August 06, 2008
Steckel Gets Another Year
After a solid first year in the league, the Caps have rewarded center Dave Steckel with a one-year contract extension. This will keep Steckel in a Caps uniform through the '09-'10 season.
Steckel was the top face-off winner for the Caps last season, and ranked 7th in the league. The Caps came into last season with questions in the face-off circle. Backstrom and Steckel were untested, and Kozlov and Laich aren't known for their face-off prowess. Nylander was just below 50% when his season was ended by injury. Along with Boyd Gordon, Steckel was a pleasant surprise for the Caps this season at the dot.
Dave Steckel will be making a half million dollars this coming season, which is a bargain considering his production last season. He was a plus 1 with 12 points on the season, which is pretty good for a defensive-minded player. He was able to hold his own in the defensive end while contributing offensively. His role diminished late in the season as the Caps picked up Sergei Fedorov, bringing their number of active centers to 6.
With a deep list of centers coming into camp this year for the Caps, it will be interesting to see how Steckel does and where he ends up. He has always played well for coach Boudreau, so it would seem the safe bet is on him sticking with the Caps starting lineup for most if not the whole season.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.ericmcerlain.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/8439
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in,
.
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)
03:07 PM