2006 Caps UFA's

[freakinandpeakin]

Jeff Halpern is rumored to be signing with The Dallas Stars today for 4 years a d $8million dollars.

Brian Willsie has signed with the L.A. Kings

Brendan Witt (although he didn't finish the season with the Caps) got his wish and signed with the Stanley Cup contender for 3 years, the New York Islanders. :doh::laugh: Hypocrite. Basicially over valued himself to contending teams and ended up signing with a team in more disarray than the Caps..

[macnoke03]

No longer a rumor:



http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2509834

[rincewind]

So long Jeff - thanks for everything. :cheers:





Any idea who will wear the C now?

[turtle]

here it is...
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2509834

[PokerPacker]

so it wasn't even a trade? just signed by dallas? :dallasuck

[freakinandpeakin]

Yes, he left via free agency. He got to good a deal and something the Caps, in my mind, could not match $2 million a year for 4 years. He will be pushing 35 when the contract ends and the Caps have several players that can fill the same role that he played, a 3rd line center.

He may have been playing on the second line and that is how he is getting paid, but he is a third liner. I think Dallas is going to be extremely disappointed in their investment. Not that he will do badly, but he was brought in to replace Jason Arnott and he just doesn't have that ability.

[bulldog]

Halpern's injury problems in recent years question the value in giving him a 4 year contract. Agreed he is a third line center on a top club and you don't give $2 million a year to that kind of player unless you are Toronto or Detroit or the Rangers and have money to burn.

Witt was the most overrated player on this team the past 3-4 years. When Witt is considered your best defenseman you know you have to have a uber goalie for your team to be competitive.

[stretch]

I thought this thread was about UFAs that signed with the Caps, but then that would be a very short thread.
Looks like Leonsis and McPhee are shooting for another high draft pick next year. :(

[clathel]

Another high draft pick that wont sign I guess......
Backstrom didnt....
Maybe the next wont too.
Halpern, Witt and Wilsie left....
Semin wasnt our draft pick but avoided us for a couple years.
Our first round draft pick from last year just signed a minor league contract.
AO is a saviour for this team but we cant build on defections from it and minor league contracts.
There should be a rule that if you are drafted in the first round of any professional league in the USA then you must sign and play for that team.
These spoiled children like Backstrom, Eli Manning, and John Elway drive me nuts.
Montana didnt complain about being drafted by a 2-14 team and look what happened to him.
If we had Pokuluck(or whatever his name is), Backstrom and others that snubbed their noses at us I bet we would be a much better team right now.
It just seem continuous. When we get a great player they snub us by not playing when they are on the ice....For definition look in dictionary under Jagr.
I am tired of all these so-called adults playing childish games with teams.
Most often heard phrases in Caps locker room:
"I dont want to be on his team.....He is mean to me....He makes me play hard."
"I dont want to play, so I shouldnt have to."
"Mommy!!!!!.....I want my mommy!!!!....NOW!!!!!!!!"

[freakinandpeakin]

This isn't the NFL or NBA. It is not normal for a player to be drafted and make the immediate jump to the NHL the following season. So lay off Backstrom, he is an 18 year old and decided he wasn't ready to make the leap to the NHL.

In fact, this was a discussion on the Caps boards within the past few days. fjc33 over on the Caps board provided this list of players drafted in 2005 that actually made an appearance in the NHL last season:

Sidney Crosby (81 games)
Gilbert Brule (7)
Danny Syvret (10)
Masi Marjamaki (1)

As you see, only one player from this past season played any significant time in the NHL this past season and that was Sidney Crosby.

Then OldChelsea provided the stats for the 2004 draft (AO's draft year, who were available for their first NHL season) (draft position, player, games played):

1 Alexander Ovechkin (81 matches in 2005-06)
3 Cam Barker (1)
4 Andrew Ladd (29)
7 Rostislav Olesz (59)
8 Alexandre Picard (17)
16 Petteri Nokelainen (15)
21 Wojtek Wolski (9)
23 Andrej Meszaros (82)
29 Mike Green (22)
97 Johan Franzen (80)
148 Steven Regier (9)
160 Ben Walter (6)
227 Chris Campoli (80)
258 Pekka Rinne (2)
262 Mark Streit (48)

Only 9 of the 30 first round picks appeared in the NHL from the 2004 draft and a total of 15 of 291. Two of the 9 first round picks were Ovechkin and Mike Green (another Caps prospect. Of the 15, 5 appeared in less than 10 games.

Ultimately, players not coming to the NHL in the year they are drafted is a non-issue.

[stretch]

Another high draft pick that wont sign I guess......
Backstrom didnt....
Maybe the next wont too.
Halpern, Witt and Wilsie left....
Semin wasnt our draft pick but avoided us for a couple years.
Our first round draft pick from last year just signed a minor league contract.
AO is a saviour for this team but we cant build on defections from it and minor league contracts.
There should be a rule that if you are drafted in the first round of any professional league in the USA then you must sign and play for that team.
These spoiled children like Backstrom, Eli Manning, and John Elway drive me nuts.
Montana didnt complain about being drafted by a 2-14 team and look what happened to him.
If we had Pokuluck(or whatever his name is), Backstrom and others that snubbed their noses at us I bet we would be a much better team right now.
It just seem continuous. When we get a great player they snub us by not playing when they are on the ice....For definition look in dictionary under Jagr.
I am tired of all these so-called adults playing childish games with teams.
Most often heard phrases in Caps locker room:
"I dont want to be on his team.....He is mean to me....He makes me play hard."
"I dont want to play, so I shouldnt have to."
"Mommy!!!!!.....I want my mommy!!!!....NOW!!!!!!!!"



Wow so much wrong with this post I don't know where to begin..

Semin was our draft pick, drafted 13th overall in 2002.
He signed a 2 year contract with the Caps earlier this year and will play next season.
Even though Backstrom didn't sign doesn't mean he snubbed us. He will develop in the SEL for another year and probably sign next year. It's very common for draftees to stay at with their current team or go to college to develop at least another year, some even longer than that. Ovechkin and Crosby are the exception to the rule (as freakinandpeakin pointed out).
How did Pokulok snub us? He played at Cornell last year and just signed a contract with the Caps a few weeks ago. He'll be at summer camp in Hershey and will probably play in Hershey next season, then possibly the Caps the next if all goes well.
I agree with Jagr though..

[bulldog]

anyone who saw Backstrom's post-draft interview could see he wasn't that comfortable with the idea of coming directly to the NHL as a 19 year old in 2006. he talked about 'getting ready' to play in the league with top talents such as Ovechkin.

he didn't evince the confidence that he is at that point. and physically, he is probably correct. that extra year in Sweden will help him fill out and build strength to play the NHL's 82 game regular season schedule.

seeing pure rookies come in and make an impact is rare. this isn't the NFL.

one thing Caps fans have to take out of their minds is the 2005 season Ovechkin enjoyed as a technical rookie in the NHL. Not only was Ovechkin 20 years old, he had been playing with professionals in Russia since he was 16, and was physically ready to meet the NHL challenges night in and night out.

you won't see this kind of 20 year old pass through here again. they only come along once in a generation. 106 points and 52 goals?

those are stratosphere numbers.

[freakinandpeakin]

well said bulldog, re: ovechkin. The expectations on Backstrom among some fans were probably well out of proportions of what he is capable. Especially when those assumptions would be raised by playing with AO.

People forget that the Caps themselves went into the season hoping that AO could put up a 30 goal season. Those were the pre-season expectations for AO. And that would have been a fantastic season. AO had the third best season of a rookie in NHL HISTORY!