Who saw Magic Mike this weekend?

Oh come on, you were all thinking it.  I wouldn’t count on the dance moves, though.  You’ve seen how often this Mike falls down.

No, really.

Oh well.

We are sitting, waiting, wishing for news about Mike’s contract.  The Capitals made a qualifying offer on his $5 million current deal, which would keep him in DC at least one more year.  Mike hasn’t accepted or rejected the proposal – he remains a Restricted Free Agent.   The signing derby began yesterday and other teams have some time to call (or not).

Mike could sign with the Caps for one year, and use that time to return to his two-time Norris Trophy nominee form.  Or he could find a team offering a multiple-year contract, even at a lower salary, and take it for security.  With so many games missed in the last two seasons, a few years of guaranteed placement might look pretty good.  He’ll be down like the economy if he repeats this season and needs to re-sign next year.  But that’s not going to happen.  RIGHT?!

I don’t think it will, and not just for purely selfish reasons involving hair gel and stupid shoes.  I don’t see a playoff-caliber team offering him a multi-year deal.  Why not wait out another season and then take what he can get?    I don’t think the Caps would (or should) match an offer above $5 million or one year.  But even a decent season makes Mike valuable in a trade, if not a contract extension.  And for Mike, that trade might be to somewhere better than he could sign now.

Cue the music.

What do the Caps really need?  A winger to replace Semin – who, if you listen to TSN, no one should want [link].  I don’t like the guy, but their commentary is way harsh, Ty.  Semin’s got the skill to light it up, and if he gets himself together we’d all better hope it’s with a Western Conference team.

Back to refreshing Twitter every 30 seconds for information.  The power at my house isn’t coming back on till Friday, so I’d appreciate it if Mike could do something between the hours of 9 AM – 6 PM Eastern.  Got that?  Thanks.