Nic Dowd wasn’t sure if he’d make the opening night lineup one year ago. The center was brought in with the Washington Capitals facing the daunting task of finding a fourth line center to fill in the void left by Jay Beagle and Dowd had to earn that spot.
Thanks in large part to a successful training camp, Dowd beat Jayson Megna for the starting spot on the fourth line and he hasn’t looked back since.
Dowd fared well in his first season and now has a home in Washington for the next three seasons carrying a cap hit of just $750,000 per year.