Washington Capitals acquire Mike Ribeiro from Dallas Stars -NHL offseason Update
Washington Capitals’ acquired what is said to be their second line solution by various analysts around the National Hockey League (NHL) grabbing Mike Ribeiro from Dallas Stars in exchange for Cody Eakin and a 54th overall draft pick on Friday,
June 22, 2012.
Mike Ribeiro, a 32-year-old veteran centre who was picked up by Montreal Canadiens as the 45th overall pick during round-two of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft, has vast experience in the NHL and could definitely provide Washington with that much needed
offensive depth.
"We wanted to add a little bit of skill to our lineup," Washington general manager, George McPhee, said. "We liked the way we played in the playoffs. We've got some big, gritty forwards, but we wanted to put another skilled guy in the middle of it to see
if it helps. I think it makes our team immediately better."
For GM McPhee, making a trade is much better than having to make offers to free agents due to the latter being just more expensive of a process.
"I prefer to make a trade than sign free agents," McPhee added. "That other process is expensive and usually more term than you want. Sometimes you get it done and by the end of November you are asking yourself, ‘What did I do here?' You win the battle for
a player and you're trying to trade him two months later."
Ribeiro will cost the Dallas Stars a cool $5 million for the upcoming regular season, which will be the last of his five-year, $25 million contract which was signed prior to the 2008-2009 regular season.
Next season will be one that Washington will want to test the veterans capability with the team and whether he can adjust on their squad or not. Along with that, reports have also emerged of Ribeiro wanting a contract extension already.
In 737 games played up until now, Ribeiro has put up 560 points (173 goals, 387 assists) and is definitely capable of leading a team past any challenge.
For Washington, giving up Cody Eakin was also a little difficult but the need of the moment was an immediate improvement, something Mike Ribeiro will be able to provide right away.
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