Bye Bye, Bonzai

With word coming today that Peter Bondra's days in Atlanta are almost certainly done and his days in the NHL likely are over as well, a few thoughts have crossed my mind, most of which I posted in the comments to a post over at Jes Golbez's site in which he suggested that Bondra - currently sitting on 498 career goals - could help the Caps this year. And I'm sure he could, both on the ice and in filling seats.

But it's not going to happen. As I wrote over there:

[Before last season, t]he Caps offered [Bondra] more guaranteed money than Atlanta did AND a sweet post-retirement position in the club's front office. Bondra declined. The trade to Ottawa [which apparently was somewhat of a surprise to Bondra] ruined the relationship from his perspective, the rejection of a more-than-fair deal ruined it from the team's point of view.

It's a shame that the bridge has been burned, but it certainly has been and I would be fall-off-my-chair shocked if the team re-signed him for 2006-07. I'm just hoping the sides can reconcile enough to appropriately honor him after he hangs up the skates. With what's-his-name lighting the lamp now, it's easy to forget everything #12 did for the team and the community, but he was a great, great Capital for many years when there weren't many great Caps. He'll be missed.

The bottom line today is the same as it was nearly ten months ago: any deal to bring Bonzai back to D.C. would have to be good for the Washington Capitals first and foremost, and with the chemistry the team is developing and the roles players are filling, I'm not sure that it would be.