Capitals Add a Career AHL Point Machine on a One-Year Deal

The Washington Capitals made a low-key, depth-focused move Sunday, signing veteran defenseman Jacob MacDonald to a one-year, two-way contract.

This isn’t a name that’ll move the needle at the NHL level right away, but the deal says something about how the Capitals want to build out their blue line. MacDonald, 33, gets an NHL salary of $850,000 and an AHL salary of $525,000. He’ll show up to training camp and push for a spot. If he doesn’t crack the roster, the plan seems pretty clear: he heads to Hershey and provides some experienced offensive pop for the Bears.

And MacDonald knows how to produce offense in the minors. Like, historically.

He holds the AHL record for single-season goals by a defenseman with 31, set during the 2024-25 season with the Colorado Eagles. That year, he also led all AHL blueliners with 55 points, took home the Eddie Shore Award as the league’s outstanding defenseman, and racked up 13 power-play goals. He was a First Team All-Star and went to the AHL All-Star Game. Pretty dominant.

He ranks seventh among all AHL defensemen in career goals (103) and has 260 points across 357 games with a bunch of different teams — Springfield, Albany, Binghamton, Colorado, San Jose. He’s been around. And he’s been productive everywhere.

Last season was a weird one. Hip surgery cost him the first five months. Once he got back on the ice with the Eagles, he still put up 12 points in 17 regular-season games. In the Calder Cup Playoffs, he added two points in 17 games as Colorado pushed to the Western Conference Final.

MacDonald also has 135 games of NHL experience under his belt with Florida, Colorado and San Jose. That’s not nothing. He’s got 10 goals and 17 assists at the top level, along with 56 penalty minutes and a minus-14 rating. He’s a left-shot defenseman who can move the puck and quarterback a power play.

His roots go back to four seasons at Cornell University and a pro debut with the ECHL’s Elmira Jackals. But this signing is really about what he can do now and how he fits into a system that values depth. The Capitals didn’t just grab a warm body. They grabbed a guy who’s been one of the most consistent offensive defensemen in the AHL for nearly a decade.

Is he going to be a difference-maker in Washington? Probably not in a star role. But if injuries hit or if a young guy needs a veteran presence in Hershey, MacDonald is exactly the kind of insurance policy that helps a team survive a long season.