Veteran center Scott Gomez has signed a professional tryout (PTO) with the Hersey Bears, AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals, the team announced Thursday.
Putting Gomez on an AHL deal continues to give the Caps flexibility with both their cap and number of contracts on the books. It’s also a chance to see Gomez a little more if he suits up for Hersey, where he’d play the first AHL games of his career.
The Caps have certainly been looking for veterans with Stanley Cup experience on their roster this season, likely in an effort to erase their well-documented playoff struggles in a year where they look like they could make a run. A lot of things are clicking for them, including getting a Vezina-worthy performance out of Braden Holtby so far.
They signed Mr. Game 7, Justin Williams over the summer and just brought in Mike Richards on a one-year deal as well. Gomez has won two Stanley Cups and has provided solid depth production at a very good price the last couple of seasons after it looked like he might not get a deal at all.
Last year, he entered training camp with the New Jersey Devils on a PTO and earned a contract. He proceed to score seven goals and 34 points at an incredible price for the Devils.
Gomez took a PTO with the St. Louis Blues earlier in the season and was brought in on a one-year deal for depth with a bevy of injuries plaguing the team. But as the team got healthy, he wasn’t playing any more. He and the team mutually agreed to terminate his contract on December 30 after he was waived.
During his limited time with the Blues he scored one goal and seven assists through 21 games.
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