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Green Gets Greener

By The OFB Team - July 1, 2008

On Canada Day, the Caps announced the signing of a very important Canuck: Mike Green, for 4 years.

From the press release:

The Washington Capitals have signed defenseman Mike Green to a four-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today. In keeping with club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“Mike has developed into an impact defenseman in the short time since we drafted him, and he will be a key part of our team moving forward,” McPhee said. “We look forward to his further contributions as we continue to improve the hockey club.”

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24 Comments on "Green Gets Greener"

Posted by Jenn, July 1, 2008 9:29 AM

Well that is a WONDERFUL way to start the day! :) Now we just need Huet and the rest signed.

Posted by PureAgression, July 1, 2008 9:38 AM

A little higher than what I would want to pay for just a four-year deal. But I'm glad he'll stay in Washington. With that and the (hopefully) impending Huet deal, I just hope this doesn't bite GMGM in the butt when the likes of Backstrom, Semin, and Alzner are up for new contracts.

In a few years, the Caps could be where the Pittsburgh Penguins are now: in a position in which it won't be difficult to keep a competitive team together, but impossible.

Posted by Charley, July 1, 2008 9:44 AM

This is exciting!! I'm happy it got done before the madness that is free agency starts!

Posted by ThunderWeenie, July 1, 2008 9:47 AM

This was a no-brainer, IMHO. Sometimes you have to commit the resources to get things done, and this was one of those cases.

PureAgression, you're right in that every signing ties a club's hands for the future. That's life in the salary-cap age, though--no club is immune to that pressure. I think Washington is positioned very well for the future.

Posted by pucksandbooks, July 1, 2008 9:50 AM

On a morning of such sunny news, PG, why all gloom and doom -- and the moreso when your dread and dreary is necessarily years away? Note, for instance, the staggered effect of key Caps' contracts: AO is set for life, and that deal looked like a bargain before the ink dried; Semin's up in two years; Alzner not for three; Green not for four. The incomes for but Ovie are sure to grow, but their negotiating won't come clogged together in one or two summers. Meanwhile, the salary cap shows no signs of leveling off.

Posted by Sombrero Guy, July 1, 2008 10:03 AM

Plus Green will still be an RFA at the end of that deal. I don't think he spent enough time ont he roster to accrue a season in 05-06, and he won't turn 27 until October of 2012.

Posted by PureAgression, July 1, 2008 10:09 AM

No doom-and-gloom intentions here. I'm still glad the deal got done and I'm certainly willing to wait until we reach those bridges to figure out how to safely cross them.

...And salary cap issues will be much less of a problem if the Caps win one or two cups.

Or thirteen, perhaps :)

Posted by Muddapucker, July 1, 2008 11:24 AM

Just want to comment on the misinformation provided by the Fourth Period the other day when he quoted a Green signing would be in the $3.5-4M range. Even my 11 year old knew that was a crock...

Bloggers who would like to think of themselves as "quasi press" or even the "new millenium press" out to employ some of the same standards as the past. That guy ought to have at least two independent verifications or at least one really good one.

Anybody can post crap and don't think the readers don't know the difference.

By the way, kudos to the OnFrozenBlog staff its one of the best. Like I say, the readers know the difference.

Posted by MulletMan, July 1, 2008 12:25 PM

From ESPN: Four years, $21M

#10

Posted by pepper, July 1, 2008 12:45 PM

The $$ may be a bit high, but we have at least a two year window now where almost all key guys are signed and with cap room to spare.

#11

Posted by MulletMan, July 1, 2008 3:39 PM

Just saw this on ESPN: Theodore signed with Caps for Two years, $9M.

Now bring back Feds

#12

Posted by Drew, July 1, 2008 3:44 PM

Testing.. testing.. mic check? Anyone home at OFB? Thirty minutes and no post about the most important news of the day?

Kolzig to Tampa; Theodore gets richly rewarded for losing the starting job to Budaj in 2006-07 and proving he couldn't keep up with the Eastern Conference's changing game post-lockout; Huet to LA? Ottawa?

#13

Posted by Drew, July 1, 2008 3:49 PM

Looks like Chicago. Am I talking to myself?

#14

Posted by The OFB Team, July 1, 2008 3:50 PM

All,
We have decided to wait for official word from the Capitals instead of running with unofficial reports from other sources. We did not want to stoop to the level of others on this one (e5).

Expect a post shortly.

#15

Posted by OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki), July 1, 2008 3:52 PM

The most important Capitals news of the day IMO was the Mike Green signing... but yes, Theodore is a Capital, Huet is not (which I personally think he'll come to regret) and we'll be posting official word soon.

For quick-hit (albeit minimalist) signing news check out TSN's trade tracker... not always accurate, but moreso that most rumor sites:
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=11353

#16

Posted by Drew, July 1, 2008 3:58 PM

Understand the reason to wait. Sorry for the explosion. I'm eager to impart my commentary but if the Caps haven't figured out what to say yet, then I guess we're ALL speechless.

#17

Posted by OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki), July 1, 2008 4:00 PM

No worries Drew -- and trust me, we share the enthusiasm, this is quite a day so far. :)

#18

Posted by P-Mac, July 1, 2008 4:11 PM

Huet to Chicago, indeed. From one rebuild to another.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=242185

#19

Posted by Muddapucker, July 1, 2008 4:15 PM

You know if Huet, wanted to be a Cap he could have stayed one. I can't blame him for going for the dough.

This not a question of who GMGM would have preferred. He reportedly offered Huet his asking price of $5M over 3 years.

This was damage control on the part of GMGM, not sabotage. Looking to the future,four years down the road, I am sure the Caps didn't want to be saddled with an over the hill goalie who was owed $5.6M. Who knows, that money may be necessary to pay Alzner or Backstrom or whoever? I have no idea at this point, just putting names out there...

In view of circumstances that were not entirely within his control, GMGM did what he was paid to do. He made the best out of a bad situation.

Don't sell out Theodore too early, he may surprise us all.

#20

Posted by VT Phil, July 1, 2008 4:25 PM

TSN is saying Olie got a one year deal down in Tampa. I'm happy that he inked a new deal (even a short one), but couldn't he have gone somewhere not in the SE? How do you root for us to beat him?

#21

Posted by Grooven, July 1, 2008 4:33 PM

Easy to root for us to beat Kolzig. He plays for the opposing team. Do I appreciate what he has done for the Capitals? Yes. But he's not on the team now. The difference is I won't spew venom when taunting him in goal like I would some of the other goaltenders.

Now, if instead of being impatient, he had just kept his yap shut until, say, the playoffs were done and the Worlds were finished -- you know, a time when things could have been talked out -- Kolzig could even have still been the starter here. But his pride was wounded so he spoke out. Kolzig decided he was done.

#22

Posted by mostholy2, July 1, 2008 4:48 PM

Hard to evaluate the whole Huet-Theodore deal until terms of Huet's contract are stated. If Huet ends up getting a little more than what we got Theodore for, the deal doesn't make sense. Huet was a known commodity as a goalie for us, whereas there are many more questions about Theodore.

If he wanted 1+ million more and wanted a long-term contract, the GM needed to cut his losses and think about the long-term viability of the team and what he's going to have to give up to keep Huet.

Let's hope that the Caps can sign Federov with the money they've (hopefully) saved on their goalie situation. Keep AO happy. Sign Federov!

#23

Posted by mostholy2, July 1, 2008 5:01 PM

TSN reports - The Chicago Blackhawks have signed goaltender Cristobal Huet to a four-year deal worth $5.635 million a season.

That's probably just above what the Caps were willing to sign him for and for 4 years. That's a long term deal. I think (hope) the Caps made the right choice.

#24

Posted by Muddapucker, July 1, 2008 5:21 PM

LOL Pierre McGuire says Huet now makes more money that Martin Brodeur. His exact quote on NHL Network was, "Are you kidding me?"

Ease up on GMGM, he just did a Brian Burke and declined to pay a player more than the majority of the free world believes he's worth. Congrats to GMGM for making "the tough" decision and walking away from it.

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