Almost A Capital

Back in 1996, there were a handful of centerman that were highly coveted by teams. One such player was Jeremy Roenick who, after seven seasons with the Blackhawks, was traded to in the summer of 1996 after he became a restricted free agent and was reportedly seeking an annual salary somewhere between $4.5 million and $6 million. Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz was never shy about not giving into salary demands when it came to his star players, and the Blackhawks dealt Roenick's rights to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for Alexei Zhamnov, Craig Mills, and a 1997 first-round selection. Roenick would eventually sign in Phoenix and have a solid campaign, but one has to wonder if things would have been better in DC.

You might be thinking, "Teebz, where are you coming up with this madness?", but it seems that Roenick was set on getting paid in 1996. One of the teams he met with as a restricted free agent was the Washington Capitals who desperately needed a first-line center.

On August 20, 1996, the Associated Press reported that Roenick met with Capitals GM David Poile "for six hours" about joining the Capitals!

It's not a stretch to suggest that the Capitals may have been seeking a better centerman than Michal Pivonka to play alongside Peter Bondra, and Jeremy Roenick would certainly be an upgrade on the likes of Pivonka, Joe Juneau, and Dale Hunter. Add in the fact that Washington had added Phil Housley to a blue line that boasted both Sergei Gonchar and Calle Johansson, and it looked like the Capitals were gearing up for a big 1996-97 season in the Atlantic Division.

This meeting came four days after the Coyotes had acquired Roenick's rights, so one had to wonder why the Coyotes weren't aggressively trying to sign their newest star. It seems the Coyotes weren't interested in paying Roenick what he believed he was worth just like Chicago, and that prompted Roenick to seek employment with other NHL teams who would pay what he wanted to be paid.

Obviously, we know that Washington didn't sign Roenick as he never appeared in a Capitals' jersey in his career, and he would eventually sign a five-year, $20-million contract with the Phoenix Coyotes on October 15 after the Coyotes needed a centerman following an injury to Cliff Ronning. It seems that for all the nickel-and-diming the Coyotes were doing, the contract made sense with Roenick finishing the 1996-97 season with 29 goals and 69 points in 72 games.

Phoenix would fall in seven games to the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the opening round of the 1997 Stanley Cup Playoffs, but that was further than Washington got as the Capitals missed the playoff altogether. Clearly, the Capitals could have used Roenick as much as the Coyotes needed him, but we'll never know if he could have made a bigger impact in Washington than what he made in Phoenix.

JR in DC - it almost happened in the summer of 1996!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!