Equity contracts: a Swedish deal turns sour

Photo: Hockey News

Sometimes signing a free agent will be the logical move for a team, but it ends up not working out. In many cases, the player is injured and cannot return to his previous level. It is often more pronounced for an older player. An example of this is the hiring of Michael Nylander by the Washington Capitals before the 2007-08 season.

Times were tough in DC. The Capitals were coming off their second straight berth in the Southeast Division following the NHL’s lockout in 2004-05. They also finished last in that division in the year before the lockout.

Prior to the 2003-04 season, the team was expected to make the playoffs. However, after the team got off to a miserable start in October, general manager George McPhee thought it was time to rebuild, given that the team’s top forwards were in their 30s. This included Peter Bondra, Jaromir Jagr, Robert Lang, Steve Konowalchuk and, ironically, Michael Nylander himself.

Reconstruction

As a result, veteran assets were traded for draft picks and young prospects. The Caps won the 2004 draft lottery and were able to select Alex Ovechkin.

The Capitals expected the 2007-08 season to be better than the recent past, with their prospects maturing. But with such a young team, the Capitals figured they needed to sign some veteran players to provide leadership and serve as mentors to that young core. To do this, he signed forwards Viktor Kozlov, Michael Nylander and defender Tom Poti.

Reaction to the signing of Nylander

The Capitals signed Nylander to a four-year deal worth $19.5 million. Although Nylander would turn 35 earlier that season, he was coming off two terrific seasons with the New York Rangers, posting career highs in goals (26) and assists (57) for the Rangers during the 2006-07 season.

Nylander was the first true center to join the team during the Alex Ovechkin era, as in previous years his typical center was Dainius Zubrus, who was considered more effective at right back.

This would be Nylander’s second tour of duty with the Caps. He previously played with the Caps from 2002-03 through 2003-04 before being traded at the trade deadline in 2004. He was initially going to sign a contract with the Edmonton Oilers, but changed his mind and decided to return to the Caps. . as he felt that Washington was a better place for the family.

Photo: NHL

The media had praised the Nylander signing, talking about how the Caps had improved their offensive power by acquiring him. His playmaking abilities were anticipated to complement the attacking abilities of star wingers Alex Ovechkin and Alexander Semin.

None of them had ever been in line with a true game center during their early years in the NHL. As a bonus, Nylander would serve as rookie mentor Nicklas Backstrom who would make his NHL debut that season. As a fellow Swede, Nylander would help Backstrom adjust to the North American way of life and even housed Backstrom for a period of time. this is where Bäckström’s close bond with Nylander’s son William (Maple Leafs) began.

Backstrom initially lived with the Nylander family until he got his place. But he would still be a frequent dinner guest at his house and play ping-pong with Nylander’s children, including his then-11-year-old son William, who later became an NHL player. .

First Station

Capitals head coach Glen Hanlon talked about him earlier in the season.

“I have a rule, every time you put on your skates, work as hard as you can. That’s what we’ve learned about Michael. We had the advantage of having him here before, so we know exactly what he is like and I haven’t come across anyone who is more intense during practice or more prepared to play a game.”

The initial plan that season was to have Viktor Kozlov in the center of the front row with Alex Ovechkin and Nylander in the center of the second row with Semin. Backstrom would start as a left winger on the second row, with Nylander and Semin as he adjusted to the North American ice.

Nylander started off well with the Capitals while on the second row. However, he injured his shoulder during a matchup on December 1 in a game against the Florida Panthers and missed the next four games. His shoulder did not improve and in the middle of January, needed rotator cuff surgery and was out for the rest of the season.

By the time he was sidelined for the season, he had 11 goals and had a team-high 26 assists in 40 games. His 37 points were second only to Alex Ovechkin, who had 33 goals and 21 assists at the time.

With Nylander out for the year, the Capitals traded for Sergei Fedorov to fill the void at center. While it was intended to be leased only for the remainder of 2007-08, it was such a success for the team that it returned for the 2008-09 season.

Second season

When Nylander returned for the 2008–09 season, he was now ranked third in the depth chart for centers, after Nicklas Backstrom, who had become the best center in late 2007–08, and Sergei Fedorov. Nylander, capped at $4.875 million, was increasingly seen as a liability. Stat-wise, Nylander played in 72 games, recording 33 points (nine goals, 24 assists).

But by the end of the season, he was often a healthy scratch and played in just three games during the playoffs. It was clear that he no longer fit into the Washington Capitals’ plans and that his cap shot could be better used to improve areas of need, like defense.

The last two years

Nylander did not play for the Capitals for the final two years of his contract. During 2009-10, he was loaned to the Grand Rapids Griffins, the Detroit Red Wings AHL affiliate, in late October 2009. He agreed to play there to get action and not take time away from prospects at Hershey. Later that season, he was loaned out to Jokerit Helsinki in the Finnish SM-Liiga.

Just before the 2010-11 season began, he was loaned out to Florida Panthers AHL affiliate, Rochester Americans. While playing with Rochester in October, he was seriously injured and required season-ending spinal fusion surgery.

Nylander’s contract expired at the end of the 2010-11 season. He never played in the NHL again, but played hockey in Europe, in leagues in both Switzerland and Sweden, before retiring as a player in 2015.

With today’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, teams can no longer loan players to other teams to remove their salary cap from the roster, as they could prior to the 2012-13 season.

conclusion

The Capitals’ signing of Michael Nylander made sense at the time, as a veteran center and playmaker was needed. But then he got injured and was replaced by another player – Sergei Fedorov. Plus, Nicklas Backstrom emerged as a true No. 1 center in the meantime. The injury probably reduced his effectiveness and, with a high salary cap, he was seen as expendable.

Meanwhile, Michael’s son William became an NHL player in his own right with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He and Nicklas Backstrom fondly remember the days Backstrom lived with his family when they later played together in the IIHF World Championships.

by Diana Doyle