Eric Belanger: What His Signing Means To the Washington Capitals
August 12th, 2010 by Ryan Davenport Leave a reply »With the reported signing of centerman Eric Belanger, the Washington Capitals seem to have completed their free agency signings for the 2010 offseason.
The deal, said to be for one year at just under $1.9 million, seems to be a fair deal for a player of his caliber, but is somewhat surprising due to the fact that the Capitals still lack a bona fide second line center.
Belanger has been a serviceable third line center, who can be counted on for good penalty killing, great faceoff numbers and 30-40 points.
However, what Belanger is not, is a second line centerman on a good team. His offensive skills are limited, and he is best suited for a checking line role, so the Capitals haven't really addressed their biggest need.
If the last few Stanley Cup Champion teams have taught us anything, it's that strength up the middle is critical in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh won with a 1-2-3 punch of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal. Chicago bested a tough Philadelphia Flyers squad with pivots Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Dave Bolland and John Madden.
The 'Caps currently boast superstar Nick ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ryan Davenport
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