http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/ en-us Copyright 2008 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:27:21 -0400 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.36 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss I've got several updates from a conversation I just had with General Manager George McPhee. *Left wing Matt Cooke, as expected, will not be returning to Washington. The signing of Matt Bradley made Cooke expendable/redundant. "Obviously, Matt Bradley has been with us longer and was committed to us," McPhee said. "You can't keep everybody." *McPhee and lead contract negotiator Don Fishman continue to work on re-signing Brooks Laich, Boyd Gordon and Shaone Morrisonn. (Eric Fehr is expected to accept his qualifying offer.) Asked about Laich's situation, McPhee said: "At some point we'll reach an agreement on a deal whether it's through arbitration or a negotiated process. If someone puts an offer sheet, we'd match it. We'll get a deal done one way or another." *The talks with UFA center Sergei Fedorov are moving in a positive direction. "We've talked to Sergei," McPhee said. "He wants to come here and is http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/updates_on_cooke_feds_laich.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/updates_on_cooke_feds_laich.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 16:27:21 -0400 The Caps have signed free agent forward Keith Aucoin to a two-year contract. The 29-year-old split last season between Carolina and Albany (AHL), playing 38 games for both teams. More on this later. In other news that could be related to this move, I heard from a source late last night that Brooks Laich, a 25-year-old restricted free agent, and the Caps remain far apart on a new contract. I was also told that Laich has been fielding offers from other teams who are interested in possibly signing him to an offer sheet. When I asked if Laich was close to signing a sheet, I was told by the source, "You're barking up the right tree." This is certainly a situation that bears watching today. I'm en route to downtown for a lunch meeting, but will be sure to update if I hear anything more about this. Update:Aucoin's deal is http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/caps_sign_keith_aucoin.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/caps_sign_keith_aucoin.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:24:40 -0400 I said I wasn't going to blog about free agent moves that didn't involve (or impact) the Caps. But this deal has forced me to break that rule. Marian Hossa to the Wings ... for one year at $7.4 million, according to TSN. Discuss. Update:The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports the Pens were offering "a bit more than $7 million" on a five year deal. That makes Hossa's decision even more curious/intriguing. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/as_if_detroit_needed_more_help.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/as_if_detroit_needed_more_help.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:53:51 -0400 Are you sitting down? The Caps have signed minor leaguers Graham Mink, a 29-year-old right wing, and Tyler Sloan, a 27-year-old defenseman. Mink, if you remember, was a key player in the Bears' 2006 Calder Cup run. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/a_couple_of_minor_signings.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/a_couple_of_minor_signings.html Wed, 02 Jul 2008 10:39:14 -0400 In a surprising move, the Caps have signed free agent goaltender Jose Theodore to a two-year contract. The team had been discussing a three-year contract extension with Cristobal Huet, but the sides couldn't close the deal this afternoon. "It just fell apart," Huet's agent, Stephen Bartlett, told Ken Campbell of The Hockey News. "We just hit a couple snags that we couldn't work through." Update: The deal with Theodore is for $9 million ($4.5 each season). That's obviously less cash and a shorter term than the three-year, $15 million the Caps had been discussing with Huet. Update:I just heard from a source that Huet asked the Caps for three years, $15 million and the Caps offered it to him. But Huet told them he wanted test the market today and see what might be out there. Now it's looking like he'll sign a four year deal with Chicago for $5.6 http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/caps_sign_theodore_spurn_huet.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/caps_sign_theodore_spurn_huet.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:02:08 -0400 I know this isn't the goalie news most of you are waiting for. But the Lightning has reportedly reached out to former Capitals' netminder Olie Kolzig, and the sides could be closing in on a deal. From Damian Cristodero at the St. Pete Times: Kolzig would be a terrific mentor for Mike Smith, and coach Barry Melrose, this morning, indicated the team "had some goalie issues we need to take care of." There apparently has been an internal debate as to whether backup Karri Ramo needs some more seasoning in the minors. If Kolzig agrees, that would end the debate. And Kolzig, 38, would be a proved replacement if Smith, who has never played a season as a No. 1, falters. Kolzig apparently still wants to start, but a meaningful backup gig might be worth considering. Follow the developments here and here. http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/report_kolzig_to_tampa.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/report_kolzig_to_tampa.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:28:12 -0400 Just got off a conference call with Mike Green, who signed a four-year, $21 million contract extension with the Caps this morning. Here's a little of what he had to say: "There's a little bit of pressure," he said. "But it also takes a lot of pressure off. You know you're with the team and where you want to be. So that takes some pressure off me in one sense, but it puts the pressure on me to perform. We have a lot of unfinished business here in Washington - at least I feel that way." Asked why he did not go the offer sheet route, Green added: "If I was going to end up in Washington, I wanted to be loyal. I didn't know it was going to take this long and come down to the last day. I don't know if that was necessarily the intention, but sometimes http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/green_talks_about_his_new_deal.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/green_talks_about_his_new_deal.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:13:14 -0400 It's confirmed: Mike Green has re-signed for four years at $5.25 million per. The deal was finalized moments ago, I'm told. Green is scheduled to speak to the media later, so check back for an update with his comments. "It took a long time, but this puts him in a position where he's competitive with many of his peers who are signing similar deals," said Don Meehan, one of Green's representatives. "He's in the same class as Jeff Carter, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry, he's in a class like those people." "There was some discussion of a longer term deal, but we didn't get to numbers that we felt would be relevant for him," Meehan added. "I think by doing a four year deal, it's in the best interest of both sides. In four years, we'll all have a better perspective of what we should be doing on a longer http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/green_resigns.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/green_resigns.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:56:02 -0400 So how is Brian Pothier feeling these days? Better, but he's nowhere close to playing hockey, according to this report in his hometown newspaper. Buoyed by a surge of improvement in May, Pothier was walking 6 miles a day when temptation got the best of him. "I had a great month," he said. "Then one day, I started chasing the kids a little bit, walking the stroller a little faster, so I went jogging for a couple of blocks. For eight days I was in bed. I was just buried." And ... On Wednesday, it'll be six months. Running, weights and skating are a long way off for now, but Pothier is excited that his mind is strong and his body is, albeit slowly, following. "There's no goofiness in my mind. I'm thinking clear and crisp," he said. "Every day, I try to do something that's not going to be http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/pothier_for_eight_days_i_was_i.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/07/pothier_for_eight_days_i_was_i.html Tue, 01 Jul 2008 08:30:29 -0400 I'm sure by now you've read the update on Brooks Laich. If you haven't check it out here. I'm still in the process of gathering info on the status of the Caps' other pending free agents. But I thought I would share what I know as of right now: According to league sources, Cristobal Huet and Mike Green remain the Caps' top priorities and the consensus is that both will be in Washington next season. Huet and the Caps, in fact, aren't that far apart, I'm told. But, as you know, a deal isn't a deal until it's signed. If one is struck, look for it to be three-years, as previously reported, in the neighborhood of $5 million per. That's a lot of money, but the Caps are comfortable with Huet and vice versa. Green, meantime, has been presented with multiple scenarios, including both long and short-term offers, and his http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/updates_on_huet_and_green.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/updates_on_huet_and_green.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 13:11:33 -0400 I just got off the phone with Roland Thompson, the agent for Brooks Laich. He said he hasn't talked to the Capitals since Thursday but expects to have some communication with them again today. So the negotiations aren't stalled, but the sides are not close to a deal, either. Laich, who is coming off a career year, obviously is seeking to maximize his earning potential based on his breakout season. The Caps, meantime, are being cautious seeing as how Laich has posted one 20-goal season. "We're talking," Thompson said. "We have a perceived market value. They have one. When we get to the same page, it will get done. If it doesn't, he becomes a restricted free agent tomorrow at noon and that means any club in the NHL can make an offer sheet. If we agree to that offer sheet [the Caps] are subject to compensation. For Brooks, it http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/laichs_agent_were_talking.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/laichs_agent_were_talking.html Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:29:04 -0400 While I'm still waiting to hear back from folks who can provide me with an update on the Caps' negotiations with Mike Green and Cristobal Huet, I figured this would be a good time to catch you up on the status of captain Chris Clark. Clark, of course, already has contract. But he's also got a bum adductor (groin) tendon that forced him to miss virtually all of last season. He told me this afternoon that his injury continues to improve thanks to rehab and the help of a groin specialist. But he also acknowledged that it's not 100-percent yet. "There's still a little bit of pain there," said Clark, who played only once after November 28. "I haven't been skating. Skating will be the big test. But off the ice, everything has gotten a lot stronger. I can do almost all the off-ice stuff pain free." Since the end http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/clark_skating_will_be_the_big.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/clark_skating_will_be_the_big.html Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:00:58 -0400 Like many Washington area hockey observers, I have this hard to explain fascination with all things Jaromir Jagr. As such, I found this item on John Dellapina's Blueshirts Blog interesting: Jaromir Jagr scoffed at the notion that he has the equivalent of a $35 million offer from Omsk luring him back to Europe. But while speaking with Czech reporters Friday at a press conference in Prostejov, where he will play in a doubles tennis tournament Saturday with ATP top-tier player Jiri Novak, Jagr held forth on just how conflicted he is about where he'll finish his hockey career. "Now it´s really complicated," he said. "One day, I´m almost sure to stay in America. The other day, I´m closer to Russia. I really don´t know what will happen over the next days, weeks. Sincerely, I don´t know. And I´m not bluffing, I just really have no clue." Is it possible we've http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/bye_bye_jj.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/bye_bye_jj.html Sat, 28 Jun 2008 12:24:12 -0400 Got a couple of quick notes to pass along before heading to Bethesda for Washington Post Live: Russian winger Dmitri Kugryshev, who was taken by the Caps in the second round of last weekend's NHL entry draft, was selected today by the Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) with the 26th overall pick in the CHL import draft. So if he plays in North America next season, he'll be playing for Patrick Roy. I'm told that the Caps are hopeful that Kugryshev will, in fact, come over next season. Also, the NHLPA and NHL have announced that the salary cap has gone up again. For the fourth straight season. From the PA: The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association announced today that the Team Payroll Range established for the 2008-09 League Year, pursuant to the Collective Bargaining Agreement, provides for a Lower Limit of $40.7 million, an Adjusted Midpoint http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/kugryshev_drafted_by_remparts.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/kugryshev_drafted_by_remparts.html Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:53:21 -0400 The Caps have tendered qualifying offers to defensemen Mike Green and Shaone Morrisonn and forwards Eric Fehr, Brooks Laich, and Boyd Gordon. All five players can become restricted free agents on July 1. Today was the deadline for teams to send QOs to their restricted free agents, who have until July 15 to accept or decline the one-year offer. The QO gives teams first right of refusal, or draft pick compensation, should that player chose to sign an offer sheet with another club. (The Caps, I'm told, are still trying to work out extensions with all five players.) Speaking of Mike Green and offer sheets ... Teams can open talks with other organization's RFAs tomorrow at 5 p.m. (It's entirely possible that Laich, coming off a career year, could attract one, too.) Back to the subject of QOs, the Caps did not qualify defenseman Jamie Hunt or Chevy-Chase native Stephen http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/caps_qualify_5_cut_loose_2.html http://blog.washingtonpost.com/capitalsinsider/2008/06/caps_qualify_5_cut_loose_2.html Wed, 25 Jun 2008 16:53:03 -0400