Monday, July 16, 2012

Seeing Green

Mike Green, after rejecting the Capitals $5 million offer sheet on Sunday, inked a 3 year deal worth $18.25 million.  Green is now under contract until he turns 29.

Three years is a good length for a player with the injury history of Green - he has missed 81 games combined in the past two seasons.  As a result, his effectiveness has vastly decreased.  The first defenseman in over a decade to score over one point per game over the course of a season (recording this in back-to-back seasons) has scored a measly 31 points in his last 83 games. 

Though, Green obviously has his flaws, aside from being injury prone.  His defensive game is far from elite, and for a top pair guy, I would like to see him turn the puck over less (he has hovered around one giveaway per game since entering the league).

That being said, Green is a very good defenseman who eats a lot of minutes and quarterbacks our power play.  When compared to his cap-hit comparables, including such superstars as James Wisniewski, Wade Redden, Brent Seabrook, Jay Bouwmeester, and that big turd Tyler Myers, this deal seems pretty reasonable.

Grade: A-.  Always good to get the core locked up, even if he might be getting paid more than we like.  Contract length makes up for the salary.

All we have left is Carlson...

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