At least one established NHL player was at Kettler Iceplex on Saturday for FanFest – the annual event that coincides with the final scrimmage of rookie development camp. Caps forward Matt Hendricks signed some autographs and met with reporters to chat about his summer and some of the team’s offseason moves.
Hendricks is one of the guys most affected by all the new free agents and trade acquisitions. His entire line evaporated when center Boyd Gordon and right wing Matt Bradley signed with Phoenix and Florida, respectively.
“I hate to see some of the guys go, my linemates in particular,” Hendricks said. “I got to be real close with them. But you look at the additions and I think our team’s moved forward.”
It’s not like Gordon and Bradley were easy players to go against. Both had their flaws, but they played a hard game. But Hendricks noted that general manager George McPhee added similar gritty players in Jeff Halpern – likely his center on the fourth line – and wingers Troy Brouwer and Joel Ward. But those players also bring more offensive upside than Gordon or Bradley, who struggled to reach double-digit goals most seasons.
Hendricks said he faced Brouwer in the AHL when he played for Hershey and Brouwer was at Norfolk. He first saw Tomas Vokoun during a similar prospect camp in Nashville. He saw Ward in the minors, too. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting out the two months until training camp and we can see all these pieces together. And for Hendricks, having a contract this time – he was on a professional tryout contract last camp and had to fight his way onto the roster – it’s a little more comfortable feeling. A little bit.
“Not as nervous, that’s for certain. Not as much anxiety,” Hendricks said. “It’s a good feeling knowing that you’re gonna have a paycheck and a contract. But training camp’s always a nervous time, no matter if you have a job or if you don’t because there’s gonna be a lot of young players here, a lot of great, talented players, and everyone’s vying for jobs.”
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