Ex-Penguins forward Conor Sheary signs with Capitals

Former Penguins forward Conor Sheary, a member of the franchise’s two most recent Stanley Cup championship teams, has signed a one-year contract with the Washington Capitals worth $735,000.

Sheary, 28, appeared in 63 games with the Penguins and Buffalo Sabres last season and scored 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists).

The Penguins re-acquired Sheary from the Sabres prior to the NHL’s trade deadline Feb. 24. During his second stint with the Penguins, Sheary was reunited on the team’s top line with franchise center Sidney Crosby and appeared in eight games while scoring four points (one goal, three assists) before the season was halted March 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

When the NHL resumed play in August for its postseason tournament, Sheary appeared in four games and recorded two assists.

Perhaps his most notable — or infamous — moment during the postseason came when he missed the net on a penalty shot during the third period of Game 1 — with the scored tied, 2-2 — a preliminary round series against the Montreal Canadiens. The Penguins would lose that game in overtime, 3-2, and lost the series, 3-1.

Sheary just completed a three-year contract he initially signed with the Penguins in 2017 that carried a salary cap hit of $3 million.

A key contributor to the Penguins’ Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017, Sheary was dealt to the Sabres in June of 2018 and spent parts of two seasons with that team before returning to the Penguins.

Sheary was one of the final players who finished the 2019-20 campaign under contract to the Penguins still looking for work this offseason. Minor league forwards Thomas Di Pauli and Kevin Roy remain unsigned.

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