Courtesy: Washington Post
When I first saw that Perreault had been traded, I was a little sad. He’s been a battler here in DC for the last 4 years and earned his keep as the Caps 3rd and 4th line center. He was the little guy who dig in the corners for 30 seconds then take a rocket off his nose for a goal. He as a spark plug that could keep the energy going in the rink. Unfortunately, he was also the only contract the Caps could move at this time.
At a cap hit of $1.05M, Perreault’s contact was really the only option for the Caps. With Matty P off the books, it leaves room for rookie phenom Tom Wilson and center Michael Latta to step up. Wilson earned the right to a roster spot during training camp and pre-season, and as long as the Caps make good use of him, he should make a decent impact – but they have to play him more than 8 min a night if they want him to develop. Latta is a spark plug-type player as well – kind of like a Jordon Tootoo but not as scary. I think he’ll do just fine taking over center duties on the 4th line and he does toughen up the roster.
Perreault’s departure, however, is bitter sweet. Most people understand he was the most logical to leave, but he was very much loved in DC. And he had a sick flow. He was drafted in the 6th round in 2006, and the Caps are the only franchise he has ever known:
“It’s kind of a weird situation I’ve never been in. I don’t know if I should be excited going to a new place or sad to leave D.C. It’s a little bit of both,” said Perreault, who recorded 33 goals and 70 points in 159 regular season games over the past four seasons with the Capitals. “I love D.C. This is the team that gave me my first chance. I have a bunch of good friends here but it was time for me to move on. I saw during training camp when they were trying a bunch of different guys in the middle that there wasn’t much room for me.” ( Katie Carrera, Washington Post)
In exchange for Perreault to Anaheim, the Caps picked up minor league forward, John Mitchell and a 4th round pick in 2014. Perreault will reunite with former Caps bench boss, Bruce Boudreau, who was always fond of Perreault’s style:
“I know Bruce always liked me, I always had good talks with him even though I got sent down a couple times when he was here. He would talk to me I felt like he really liked me as a player,” Perreault said. “I’m excited to see what will happen there. I’ve talked with their GM and they’re excited. I am too.” (Katie Carrera, Washington Post)
They should be Matty.
More to come…
