Besides a solid stay at home defenseman, the Capitals were in need of a forward to take control in front of the opponents net. They have now added that piece with Mike Knuble who signed a two-year, $5.6 million contract today. Knuble became a unrestricted free agent as a byproduct of the Flyers giving away the bank to acquire Chris Pronger. Knuble is a proven commidity with 12 years of experience and has played in all 82 games in 4 of the past 5 seasons. Since 2002 Knuble has averaged a matching 27 goals and 27 assists a season. More importantly for the Capitals, Knuble is known for causing havoc in front of the opponents crease. Washington knows this all to well from the playoffs in 2008 when Knuble put in the rebound to his own shot in the second overtime to give the Flyers a 3-1 series lead.
Knuble is an upgrade from losing Viktor Kozlov to the KHL. Knowing how Boudreau likes to mix up lines from time to time, I think Knuble will see a fair amount of time on both the first and second lines. He will also bring in some of that veteran leadership the Caps lose with Fedorov and Brash leaving town.
Speaking of Brash, Donald Brashear is now a New York Ranger. It's sad to see him go. Brash had grown on so many Washington fans by doing all the 'dirty' work that is necessary to get a team though the regular season in the NHL. New York has shown they have a short memory, after calling out Brash for breaking Blair Betts orbital bone in the first round of the playoffs. Protest from the Rangers and the New York press led to Brash receiving a record suspension for the incident.
Knuble is an upgrade from losing Viktor Kozlov to the KHL. Knowing how Boudreau likes to mix up lines from time to time, I think Knuble will see a fair amount of time on both the first and second lines. He will also bring in some of that veteran leadership the Caps lose with Fedorov and Brash leaving town.
Speaking of Brash, Donald Brashear is now a New York Ranger. It's sad to see him go. Brash had grown on so many Washington fans by doing all the 'dirty' work that is necessary to get a team though the regular season in the NHL. New York has shown they have a short memory, after calling out Brash for breaking Blair Betts orbital bone in the first round of the playoffs. Protest from the Rangers and the New York press led to Brash receiving a record suspension for the incident.
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