Fedorov, Laich back in the fold

The Caps have signed forwards Brooks Laich and some guy named Sergei Fedorov to contracts today. Per Tarik, Brooks' deal averages a little over 2 mil a year for three years, while The Hockey News reports Fedorov will make 4 million for his one year of service.

With that done there's precious little left in the coffers for any other moves (barring a trade). The Caps roster once again looks loaded on offense, but the team has done precious little in free agency to bolster their defense.

Even if this year's uber-rookie Karl Alzner is next in the line of great Capitals defensemen, his first year will still be a learning experience (with all the mistakes and adjustments that come with being an NHL rookie). Get ready for a bunch more 4-3 and 5-4 games this year.

I, for one, can't wait.

Theodore a Cap, Huet to Chicago

The Caps have certainly made an interesting move here. Figuring one French-Canadian is as good as another Frenchman, the Caps passed over signing Cristobal Huet to a three year deal and instead inked Jose Theodore to a two year, 9.5 million dollar deal.

Apparently, the Caps were willing to meet Huet's asking price of 3 years and $15 million. But when Huet announced his intention to test the free agent market (and this year's market for goaltenders is pretty thin) for a potentially more lucrative offer, the Caps signed Theodore in order to secure a number one goaltender instead of possibly being left out in the cold (no offense to Brent Johnson).

The move certainly makes sense from a financial standpoint (less money per year) and is a shorter term deal, but one has to wonder which Jose Theodore the Caps will be getting. Will he be the confident goaltender who won the Vezina and Hart trophies in 2001-02, or will he be the suspect goalie who couldn't lock down a starting job in Colorado in 2006-07? The hopes for a long Capitals playoff run this season rest on it being the former.

Caps Re-Sign Green!

TSN and The Hockey News are reporting that the Caps have agreed to terms with restricted free agent defenceman Mike Greeen. It is rumored to be a four year deal with an average annual salary of $5.25 million. So what do you think? A fair deal? Too short a term?

The Deuce: I think it's a fair deal for both teams. Green gets paid as an elite player -- though not quite as elite as Phaneof, which, in my opinion, he's not. The Caps get a few years to see what they really have, but then they'll really have to pay up. At the end of this contract, Green will be 26 (just about to turn 27). Now unless my research is mistaken (which it very well may be), Green is eligible for UFA status at age 27 OR at 7 years NHL service. I don't THINK he reaches either by the end of that deal, as he'll be 26 until October 2012, and he doesn't qualify for 7 years by then either (I don't think he's played what qualifies as 3 NHL seasons, but again, I'm no NHL lawyer or agent). So hopefully the Caps get another crack at Green as an RFA before he hits the UFA market. But either way, if he keeps playing the way he did at the end of the year, and improves defensively, it'll be time to back the trucks up in 2012.

Caps qualify five

Per Tarik, the Caps have tendered qualifying offers to Mike Green, Eric Fehr, Shaone Morrisonn Brooks Laich and Boyd Gordon, thus maintining the rights to those players heading into the upcoming free agency period.

Metal gear? Solid.

The take:

1 Art Ross trophy
1 Hart Memorial trophy
1 Jack Adams award
1 Lester Pearson award
and lest we forget,
1 key to the city.

Not bad at all. Now lets get to work on winning the only piece of hardware left to elude us.

Fight fans rejoice!

Fans of fistacuffs (and players short on skill but long on toughness, grit and determination) will be pleased to hear that Matt Bradley has been signed to a 3 year contract extension. He'll make a million bucks a year, and earn every penny of it the hard way.

Alzner on board

Per the team, the Capitals have signed Team Canada (jr) Captain and WHL player of the year Karl Alzner to a (standard) 3 year rookie contract. Alzner was the Caps first round pick (5th overall) in the 2007 entry draft.

I expect Alzner to split time between Hershey and Washington next year, unless he shows something truly remarkable in development and training camp. The Deuce, however, has him pegged as a full time Cap in his rookie season. I'll gladly pay up the 20 bucks I bet him if that's the case, since he's been pegged as the rock solid physical defenseman the Caps so desperately need. For more on Alzner, click here to read Vogs' washingtoncaps.com feature.