Capitals’ pending UFA Sonny Milano signs one-year contract in Switzerland

A former prospect is shipping his services overseas.

On Wednesday, SC Bern of the National League in Switzerland announced that the team has signed forward Sonny Milano to a one-year contract. The deal is for the 2026-27 season.

In a statement, the team’s sporting director, Martin Plüss, notes that Milano’s game will add to the team’s scoring prowess next year.

“Sonny Milano is a technically gifted and creative wing player who will add extra momentum to our offensive game with his skills.”

Milano is coming to the end of his three-year contract with the Washington Capitals, with the Massapequa, N.Y. native becoming an unrestricted free agent on July 1. While he probably could wait it out and sign another contract in the summer, he clearly wants to have his near future set in stone.

Milano appeared in 31 games for the Capitals this season, scoring four goals and four assists for eight points. He had an even plus/minus while averaging less than nine minutes of ice time per game. The 29-year-old was sent down to the Capitals’ American Hockey League affiliate, the Hershey Bears, after clearing waivers in late February. He scored five goals and eight assists for 13 points in 16 regular-season games, posting a goal in two playoff games so far as the Bears advanced to the Atlantic Division Semifinals.

Milano appeared in just three games last year after suffering a season-ending upper-body injury in November.

Once considered a rising star with the Anaheim Ducks, Milano has struggled to find his name in the Caps lineup consistently since joining the organization in 2022. In 344 regular-season games in the NHL, he has posted 66 goals and 79 assists for 145 points, with no points in eight Stanley Cup Playoff games.

Bern is hoping Milano’s experience helps the team have a better outcome in 2026-27. The team finished ninth in the National League and was eliminated by the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the second round of the play-in stage.