Caps sign former Ducks winger Milano, loan him to Hershey originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
ARLINGTON, Va. — The Capitals padded their left-shot forward depth Sunday, signing 26-year-old winger Sonny Milano to a one-year, $750,000 deal with hopes of stashing him with their AHL affiliate Hershey Bears. He spent 24 hours on waivers but went unclaimed, clearing the way for the 2014 first-round pick to join their organization.
“He was a good player last year,” head coach Peter Laviolette said in his press conference at optional skate Sunday. “He was available, he’s gonna go on waivers for us at 2:00 and if he clears, he’ll be assigned to Hershey to get going again and play hockey. He’s a real good, young player and adds depth to our organization so I feel like it’s a good chance to add a good player to our organization.”
Milano, a native of Massapequa, New York, spent training camp with the Calgary Flames on a professional tryout offer but did not make the team. He’s coming off the best season of his seven-year NHL career with 14 goals and 20 assists for the Anaheim Ducks over 66 games. Although Milano was the only player on waivers from Sunday into Monday, the Capitals snuck him through without another team taking a chance on him.
The Capitals signed Milano on the heels of losing forwards Axel Jonsson-Fjallby (Winnipeg Jets) and Brett Leason (Ducks) to waiver claims. Jonsson-Fjallby and Leason were among the Capitals’ final training camp cuts in the days leading up to the start of the regular season and would have been the top contenders to get the first call back to DC.
Now, Milano will be the most accomplished player available to the Capitals in Hershey and an intriguing replacement option should injuries arise or the coaching staff feel the need to make a change.