Friday, July 6, 2012

Caps re-sign two

Mathieu Perreault gets a two year deal worth $2.1 million, representing a pay raise of $525,000 over last year's salary.  Jay Beagle signed a three year deal worth $2.7 million, which is a $387,500 pay raise.

I'm not a fan of either guy, but they've both worked hard to become NHL regulars.  I still think Perreault is too small to be a solid contributor, as he isn't physical enough to be an effective bottom six forward, and I don't think he's talented enough for top six.  But he's a great skater and his teammates seem to like him.  He improved quite a bit this year, and he earned some power play time as well, averaging one minute per game.  I still would like to see him packaged in a deal to bring in a top liner, but for the meantime, it's a good signing of a Capital draftee.

Beagle is a big Western Canadian boy who played a pretty gritty game in the minors that hasn't translated to the NHL.  He doesn't offer much in the way of offense (10 points in 82 career NHL games), though, he didn't have much of an opportunity to score, averaging fewer than 12 minutes per game.  Beagle was sixth among forwards in PK time, at 1:03/game, and averaged .98 hits/shift, which was fourth among forwards (behind Hendricks, Brouwer, and Ovechkin).  He also tied for third among forwards along with Knuble in blocked shots per shift, behind Laich and Hendricks.

Beagle can represent a solid fourth line contributor, though I would like to see him be more physical with the puck, and maybe drop the mitts a few times (though not against seasoned vets who are consistently considered among the toughest p4p guys in the league).

Grades: Perreault B-, Beagle B-.  These are flexible, home-grown players who contribute in a variety of ways and should be expected to take on slightly bigger roles in the next two to three years.  Neither are long-term top six caliber, but are fillers who are very valuable for building a Cup contender. 

2 comments:

  1. I feel that Beagle brings a lot to the table. They just need to give him more chances with the puck.

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  2. He scored 28 goals as a 19 year old playing in a league that produces very few NHLers. His offensive game won't improve too much - I think his upside is with crashing the net and using his size and strength. The more I think about this deal the more I like the value. $900k/year is nothing.

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