Veteran forward Eric Belanger has signed a one year $750,000 contract on Tuesday.
"We are excited to have Eric join us here in Phoenix," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. "He is a smart, quick, talented centre who plays well on both sides of the puck. We had identified Eric early in the free agency period as someone who would be a great fit with us and feel fortunate we are able to bring him to the Coyotes organization."
It comes as no surprise that the Coyotes will welcome his services, but it does come as a surprise seeing how he was expected to re-sign with the Washington Capitals. Typically I try to stay on top of these things, but it appears I’m not the only one confused. On a side note, I must apologize for getting it wrong in my Capitals Team Preview as I thought the deal was done in the Nation’s Capital. Belanger, though, did too. The newly signed center told a Montreal radio station on Wednesday that for seven weeks, the Capitals had led him to believe they had a verbal agreement on a contract renewal.
"I had a lease on a house, the kids enrolled in school," Belanger said in the interview with Team 990 on Wednesday. "We had a verbal agreement over seven weeks ago, and they said it would take about a week to make a trade. It wasn't a question of if we were making it, it was a question of when you're gonna be signed, because they didn't want to lose any leverage on the trade, and we all know the story after that.”
“I'm no lawyer guy, but the line has been crossed, and now I'm looking ahead," continued Belanger. "I have a great opportunity in Phoenix, and I want to play good for that organization. I feel wanted by them in Phoenix. They have shown a lot of interest for a long time."
The Capitals have not commented on the happenings over the past couple of days, but Commissioner Gary Bettman has confirmed that no written agreement had been filed or signed be either party, resulting in the fact that (per Bettman) “there isn’t a contract.”
Belanger’s agent is fumed at the Caps organization as well, as he stated the Capitals verbally agreed to a one year $1.85 million contract over the phone and just needed some time to make a trade to clear the space.
“They should be ashamed of how they handled this situation,” Tacopina (Belanger’s agent) said of McPhee and Fishman. “We're pursuing and evaluating our legal options in that regard.”
No matter how wrong the Capitals may be in keeping Belanger on a string for so long, due to not having signed an actual deal it appears likely that nothing more will transpire. Rather, the Capitals management’s word may just be left tarnished, but not punished.
“They don’t have a legal leg to stand on,” one agent said Wednesday. “The entire situation is governed by the CBA. An agent and the player are obligated under the CBA to not take individual legal action or you can lose your certification to be an agent ... The sole remedy would be a grievance.”
Belanger’s grit and determination are the exact reasons the Coyotes jumped at the chance to sign him, to surround their young group with another veteran competitor.
In last year’s Playoffs, game five, against the Montreal Canadiens Eric Belanger showed the world what it is to be a hockey player. He was hit in the mouth by Marc-Andre Bergeron’s stick resulting in six lost teeth. Loss of teeth is no big deal in the game of hockey, but Bergeron would undergo emergency surgery inside the arena during the game, including trimming exposed roots, and be back on the ice by the third period.
"I knew I was in trouble, but what are you going to do? It's the playoffs," Belanger said at the time.
32 year-old Belanger is a 9 year veteran that his split his time between Los Angelis, Carolina, Atlanta, Minnesota, and Washington. In 634 games he has tallied 121 goals and 178 assists with a -21 rating. He was traded last year at the deadline to the Capitals from the Minnesota Wild for a playoff push in a season where Belanger enjoyed a career high in points (41). His post season point production was marginal, but his determination and veteran responsibility was obvious, and probably the best thing about the Caps very short playoff run as they were eliminated in the first round (7 games) by the Montreal Canadiens.
For further information regarding the dispute in full, a full transcript and email from Belanger’s agent to George McPhee can be found here, while the back story from the Caps side can be found here. Both are great reads.
- Kendall Grubbs
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