Jason Arnott is 36 now. There aren’t many chances left for him to make a run at a Stanley Cup during his time left as a hockey player. But that didn’t make leaving the New Jersey Devils any easier.
Arnott agonized over the decision to waive his no-movement clause and essentially abandon his teammates by approving a trade to the Capitals on Monday. And even though their playoff chances are minimal, at best, it still felt like he was being rescued from a doomed vessel. The Devils had a disaster of a start this season, but had somehow clawed back into playoff contention with a torrid stretch in January and February. But while it was too late realistically to matter, there was still a spark of life left to them until Arnott’s departure probably extinguished it.
“It was very tough decision. Probably one of the toughest I’ve ever had to make,” Arnott said at Kettler Iceplex after the morning skate before his first game with Washington tonight. “I just figure nine points out with 20 games left it’d be pretty near impossible to get in. Stranger things have happened. It was one of those things do I take that chance and be out [of the playoffs] in April and then I found out Washington was interested and I think ‘Hey, a great team and a great team to compete for the Cup’. So it just made my decision that much easier.”
Arnott will likely center the second line between Marco Sturm on the left wing and Alex Semin on the right. He is an imposing presence at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds and you immediately see why he was team captain in Nashville for four years. The only Caps player Arnott has been teammates with before is defenseman John Erskine. So there will be an adjustment period.
“It will be a little different. I don’t think too many people play like [Devils coach] Jacques [Lemaire] does,” Arnott said. “It’ll be a little different pace for me out there.”
The move lets 20-year-old Marcus Johansson slip into a role better suited for a young player in his first pro season in North America. He and Mathieu Perreault had been alternating at second-line center much of the season and it was no secret that the Caps needed a veteran upgrade.
“We’ve been going with young centermen and it’s the toughest position I think on the ice to play. You’ve got the most responsibility, anyway,” said Caps coach Bruce Boudreau. “But here’s a guy that’s won a Stanley Cup, that’s been through the wars, that knows how to play both offense and defense… We’re hoping he comes in here hungry to win and if that’s the case I think we’ve got a good player.”
Washington’s identity has shifted over the past three months. No longer the go-go Caps of years past, this group has clearly improved its defensive play. Arnott seems to fit that renewed commitment perfectly. And he knows firsthand it works.
“[The Caps] have played a lot better defensively. I think everybody knows that,” Arnott said. “They have so much offensive power on the team, it’s tough to look at them as a defensive corps or a defensive unit. But they’ve really cracked down on that. That’s a good thing. That’s the way to go. It’s how you win. When you take care of your own zone the offense will take care of itself.”
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