Captain Jeff Halpern left the Capitals Thursday, signing a four-year, $8 million contract with the Dallas Stars. While I'll miss Halpern, I don't blame the Caps for not paying him that kind of money. He is a solid player, but I don't think he is worth two million per, nor would I invest a four year deal in him. If I were Halpern, already living a dream being the captain of my hometown team, I would consider staying just so I could play with the dynamic Ovechkin. On the other hand, the Stars are closer to being Cup contenders and thsi is a major payday for someone who entered the league as an undrafted free agent.
As far as the Caps' future I'm not sure that Halpern will be as easily replaced as many might think. Halpern was excellent on faceoffs, strong in his own zone and brought fan appeal because he was a local. He also played hard every night, including playing through serious injury and family tragedy. I wish him good luck in Dallas.
I hope GM George McPhee has a plan because right now this team is terribly thin up the middle. I'd like to see some Free Agent money flow out of DC a bit.
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