Deals and Steals
With all of the rumors swirling around the NHL (it seems like the league has never been busier), the Caps are quietly getting all of their ducks in a row. ( No relation to those Ducks on the west coast, so try not to read into that analogy)
With so many UFA's and RFA's available on July 1st, it seems that all the GM's in the league are yet again playing that dreaded waiting game.
Who will make the first move?
Offers for Stamkos, Malkin, Jokinen and Hossa aside, the Caps are one team that will not be venturing out in the marketplace in search of any big names.
As it stands, the Caps have no major holes to fill.
That is if you count the imminent re-signings of Cristobal Huet, Sergei Fedorov and Mike Green.
Those would be the big names that people are waiting for the Caps to sign. There are also a few more important pieces that still need to be inked. Those players being; Matt Cooke, Brooks Laich, Eric Fehr and Boyd Gordon. On defense, aside from Mr. Green, the Caps will still need to ink Shaone Morrisson and Steve Eminger.
At the moment the Capitals have approximately 15 Million dollars to play with.
And that is not including the possibility of the CAP rising from 50.3 Million to a possible 55 Million. ( In my opinion the CAP won't reach 55 this year, but 53 or 54 sounds like a definite possibility.)
So, if you consider that the Caps have already made their deals to acquire the right pieces, the final coup de grace, will be in resigning the Big 3.(haha, sorry Tampa)
Green's Green
We all know that the Capitals are very unlikely to spend all the way to the CAP, but, than again, it has been a very long time since the Caps have been able to field such a competitive team.
Mike Green is willing to test the market to see what his true value is. Can you blame him?
Many people are still in shock from Mike's breakout season, so much so that there are many GM's out there who may be willing to spend well beyond reasonable value to acquire Mike via an Offer sheet.
I am a huge Mike Green fan and have been stating since early on that he is this league's next incarnation of Ray Bourque. His skating and puck management were second to none during this past season and the fact that he is so young only plays into the Caps favor.
Although George McPhee has stated that the Caps will sign Mike Green at whatever cost, one has to wonder how far out of reach these Offer sheets may put Mike's value.
Whatever the case may be, Mike will be resigned. His price tag should fall into the 4.5-5 Million per season category. Maybe even less considering the deals being signed by other young stud D-men in the league.
One possibility I would stress, is the possibility that another GM may put Mike's salary so far out of reach that the Caps may be forced to take the picks. For example, I really do not see the Caps paying above 6 Mil per. for Mike. It just would not make sense budget wise for the Caps. Especially with the influx of young talented defenders on the Caps roster.(Karl Alzner, Josh Godfrey and Sami Lepisto, among others...)
So let us safely assume that Green will make his green and be happy to stay in DC. Let's call it a max cap hit of 5 Mil.
(We should expect a lower hit, if Mike will take a bonus laden salary. So maybe we could see a deal with a base of 3.5 to 4 Mil per year, with a bonus structure upwards of 1 million per season.)
That leaves approximately 10-11 Mil left for Huet, Fedorov and the rest of the gang.
The Cost of Crist(ob)al
With Mike Green on his way to testing his true value on the market, and with the Caps acknowledging that no matter what they will resign him, the past few weeks have been strictly focused on coming to terms with Cristobal Huet.
Huet's previous salary with the Montreal Canadiens saw him earning in the neighborhood of 3 Million per season. Having proved to Caps management that he is up to the task of being a number one, it is not a far stretch to think that Huet will be getting a hefty raise.
And by hefty, I mean no more than an extra Million and a half. He has proven that he is valuable, but having never played more than 52 games in a season, it is hard to gauge Cristobal's value versus his production.
When in nets, he constantly proves to people that he is an All Star goaltender, yet his inconsistency and inability to play "number 1" minutes leaves a few question marks.
I have watched Cristobal since he first arrived in Montreal and stole the job away from a then Hart and Vezina winner in Jose Theodore. I watched him play some of his best hockey only to be moved out to the Capitals in order to make way for Montreal's future in nets.
Huet has been through enough and so it is understandable that he would want to test the market to see if there are teams out there who are willing to pay him "number 1" dollars. Yet, the reality is that Huet won't find a better team to play in front of him other than the Capitals.
Cristobal knows that he will be once again a bridge to future for the Caps if he stays, but he also knows that he can be the "number 1" in DC for at least the next 3 seasons. At the age of 32 Huet has much to consider.
After reviewing all of that info it is easy to assume that Huet could be lost to Free Agency, but I will go ahead and say it here first, Huet will be signed before July 1st. (If he is not than things will have gone very wrong.)
The Caps are close to Cristobal and both sides have been having excellent discussions. It is believed that the 2 sides are not far apart and that a deal being reached is imminent.
Althought reports place Huet anywhere from not signing to a sure thing, the bottom line is that there is no one out there who would be a better fit.( No Ray Emery.Sorry pal. Oh, and don't even consider Dan Ellis. He is too young and the Caps do not need to put themselves into a situation where they compromise the development of their 2 blue chip goaltenders that are already in the system.)
Huet will sign within 12 days. My opinion;; 3 years at a Cap hit of somewhere around 4.5 to 4.75 Million per season.
The Missing Link
As was proven after the trade deadline, all the Caps were really missing was some seriously solid veteran leadership.
That is where Sergei Fedorov fits in.
It's pretty simple, if Sergei wants to keep playing, it will be in Washington.
After spending time with Alex Ovechkin and Alex Semin at the World's (while pocketing a gold), the Russian Hall of Famer seemed to become a rejuvnated hockey player.
It is no secret that the 2 Alex's made their pitch to have Sergei back and from all accounts, Fedorov was very interested.
I am not sure if Sergei will resign before July 1st, but I do know he is very close on a deal.
He will not be earning his 6 million per, as he did throughout the course of his contract in Columbus, but I would not be surprised to see him earn a base salary of 2.25-2.5 Mil per season, again, including a bonus structure.
His veteran presence, along with the return of play maker Michael Nylander will give the Capitals the most talent laden top 2 lines in the NHL. Certainly an enticing thought to a player who still has more to give.
What About the Rest?
Well, as for the rest of the gang who need to be signed, they will all fit in without a problem.
One thing is for certain, Matt Cooke will not be receiving an offer from the Caps this off season. He played a very valuable role down the stretch for the Caps, but his position can be filled by many of the youngsters on the team who still remain under RFA status.
Brooks Laich will be earning at least 1 million per season. If not more. He showed he has Chris Clark'like grit and will be a key player on this Caps squad next year.
The same can be said of Shaone Morrisson. Although, I feel that if there is anyone who may not be returning to the team next year, it may be Shaone. This depends on the status of Brian Pothier and if he will retire or not. The team has not really addressed that situation, but we could see it addressed in another manner.
Shaone should earn around 2.5 per year for the next 2 years, but that may not be possible for the Caps. Considering that Huet and Green are definitely the priorities, if the money runs out by the time Shaone is up for contract discussions, he could find himself in a very limited position to negotiate with the Caps.
The fact that there are such stalwart blue chip D-men on their way up could spell the end of Shaone's tenure in Washington. This is not a rumor, just a possible scenario. I have not heard anything about Shaone. He is the one player whose name has not surfaced among talks( to my knowledge) so it could be an interesting scenario to watch out for.
Let's hope that the Caps can get it done soon, Shaone was the perfect yang to Mike Green's ying last year. Something the Caps should be very interested in keeping together.
Eric Fehr and Steve Eminger will also receive and offer from the team.
Boyd Gordon may fall into the same category as Shaone Morrisson as there just doesn't seem to be enough room for everyone to fit. Boyd is a tremendous player and it would not be beyond me to see him tendered a lower tier offer sheet.
BREAKDOWN:
M.Green: 4 year deal. 14 million. 3.5(4.5 when bonus' included) per season with a bonus structure valued at 1 million.
C.Huet: 3 year deal. 13.5 million. 4.5 per season. Limited bonus structure.
S.Fedorov: 2 year deal. 4.5 million. 2.25(3 when bonus included)per season with 1.5 mil in bonuses over the 2 years.
That is 10.5 million reasonably spent on retaining some of the key pieces from last season.
Where does ShaMo fit in? And how much do you offer for Brooks Laich, Eric Fehr and Steve Eminger?
These are all questions that will be answered in the next 10 days.
Draft Me A Winner
After much review of the prospects in this season's entry draft, my clear cut choice for the Capitals would be defenseman Jake Gardiner from Minnesota.
The Caps have all sorts of first round picks in the last 7 years so they are fairly deep across the board. In my opinion Washington would be remiss to not pick Gardiner. From all accounts he is on his way to becoming a stellar big D-man.
If not Jake, I would throw my support behind speedster Zac Dalpe. He was not on my radar too much this year until I decided to really take a look at him. He has a tremendous upside.
The Caps are very high on Zak Boychuk, but since Zak is supposed to go midway through 10 and 20, it is unlikey that the Caps will get their man.
That is unless they decide to trade up in the draft!(???)
Ok, so that's not a likely scenario, but as I mentioned above, with the amount of money that is going to be required to retain some of the key pieces from last season may entice the Capitals to move on up in the draft. Although they are the 23rd overall pick, the Caps have plenty of picks that the can use as trade bait, not to mention the uncertainty over resigning some of their young UFA's.
Here is some Key Capitals Draft info heading into tomorrow night's Entry Draft.
CAPITALS 2008 DRAFT PICKS
Round Selection
1: 23
2: 54
2: 57 (from SJ)
2: 58 (from PHI)
3: 84
4: 93 (from LA)
5: 144
6: 174
7: 204
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Here’s a look at each Capitals first-round pick since 2002:
Year No. Player 2007-08 Notes
2007: 5, Karl Alzner Recently signed; WHL player of the year
2006: 4, Nicklas Backstrom; Set a team rookie record with 55 assists
2006: 23, Simeon Varlamov; Played 44 games in Russia and had a 2.45 GAA
2005: 14, Sasha Pokulok; Played 44 games for Hershey, five for S. Carolina
2005: 27, Joe Finley; Reached Frozen Four as a N. Dakota junior
2004: 1, Alex Ovechkin; Won Hart, Pearson, Art Ross and Richard trophies
2004: 27, Jeff Schultz; Led Caps defensemen with a +12 rating
2004: 29, Mike Green; Topped NHL defensemen with 18 goals
2003: 18, Eric Fehr; Played 23 games after returning from injury
2002: 12, Steve Eminger; Averaged 11:08 a game
2002: 13, Alexander Semin; Second on the Caps with 26 goals
2002: 17, Boyd Gordon; Tied his career high with seven goals
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CAPITALS DRAFT NOTES
Round ’em up – Should the Capitals keep their first-round draft pick, it will be the
club’s 14th first-round selection in the last seven years (2002-08). No other team has
had more than 11 first-round picks in that time.
Most First-Round Picks, 2002-08
14 Washington
11 Los Angeles
9 Edmonton, Phoenix, St. Louis
8 Anaheim, Atlanta, Buffalo, Columbus, Florida, Montreal, Philadelphia
7 Calgary, Chicago, Minnesota, Nashville, NY Rangers, Ottawa
– Washington has the 23rd pick in the first round. The last time the Capitals first selection of the draft was higher than 23rd was 2001, when Washington’s first pick of the draft was No. 58 in the second round. The Caps have picked 23rd overall
in the first round in two previous drafts. In 2006 the team selected goaltender Simeon
Varlamov, and in 1995 the team drafted left wing Miika Elomo.
Our turn already? – Washington has back-to-back selections in the second round
with the 57th and 58th picks. This marks the 11th time in team history that the club
has consecutive picks. The last time was 2006 when the Caps chose goaltender
Michal Neuvirth and right wing Francois Bouchard, 34th and 35th overall respectively.
First things first – Each of Washington’s last 12 first-round draft picks, dating back
through 2002, remain in the organization. Eight of those picks saw action for the
Capitals in 2007-08, combining for 491 games played.
Busy table – The Capitals have four selections in the first two rounds of the
2008 NHL Entry Draft, tied with Nashville for third-most of any team. Los Angeles
and Phoenix each have five selections. Phoenix received the 35th overall
selection, a compensatory draft pick, when 2004 first-round draft pick Blake
Wheeler did not sign with the team.
A view from the top – This year represents the fourth time that Washington will
be drafting as a division champion. The Capitals, who won the Southeast Division
this past season, also won their division in 1988-89, 1999-00 and 2000-01. They
selected Nathan Paetsch with their first pick in 2001 (No. 58), Brian Sutherby
with their first pick in 2000 (No. 26) and Olie Kolzig with their first pick in 1989
(No.19).
Single digits – Washington has nine picks in the draft this year. This is the first
time since 2005 and only the fourth time since 1998 that the team has less than
10 selections. The Caps had seven selections in 2005 and six in both 2003 and
2000. Washington has made nine picks in the draft on four different occasions,
with 1980 being the most recent.
Draft points – Washington’s top three point producers and four of their top five
scorers in 2007-08 were all draft picks of the team. Alex Ovechkin (112 points)
was selected in 2004, while Nicklas Backstrom (69 points) was drafted in 2006
and Mike Green (56 points) was picked in 2004. Alexander Semin (42 points),
who finished fifth on the team in points behind Viktor Kozlov (54 points), was
selected in 2002.
Home grown – Eleven players who appeared for the Capitals in 2007-08 were
originally drafted by Washington.
Grand totals – Washington has made a total of 363 selections in its Entry Draft
history, including 85 choices during the last nine drafts (13 in both 2002 and ’04,
including three first-round picks in each of those drafts).
According to sources – Sixteen of Washington’s first-round picks in its history
have come from the Western Hockey League, more than any other source.
Origins of the Capitals’ Draft Picks
League | Rd. 1 | Rd. 2 | All
Ontario Hockey League | 13 | 13 | 102 |
Western Hockey League | 16 | 11 | 79 |
Europe | 6 | 4 | 63 |
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League | 2 | 4 | 40 |
Other | 3 | 2 | 33 |
NCAA | 1 | 0 | 31 |
U.S. High School | 1 | 3 | 20 |
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Osala Signed
Capitals Sign Left Wing Oskar Osala to Three-Year Contract
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Washington Capitals have signed left wing Oskar Osala to a three-year entry-level contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Osala (OH-sah-lah), 20, played for the Blues in Finland last year. He scored 18 goals and had 17 assists in 53 games, while earning 62 penalty minutes. He finished second on the team in goals, fifth in assist and points and was tied for third in penalty minutes.
The Vaasa, Finland, native was the Capitals’ fourth-round choice, 97th overall, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He played for Mississauga in the OHL from 2005-07 and totaled 87 points (39g-48a) in 122 games over two seasons. Osala shared the tournament lead with five goals for Finland at the 2007 World Junior Championship.
Oskar Osala
Position: Left wing
Born: Dec. 26, 1987 (Vaasa, Finland)
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 217
Shoots: Left
Drafted: Capitals’ fourth-round choice, 97th overall, in the 2006 Entry Draft
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It has been awhile since I have been able to really get any information out, so I apologize for all of you who have been waiting on Caps news!!
I plan on posting a post first round blog, and yes! I am still working on a UFA/RFA list, so we shall hopefully see that by the end of this weekend.
Enjoy the Draft and get ready, this off-season is going to be intense!
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Go Caps!!!!!
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