In a significant move within the NHL community, the Washington Capitals have announced their acquisition of the popular hockey website, Cap Friendly.
Cap Friendly, a cornerstone in the hockey community for detailed player and team financials, was launched in 2015 following the unfortunate closure of its predecessor, CapGeek, due to the tragic passing of its founder, Matthew Wuest, after his battle with cancer.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet revealed that while the precise terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, both the Capitals and Cap Friendly aim to keep the website operational through the NHL draft and the start of free agency. The deal is anticipated to be finalized on or around July 5th, according to Friedman's reports.
This strategic acquisition marks the end of a nine-year run for Cap Friendly as a public resource, during which it provided extensive data to NHL enthusiasts and analysts alike. The decision to integrate Cap Friendly into the Capitals' operations reflects the increasing trend of NHL teams investing in proprietary analytics and data platforms.
As the free agency period approaches, hockey fans looking for similar resources won't be left in the dark. Puckpedia remains available to fill the void left by Cap Friendly, offering comparable data minus features like 'Armchair GM' and the more speculative trade scenarios that characterized the latter.
