Capitals Sign Jacob MacDonald

The Washington Capitals announced the signing of defenseman Jacob MacDonald to a one-year, two-way contract. The deal carries a league-minimum $850K NHL salary and a hefty $525K salary in the AHL.

The 33-year-old defenseman spent the last two seasons in the Colorado Avalanche organization. Though he did not get into any NHL games for Colorado in his most recent stint with the team, he did have his most productive AHL campaign of his career, scoring 31 goals and 55 points in 63 games during the 2024-25 Eagles season.

Since his first NHL call-up in 2018-19, MacDonald has established himself as a high-level depth defenseman. Starting off his pro career in the ECHL in 2015, MacDonald slowly worked his way up the ladder of pro hockey in North America. He became a productive ECHL blueliner before establishing himself in the AHL with the Devils organization. Signing in Florida paved his way to the NHL, but it’s in his first stint with the Avalanche that MacDonald became a legitimate NHL/AHL bubble blueliner.

This past season, MacDonald was limited to just 17 regular-season games due to hip surgery. He was able to recover and return later in the season, and ultimately played in 17 playoff games, but scored just two points.

Now arriving in Washington, MacDonald will likely be on the fringe of their NHL roster as they head into training camp. It’s not inconceivable that he could break camp in the NHL, especially as regular NHLer Rasmus Sandin is still recovering from a torn ACL. But in order to earn a spot, he’ll have to get past a few other veteran defensemen who occupy a similar role on the Capitals’ roster bubble, namely Dylan McIlrath and Justin Holl.

If he does stick in the AHL and wait for an NHL call-up rather than making the Capitals out of training camp, he’s likely to be one of the top defensemen for the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Hershey has taken a step back after their back-to-back Calder Cup championships in 2023 and 2024, so the hope will be the signing of MacDonald, with the other moves the team has made, can help the Bears return to true contention.