The Contrarian – It isn’t easy being Green

MD

2014-11-02

AAMike Green

The Contrarian argues that Mike Green is being showcased by the Capitals.

Last week I touched upon the topic of a player being showcased. That was in reference to Nail Yakupov and my conclusion was that he wasn't. This week, however, I am going to be looking at Mike Green and I believe that he is being showcased even if it hasn't been intentional.

An article by Alex Prewitt of the Washington Post titled, "Mike Green showing Washington Capitals Coach Barry Trotz the real story" details his positive start to the season.

Coach Trotz must have a green thumb. He has eight points in eight games. Tied with Andre Burakovsky for the team lead. Prewitt adds "His seven even-strength points lead all NHL defensemen" and that his Corsi-for percentage ranks sixth.

He's been given the green light, "Last season, conservative principles caged Green inside the defensive zone. Now, if Green sees a scoring opportunity, the Capitals hope he grabs it" writes Prewitt.

His defensive partner Nate Schmidt says "Maybe last year wasn't the right fit for him within our system. Whatever the case may be, I think he's back to where he wants to be, playing the way he wants to play, the way he knows he's capable of going. It just makes a big difference."

"Even though his average ice time has dropped by more than two minutes from last season, but his competition also weakened and offensive zone starts increased. The Capitals handed shutdown assignments elsewhere, because they wanted more from Green" continues Prewitt.

Other teams would be (or should be) green with envy from his resurgence. He hasn't seen this kind of production since the 2009-10 season when he scored 76 points in 75 games.

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As you know the grass is always greener on the other side of the ice. The problem is Green's history of injury and the cost of his services.

George Foussekis, of The Hockey Writers, wrote an article on May 8^th, 2014 called "Mike Green: Enigma or Misused?" which highlights some of his recent injuries.

As for the contract, Darren Dreger indicates that "there's been little to no contract discussions" in his recent article on TSN.ca called "Dreger Report: Likelihood of more video review; what's in store for Mike Green?" The final season of his current contract pays him a little over six million, if he does well he'll be up for a raise. Can the Capitals afford to pay him more when they will need to look at the expiring contracts of Marcus Johansson, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Braden Holtby.

In his article, Foussekis sees that Green can be revived and even speculated how it would come about. "In order for him to be saved, he needs a competent coach and a quality defensive partner who can help him gain confidence" and "He needs the right coach who can bring him out of his shell and he needs the right defensive partner who can let him play like a loose cannon on the ice."