Defenseman Mike Green’s wish comes true and what it means for Washington Capitals –NHL Special
In what could be termed to be a win for the players side, Mike Green had his wish come true after rejecting an initial qualifying tender as Washington Capitals re-signed the top-level defenseman to a three-year, $18.25 million contract on Monday, July 16,
2012.
Washington Capitals knew that losing Mike Green would be disastrous for the club that has already lost veteran players like Dennis Wideman, who signed on with Calgary Flames, and Alexander Semin as an unrestricted free agent.
Green had been offered a one-year, $5 million deal by his original draft team which picked him up as the 29th overall back in round-one of the 2004 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft. He rejected to agree to that offer in light of wanting
to stay on for longer, but looking at Washington’s situation, it was not hard seeing why they wanted to give him another year to play with full potential before moving on to something longer.
The Capitals had to cave in at some point or another and they did exactly that by giving him a three-year deal and paying a minimum of $6 million for the next three hockey seasons.
"Mike is one of the best young defensemen in the National Hockey League and is just entering his prime," Washington Capitals general manager, George McPhee, said in a news release. "He will continue to be a key part of our team moving forward."
According to the 26-year-old defenseman, negotiations had been going on since the start of the year and his resistance finally paid off as Washington was bound to go by his terms and conditions after the player showed that he would not change his stance.
"It was a long process," Green said during a media conference call Monday after the announcement was made official by GM McPhee. "Negotiations started early in the year, but with the setback of the injury we were going to wait.”
What it means for Washington Capitals
For the Washington Capitals, this signing is double faced with an added benefit and of course a negative aspect as well. For one, it showed that the Capitals were forced into agreeing on what Mike Green wanted and could not hold up their position.
Obviously, when a player was able to play just 32 games in the prior regular season and put up only seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) and 49 games in the one before it, Capitals should have struck their foot down instead of falling on their knees.
Letting go of a player after you have already lost two in a row is definitely hard, but thinking about the long run is another aspect of the whole situation which they completely left ignored.
Green is a top level defender as he has 398 games played under his belt and 82 goals, 169 assists for 251 points, but that does not mean he can dictate the team.
If Green was not accepting a one year offer, Capitals should have made it a two-year deal, but nothing more than that.
Despite the negative aspects, the positive ones definitely outweigh. Newly appointed head coach, Adam Oates, is already loving the return of the defenseman as he termed his game playing style to be one which he would use for training his players.
There were definitely a number of factors that forced Washington Capitals to give into Mike Green’s demands, but by the end of the day, both sides are happy and that is what ultimately counts in the end.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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