The Donald Departs the District

While other teams were happy to toss commits tens of millions of dollars in new free agent contracts at the start of the NHL's free agent signing period, the Washington Capitals kept things relatively quiet. Sure, they did make one major deal, signing Mike Knuble to a tidy two-year, $5.6 million contract. The 37-year old right wing, best known for doing the dirty work in front of the net that Washington so desperately needs, was available for the right price, so the team pulled the trigger. But the name that's on the lips of a lot of local hockey fans in D.C. today is Donald Brashear. In his three years with the Caps, Brashear quickly became one of the team's more popular players, and it was never too long before one of his teammates would talk about how Brashear's mere presence on the bench helped open up the ice for his more talented teammates. But now, after a spring where some rumors had him headed to the KHL, Brashear signed a two-year, $2.8 million contra...