Yesterday The Hockey News suggested the Caps may have to trade Alexander Semin or Mike Green to fit Karl Alzner into the salary cap. Semin's six million dollar salary would certainly leave room for Alzner's expected three million dollar paycheck, but it's a bit of a relief the see the Caps were able to clear enough cap space instead by trading away Eric Fehr.
While Fehr has long maintained the promise of becoming a key goal scorer in high-pressure situations, Semin has actually performed that feat at the NHL level a lot more often. Really, it's the results at the NHL level that matter.
In the same day, Winnipeg traded away Angelo Esposito, a kid who led the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in scoring when he still had another year left of junior eligibility. Esposito was the consensus #1 overall draft pick going into his draft year, but he struggled as an eighteen year old to replicate his previous success. In the draft, he slid down to the end of the first round, where the Pittsburgh Penguins picked him up. He wound up in Atlanta as the key component in a trade for superstar Marian Hossa.
But Esposito didn't play a single game in Atlanta, either. Now that he's been traded to Florida for a forward who scored three points in thirty-three NHL games last year, the Canadian Press headline reads simply, "Winnipeg Jets acquire Kendal McArdle from Florida for prospect." In the NHL, you're nobody until you're in the NHL.
Eric Fehr scored 59 goals in his final year of junior hockey, but by junior hockey standards he's no Angelo Esposito. Still, in the NHL, where Angelo Esposito is certainly no Eric Fehr, Eric Fehr is only the sum of what he has shown in the big league. With one twenty-goal season and a major shoulder injury every year, Fehr is okay, but it's much easier to keep a team going without him than without Semin or Green, who also struggle with injuries, but still manage to consistently produce point totals that would let them lead less talented clubs.
Now that the Caps have made a sacrifice to the salary cap, hopefully it will leave them alone and let them keep their great team together.
Showing posts with label salary cap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label salary cap. Show all posts
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Caps Add Winnipeg's Coveted Fourth Round Pick, give up part-time right wing...
Well, okay. Maybe that pick wasn't the focus of the trade that sent Eric Fehr home to Manitoba in time for the first NHL hockey in his home province in a decade. The fourth round pick is likely to fall somewhere around 105th in the upcoming draft, giving the Capitals a strong chance of adding a young player who will never play in the National Hockey League. The Jets also threw in a player who is reportedly getting a lot of penalty minutes in the East Coast Hockey League.
Eric Fehr, a former first round draft pick, has overcome multiple shoulder injuries to score key goals in helping the Hershey Bears win a Calder Cup and put up 46 goals in the NHL, seven of them game winners. He's also added five goals and one assist in twenty-six playoff games--admittedly not stellar, but not too shabby for a team that struggles with playoff scoring.
As a fan, this trade kind of hurts. When you look at the reviews in the newspapers, you just kind of get the feeling that the Caps are giving up on a formerly bright prospect who has struggled with injuries. In the same summer that the Caps gave up of former first round pick and six foot seven defenseman Joe Finley, this reads like another reminder that it takes a lot to make it in the NHL and you never know who is going to contribute until they get there and make a difference.
I don't totally buy it. The Caps could easily have kept Fehr and Poti on injured reserve and stayed under the salary cap. They could have added Mike Green to IR for about the first seven games and had enough cap room to trade for Jason Arnott again at the deadline. This trade happened primarily because the Jets are making a concerted effort to stockpile native Manitobans (sp?) and Fehr, while average in the NHL due to repeated shoulder problems, was unstoppable from his childhood in Winkler, Man through his junior hockey days in Brandon, Man.
The trade works for the Capitals because they've more than replaced Fehr's clutch playoff scoring on the right wing by signing Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer, and because the prospect Winnipeg threw in, while still only proven in the ECHL, is the type of player the Caps need, especially after letting Steve Pinizzotto walk to Vancouver.
Danick Paquette is tougher than nails. While capable of scoring a few goals on each special team in juniors, Paquette is a fearless fighter. For his first bout in professional hockey, he took on Joe Finley. HockeyFights.com doesn't list a winner for that bout, but given that the 6'7" giant lost his job in the Caps system to the 6'0" two-way forward, I think we can safely give the decision to Paquette.
I think we can also safely say that Paquette will get a real chance in the AHL with Hershey this year, and a chance to play with the Caps in the future. The description of paquette on Hockey's Future calls him the "a perfect example of a player that teams love to have on their own side, but hate to play against."
Is this a fair return for Fehr, who still could turn into a regular twenty goal scorer in the NHL if he can ever stay healthy? Not really, but if Fehr stays injured every year, it's an incredible return, and the Caps currently have a lot of guys who can play right wing more consistently than Fehr. Mike Knuble and Alexander Semin often take shifts on the right side. Brouwer and Ward are comfortable on the right.
Fourth line right wing Matt Hendricks has yet to register a point in the NHL playoffs but managed to squeak into the lineup for seven games in the 2011 postseason, compared to Fehr's five. Incidentally, Fehr and Hendricks have each played 19 playoff games for the Hershey Bears, and each scored eight goals in that span. Hendricks also added four assists, compared to Fehr's three. That doesn't really take away from Fehr's stardom in juniors, but it does make it easier to think that the Caps can recover from losing him.
In the end, you'd think the Caps could have gotten a better return for a once highly regarded prospect, who is likely to end up as a regular on the Jets second line, but that's not entirely the point. The point here is that they've done the classiest thing possible, in looking at their plans for Eric Fehr, realizing he wasn't going to be a major star in Washington soon, and letting him go home to play a larger role in front of a crowd that already loves him.
It's also a matter of planning ahead. Fehr could easily have played out two more years in Washington and then gone to Winnipeg as an unrestricted free agent, giving the Caps nothing in return. Jets GM Tim Cheveldayoff says it's a coincidence that he's added three Manitobans in two weeks, but it's both an effective and a predictable way of strengthening his franchise by picking up players who are going to bleed blue.
Just as Jeff Halpern came home to play for the Capitals again as soon as they made an offer, Fehr was likely to end up in a Jets uniform sooner or later. By addressing the situation head-on, the Caps have solved their salary cap situation and added one tough player to their system and a pick that they can easily trade for veteran help later this year. They've also helped shore up the stability of hockey in Winnipeg, which is good for the whole league.
Eric Fehr, a former first round draft pick, has overcome multiple shoulder injuries to score key goals in helping the Hershey Bears win a Calder Cup and put up 46 goals in the NHL, seven of them game winners. He's also added five goals and one assist in twenty-six playoff games--admittedly not stellar, but not too shabby for a team that struggles with playoff scoring.
As a fan, this trade kind of hurts. When you look at the reviews in the newspapers, you just kind of get the feeling that the Caps are giving up on a formerly bright prospect who has struggled with injuries. In the same summer that the Caps gave up of former first round pick and six foot seven defenseman Joe Finley, this reads like another reminder that it takes a lot to make it in the NHL and you never know who is going to contribute until they get there and make a difference.
I don't totally buy it. The Caps could easily have kept Fehr and Poti on injured reserve and stayed under the salary cap. They could have added Mike Green to IR for about the first seven games and had enough cap room to trade for Jason Arnott again at the deadline. This trade happened primarily because the Jets are making a concerted effort to stockpile native Manitobans (sp?) and Fehr, while average in the NHL due to repeated shoulder problems, was unstoppable from his childhood in Winkler, Man through his junior hockey days in Brandon, Man.
The trade works for the Capitals because they've more than replaced Fehr's clutch playoff scoring on the right wing by signing Joel Ward and Troy Brouwer, and because the prospect Winnipeg threw in, while still only proven in the ECHL, is the type of player the Caps need, especially after letting Steve Pinizzotto walk to Vancouver.
Danick Paquette is tougher than nails. While capable of scoring a few goals on each special team in juniors, Paquette is a fearless fighter. For his first bout in professional hockey, he took on Joe Finley. HockeyFights.com doesn't list a winner for that bout, but given that the 6'7" giant lost his job in the Caps system to the 6'0" two-way forward, I think we can safely give the decision to Paquette.
I think we can also safely say that Paquette will get a real chance in the AHL with Hershey this year, and a chance to play with the Caps in the future. The description of paquette on Hockey's Future calls him the "a perfect example of a player that teams love to have on their own side, but hate to play against."
Is this a fair return for Fehr, who still could turn into a regular twenty goal scorer in the NHL if he can ever stay healthy? Not really, but if Fehr stays injured every year, it's an incredible return, and the Caps currently have a lot of guys who can play right wing more consistently than Fehr. Mike Knuble and Alexander Semin often take shifts on the right side. Brouwer and Ward are comfortable on the right.
Fourth line right wing Matt Hendricks has yet to register a point in the NHL playoffs but managed to squeak into the lineup for seven games in the 2011 postseason, compared to Fehr's five. Incidentally, Fehr and Hendricks have each played 19 playoff games for the Hershey Bears, and each scored eight goals in that span. Hendricks also added four assists, compared to Fehr's three. That doesn't really take away from Fehr's stardom in juniors, but it does make it easier to think that the Caps can recover from losing him.
In the end, you'd think the Caps could have gotten a better return for a once highly regarded prospect, who is likely to end up as a regular on the Jets second line, but that's not entirely the point. The point here is that they've done the classiest thing possible, in looking at their plans for Eric Fehr, realizing he wasn't going to be a major star in Washington soon, and letting him go home to play a larger role in front of a crowd that already loves him.
It's also a matter of planning ahead. Fehr could easily have played out two more years in Washington and then gone to Winnipeg as an unrestricted free agent, giving the Caps nothing in return. Jets GM Tim Cheveldayoff says it's a coincidence that he's added three Manitobans in two weeks, but it's both an effective and a predictable way of strengthening his franchise by picking up players who are going to bleed blue.
Just as Jeff Halpern came home to play for the Capitals again as soon as they made an offer, Fehr was likely to end up in a Jets uniform sooner or later. By addressing the situation head-on, the Caps have solved their salary cap situation and added one tough player to their system and a pick that they can easily trade for veteran help later this year. They've also helped shore up the stability of hockey in Winnipeg, which is good for the whole league.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Brouwer Signed--Two years, Some Money
According to CBS and CapGeek, Troy Brouwer signed a two year, 4.7 million dollar contract with the Capitals. According to Fox Sports, he has signed to play the same two years, but earn a total of 5.7 million.
As with politics, so with sports...
The Caps only confirm that the contract is for two years.
Cap Geek writes that it will put the Capitals $1.8 million dollars over the salary cap. Teams are allowed to exceed the cap by up to 10% during the summer, and often do. Then they end up trading away the player of their choice for the best draft pick they can get.
Back when the Caps were not very good, they gave the New Jersey Devils a third round pick for Jeff Friesen, who proceded to play a lot of boring, unimpressive hockey, while wearing Peter Bondra's old number.
Now that the Caps are good, they may have to make such a sacrifice. The trouble is that the Capitals don't have a whole lot of non-essential veterans on expensive contracts. Who would you give up on?
Really? Tom Poti? What, just because he's injured for the foreseeable future, and the Caps did the same when Brian Pothier was injured indefinitely? Huh. No kidding. It certainly sounds like a possibility. But wouldn't they be just as happy to keep Poti on injured reserve so that his contract doesn't count against the cap until the playoffs start, like they did with Mike Green after last year's concussion, and briefly with Pothier as well? Yes, that certainly seems like a possibility, too.
Of course if the Caps count, say, Roman Hamrlik as Tom Poti's injury replacement until April, then Hammer's contract will only hit the cap for the amount that it exceeds Poti's deal. Since each player is inked at $3.5 million per season, the numbers should work out fairly nicely. Chances are that someone else will be injured before Poti gets better, so there might be a way to keep both veteran defensemen in town, but if Poti suddenly undergoes a miraculous recovery and won't sit out until the playoffs, the Caps are sure to find someone to trade for the veteran leader.
So, for now there is no cap crisis in this town. However, Karl Alzner is still a restricted free agent, and the Caps only have about two million dollars to sign the former captain of Canada's junior team. Mike Green may still have lingering concussion issues from the head injuries that kept him out of half of last year's regular season. If Green sits, the Caps are free to call anybody up to Alex Ovechkin his injury replacement, erasing Green's cap hit from the books until he returns. Green is set to earn $5.5 million this year, so in half a season of working out and clearing his head, he could give the Caps $2.75 million in salary cap room.
Alzner is good, but he isn't $4.5 million a year good. $3, maybe, but not close to $4. That means that, if the Caps are prepared to start the season with a defense of Alzner, Carlson, Wideman, Hamrlik, Schultz and Erskine, they may still have one million in cap room to pick up any free agent who expresses a strong enough interest in playing in the nation's capital.
Brendan Morrison and Scott Hannan, I know this doesn't look too appealing, economically, but from a hockey perspective, you have to admit you could do a lot worse. The economics start to work out next summer...
As with politics, so with sports...
The Caps only confirm that the contract is for two years.
Cap Geek writes that it will put the Capitals $1.8 million dollars over the salary cap. Teams are allowed to exceed the cap by up to 10% during the summer, and often do. Then they end up trading away the player of their choice for the best draft pick they can get.
Back when the Caps were not very good, they gave the New Jersey Devils a third round pick for Jeff Friesen, who proceded to play a lot of boring, unimpressive hockey, while wearing Peter Bondra's old number.
Now that the Caps are good, they may have to make such a sacrifice. The trouble is that the Capitals don't have a whole lot of non-essential veterans on expensive contracts. Who would you give up on?
Really? Tom Poti? What, just because he's injured for the foreseeable future, and the Caps did the same when Brian Pothier was injured indefinitely? Huh. No kidding. It certainly sounds like a possibility. But wouldn't they be just as happy to keep Poti on injured reserve so that his contract doesn't count against the cap until the playoffs start, like they did with Mike Green after last year's concussion, and briefly with Pothier as well? Yes, that certainly seems like a possibility, too.
Of course if the Caps count, say, Roman Hamrlik as Tom Poti's injury replacement until April, then Hammer's contract will only hit the cap for the amount that it exceeds Poti's deal. Since each player is inked at $3.5 million per season, the numbers should work out fairly nicely. Chances are that someone else will be injured before Poti gets better, so there might be a way to keep both veteran defensemen in town, but if Poti suddenly undergoes a miraculous recovery and won't sit out until the playoffs, the Caps are sure to find someone to trade for the veteran leader.
So, for now there is no cap crisis in this town. However, Karl Alzner is still a restricted free agent, and the Caps only have about two million dollars to sign the former captain of Canada's junior team. Mike Green may still have lingering concussion issues from the head injuries that kept him out of half of last year's regular season. If Green sits, the Caps are free to call anybody up to Alex Ovechkin his injury replacement, erasing Green's cap hit from the books until he returns. Green is set to earn $5.5 million this year, so in half a season of working out and clearing his head, he could give the Caps $2.75 million in salary cap room.
Alzner is good, but he isn't $4.5 million a year good. $3, maybe, but not close to $4. That means that, if the Caps are prepared to start the season with a defense of Alzner, Carlson, Wideman, Hamrlik, Schultz and Erskine, they may still have one million in cap room to pick up any free agent who expresses a strong enough interest in playing in the nation's capital.
Brendan Morrison and Scott Hannan, I know this doesn't look too appealing, economically, but from a hockey perspective, you have to admit you could do a lot worse. The economics start to work out next summer...
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