Caps Ink Erskine to Contract Extension
Posted on February 25, 2013Just after announcing that they had signed goaltender Braden
Holtby to a two-year contract extension, the Capitals announced a two-year
extension for veteran defenseman John Erskine. Erskine would have become an
unrestricted free agent this summer.
The 32-year-old Erskine came to the Caps as a free agent
just prior to the 2006-07 season. Among all Washington blueliners, only Mike
Green has been with the team longer.
Limited to just 28 games last season and enduring long
stretches of games as a healthy scratch, Erskine has benefited from being seen
with the fresh eyes of a new coaching staff this season.
“Obviously one of his greatest elements is his physical
play,” says Caps coach Adam Oates. “With a new coaching staff coming in, it was
kind of a clean slate for everybody. He impressed us and he’s played well. They
talked about how he hasn’t handled too many minutes before, and I think that
was more a product of he just never got them. He has played well. Good for
him.”
Erskine is the most physical of the nine Washington
defensemen, and he has demonstrated an ability to be able to step into the
lineup when needed and perform credibly after lengthy stretches out of the
lineup.
“He adds a dimension that we don’t really have,” says Caps
defenseman Karl Alzner of Erskine. “It takes a special type of guy – strong
physically but mentally as well – to play the way he does.
“This year it’s been nice because he has been rewarded with
more minutes, but to come in and sometimes not play and then come in and fight
a tough guy or take some serious punishment in the corners, hitting or whatever
it is, it’s pretty impressive in my opinion. Having a guy like that be able to step in and
play big like he does, it’s hard to find. It’s hard to find someone who does it
as good as he does.”
In 11 games with the Caps this season, Erskine is averaging
19:30 per night in ice time. That figure is easily the highest of his NHL
career, eclipsing the 18:03 figure he averaged in 28 games in 2006-07, his
first season in Washington.
The signing of Erskine leaves Washington with eight players (forwards
Joey Crabb, Eric Fehr, Matt Hendricks, Mike Ribeiro and Wojtek Wolski and
defensemen Jack Hillen, Roman Hamrlik and Tom Poti) who are set to become
unrestricted free agents this summer and four more (forward Marcus Johansson, defensemen
Karl Alzner and Tomas Kundratek and goaltender Michal Neuvirth) who are slated
to become restricted free agents this summer.
According to capgeek.com, Washington has now committed a
total of $47,717,628 in salary cap to 13 players (eight forwards, four
defensemen and one goaltender) for the 2013-14 season. With the cap slated to
drop to $64.3 million next season, that leaves Washington roughly $16.5 million
with which to flesh out its roster on as many as 10 more players.
