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ARLINGTON, Va. -- Marcus Johansson was back in Toronto for another arbitration hearing with the Washington Capitals, but this time he didnt have to go through with it.Hours before Johansson and the Capitals were set to go to arbitration for the second time, they agreed on a $13.75 million, three-year deal. The 25-year-old Swedish forward will count $4.583 million against the salary cap, almost exactly between the two sides arbitration asking prices but on a longer contract.Johansson got as close as the entrance to the hotel where NHL arbitration cases are heard before the deal got done.I dont think anyone wants to go to arbitration. Thats kind of a last resort, Johansson said on a conference call from Toronto on Wednesday. It was a little tight schedule before the meeting, but Im really happy that we worked it out.Johansson will make $4.25 million next season and $4.75 million in 2017-18 and 2018-19 on a contract thats similar to the one former teammate Mathieu Perreault signed as a restricted free agent with the Winnipeg Jets earlier this summer.The $4.583 million cap hit fits into Washingtons offseason plan with one more restricted free agent left to sign in defenseman Dmitry Orlov. The Capitals won the Presidents Trophy as the leagues top regular-season team a year ago and will have almost the same group back to take another shot at the Stanley Cup next season.To be able to keep the team, its hard, Johansson said. Its hard for everyone. Im just happy we were able to figure it out in the end. To be able to be part of this team for three more years, thats important to me. I think both parties are happy with it. Theres obviously the cap in the NHL and they have to find a way to stay under it.Johansson had 17 goals and 29 assists for 46 points in 74 games last season. In 419 regular-season NHL games, Johansson has 78 goals and 154 assists for 232 points and has added 22 points in the playoffs.Under coach Barry Trotz, Johansson has developed his all-around game and improved his production by going to the net more.Thats been a part of my game that Ive been working on and trying to score more goals and get more pucks to the net, Johansson said. You always want to be part of it and score goals. Thats always a fun part. But as long as you feel youre improving on it and getting better, I think thats a sign that youre moving in the right direction.Signing him for three years takes some of the mystery out of next summer, when the Capitals have forwards T.J. Oshie, Justin Williams and Daniel Winnik and defenseman Karl Alzner as unrestricted free agents and forwards Evgeny Kuznetsov and Andre Burakovsky as restricted free agents.This offseason Washington acquired center Lars Eller in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens and let long-time left winger Jason Chimera leave in free agency. Johansson said the Capitals continue to make moves to improve.Mac has done a great job getting us what we need, he said. I think last year we showed that were really contending. ... This is a team and a group that I really think we can win with. Darwin Thompson Jersey . It just didnt show when he hit the ice. Berra made 42 saves and Kris Russell scored at 1:32 of overtime, lifting the Calgary Flames to a 3-2 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday night. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Jersey . Rinne played two periods in his first game since left hip surgery in early May. 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RIO DE JANEIRO -- Kim Gaucher has seen the growth of womens basketball in Canada over her 16 years with the program.She started with the junior national team as a 16-year old and there wasnt much interest in the sport in Canada.Hockey and soccer were the top and only sports it seemed that people would talk about, Gaucher said laughing. When I first started playing, we would have to fly to South America and meet with our teammates there and try and qualify for events. That was our training time.Now 16 years later, womens basketball in Canada is on the rise -- led by Gaucher and a talented young group of players. That growth started when the team qualified for the London Games five years ago on Canada Day.They earned the final spot into the Olympics and put on a great showing before losing to the U.S. in the quarterfinals. It was the countrys first Olympic berth in 12 years and best showing since they finished fourth in 1984. The performance helped inspire some of the teams young players.I was a young kid watching our vets play in London and to be playing with them now is kind of crazy, said guard Kia Nurse, who is a junior at UConn and a big part of the future of Canadas team. To hear the stories of where they were to where we are now is incredible.Those Olympics were a springboard for the success the team has had the last four years. The Canadians finished fifth in the world championship in 2014 and then -- for the first time in 20 years -- hosted the FIBA America qualifiers which they won.That came a few weeks after the team won the Pan-Am Games in Toronto, knocking off the Americans in the gold medal contest. That US team wasnt the Americans national team, but it was lead Breanna Stewart.Its truly incredible, said Nurse, who had 33 points in the gold medal game victory over the U.S. Honestly its so crazy for us. No one really knew about womens basketball in Canada until the Pan-Am games. Now its like everyone talks about us.Canada basketball Presideent and CEO Michele OKeefe said hosting was a key part of the strategy to help build the program.dddddddddddd.Having the Pan-Am Games and three weeks later the FIBA America championships was huge for us, she said. It bodes well. Not only do we get a home-court advantage, but the young kids get to see the athletes and the coaches get to see the strategy and level of competition. It gives everyone the chance to see what international basketball looks like.OKeefe said a big part of Canadas long term strategy over the past decade has been to invest in and streamline all the countrys different age groups, which has built a solid foundation for now and the future.The investment has been substantial, she said. Create an alignment right down our age group teams to our provincial teams. Make it a true feeder system. Its been a huge difference. Weve been able to call a kid up from a junior team and they know how to play at this level.The dividends have already paid off as a record four Canadians were taken in the WNBA draft this past April, including Olympian Nirra Fields.Now the next step would be winning a medal. If that were to happen the country would be truly abuzz. In the past 80 years, Canada only has two medals in team sports. The mens basketball team won a silver in 1936 and the womens soccer team took the bronze in London.Canada enters Rio fresh off a victory over 2012 silver medalist France in a pre-Olympic tournament last week. Canada also played against Australia and the U.S. in that exhibition series, giving the team a look at three of the top teams in the world.I dont think any of us would be shy to tell you that we set goals as a team and we want to try and come home with some hardware, Nurse said. For us were going to come out and peak at the right time.---Follow Doug on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/dougfeinberg ' ' '