Wilson happy for opportunity to be a Capital for life

Tom Wilson wants to be a Washington Capital for life.

And after signing a seven-year, $45.5 million extension with the Capitals on Aug. 4, the 29-year-old winger has the opportunity to do just that.

Wilson, who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023-24 season prior to signing his new contract, is valuing the stability of his deal and being able to stay in the city he's called home for the last 10 seasons.

"[Washington] became a place that I call home," Wilson told TSN1050's First Up on Tuesday. "I'm a guy who leaves it all out there when I'm on the ice and I couldn't really imagine going to play anywhere else. This also gives me the opportunity to finish up my career as a Capital, which is what I always wanted."

The 6-foot-4 winger has been a key contributor to the Capitals since being first called up to the club during the 2013-14 season. Drafted 16th overall in the 2012 draft, Wilson has 128 goals, 295 points and 1,299 penalty minutes in 680 career games. 

He was a key factor in the Capitals' Stanley Cup victory in 2018, recording five goals and 15 points in 21 playoff games and set career highs during the 2021-22 season, registering 24 goals and 28 assists for 52 points..

Wilson's offensive numbers and playoff intangibles have made him a sought-after asset around the the NHL. If he elected to enter the open market, those strengths could have been used to help his negotiations. However, he didn't want to risk leaving the only NHL city he's known.

"An athlete always has that curiosity [to see what you're worth on the open market], but the most important thing for me was staying," Wilson said. "That's kind of why [I wanted] to get this done in the summer. There's always that threat throughout the year of teams making offers to get you and free agency would be looming over everything.

"I told my agent at the start of the summer that I wanted to stay in Washington and let's figure out the rest. I love it there and it's always nice when the team reciprocates that and tells you that 'we want you to be here for the next long-term [stretch].'"

Wilson spent the first half of 2022-23 campaign on long-term injured reserve after tearing a ligament in his knee during the first round of the 2022 playoffs against the Florida Panthers and ended the season with 13 goals and 22 points in 33 games.

Rehabbing a significant injury like Wilson's can be a lonely time for an athlete, but the Toronto native had some company for the majority of his time on LTIR.

"The great thing for me was that I had Nicklas Backstrom with me for most of [my rehab] because he had a big hip surgery," said Wilson. "We were ale to hang out and push each other. He's a guy who makes people around him better as a great leader and when you have someone like that with the resume he has coming to the rink with you every day, it definitely pushes you to get back and continue improving."

With Wilson and Backstrom absent for most of the season, the Capitals went 35-37-10 and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2013-14 season. After watching their Metropolitan Division rival Pittsburgh Penguins gear up with the addition of three-time Norris Trophy winner Erik Karlsson, Wilson is more ramped up to help his team back into contention as ever.

"We're looking forward to getting back at it this season, I think there's a hunger there," said Wilson. "[We have] a new coach who's coming in hungry and motivated and hopefully the team is getting healthier so we can go back to where we want to be. We've had a culture of winning for a long time, as long as I've been there so we've got to get back to that."