The 37-year-old defenseman, who helped the Capitals win the Stanley Cup last season, was traded to the Colorado Avalanche with goalie Philipp Grubauer on June 23 for a second-round pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. The Avalanche bought out the remaining one year ($5.5 million) of Orpik's contract three days later, making him an unrestricted free agent.
"Brooks has been a valuable player and a great mentor for our young players and we are thrilled to bring him back to our organization," Capitals general manager Brian MacLellan said. "We feel his leadership and competitiveness on and off the ice will be welcomed back to our group."
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Orpik had 10 assists and was minus-9 averaging 19:22 of ice time in 81 regular-season games last season. He had five points (one goal, four assists) and averaged 16:49 of ice time in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Orpik led the Capitals with 168 blocked shots and ranked second, first among defensemen, with 218 hits.
Orpik also won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009.
