Tag Archives: Free Agency

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.

Some Random Free Agency Perspective

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I remember the summer frenzy of 2007. I was in China with my family on vacation and premiering a film.

Free agency opened. I was online checking on what was happening. I was jet lagged to the max.

Conventional wisdom said that we needed a center.

The bidding started.

The New York Rangers went to bat. Bam. They signed Scott Gomez. Bam. They signed Chris Drury.

Bam. The Flyers signed Daniel Briere.

All three were signed to really long term deals. The experts opined on how well these teams did with their signings. I started to get inundated with emails about how we could never improve our team because we were never big players in free agency.

These signings set off a frenzy as we weren’t even close to hitting the bids on these deals.

We eventually signed Michael Nylander to a four year deal as our free agent center. The experts continued to praise. Or critique.

It is now many years later.

It is amazing to me how these deals turned out for all of the teams. Some good and some not-so-good. Free agency is a crap shoot, isn’t it?

It is probably better to opine on the signings after the contract ends to see how the player performed during his tenure.

Wish Us Luck Today

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Today starts free agency. Wish us luck. We will need it.

We are being very circumspect today. Do not expect any glitz or big news. We will pursue some players that can help us in the immediate future but the criterion is that we do not want to sign any veteran players to long term, big, lucrative contracts.

We are up close to the cap as it is. We need flexibility to keep our core of young players together in the out years. We also believe in rewarding our own players more than someone else’s players. We do not feel like we are desperate to make a move. When you feel pressure, that is when you let agents and the market take advantage of you and you can make a signing that you live to regret. We have done that before as have most teams in the league.

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And On and On and On…On Free Agency

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I have received lots of email suggestions as to signings from people that email us a lot and post on the message boards. Here are some of the signings some of the fans wanted us to do this off season:

1. Jaromir Jagr so he could be reunited with Michael Nylander.

2. Owen Nolan because we need a rugged winger.

3. Todd Bertuzzi because we need a rugged winger.

4. Ken Klee because he would like the new system and he is a rugged D man.

5. Peter Bondra because we need more firepower on the power play.

6. Trade for Brendan Witt because we need a rugged stay at home D man. He deserves to come back and retire a Capital.

7. Sergei Gonchar because we need another QB on our second power play in addition to Mike Green.

All I can say is thank you for the emails. We appreciate the support but I don’t think any of these players will be in a Capitals uniform next season.