Unrestricted free agents include Laich, Arnott
One season ends and the work towards another immediately begins.
The Capitals began the offseason far sooner than anticipated with their second-round loss to Tampa Bay in the Stanley Cup playoffs. But while general manager George McPhee insists he doesn’t expect major changes in personnel this summer, some roster shuffling is inevitable. Washington has six major unrestricted free agents and also must work out contracts with restricted free agents Semyon Varlamov and Karl Alzner.
“What we’ve always done is meet with the coaches and get their evaluations of players and how the season went and then I’ll meet with our pro scouts and then I’ll meet with ownership, put together a plan and move forward,” McPhee said on Thursday.
| AN INSIDE LOOK |
| Nicklas Backstrom |
| The Capitals center took his team’s second-round playoff exit hard. Easy to see why. The 23-year-old just didn’t look himself at the end of the 2010-11 season. He didn’t score a single goal in nine postseason games and registered just two assists. Those two points are actually all Backstrom has to show for his last 12 playoff games, dating to Game 5 of the Montreal series last spring. Plus, his point total dipped from 101 (33 goals, 68 assists) to a career-low 65 (18 goals, 47 assists). Backstrom fractured the tip of his left thumb on Feb. 21 against Pittsburgh. He sat out five games during the regular season, but didn’t miss any time in the playoffs. Though he proffered no excuses, Backstrom did admit to Caps’ staff writer Mike Vogel on Thursday that the thumb was re-injured during the first-round series against the New York Rangers. “I’m just disappointed with myself, and the way I played,” Backstrom said. “I felt like I could do so much better, but that’s the thing you have to battle through, too. I think you have to make sure that you bounce back and play better.” |
| Semyon Varlamov |
| If the agent for the Caps goalie was using a negotiating tactic, general manager George McPhee has called his bluff. Recent Russian media reports have said the 22-year-old could entertain offers to return home and play in Russia’s KHL. McPhee’s reaction? “If [Varlamov] wants to go to the KHL, let him go. This is the best league in the world and most players want to play here,” McPhee said. “I don’t pay any attention to that stuff with any of the European players. If they want to go to Europe to play, go back to play. If that’s what they do, then you’ve got the wrong guy.” Varlamov could also sign an offer sheet with another NHL team that the Caps would then either match or — if not — then receive draft picks as compensation. The playoff starter each of the previous two years, Varlamov was limited to 25 games in 2010-11 thanks to recurring knee and groin injuries and didn’t play in the postseason. He is in a three-way battle with Michal Neuvirth, 23, and Braden Holtby, 21, for the No. 1 job in Washington. |
| Tom Poti |
| For the second offseason in a row, Poti faces a health issue. Last year, he was hit near the right eye with a puck during a Game 6 playoff loss at Montreal. It took weeks for his vision to fully recover — a scary time for the 34-year-old veteran. He eventually healed, but now he faces another serious situation. Poti didn’t play after Jan. 12 thanks to a recurring groin injury. Despite visiting one specialist after another, he never healed properly. But according to McPhee, surgery was never recommended. Now, even the start of next season is in doubt. “You always want to go the conservative route. You don’t want to be invasive,” McPhee said. “[Doctors] thought that it might turn just through rehab and it didn’t. And I think his career’s on the line, and it’s too bad. It’s a real concern. He could get to 80 or 90 percent but couldn’t get past a certain threshold.” |
As restricted free agents, Alzner and Varlamov can sign offer sheets with other NHL teams — terms the Caps can match or let the players go for draft picks as compensation. But forwards Brooks Laich, Jason Arnott, Marco Sturm, Matt Bradley, Boyd Gordon and defenseman Scott Hannan can all sign elsewhere once the free agent window opens on July?1. Laich and Arnott — as top-six forwards — are the most prominent. Laich, 27, has been with the organization since 2004. His numbers dipped this 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). Laich led all Washington forwards in short-handed time on ice per game (2:18) and was sixth on the team in power-play ice time (2:59). He was also durable, playing all 82 games.
“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,” Laich said. “But we’ll have to see what they think. It’s up to Washington if they want to make a change or not.”
| NHL offseason dates |
| June 22 » NHL Awards in Las Vegas. This marks the first time since the 2006-07 season that no Caps players are up for a major award. |
| June 24-25 » NHL Entry Draft in St. Paul, Minn. Washington has made a killing in recent drafts with 11 of its own first-round picks since 2002 on this year’s postseason roster. Another — starting goalie Michal Neuvirth — was a high second-round pick in 2006. |
| July 1 » NHL free agency begins with unrestricted players allowed to negotiate with any team they choose. Washington has seven such players who finished the 2010-11 season with the team. |
Arnott, 36, was acquired to provide veteran leadership on the ice and in the locker room. According to all accounts, he did that. But he also dealt with minor knee surgery in March after suffering an injury early in his tenure with Washington. That certainly limited his production to five goals and eight assists in 20 games, including the playoffs. Arnott, acquired from the New Jersey Devils at the Feb. 28 trade deadline, said all the right things about returning. But he also had a salary-cap hit of $4.5 million last season and even with a pay cut may prove too expensive.
“The city’s fantastic, the organization’s top-notch. It definitely would be my first choice to come back and try to win here,” Arnott said. “They’ve got a great group of young guys and with a few more older guys added to the mix. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen this year. But we have to live and learn and move on next year.”
