Forward Devante Smith-Pelly, who scored seven goals during the playoffs as the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup, has re-signed with the team on a one-year, $1 million deal, it was announced Thursday.
A person with knowledge of the move later in the day told the Associated Press that the Capitals also agreed to terms on a multiyear contract with defenseman Michal Kempny.
Smith-Pelly, 26, played a career-high 75 games during the regular season, scoring seven goals and tallying nine assists on a career-high 103 shots.
He matched his season-long goal output during the postseason, including finding the net in three straight games against the Vegas Golden Knights in the Stanley Cup Final.
Smith-Pelly, who signed a two-way, league-minimum contract worth $650,000 in the NHL and $350,000 in the American Hockey League in 2017-18, did not receive a qualifying offer from the Caps and had become an unrestricted free agent.
He said he turned down other one- and two-year offers for more money to give himself some stability in a place he feels comfortable.
"It wasn't worth it to leave somewhere where I'm happy and somewhere where I really want to be," Smith-Pelly said Thursday. "The money to me personally is not that important if I'm not going to be happy somewhere else."
The second-round pick in the 2010 NHL draft has 93 career points (40 goals) and also has played for Anaheim, Montreal and New Jersey during his career.
"I have confidence in myself that I can carry over from the playoffs and do something and then set myself up for something bigger and more stable later," Smith-Pelly said. "It's definitely betting on yourself. That's what I'm doing, and I'm confident in myself."
Re-signing Smith-Pelly is the latest move on general manager Brian MacLellan's offseason checklist after already locking up defenseman John Carlson to a $64 million, eight-year deal. The Capitals still need to hire a coach to replace Barry Trotz -- with top assistant Todd Reirden considered the leading candidate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.