Caps Loan Nylander to Florida

  The Washington Capitals have apparently (and finally) rid themselves of veteran forward Michael Nylander’s salary by loaning him to the Florida Panthers.

    The soon to be 38 year-old has played 15 years in the National Hockey League, but fell into disfavor at the end of the 2008-09 season where he tallied just 9 goals and 24 assists in 72 games for the Washington Capitals. He had signed a four-year contract the year before worth $3 million per-year, and his production quickly dropped off just one year after posting a career high 83 points (26-57-83) for the New York Rangers. His large cap hit was too much for the Capitals to try and justify at the time, as they dropped him from their main squad in order to alleviate the cap space. The Caps tried many times to drop him through the waiver wire but have been unsuccessful in every attempt.

  Nylander was re-assigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL where he scored just 2 goals and 18 points in 24 contests, and then was re-assigned to Jokerit-Helsinki of the Finland SM-liiga where he tallied 3 goals and 7 points in 14 games. He also played in the World Championships last year, posting one goal and two assists in 8 games.

  Despite playing 920 National Hockey League games, Nylander has never had an ‘easy go’ in North America. In fact, his lengthiest stay with one NHL team was with Chicago after being dealt by the Lightning in 1999-2000 as he played three full years with the Blackhawks before being dealt to the Capitals in 2002-03. His most productive stint with a team was with the Rangers through two years, which landed him the salary that ultimately sent him out of the NHL, potentially for good.

"He's coming here to help our young guys," Panthers assistant general manager Mike Santos told the Democrat and Chronicle. "He's not coming here grumbling. He wants to resurrect his career for one more shot."

  While his intentions may be good, Nylander’s age, and ability to produce in the minors through last year, point to the probability his North American career will come to a close following this upcoming season. According to CapGeek.com, Nylander is set to take home $4.875 million next year with a cap hit of $3 million in his last contracted year. The Panthers will take on his salary in full, but his placement in the minors will eliminate the cap hit as it did in Washington.

  Nylander has done a lot for his country over his playing years appearing in 9 World Championships, two World Junior Championships, one World Cup, and twice in the Olympics.

  Nylander’s upside is his ability to pass the puck and make the best use of his wingers. He will help the Panther’s prospects through his play and leadership, but he will miss out on the NHL-level play that he deserves for his services to the game of hockey at every level.

- Kendall Grubbs