The Capitals re-signed unrestricted free agent forward Brooks Laich to a new six-year, $27 million contract on Tuesday. The move keeps one of the team’s core players off the open market, which was set to begin on Friday.
That salary number will surprise some. Laich, after all, dropped to 16 goals last season and has never scored more than 25. But the combination of a rising salary cap – $64.3 million at least for next season – a chance to drive that price up further in the open market and a weak crop of free-agent forwards to begin with got Laich a higher-than-expected number. The 28-year-old is also signed through his age 33 season in 2016-17. He got a limited no-trade clause – general manager George McPhee not a big fan of those usually – and the deal is frontloaded, according to CapGeek.com, which has it as $6.5 million next year before dropping to $4 million.
Just right? Too much? The Caps will definitely feel the sting if the cap drops in future years – as some league observers expect it will. But for what Washington needs this coming season, McPhee clearly felt he couldn’t let Laich walk. We’ll chat with Laich via conference call this afternoon and McPhee will be available at Kettler Iceplex around 4:30 p.m.
Again, Laich’s numbers dipped last season to 16 goals and 32 assists (48 points). But he had a career-high 59 points the year before (25 goals) and 53 in 2008-09 (23 goals). But this contract has to be about more than goals and points because the chances of Laich suddenly morphing into a 30-goal scorer at age 28 seem slim. Everyone – the Caps included – better look beyond those numbers or you’ll be disappointed a few months from now.
Laich led all Washington forwards in short-handed time on ice per game (2:18). He was also sixth on the team in power-play ice time (2:59). He was durable, playing all 82 games, and led the team – or at least all players who spent the majority of the season with the team – at 1.69 goals against per 60 minutes of play, according to the web site Behind the Net. Laich was third among forwards in total power-play minutes (245:39) – though while the numbers say he exceled a man down he wasn’t exactly a point machine with the man advantage (four goals, nine assists). What else are you getting from Brooks Laich? Ask the men who actually use him.
[Laich] won’t make any system mistakes – like nothing,” Caps assistant coach Dean Evason said after the season. “If you ask him ‘Forecheck this way’ or ‘Do this in the neutral zone’ or ‘Here’s what we do on the power play’ or ‘This is how we want to forecheck on the penalty kill’ he does exactly what you ask him to do. And he does it to the fullest of his ability. He trains hard. He’s the perfect hockey player in the sense that he plays both sides of the puck. He’s so good defensively. He’s so aware. And yet he has the speed and the offensive ability to create offense and score goals.”
So there you have what the organization sees as Laich’s inherent value beyond the counting stats. But let’s not kid ourselves – there is pressure that comes with this kind of money. People expect things from you. Maybe more than you’ve delivered in the past. Mike Green has dealt with it ever since signing a four-year, $21 million extension in 2008. It isn’t always easy.
Laich’s issues as a player: His hands aren’t greatest around the net. At times the coaching staff has had to reign him in. He’s such a good skater that in the past he would try to do too much, play too fast and slip out of position. He isn’t an elite faceoff guy with a career best 51.9% (2006-07). He’s also never taken more than 666 draws in a season. No doubt Laich can get better in that area. But not sure he’s morphing into Boyd Gordon in the circle any time soon, either. But he is clearly a top-6 forward and the kind of player McPhee sees as vital to a Stanley Cup run. It hasn’t happened yet. But the chances for this year, at least, didn’t appear better with Laich in another uniform. Now, that won’t happen. Laich remains with a contender, the team he’s been with since 2004, and balances all that with a strong contract.
“The funnest time of year is playing playoff hockey,” Laich said the day after the season ended. “You grow up dreaming of that, a chance to win, and I think that chance to win is here. I’ve been here for six years. This organization gave me my shot and turned me into an NHL player so I definitely have some sentiment there.”
As far as the salary cap for this season Washington is still in good shape. Restricted free agents Troy Brouwer, Karl Alzner and Semyon Varlamov all need to be signed – though things don’t appear promising on the Varlamov front. Gordon, Matt Bradley and Jason Arnott are the unrestricted free agents. Not going to be able to pull all three of those guys back in. Washington has about $8 million left to fill its remaining holes with Brouwer and Alzner the obvious priorities over the next three days. We’ll see what happens with the Varlamov situation – trade, KHL deal or maybe the two sides work out an agreement.
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