Monthly Archives: July 2011

Busy Day as Promised

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One trade – three free agent signings. A good day.

We added Jeff Halpern, a center; Roman Hamrlik, a veteran defenseman; and Joel Ward, a big and tough forward who seems to elevate his game in the playoffs.

We traded Varlamov to Colorado for two picks – a first round and a second round pick. He intimated to us that he was going to play in the KHL unless we guaranteed him a starter’s job and a big contract which we couldn’t do at this time. While disappointed in his manner during the negotiations and the way the Russian media manipulated the blogosphere over here, we received value back and we wish him well.

We lost some players to free agency. We added some players. We kept some players in Brooks Laich and we added Troy Brouwer at the draft via trade.

We are being active and aggressive. Four new players to date added to the line up; one core player retained; and a first round and second round pick added to next year’s crop of picks.

We have plenty of time left to continue to re-craft the team. As promised. Thank you. Go Caps!

And So It Goes

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We agreed to trade a young goaltender to Colorado for a first round and a second round pick. See release here.

I think this is a better deal for us than losing the player to the KHL. The player wanted assurances that we couldn’t make to him. I am disappointed in the overall optics here but it is always better to take the high road and we wish the player well with his new team. Go Caps!

Sad State of Affairs Regarding My Blog

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My primary assistant is going on vacation. My second assistant is learning how to help me with my blog. She is learning the software. The blog post went up and she saw an edit and took the post down to fix it. She inadvertently took the blog post down while editing. She is learning the software. THAT is all that is going on.

The post wasn’t deleted as a part of a “conspiracy.” What does that even mean people? Geesh.

Chill out!

The Circle of Life in Sports

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Free agency is a fun time for fans and media. It is a tough time for front offices as the auction atmosphere makes for some deals and offers that teams live to regret for many a season. Getting an asset without losing a player in return is what motivates teams to play in free agency. Nabbing a key player or a player that fits a role in the lineup is what is so attractive about free agency. Because there is a lack of multiple options the offers are perhaps richer or longer than standard offers. It is a time of risk. Analysis shows that there are more bad deals than good deals offered during free agency. Also players work hard during their careers to get to free agency. This is their time. It is about their needs and wants and their freedom. They have earned this right.

Be that as it may, I am hopeful we do nab some new players today to add to the lineup. See this article and quotes within. We have some cap space. I expect we will make our offers and I am hopeful we add some players to the lineup. I also expect we will lose some players as well to free agency. The circle of life in pro sports.

We want to improve our team via the draft free agency and trades. Also via call ups of some prospects that we think are ready for NHL play. Player retention is also key. We win some and we lose some. All teams live within this kind of cycle. As was once said…”THIS is the business we have chosen”.

I expect we will make several offers today in an attempt to change up our lineup. We have added a key new player via trade already this summer. We have kept a free agent from leaving this summer. We now hope to add some players via free agency and then go into the summer seeking some trades as well.

At the end of the process our team will look different from last year. We plan to improve. All teams do and hope that the process in the off season is a positive one for fan. Time will tell whether it all worked out. We care deeply and will work hard today to do the right thing; wish us well and thank you. Go Caps.