Phoenix signs C Belanger

So I guess he's not coming back, eh?
Happy trails...

over 1 year ago CraigD 19 comments 0 recs |

Comments

Was wondering why this wasn’t up here sooner. Maybe no one cares? I dunno. Interesting still, considering many thought it was a “done” deal here.

We should know w/ GMGM’s history, that is rarely the case.

"Because the game is not just about fighting no more. " D.J. King

by bigeugene on Sep 14, 2010 9:07 PM EDT reply actions

eugene, check out james mirtle’s visit during caps clips today.

by Natty Bumppo on Sep 14, 2010 9:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Cool, thanks.

"Because the game is not just about fighting no more. " D.J. King

by bigeugene on Sep 14, 2010 10:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m a little surprised at the lack of reaction to the whole thing too. He really would have bolstered the 3C spot. What now? We had damn well better hope Mackan and MP can cut it this year because I don’t see us being able to acquire both a 3C and a 2C at the deadline.

by Kolzilla on Sep 14, 2010 9:53 PM EDT up reply actions

not to mention a defenseman or two

back to cool special

by bigonetimer on Sep 15, 2010 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions

I am confused by the whole situation. There’s info over at CI reporting that Belanger’s agent thought he had a verbal contract and the posters (many of whom had no use for Belanger) are going crazy suggesting Belanger should have been signed. At this point I can’t figure out what happened—either to this “deal” or to the posters at CI. But I know that I wouldn’t just take the agents’s word. And damn but he didn’t sign with Phoenix for much. What a crazy FA market.

"I’m very happy to hear the news," Ovechkin said when he heard about Backstrom's longterm contract--"because he’s one of the top centers in the world, one of my best friends and we want to play together for a long time. He’s a guy who wants to stay in one place and be comfortable and win, just like me. We talk all the time about playing together, and we talked after the playoffs about how we can win in Washington."

by capsyoungguns on Sep 14, 2010 9:24 PM EDT reply actions

Katie has more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/14/AR2010091406650.html
Assuming the agent is telling the truth, which is never a given, this story just keeps getting weirder. Why on earth would Belanger have done this?

Belanger’s agent, Joe Tacopina, said the Capitals did have a deal to bring back Belanger and even helped him sign a lease for a house in Washington and enroll his two daughters in area schools.

"It's always good to have vikings."

by gfcaps fan on Sep 14, 2010 9:29 PM EDT reply actions

Desperation!

Rocking the Red since 1975

by CapsFan75 on Sep 14, 2010 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d like to see evidence of the supposed lease on a house before I believe anything. Considering that the agent has already provided the content of text messages (not the messages themselves), excerpted from an e-mail allegedly sent to Caps management, to the press – if it does exist it should surface soon. Until then I won’t believe a word of the story.

GMGM and his crew are notoriously tight-lipped about trades and signings and apparently require the same discretion from the other parties. I can’t remember the last time a trade/free agent rumor has proven accurate, but I can recall numerous signings/deals that did happen and came as complete surprises.

If the Caps wanted him, they would have signed him. Knowing now that he was willing to sign for less than $1M, I’m glad that the rumored $1.8 deal did fall apart. No sense in overpaying for a 3C. I was never particularly impressed by Belanger (aside from his skills as a dentist) and don’t think he’s anything the Caps need.

To be quite frank, Belanger and his agent have nothing here. At best they had an agreement in principal for a deal, not an offer. An agreement that was based on a the Caps executing a trade, which never happened. An implicit part of the deal was likely that everyone kept their mouths shut, which also didn’t happen. And if Belanger’s blabbermouth agent bleatings to the press contributed to the scuttling of any trade the Caps were working, then they have no one to blame but themselves for their payday being $1M less.

Maybe that’s harsh, but it’s a business not a charity.

by Gin and Tonic on Sep 14, 2010 10:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Hmm....

And here I thought he had already signed the deal…

"If I was being paid thirty-thousand dollars a year, the very least I could do was hit .400." - Ted Williams

by Capsfan07 on Sep 14, 2010 11:51 PM EDT reply actions

This is a very less than ideal situation, and I think both parties look pretty bad. The Caps really seem to have screwed this guy, but at the same time Belenger screwed the Caps as well. Considering how tightlipped a reputation the Caps’ organization has it’s pretty clear that it was Belenger’s camp that leaked the deal thus making the Caps loose leverage. The trade fell through, and the Caps weren’t able to sign him. On the other hand it does seem like Belanger was strung along for a bit too long. Now I don’t know the real story but that scenario seems pretty likely to me.

by DC FURY on Sep 15, 2010 12:45 PM EDT reply actions