent next summer.
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The 23-year-old Protas is in his third season with the Capitals. He has already set a career high with 18 points in 42 games. In his career, he has scored 42 points in 133 games.
“Aliaksei is a young and talented player and we are delighted to have signed him to this long-term contract. “He has made great strides in his professional career and we expect him to continue to improve and play an important role and impact on the team in the coming years,” general manager Brian MacLellan said in a press release.
The center was a third-round pick (91st overall) in the 2019 draft.