The Washington Capitals made it official.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, Brian MacLellan, confirmed it has reached an agreement to purchase the CapFriendly website, which is expected to close early to mid-July.
“The existing infrastructure will be a valuable addition to the team’s hockey operations department in many ways,” MacLellan said in the Capitals’ press release. “We anticipate that this acquisition will significantly enhance and integrate the various branches of our hockey operations department, allowing us to strengthen our management, scouting, analytics and player development, in addition to augmenting our salary cap and contractual applications.”
Per Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, who first broke the news of the acquisition on June 9, the website won’t be available to the public after the sale closes following the NHL Draft and the start of free agency.
CapFriendly arrived in 2015, after its predecessor, CapGeek, closed. CapGeek’s creator, Matthew Wuest, who built an indispensable site, died of colon cancer in March 2015. CapFriendly became an excellent substitute for fans and media.
— With files from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman
