Well, lo-and-behold, the Washington Capitals have locked down their towering centerman Aliaksei Protas, wrapping him up with a five-year, $16.875 million contract extension, isn’t that just peachy? You can bet your bottom dollar this deal’s going to slap a $3.375 million cap hit on the team’s payroll annually.
The big guy’s been a staple in the lineup, missing a grand total of one game out of 43 this season—talk about commitment, eh? He’s netted three goals and contributed 18 points, not exactly eye-popping numbers, but hey, he’s doing his thing. And let’s not glance over the fact that he’s been a bottom-six kind of player, slicing the ice for a mere 13 minutes a game on average. But hush! He’s starting to eke out more time, breaching over 15 minutes a pop in his last handful of games. Is someone getting a promotion?
As a newbie in just his third NHL season, Protas is now riding past that adorable entry-level contract phase. Remember when the Capitals nabbed him in the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft? Well, guess what, this youngster has outplayed every other soul scooped up outside of the glitzy top two rounds, racking up 133 career games and 42 points to show for it.
This kid didn’t just jump from the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders straight to the big leagues, nah, he detoured for a ritzy little stint in the KHL in the 2020-21 season. Popped in 10 goals and 18 points for the Minsk Dynamo before he high-tailed it to the NHL, and not to brag or anything, but he chalked up nine goals in his first 33 games with the Capitals. Talk about making an entrance!
Alright, fun fact time: this dude is a skyscraper on skates, easily one of the league’s 10-tallest rascals out there. And if you’re into geography, chew on this—he’s one of just two Belarusians lacing up skates consistently in the NHL this season. And just for kicks, he stamped his name as the ninth Belarusian to play 100 NHL games right on January 2nd. So mark that on your calendar or something.
So there you have it, folks: Aliaksei Protas, the Capitals’ gentle giant with a soft spot for making history, is here to stay. Ain’t that a kicker?