WOW

Can I turn in my Season tickets now???

Ugh...All of the goodwill last year seems like it just got tossed out the window...Sigh...

I would rather of had Kolzig back then bring in theodore

crap crap crap!

oh sweet baby jesus

Please tell me they didn't give the Huet money to Theodore. We gotta get more than this.

What!?!!? That was totally unexpected! What's his stats like?

??????????

Hopefully its for a lot less than Huet would of gotten. Then we can go and sign a dman maybe?

Huet's #'s are better the last couple years. I would argue that playing behind the Av's defense is also a bonus over the Habs and Caps -- not liking this one. GMGM must really think that either Varmolov or Neuvirth (spelling) are close to ready

A couple of snags. Holy Moses.

You all are cracking me up:

shart-stink kolzig
jeff(Philly) go run into a tree while you are speeding

Relax - don't jump on the guy just yet. Everyone was pissed when they saw Huet's stats when we first got him. We needed a #1 goalie and now we have him. My guess is that Huet wanted too much. We don't have a lot of wiggle room so we can't afford for the players to call the shots.

I am fine with this. I feel that Huet and Theodore are similar. I am not too worried.

2 years, 4.5 per year.

Terrible Deal!!!!!!!
He`s been inconsistent for 3 seasons.
The whole bloody league knew he was overpaid and Mcphee just went out and did it again.I`d rather have seen Conklin here at 3 million!
George`s worst move in his tenure,without a doubt and at a crucial time for the Caps.

conklin to detroit 1 yr deal

Can we please trade him for Ty Conklin???

I literally feel sick to my stomach right now! This is really horrible! I am beyond disappointed!!! I also feel like crying...

I think people are overreacting on this one. A two-year deal is great and Theodore had just as good of a 2007-08 season and postseason as Huet. Caps fans give Huet too much credit for the late season run without analyzing his mediocre playoff performance.

Theodore basically carried the Avs to the 2nd round of the playoffs before running into the buzzsaw called the Red Wings. He is a solid goaltender who, at 31, still has a lot to give. I like the deal. It's reportedly for $4.5 million a year.

Good move, if they recognized that it wasn't going to get done with Huet then it was smart to act quickly and scoop up the next best option before we were left with nothing.

THIS blows. I am sooo disappointed. Huet was the best option out there. Theodore better be real cheap, but I still think this deals a major blow to our chances of a deeper playoff run next year. I think I'd rather have kept Olie.

The sky is not falling people. Are you really going to turn in your season tickets because of this? Gimme a break.

Well if its only a 2 year deal, at least Theodore will be good in year 2. He only shows up for contract years, no?

I'm disappointed, but if Huet was looking for a lot more money then it was either this, or wave good by to some other players.

And yes that was a joke, but I do think that Conklin would be better than friggin Theodore. Seriously he needs to be traded along with some prospects or draft picks or whatever for a reasonable goalie, so DC can stay a hockey town.

Me want more Propecia

id have rather had conklin at detroit's price if we couldn't get huet..

A couple of snags?! WTF does that mean? Everything was peaches and cream the last time his agent said anything which was YESTERDAY. How could things fall apart so quickly?! Someone PLEASE explica por favor!

Cheaper than Huet, doesn't run the risk of leaving us with nothing, and leaves more money to possibly bring Fedorov back.

Theodore:

2007-08 Colorado NHL 53 28 21 3 3028 123 1367 3 2.44 .910
2007-08 Lake Erie AHL 1 0 1 0 60 3 24 0 3.00 .875
2006-07 Colorado NHL 33 13 15 1 1748 95 870 0 3.26 .891
2005-06 Colorado NHL 5 1 3 1 296 15 133 0 3.04 .887
2005-06 Montreal NHL 38 17 15 5 2114 122 1025 0 3.46 .881
2005-06 Total Mtl/Col NHL 43 18 18 6 2410 137 1158 0 3.41 .882

Huet:

2007-08 Washington NHL 13 11 2 0 771 21 329 2 1.63 .936
2007-08 Montreal NHL 39 21 12 6 2278 97 1150 2 2.55 .916
2007-08 Total Mtl/Wsh NHL 52 32 14 6 3049 118 1479 4 2.32 .920
2006-07 Montreal NHL 42 19 16 3 2286 107 1280 2 2.81 .916
2005-06 Montreal NHL 36 18 11 4 2103 77 1085 7 2.20 .929

Not even close on sv%, wins, and gaa

bad, Bad, BAD

Theodore is inconsistent. Flashes of greatness.

Could probably put a big 37 and 'Kolzig' on his back and you wont know the difference at times.

Look who will be a free agent in two years.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/cap-central/team.php?team=VAN

That's right.

Roberto Luongo.

Bank on it.

Question: what will be the most heard announcement at Verizon Center this season?

Answer: Now in goal for the Capitals, Brent Johnson...

I love how no one mentions that we just signed a former Vezina Trophy winner. Maybe we should wait until the season starts before lynching the guy.

All I can figure is that it must have looked like Huet wasn't going to sign today, and someone else was looking at Theodore, so he did what he had to do to make sure that he had someone signed by the end of the day.

Really, looking at it that way, it makes me glad that we signed anyone at all, given that after Huet and Theodore, there's practically nothing left.

Plus, Theodore's stats last season weren't that bad.

guess we'll have to wait a couple more years for the cup...

28-21-3 record and a 2.44 goals against average in '07-'08 with the Avs

I just HAAAAAAD to buy the Huet t-shirt. Just HAAAAD to have it!

Not the end of the world, though I would have preferred Huet.

Prior to Huet's hot streak at the end of last season, they had nearly identical numbers.

Theodore: 28-21-3 SV% .910 GAA 2.44
Huet: 21-12-6 SV% .916 GAA 2.56

I think Theodore played pretty well last season....2.44 GAA, decent in the playoffs. Huet was kicked out of his starters job in Montreal, played his padded backside off in Capsland, was ok in the postseason. I think that maybe his agent was trying to create a bidding war? The Caps needed a goalie, and it was Huet or Theodore. I saw a good goalie in Theodore last year, so I am hopefull he will be good for us next year.

we lose one goalie (Huet) with a history of being terrible in the playoffs and get another goalie (Jose) with a history of being terrible in the playoffs.

sweet

Huet will prolly go to Tampa Bay now...

It'd really be best to reserve judgment until Huet signs and the terms of the contract are released. If it would have taken 7 million a year to keep him in DC, Theodore was the better option.

For all those pointing our Theo's Vezina, Kolzig has one of those too. I can't wait to see what tarik is able to give us as to the "Snags."

I heard he's so-so in the playoffs, never got past the 2nd round. True?

Ouch...this one hurts, its a shame we could not get a deal done for Huet. Theodore is about as consistenet as Ollie. This move will probably cost us about 10 wins next season.

Well at least we won't have to hear that retarded "hip hip Huet" chant anymore...

My initial reaction is that the Caps fans were just punched in the stomach. We needed a solid goalie. The team felt comfortable with Huet. The team liked Huet. The coach liked Huet. Big mistake. Congratulations Caps you just kicked your players and fans collectively in the teeth with this one.

Make up for it and sign Brooks, Mo, Fehr and Feds with the extra money you better have saved. And we can just expect for the Cup a few seasons after our young stud goalies arrive. Provided of course that we can keep all of the players that will have contracts up in the next few years.

Now wouldn't it just be a real kick in the shorts if Huet ends up in Tampa? Just kidding, I think.

RightWinger:
hahaha no this just promises Johnny the starting gig. God damn it McPhee you were on a role!!! Why did you put all your energy in signing an RFA who we would have had final say on no matter what. Now we have no hope of bring the cup to DC for at least two years. GOD DAMN IT!!!!!

Please note how much better Huet was with the Habs IN THE SAME YEAR:

Theodore:
2005-06 Montreal NHL 38 17 15 5 2114 122 1025 0 3.46 .881
Huet:
2005-06 Montreal NHL 36 18 11 4 2103 77 1085 7 2.20 .929

A goal a game better folks -- GMGM screwed the pooch on this one

wtf.

@ 828

"We needed a #1 goalie and now we have him."

Uhhhh... Brent Johnson?

I was wondering who we'd get if we didn't sign Huet. I am not sure what to make of this. I wonder what "snags," exactly?

"Spurn" implies that the problems were on the Caps side.

1)This is actually NOT as bad as some are making it out to be GMGM got the second best available UFA goalie, and only for 2 years.
2) This shouldn't be a shock folks. If Huet really wanted to stay in DC a deal would have been done long ago. It probably wasn't about money (he'll get his cash somewhere) it was about playing where he and his family felt most comfortable

http://newfaux.blogspot.com/

Former Vezina trophy winner?
Guess we should`ve signed Kolzig,or maybe Hasek.
The guy had 1 great yr in Montreal.
The sad truth is everyone and I mean EVERYONE knew he was overpaid,the Avs couldn`t give him away so what Does Mcphee do?.....he gives him the same money...brilliant!

I thought Huet was all but signed. Way to surrender, Frenchy. Bah!

@ Matt

He is a LONG way off his Vezina days.

Bad signing..just bad. They need a legit # 1 and Theodore has faltered the last few yrs.

SIGN HUET NOW TRADE THEODORE LATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I personally would have chosen Huet over Theodore. That said, to see how people are reacting...geez. You'd think Tarik just posted the Caps named BB head coach all over again or something!

Here's hoping that in 6 months or so I can re-post all of the stupid comments about how this is the worst signing in Caps history.

One thing I WILL point out...Huet has never played more than 52 games in a regular season before, and over 42 just once. While Theodore has had his ups and downs, when he IS on he is one of the best goalies in the league. Let's hope he plays these next 2 seasons the same way he played the 2nd half of last season.

It is NOT April Fool's Day!

WTF???

I'm with you 828. I suspect the Caps offered very good money to Huet, probably the same if not more than what JT is getting and it wasn't enough. If the Caps had overpaid Huet, y'all would be crying just as loudly.

JT had a suspect second half last season, true, but it's still a big upgrade from Kolzig and Johnson, IMHO.

It might be a downgrade, but how much of a downgrade, really?

Relax people. Those of you that don't want to go to games can give me your tickets.

I think a lot of this reaction is just emotional. Its no secret Theodore and Huet were the top two options. Theorodre has been more inconsistent, but has had higher peaks that Huet.

Going into today I was sure Huet was going to be a Cap, and my gut react was definitely "WTF mate?"

Now that Theodore is off the market, expect a bidding war for Huet between the Avs and the Sens. He'll go for a lot more than 4.5 per season.

ultra,
Sorry Bud, but BJ is a #2 goalie... always has been, always will be.

"I love how no one mentions that we just signed a former Vezina Trophy winner. Maybe we should wait until the season starts before lynching the guy."

Yeah, and we just let one go too...To me it's how the team seemed to gel at the right time last year and Huet was a key component to the success the CAPS had last year and now to take that key component out for a goalie that has had attitude problems in the past, and then we lose the man who ran the locker room the last 12 years all in one day is mind numbing...

I think Theodore is a downgrade from Huet, but not drastically so. I like the term (2 years) but not the numbers ($4.5M per); I'd have thought the guy could have been had for a little cheaper ($3.5M?) The Capitals need to pinch pennies wherever they can.

It could have been worse, I suppose. Had McPhee kept trying with Huet, only to fail on July 3, for instance, there would have been nothing out there at all for the Caps to sign. He had to get something done... and he did.

So many drama queens in here... including me

I don't see what the big fuss is about Ty Conklin. I mean, I'm as big of a Conklin supporter as anyone out there as someone who went to UNH (his alma mater), but would you really want to give him 3 mil a year for an extended period of time based solely on a two month stretch he had with the Penguins this year. I mean, he hasn't done a whole lot outside of that.

I am in shock. But, it's not all that bad - just a surprise. JT did not have a great season, but he was solid in the playoffs (sean - he really did play well in the playoffs). Hopefully his playoff performance (and not his regular season play) will be what shows up in DC. Wow. Unbelievable.

this is a true disaster. All the effort that went into building this team completely thrown down the toilet.

I will also add the JT is a good bit smaller than CH -- look for even more goalie interference (not being called that is)

Jill... Huet prolly wanted too much. If we are going to sign these other players, then something had to give.
Hopefully, we can sign those other players soon though.

Ben:
Luongo is not coming here - our farm team boys will be here by the time he is free.

@Paul N,

Unless you've found some new source, I don't think that anyone's announced the dollar value of Theodore's contract.

What are the odds that Jose's dad handled the negotiations? Anyone have the over /under on the amount of time gmgm has left after this one?

Well, on the positive sign, all of you who hated the "Hip Hip Huet" chant will be relieved.

Wow, this came out of left field but I agree that we shouldn't jump on the guy. Huet is a good goalie, not an elite goalie. Theodore is solid. And the market is so thin this year the Caps couldn't let Huet hold them hostage especially after shelling out $21 million to Greeney this morning.

My bigger concern is Pothier. Who do we go after if he's done?

like i said before, this better mean 100% were bringing back Fedorov, otherwise you might as well call me Chief 2.0. If he did this with Feds in mind, then he knows what hes is doing because Feds is no role player, he is a vital piece to a potential championship team, then again so was huet until 5 minutes ago.

p.s. i dont like goalies under 6 feet tall

@dmg

look way above

I am definitely not worried. I think our defense is much improved and didn't I read somewhere that Theodore won the Hart? or am I completely off on that?

I think we should give the man a chance...And you guys can't be serious about Olie being better....Comeon guys..

Not a bad signing . . .I should mention that i think this team is poised to make a "real" run at the SC in 2010 and 2011. I think they will need one more season to get polished . . .

That said a two year deal with what we have coming up in the minors I think is a smart move.

Regarding Theodore vs Huet. Huet clearly is the better net minder . . .and I also believe that Theodore is better then Kolzig.

That said I think 4.5 is a little steep unless GMGM felt that we had zero chance at Huet. . .

Dont judge this move until Huet is signed.

My opinion -
Huet may have wanted too many years...(Semin and Backstrom will need new contracts) Theodore was willing to come for two years.

I would like to see another D-Man come in this mix, and I think we will be OK..

Like I said..WAIT FOR HUET's Deal to throw GMGM under the bus.

It was a thin Goalie field from the start, and we got a #1 goalie.

Any chance we will go with 3 keepers again? :-) Or are any of the solid S@H dmen still available? What's Orpik's status?

This works for me - Theodore is a solid #1 - as has been pointed out prior to being traded and his great run with the Caps Huet's numbers and Theodore's numbers were very similar. Theodore is a former Vesina winner and he was great in the playoffs till nobody but him showed up to play the Red Wings. The two year term and the $$ work; if there were more good #1 goalies in the pool he might have been had for $4M but no less. My bet is Olie gets a similar deal from the Lightning as well. Can't wait till next season. LETS GO CAPS!!!

If huet signs for anything less than 6 mil i will be FURIOUS

Lets say Huet wanted 6 mil or even 5.25 mil... from signing Theodore... that difference in money can be used towards Fehr and Gordon. Maybe the difference was with Green - who knows. Maybe if Green would have settled for 4.5 mil, we could have signed Huet. Can't have everything... I am not dissappointed. At least not yet. Either way, Theodore will have a winning record.

The only problem with Theodore is his attitude. He's in for a rude awakening if he thinks OV will let him get away with being a slacker.

This also means we can probably afford Fedorov. Doubt Fedorov will put up with the Theodore drama b.s.

Expect a bounce back year from Theodore, then he'll be playing for another contract in '09-'10, then we sign...

Roberto Luongo.

snags like the agent being a d-bag and waiting too long to see what's out there when it sounds like huet and the caps had been thinking along the same lines for a while.

Hip Hip Jose!

I cannot get over this signing. did folks here watch Theodore deconstruct in this years playoffs?? Since we signed such an outstanding goalie, I would STRONGLY suggest that Ted and GMGM scrape up some money and go find a REAL D-man to save our new goalie and our $21million faux D-man.

everyone who is displeased should visits Ted's blog and let him know. McPhee is a total BONEHEAD!!!!

@SA-Town

You said it...

kolzig to tampa, theodore to washington? what is going on in goalie world?

828:
Yeah he might, but he sure as hell won't be lifting the cup

huet will get 5.5

@ Matt -- Keep in mind, Jim Carey is a former Vezina Winner too. That was a great year. After that?

This means that Varlamov and/or Neuvirth will get a shot this year if/when Theodore falters (say, around game 9). In reality, this could be pretty good for the Caps--remember that Cam Ward guy in Carolina a couple of years ago? That turned out pretty well...

I'm disappointed, to say the least, but I'll reserve judgement until A) we see what Huet signs for or B) the season starts.

I do thin $9 mil is overpaying though... sigh.

CUJO to Toronto

Theodore posted a 6-1 record in shootouts this season and has a 9-2 mark in shootouts in his career.

Thats some good news!

More food for though.

Huet has never played more than 52 games in a season. Theodore has played 67 games twice and has played in the high 50's a couple of times as well.

Time will tell. Still not entirely comfortable with this move.

@ SA-Town is right on the money, everyone stop being Chicken Littles. IF Huet really wanted to be here he would have been

So one year and .5 was the difference between Huet and JT?!?!?!?!?! Wow we need to prioritize. We damn well better sign Fedorov

Some of you people are ridiculous.

The 2 best goalies on the market were Huet and Theodore. I seriously doubt the Capitals would have rejected a 3 year/$15m deal for Huet. Which means he wanted more.

Which the Caps cant pay. So they got the 2nd best option. Like ANY OTHER TEAM WOULD HAVE DONE.

huet will end up in ottawa. he and theodore are about the same type of goalie & were only going to be caretakers until varlomov is ready the season after next.

@ 828

That's totally my point. Now we have 2 backup goaltenders, neither of which can take us to the Cup.

Our offense better kick ass and take names and we better get Pothier back and/or sign some other Dman and hope our young dmen take a big step up, because we're gonna be playing without a goaltender this season.

Wow, that move is more than a little unexpected. I guess its bridging the gap between Kolzig and Varlamov/Neuvirth/UFA goaltender.
Let the whining about giving up a 2nd for Huet commence!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=c4IiseWm334

TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND WATCH THESE THEODORE HIGHLIGHTS ON YOUTUBE. IT WILL HELP

As much as I'm disappointed with this, you cannot overlook the fact that maybe Huet just didn't want to play in Washington.

Rumors were out there that his family wasn't happy here, that alone could have been enough to make him turn down any deal and look northward for a contract.

We all know agents/players/GMs say what they want to say and it rarely works out the way they say it will.

this is terrible

I guess I fell for the line when Huet's people said he wanted 3 years 15mil. I do agree with those that said if he wanted to sign here he would have. So that doesn't bother me. I just don't think Theo huxtable is the answer.

@Nihat

You're gonna hold Theodore responsible for not getting past the second round?

How many times have the Caps been past the second round?

Don't forget that the Wings need a keeper.

CHILL OUT!!!:
Yeah but that's not the Theodore we're getting, we're getting the washed up one while our defense continues to suffer, and it doesn't look like Pothier will be able to solve that problem for us.

Huey wanted 4/20
Now he's begging Ottawa for a job.

IMO, nobody wins, neither goalie was the answer, huey was the lesser evil of the two, but not a goalie you build with or around.

Wow -- people are ready to charge the castle gates and string up GM. You guys don't have any facts yet. Keep yr pants on.

To me, Theodore and Huet were the top two goaltenders on the market and at least we ended up w/one of them.

Watch all the now-naysayers go ape two years from now and criticize GM for only signing Theodore for 2 years.

i hate caps fans.

And I don't mean to sound like I'm throwing GMGM under the bus, I have a lot of faith in the guy and I'm sure there were some circumstances out of his control that led to this signing, I'm just saying that the unfortunate result is that our goaltending will be suspect.

@ get over it (et al)

Look at JT's #'s -- they are Kolzig #'s, not Huet #'s. Huet has consistently had more wins, less goals (by about a goal a game), and a better S% (880 for JT to 920 for CH). This may cost the Caps a playoff spot -- really! The Caps sneaked in at the end with the hottest winger in the league, with a lot of help from Huet. w/o Huet, the Caps may be outside looking in.

I am with those that say if Huet signs for anything close to 5 mil that I will be royally ticked. .5 mil will not bridge the 2 mil difference between Caps and Feds. (so he may be history anyway).

Even my eight year old daughter's first thoughts were that JT was no Huet. Team chemistry people.

"That's totally my point. Now we have 2 backup goaltenders, neither of which can take us to the Cup."

You're forgetting that we dont have the defense to take us to the Cup....

Things obviously fell through with Huet and McPhee went out and got the only other viable option in terms of available goalies. Would I rather Huet? Sure. But obviously it was not going to happen so George pulled through and got the only other decent option out there. Good for him for not losing out on both of them.

MASS HYSTERIA

This is a perfect signing. 2 years. Capitol!

People get so attached so quickly, root for the jersey not the name on the back of the jersey.

If Huet was asking for 1 more year, 4 x 5M... then he can go couchez with himself...

Think Jose can bring Foote with him?

SIGN A D-MAN, NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

@ boo

wings signed conklin

From another french canadian site (Affiliated to TSN): Huet refused an offer from the caps @ 4.2 millions par years... We are far from 5 millions...

playoffs:
JT - 3.15 .906
CH - 2.93 .909

regular season:
JT - 2.44 .910
CH - 2.32 .920

Calm down guys, this will give us room to sign Feds

See TEB's update, Huet was going to get what he asked for and then wanted to test the market. GMGM really had not other option, I say kudos to him and getting us one of the top 2 goalies in free agency.

I guess it could be worse. At least it was not Emery. Of course the day is not over.

GMGM you better do something to redeem yourself here really soon.

I hope that either Varlamov or Neuvirth is ready for NHL action pretty soon because JT is barely over 500 in wins for his career -- even the Vezina season

dave

foote signed in colorado already

@dmg

Tarik has posted an update with the numbers.

Huet was a great goaltender but Theodore isn't all that bad. He's better than Kolzig and is about the same as Huet.

AND I SAID IT BEFORE... I HAVE A FRIEND WHO WORKS WITH THE CAPS AND HIS WIFE HATED DC!

Every married man knows what that means....

Dave:
Foote already signed.

Hip Hip JOSE!!!

Told you for Chicago... Better learn french to have good news...! ;)

ultra,

Well, I guess Colorado was using a better backup than us during the season. Conklin is a backup goalie - he just had a good run. So is Raycroft. Huet and Theodore were the only true #1s on the market and we got one of them. Don't knock it until you tried it.
If I recall - Theodore only allowed 2 Capital goals this season.

Well I guess I'm wearing my Beaupre jersey to games instead of my Huet one.

Please read the above update from Tarik.

Huet is potentially going to sign a 4 year/5.6 mil per season deal with Chicago.

Even tho the $'s COULD have worked, I think it's tough to sign a goalie who has never played over 52 games (nor won a playoff series) to a deal worth more than 22 mil over 4 years when you have 2 young guys in the system who are expected to take over the reigns in 2-3 years.

I said earlier that I would take Huet over Theodore, but that was comparing a 3 year/15 mil deal to a 2 year/9 mil deal.

I confirm for his wife that didn't like DC...

Tarik - You are the man. Thanks for the updates.

I don't dislike Theodore, I saw him in a few games and when he's "on" he's impressive. I hope he'll be consistent.

What I don't like is the steep price for it. 4.5M/year... Conklin and CUJO are signed for exactly 1/6 of that. I don't think Theodore is 6 times better than Conklin.

I bet GM went for Conklin, but Detroit was more appealing.

In this day and age, I'd take the freedom. Huet had a great run here, but let's be honest, we're not going 70-11 next year with Huet-- he's not Hasek in his prime. He's a good goaltender that caught fire when we needed him to. Is that worth $20M+? GMGM didn't think so, and he's probably right.

If we had signed Huet, I wouldn't have been upset-- but it's also nice that we will have cap flexibility in two years if things go south--or if they go well. And remember, Theodore could turn out to be a good, if not great, goaltender for us. He's 31, a tad younger than Huet, and he has something to prove. Huet was a prime candidate for post-big contract recession syndrome.

If we could get Pothier off the books, we could go sign a top flight D man and be in great shape, but sadly I don't see him retiring when he can collect a paycheck. It's a shame we couldn't buy him out, his playing years look to be over.

I'm happy...we got a legit #1 goalie for the next two seasons...we have 3 top prospects to take over and compete for playing time over the next 3 seasons...Huet wanted to test the market and he's at the age where he's going after that last big payday contract!...GMGM did GREAT by realizing that it wasn't going to happen and moving quickly to pickup the second best option out of a shallow pool...$4.5 is lees that we paid Kolzig last year, so if he is as good as Kolzig its still a discount, and Theodore is like 31, so he should be in his prime! GMGM made the right call, maybe not the one everyone (including me) wanted, but the right call!

Leeguru:
We should have bet on Huet ... I don't know what the bet would have been, but we would have surely both been surprised by this one! Anyway, thanks for being a stand up guy, but don't worry - I won't make you pay your debt!! ;-)

Kim:
Amen on Avery!

he asked for $15 and 3 and the caps gave it to him. then he say's thanks but no thanks. if that's true, he's a [french word for shower]-bag. i'm glad they didn't sign him for 4 years.

hip hip jose indeed. perhaps we should just issue a jersey number 1 with the word GOALIE on the back.

On the one hand, that's kind of a bush league move to demand something, get it offered and then back out. On the other hand, if he signs, that's an extra year and an extra 7.4 over the life of a deal, so you can't really fault the guy for the cheap trick.

But, he has to live in Chicago, so there's schadenfruede for us.

FOr 5.6 million Chicago??? You can have him!!!!! Screw Huet. Greedy French PricK!

I hope Green and Mo are working out together now. Also, please let Alzner really be all that and a bag of chips.

Okay now let's get us our ladies man back and go get another player Ovie wants.

Has Brian Campbell been signed yet? I know he is not coming here, just curious.

4.5 for a washed up goalie is a total RIP

2:54pm: TSN has big blue-liner Kurt Sauer going to Phoenix on four-year deal worth $1.75 million per season. He's 6-foot-4 ("and full of muscle") and 220 pounds. As I blogged recently, all these blue-line signings are driving up the cost of those who are still on the market. Brooks Orpik may soon have more money than he knows what to do with, with a new suitor emerging that is believed to be the Washington Capitals.

We screwed

Well, there you go. Seems Huet got greedy, we offered what he wanted but then wanted to test the market. Good move from GMGM for making sure we didn't end up with Cujo:)

Oh, and seeing the update, anyone who goes to Chicago is a sell out (like Khabibulun). Yes, they have Kane and Toews, but after what the Wirtz family did to that franchise, anyone signing there is either a masochist, a sell out, or a wishful dreamer for the future. I've yet to see any NHL-ler who demonstrates the third category not with a home team that drafted them.

We'll see how it plays out I guess...GMGM would know better than me. This does make me want to return my season ticket package, though.

From trade deadline genius to bonehead in four short months? Jeez people, lighten up. I think GMGM wanted to not be tied down to a 3 or 4 year deal with Huet plus have an opening for a youngster 2 years down the road.

But Boo, I look forward to paying you!

Sceond rate goalie for a second rate organization.

How does it feel losing out Ted & McFail ?

What about defense, seems now it's required more than 2 hours ago ?
Get Kiwi back, you guys are the best at getting guys back.

Shocked I am. We'll have to wait till all our FA's are signed to truely understand this one.

Can someone check on commonalities between agents? Theodore, Green, Laich, Mo.....etc.

Sky's not falling. Is JT better than Huet? Probably not. Huet is more prone to being broke, though. Is JT better than BJ or OK. Hell yes. We had to grab something, and letting Huet keep us at bay only to sign somewhere else would really F this team.

Infact, that may have been Huet's plan all along. As payback for getting his ass kicked by Ovie.

I hope Huet lands in the SE so Ovie can whoop his ass!

Tampa bay signed Adam Hall

Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.

Caps Fans: What do you mean, "biblical"?

Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, real wrath of God type stuff.

Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.

Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!

Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes...

Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave!

Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together... mass hysteria!

If he got offered the 15/3 years but decided to wait... well then, au revoir.

Caps have two Hart trophy recipients now...might be a first for the franchise

My goodness people. Relax. This is not as bad as it could've been. We could be stuck only with Brent and that wouldn't have been good. Theodore is not that bad.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

You all are like a roller coaster... F Theodore... who is this guy, we need Huet. Then you see the numbers on Huet - then it's F Huet, good call GMGM... that prick wanting too much money...

Makes me laugh. Now all we need is the Count here to count how many millions Feds is going to make!

@Boo, Actually I meant Emery not Avery. Just seeing the name Avery on this board made me shake just a bit though. That one would be pretty bad to.

Seriously, I want Brooks back baby. Memo to GMGM, do it now! Apparently you have a little extra cash available to bridge the gap.

someone put in a call to "D-Men R Us", QUICK!!!!

Fire McPhee!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!

LOL!

Fire him tonight..

My god, you people have to settle down. I love it when fans who read ESPN and watch Sportscenter think that they know more than the GM of a team.

Obviously, Huet was the first option for this team. GMGM wanted him and the fans wanted him. I'm sure that GMGM threw him Theordore money, but for a longer term (probably in the neighborhood of 4.5/5 for 3 years).

Now, had Huet agreed to that deal, he's be a Cap right now. But, Huet didn't and since there were only two good goalies out on the market and plenty of teams that need a netminder, the Caps had to act fast.

So, GMGM had two options. First, he could negotiate with Huet while someones signs Theodore and then with only one good goalie (Huet) left on the market, Huet's asking price goes up significantly. And, then Huet has the Caps over a barrel, so GMGM then has to give Huet 5.5/6 mil a year or risk having no proven goaltender going into next season.

If GMGM does this, everyone would rip him for giving Huet way too much money and then we would lose out on our other RFAs and definitely no Sergi Feds people!

So, rather than all of that going down, GMGM takes the next best goalie on the market for a lower price than Huet.

If you people think he chose Huet over Theodore with all things being equal, you're crazy.

GMGM has to be smart about his salaries. We have a very good young team, and while we'd like to keep them all together, if you start overpaying people, it sets a bad precedent and on top of that, we obviously start losing good players.

Also, maybe our two young goaltenders are two seasons away from playing. If that is the case, we are saving big time money in that third year. If we had signed Huet to a three year deal, that is an extra 5/6 million on our books when our young netminders are ready to play!

Theodore has been inconsistent, but you could say the same thing about Huet. In the playoffs, Theodore had a much better 1st round than Huet. And, like I said, keep in mind that the knock on Huet is his consistently and that is the same exact knock on Theodore.

Lets wait until the season starts to evaluate this move. Maybe we are going to be a goalie in Theodore who returns to his Vezina form and looks like an all-star playing behind a awesome young Caps team.

I'm a huge Caps fan, and I wanted Huet too, but we have to be practical about this situation, and I'd rather have Theodore than no one.

well if he wants 4 years I will say that might be a good reason not to sign him along with wanting 5.5 or more per. For a 33 year old goalie who has never really been a true #1 for an entire season that would be a leap for me to tie up all that money for that long. All and all we upgraded our goaltending from last season for what, 1 mil per less? Not all too bad

From the March 4, 2008 issue of The Hockey News, the magazine's crew (with input from scouts) ranks the top 30 NHL goaltenders:

1 Luongo
2 Nabokov
3 Brodeur
4 Leclaire
5 Osgood
6 Giguere
7 Vokoun
8 Miller
9 Lundqvist
10 Turco
11 Kiprusoff
12 Hasek
13 Thomas
14 Bryzgalov
15 Conklin
16 DiPietro
17 Toskala
18 Backstrom
19 Legace
20 Theodore
21 Gerber
22 Huet
23 Biron
24 Ellis
25 Garon
26 Ward
27 Harding
28 Niittymaki
29 Mason
30 Lehtonen

I feel a bit better, but we still could be better off with Huet.

3:43PM Chicago signs UFA goaltender Cristobal Huet (undisclosed)

We are saving 1.1 million per year for two years then 5.6 million a year for the third and 4th year. Guess who is a RFA after 2 years...Backstrom. Semin will be up in this time. So will others. Don't be so shortsighted and think things through. This is not NHL '08 on your X-Box.

OK, so who are our best D-men options out there?

Granted I want to get Feds and Brooks signed too.

Huet to Chicago

Looks like Tarik was right... Huet to Chicago, terms undisclosed, per TSN

Huet to Chicago - 4 yrs 5.6 per according to ??? (rumors)

Where does that leave Khabibulin?
He still has 1 yr & 6.75m left

great GMGM , he must go!!!!! How many times can one screw up -- Huet probably sees how a franchise/team player like Olie gets treated and decided he wanted no part -- we had so much potential... now no D (besides Green) -- no solid goaltending -- we need one or the other -- get busy and we need all over our other FAs signed now..no excuses

Tarik - Thanks for the continued scoop. In light of your most recent update, I'm glad you took the "Caps Spurn Huet" out of your post title. Sounds like the Caps offered what he said he wanted but Huet and his greedy agent went looking for more. Wonder if his wife prefers Chicago over DC...

@Chief
Like Huet was any better than Theodore. They are the same keeper, only one cost @1M less than the other.

Seriously, your schtick is STALE.

I think that GMGM didn't do too bad on this one.

I also think that Dale Tallon is a moron.

$5.6/yr is big coin. That puts Huet in the top 1/5 of goalies in terms of salary. But Huet isn't anywhere near the top 1/5 in terms of results.

So long sucker.

TSN reports Huet just signed with Chicago, so I guess that deal got done...

its official

chicago signs huet

Huet sign with CHicago

Can you imagine if Huet DOES sign with Chicago? They have 6.75 mil wrapped up in Khabibulin this season...and they want to spend another 5.6 mil on Huet?

And you all think GMGM makes bad decisions...

By then, maybe a real Team Manager will be there to facilitate the deals.

This is a huge blunder for the Caps front office. It's one thing if the Caps were still in rebuilding mode or if they had a guy ready to take over the number one spot, because then it wouldn't make as much sense to blow a lot of money. I guess they didn't like the playoffs that much and decided they wanted to go back to rebuilding because teams who expect to compete for a Cup pony up the cash to make sure they have things squared away in net. In my estimation, for the team going forward next season with playoff aspirations, Huet was the most important piece to get squared away, and a deal should have been ironed out long before now. Theodore could end up being great, but why leave things to chance?

I think the question is not who we would have rather had... Huet or Theodore. I think all of us, including GMGM may have preferred Huet.

But not at that price for a four year term.

Remember, four years down the road, the Huet we have known will likely not be the Huet of the future.

I would bet if you asked GMGM, he would tell you the term of the deal was a bigger factor than the money.

You never know... That year four money Huet wanted might need to go to an Alzner contract or somebody else... I wouldn't want to lose him (or another key player) cause we had a $5.6M remaining on a player that was no longer worth it.

Nobody likes to lose Huet, but Huet went for the dough and left the Caps in a rough spot.

Give Theodore a chance and lets see how they do...

This was not sabotage on GMGM's part, it was damage control. Chicago made the move, legal and above board. Time will tell who made the right one.

I see GMGM as doing a Brian Burke on this one. Too much is too much, not so much now as in the future.

panthers sign cory stillman

Hopefully one of the younger goalies are gonna be ready to play soon.

If anyone is giving away their ticket packages please let me know. This is one caps fan that thinks players like Ovie, Semin and company can make due with Jose. We could call on Pete Peters or Don Beaupre to see what their up to if that would make everyone feel better. Or better yet, we could contact another former Canadien, Patrick Roy to see if he's interested in coming here.

Let's see how this plays out before getting all "dogs and cats living together".

Huet to chicago... TSN confirmed...

3:43PM Chicago signs UFA goaltender Cristobal Huet (undisclosed)
3:41PM Florida signs UFA forward Cory Stillman to a 3 year deal worth $10.6-million
3:40PM NY Rangers sign UFA forward Aaron Voros (undisclosed)
3:40PM Pittsburgh signs UFA forward Eric Godard (undisclosed)

Oh, no... Now we have to deal with Goddard! Brashear will have a lot of work to do.

Alright, maybe I went a little overboard given Tarik's update. Maybe McPhee didn't make yet another mistake, but that will be determined during the season. However, I wonder how much the agent had to do with urging him to test the market. Huet seemed happy here and liked the direction the team was going.

And I'm gonna go ahead and say that the wife probably didn't have a say in this one cuz Chicago is less European than DC.

Tarik--thanks for keeping us updated with everything!

Chicago signed Huet, no terms yet.

bye MO, hello Orpik

uh-o!

I would rather have J. Theo for 2 years 4.5 then Huet for 4 years 5.6.

We need to win the Cup in the next 3 years. If Theo doesnt get it done, we have year 3 to make a switch.

Bring me another D man...Federov can play for peanuts....

Hi Chief. Good to hear from you again.

Varlamov will be up soon. He would have started in the worlds but was injured.

If Osgood can win the cup, Theodore can win 30 games for us.

Would all you "fair weather " "FANS"...please just give my boy a chance. If he doesnt get the job done, BJ will come to the rescue!

P.S. I love you Jose!

2 #2 goalies.
No quality defense
High powered offense

Welcome you 2007/2008 Caps
I mean you 2008/2009 Caps

Theodore has a shot so let's give him a chance. If our D plays to snuff, he can be a legit #1. If not, BJohnson will be a happy man.

Kim:
I meant Emery, too! LOL!! But the sentiment is true for both.

Now that I've calmed down, everyone remember: whoever the Caps signed it was just a bridge to the youngsters. The defense is still young, the goalies are still working on getting here. The plan is not to win the cup this coming season (as nice as that would be). The plan is stability for the long term and winning several cups. let's see how this plays out.

I don't mind this deal. I would rather have picked up Dooby from the Isles though. ;)

Peter Bondra is making a comeback. All he wants is access to the Kettler weight room, and snack bar.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?id=11353

It's official....Huet to Chicago. $22.4 million for four years when you have two up and coming goalies in the minors and another one drafted in this year's draft, Theodore was a better option.

IMHO, I see GMGM going after Feds, Laich, Morrisonn in FA and waiting to see if Fehr and Gordon take the team to arbitration. The question is whethers Feds deal will be for one or two years?

Chump I mean Chief,

Our defense has at least one more year of experience than the 2007/2008 team.

Wow Chief is actually right for once. We do have some quality defense in Green and to a lesser extent Morrisonn and Poti, but other than that......LET'S GO CAPS STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS 2011!!!!!

"Brooks Orpik may soon have more money than he knows what to do with, with a new suitor emerging that is believed to be the Washington Capitals."

Well screw me sideways....

If this is the case, say goodbye to ShaMo.

fire mcphee? for this. sounds like they offered the guy what he wanted, isnt that what he's supposed to do? the caps couldnt and shouldnt offer the guy 4 years. he's 33. there could be many other reasons to fire mcphee, such as being in this position in the first place. but sounds like the team met his asking price and he weaseled out...

A little perspective: Marty Brodeur made $5.25 Million last year.

Huet isn't worth it.

Jose rocks - get used to it!

So Huet spurned the CAPS. We gave him what he wanted then he changes his mind. That seems to take some of the bite out of the news. So now instead of F GMGM it's F HUET you bastard!

I give this a thumbs up...would have rather kept Huet, but can you imagine how happy caps fans would have been if we ended up with no starting goalie after today. Still, its pretty shocking.

For the record, I am not an advocate of Mass Hysteria, just a big fan of Ghostbusters.

If it would have taken 5.6 million to sign Huet, I am fine with Theodore for the next couple of seasons. Thank god we didn't wait too long and end up with nothing.

Like Chief said, at least this gives us flexibility in a couple seasons. Hard to see Theodore leadings us to the holy grail, but maybe Varlamov will be ready for backup duty next season, then who knows.

Thanks for the news Tarik!

Sad to see Huet go, but hoping to get our RFAs and Feds back in the exchange. This is far better than be left empty handed or trying to pass Johnson as a true #1 goalie.

GO CAPS!

Chief, shut the hell up....No one takes you seriously and you're just a punk. No one wants to hear anything you have to say....

Personally speaking, I never thought Huet was "all that."

The Caps need to get some defensemen to go in front no matter who the goalie is.

And from the sounds of it, Huet was offered more money elsewhere after the Caps gave him what he wanted(some snags?) and opted to remain a free agent.

I dunno, but I don't see this as bad as many of you do.

- Ray

We are saving 1.1 million per year for two years then 5.6 million a year for the third and 4th year. Guess who is a RFA after 2 years...Backstrom. Semin will be up in this time. So will others. Don't be so shortsighted and think things through. This is not NHL '08 on your X-Box. by Chief.

I'm shocked. Is he actually defending gmgm? :D

Huet signs with the Hawks...not sure of terms yet - I sure hope it is significantly more than 4.5 m per; otherwise GMGM fanned on this one.

@King Huet...

what now?

sounds like McPhee is taking a page from the Barry Melrose book of hockey: all offense, no defense.

i don't want to wait until 2012 for youngsters. why are people making excuses for bonehead decisions being made?? we are the ones paying (at least if you have season tickets).

Everyone calm down... Thank god the Hip Hip chant is gone... I propose:

"Joooooose Jose Jose Jose... Joosee Joose
Joooooose Jose Jose Jose... Joosee Joose!"

And now back to the hysteria, here's Tom with the weather...

Actually, from the sounds of it, I'm going to say "Way to go, GMGM."

If Huet was offered EXACTLY what he asked for, and didn't take it, that's his own problem.

And that's too bad. I thought he was a really good fit here.

Come on!! Huet was a mediocre goalie that left for Paris when the playoffs started. Gimme a break, I bet Theodore can lose in the first round just as well as Huet. WhoEh did crap last year in reality, in spite of all the fawning and hero worsjip on this board, you all can kiss JT's butt it will taste much the same.

Paging King Theodore! Paging King Theodore!

@Will

Sheesh, give me a break. Huet was here for 3mos. Give the rebuilding talk a rest. He wasn't a cornerstone.

Mauree, I was thinking the same thing... about chief's 'good' comments and King Huet. Joker Jose?

Funny reading how this sucks and how terrible everything is now with Huey gone

Then scroll down and read how this isn't so bad, this "might" be good, what a smart move.

The bottom line, this team manager has demonstrated a consistent pattern of mishandling Free agents.

Joni Pitkanen to 'Canes for Erik Cole.

Sundin getting offers from Canucks.

Caps in running for Orpik?

My head is spinning.

If I don't handle the big deals, nothing will ever get done.

I'm considering a change.

Actually, Theodore has had a lot of luck in the 1st round of the playoffs...it's the 2nd round where he seems to come up empty.

He's been a starting goalie for an NHL playoff team 4 times, and all 4 times his team has made it to the 2nd round. And all 4 times his team has NOT made it to the 3rd. :-)

Huet just signed with Chicago

4 years - 5.6mil a year

If GMGM would offer that money to Huet a month ago, he would sign.

But GMGM waited till June 30. It was clear Huet will get a better offer, it was clear Huet will be gone.

Oh well, if GMGM will sign Orpik, I'll forgive gim :-)

THEODORE WAS GREAT ONCE HE TOOK OVER AS THE AVS #1 GOALIE MID-SEASON. IN FACT HIS NUMBERS LOOK A LOT LIKE HUET'S.

1ST HALF: 10-10-1 / .896 PCT / 2.72 GAA
2ND HALF: 18-11-2 / .919 PCT / 2.25 GAA
TOTAL: 28-21-3 / .910 PCT / 2.44 GAA

Chief,
You can shove a stake up someone's arse... you would know, right. GM gave Huet what he wanted and Huet refused... good luck in Chicago - take care now, bye bye then.

Oh now the ghostbuster fans come out!!

okay as you all know i've been very angry in my posts, but you can't blame McPhee for this. It was because of him that we had Huet in the first place. Huet probably told him that he was signing a contract that GMGM didn't think made sense for the Caps to match, so rather than risk it all and hope for a trade Huet over paid for a washed-up net minder. That's the nature of free agency, it sucks but it's the way it is. Thank you GMGM for landing Huet in the first place, and hopefully you can find a nice deal that sends Theodore out of DC for good in exchange for a capable goalie before camp starts.

bottom line, this team HAD to sign a goalie; there were really only two out there worth signing; and they signed one of them. Was he the better of the two...not sure. Was he the better DEAL? Definitely.

Was it a surprise? Hell yeah.

Who would you rather have? Green or Huet? You have to sign Green first...

@mauree

I don't know, definitely need to change my user id. :-) Oh well, let me be King Huet for another day.

The King is dead and we don't have another King. D is too young and immature.

I don't know. Sign Orpik!!!!

Who on earth would spend $10 mil a year on Sundin? This is getting absolutely obnoxious (like Chiefs posts)!!!!

I like this though...
Theodore started 20 of the Avalanche's last 21 games in 2007-08 en route to his fifth career 20-win season. He ranked fifth among NHL goaltenders with a 2.24 GAA after January 1. Theodore posted a 6-1 record in shootouts this season and has a 9-2 mark in shootouts in his career.

My first reaction to the was "WTF" but after reading it up, I've calmed down and it's not so bad at all. Looks like we saved a cool million on signing Theodore and 2 years in term. That means that we'll have that contract off our hands in two years, and quite possibly two young stud goalies ready for NHL action.

I wanted Huet back just as much as everyone else, but seems like his agent and Huet himself got a little greedy and the offer that was originally good for both sides suddenly wasn't good enough for Cristobal anymore. Theodore should be given the benefit of the doubt. Let him prove or disprove himself here before calling for GMGM's head. If he signs Orpik then we'll have a great D unit in front of Theodore and we could go a long way.

As someone else noted Theodore has a Veizna, a MVP, and carried Colorado to the second round this past season. We give him more scoring than he saw in Denver, and a chance to prove himself again. This could be a solid move indeed.

Don't drink the cool-ade yet, we are stable in goal and now we can groom the two young studs and have money to spare.

Tampa keeps signing forwards -- this is really bizarre with such a porous defense and no goalie (maybe Ollie)

I do love how they signed Theodore after Huet wanted to play the market a little more. We don't need money grubbers, we need guys who generally want to win in this city.

What do you mean "what now"? We keep trying to get better.

lets all relax last year we all just wanted to make the playoffs now because we lost in the first round the next year were winning the stanley cup. RELAX huet WAS NOT WORTH 5.6 OVER 4 YEARS i credit the caps they offered him what he asked for then all of a sudden he says wait let me see what i can get. NO goodbye well sign the next best option and at 1.1 mill less that could be the difference between feds staying or leaving. and if he dosent work out or one of the kids comes up 4.5 is easier to trade or buy out then 5.6 over 4 years

4:02PM Colorado signs UFA forward Darcy Tucker to a 2 year deal worth $4.5-million

Oh boy, if Tucker got $2.25 mil, how much Feds can get? Bye Feds, it was nice to seeing you.

One thing of all these posts thatr is missing is coach bruce's influence. I think he pushed Huet to what he was with us and he will do the same with theodore. This coach expects his players to play to their potential and huet never really did until he played for him(with a couple of cheap goals allowed i might add) I have faith thet the coach will make the goalie all that he can be and we'll be Ok...now sign Fedy............

Also I'm quite interested to hear some comments from Theodore about coming to DC and GMGM on negotiations.

Tucker to the Avs.......

Pens offer deal to Jagr? Where are people getting all this money?

Well, the career shootout record for JT is impressive. Remember how many one-goal games we played last year?

Who's going to be the starting goalie in Hershey this year?

If it's any consolation, Huet won't be playing for a Stanley Cup anytime soon in Chicago.

Dang it all.

CAREER POSTSEASON

Jose Theodore, 19-26, 2.76 GAA, .914 save pct.

Cristobal Huet, 5-8, 2.65 GAA, .919 save pct.

So much for moving forward...Theodore sucks....he'll be stuffing his face in Bethesda by November. It's going to be like the beginning of Talladega Nights, where Ricky Bobby gets his shot when the driver pulls over to take a leak and grab a chicken sandwich in the middle of the race....except we don't have a Ricky Bobby...I hope George and Ted enjoy Verizon Center going back to an average attendance of 9,000 when the Caps keep dropping games 3-0, 5-4 and 8-5. If they do something like sign Budaj or David Aebischer, make it 8,999.

@ keef

I understand Huet wasn't here very long, but did you forget already what he accomplished while he was here? Are we trying to be like Ottawa here in DC with a team that should be winning playoff series but is shackled by inconsistant/inferior play in net? 4 years at $5.6 mil per year is too much, but this situation might have been avoided if McPhee had ponied up a little extra cash and offered $5.5 mil for 3 years a week ago.

@Shadowplay
I was referring to King Huet's name - he'll need to change it.

As for the Caps - the best "what now" would be sign Orpik or Commodore and Fedorov.

Well, that sort of makes Huet a bum in my mind.

"Here's what I want."
"Great, that works for us, here you go."
"Well, actually, that's what I want but I also want to see how much MORE I can get."
"Oh, well, in that case, go take a flying..."

Have in Chicago playing the Stanley Cup champs 6x a year ya bum.

Let's also remember that Huet really didn't hang on to the starting roll for the entire season in MLT. He was very up and down just like JT. Looking like 1mil less per year for 2 less years for JT, i am fine with that.

Does anybody have a link to the Orpik rumors or did somebody just make that up?

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If we'd have said "we signed green and a french goalie" this morning, would anyone have been upset??

i'm ok w/ Jose for 2 years. Huet came in, did great, got offered the contract he asked for (per tarik's update) and walked... can't blame GMGM for that... so he made a move to solidify the spot. i applaud him for that. i'd rather have huet, but he made his own bed... i hope nikolai comes out HOT in the spring and keeps the starting job :-)

Why the panic? 2 years is a good time frame. Either we're locked in with one of the youngsters by then or we punt and go for another UFA. Not the end of the world.

Let's just dig up Roman Chechmanek while we're at it.

@James

I agree

Per TSN - 28-21-3 record and a 2.44 goals against average. ... for Jose. I can live w/ that!

Kolzig and Rolston just signed with TBL -- how can they afford all this with a cap?

WHOA Kolzig to Bolts for 1.5 mil!!!!

I wanted Huet, a bunch of us did but this is not bad. JT is not a #2 goalie...But if you believe JT is a #2, then you should keep Chris Osgood in mind.

washington just took a step back

Just to point out, a lot of these posts were made BEFORE the whole Updates came out about how HUET is such and asshat. Now that we learned he spurned the CAPS he can take a flying leap and I can't wait to play Chicago so I can throw some things at him.

Kolzig is an ass

It's official Kolzig's going Tampa for one year 1.5 per.

Rolston for 7 mil!!! They have to trade away someone -- too many forwards and too much money

Tampa Bay signs UFA goaltender Olaf Kolzig to a 1 year deal worth $1.5-million (plus bonuses).

geez, we could have let him ride the pine for that.

No hip hip Jose, it's "Jose can you see"

Huet was and is the better goalie, but if we sign all our other free agents, I'll be ok with this.

Stop your crying. Everyone. Go outside, enjoy the summer and dry your freakin' tears. You will live, and so will your hockey team.

I'm guessing that people who get paid to manage/hire players may know more about the situation than message-board hounds.

HIP HIP - We're screwed!

Ugh...That hurts about Kolzig.

Olie to the Bolts, so what. Who do you think he had to practice against here in DC? I think our boys will know how to beat Olie. Plus with TB's defense it's not like we are going to play against the Red Wings.

Okay, it's a surprise, but I think I'm okay with this. Theodore is fine, and the money can be put toward someone else. Given what Huet was asking, there's over $1 million/year difference. That might be the margin to, say, bump Fedorov to $3 mil.

I'd take that.

kolzig for 1year/1.5+bonuses...Tampa Bay per TSN.ca

Olie could have made at least 2 times in Washington what he took to play in Tampa.

Huet was good but he also was weak in the first 3 games of the playoffs. Plus I don't think he could carry the work load.

828:

disagree.

as for Orpik, I have seen a thing here or there, but it is mostly that he is still available and has the D-man characteristics that the Caps are sorely lacking. Theodore is gonna need all the help he can get, especially with Greeners propensity for tripping over his skates or standing behind the net.

Green - Done - $5.25M
Theodore - Done - $4.5M
Orpik - Done - $4.75M
Fehr - Done - $.850M
Laich - Done - $2.0M

bye

Morrisonn
Fedorov
Cooke
Gordon

Great day for us... Everybody chill the F out...

Save the drama for yo momma

What we got? Definitely Huet is better, but you never know those goalies, see what I mean? Khabibulin won the Cup with Tampa, EVERYBODY wanted him and he sucked.

Osgood was Osbad in Detroit for a long time and now he won the Cup. He had one before, but he didn't carry the team back then.

So you never know. I just hope Theodore at least will bring us to the second round, I doubt we go any further, but even the second round would be good.

You never know those goalies, they are special breed.

4:14PM Tampa Bay signs UFA goaltender Olaf Kolzig to a 1 year deal worth $1.5-million (plus bonuses).

Can't say as I am suprised with all the rumors about the ole ball and chain not liking it here. That and his not really talking to any media while he was here. It looked like he tried to keep everything at arms length the whole time he was here.

After hearing that the Caps gave him what he wanted and he backed out to test the market, good for GMGM to let him rely on the market now. If his wife hated DC, I don't think Chicago is going to be any better. F him.

people calm down, dude didnt want to play here...we offered what he wanted and he balked....

At least we get a lot of chances to see Kolzig give up 4 goals in a period, and give him all the cheers he deserves...maybe Kolzig is really a plant, and will throw all the Lightning playoff games if the Bolts/Caps meet.

Gary Roberts to TBL also

If its true that Huet did what he did... then GMGM was smart and lucky to run out and lock up Theodore... if he had waited... and Huet signed the longer term deal with Chicago anyway... then we could have had no one in goal. So if its true... then good job on scrambling by McPhee.

Kolzig's contract specifies that he plays in all games against the Caps. After the signing, Olaf could be seen wearing a Flyers' "Vengeance Now" t-shirt.

@jschon,

Why are Gordon and Mo gone exactly? The signing period is more than one day.

Still don't get Kolzig wanting to go to Tampa unless hetrying 's to get his golf game back in shape.

like this move more and more...the day is not done, either.

I think Huet turned down a fair offer, so good luck to him. Credit GM for having a very solid back up plan in place.

Now Kolzig will stay on his head to beat Caps. One word: REVENGE