George McPhee has his principles. The Washington Capitals general manager doesn't like to give extended contracts to players older than 30 years old and he's not about to change his opinion.
While one can applaud McPhee for his ability to hold his ground, he has put the Washington Capitals at a disadvantage as they prepare for the 2013-14 season. The Capitals lost center Mike Ribeiro when he signed a four-year, $22 million contract with the Phoenix Coyotes.
Ribeiro, 33, was one of the keys to the Capitals' resurgence in the second half of the season that saw them turn early-season futility into a Southeast Division championship. Ribeiro is a clever playmaker who often sees openings that others miss. He had 13 goals and 36 assists for the Capitals in 48 games.
More than the point total, Ribeiro gave the Capitals a legitimate second-line center. With Nicklas Backstrom centering for Alex Ovechkin on the first line, Ribeiro's ability to create scoring plays gave the Capitals two lines that could score consistently. That's a needed commodity among winning NHL teams.
Ribeiro was looking forward to continuing his career w ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Steve Silverman
Late-Season Bounce Back Evaporates as Sleeping Caps Lose Ribeiro
July 6th, 2013 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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