Capitals acquire, announce plans to shutter salary cap website CapFriendly

The Washington Capitals have purchased the CapFriendly website, the team announced Wednesday. The organization plans to use the website’s financial data for in-house operations.

For years, CapFriendly was a vital resource for fans, journalists and NHL teams. Brothers Jamie, Ryan and Christopher Davis kept the site updated with salaries, contract terms and information from the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement.

The Davises will join the Capitals organization after CapFriendly shuts down next month, the team said.

“The existing infrastructure will be a valuable addition to the team’s hockey operations department in many ways,” Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said in a statement. “We anticipate that this acquisition will significantly enhance and integrate the various branches of our hockey operations department, allowing us to strengthen our management, scouting, analytics and player development.”

MacLellan noted that CapFriendly will operate independently until it goes dark in “early to mid-July.”

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that the Capitals had no choice but to close down CapFriendly, despite opposition from some fans.

“I have been told several times that the relationship between the NHL and CapFriendly was quite icy,” Friedman said on the “32 Thoughts Podcast.” “The NHL frowns on the existence of sites like this. They consider it proprietary information so the Capitals couldn’t keep it open if they wanted to.”