Thanks for everything, Iron Man.
On Saturday, NHL free agency got off to a rip-roaring start, and one of the first key defensive pieces off the board was Washington’s own Karl Alzner, who signed a new five-year deal worth $4.625 million AAV with the Montreal Canadiens.
Alzner, who holds the Capitals franchise record for consecutive starts (more than 520+ in a row), had been the most important and constant piece of Washington’s defense for nearly a decade. He was drafted fifth overall by Washington in 2007.
2016-2017 was Alzner’s ninth season in Washington, and it saw him relegated to a greatly diminished role, splitting time as a seventh defensemen with newly-acquired Vegas Golden Knight Nate Schmidt during the playoffs. This precipitous drop off in production led many in Washington to wonder if Alzner’s time in D.C. was over, and indeed, as it turns out, it was.
Good luck in Montreal, Karl! Thanks for the memories. We’ll always have the second round.