Capitals Re-Sign John Erskine

[Thrillhouse]

ARLINGTON, Va. - The Washington Capitals have re-signed defenseman John Erskine to a two-year contract, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced today.

Erskine, 27, played 29 for the Capitals last season and finished with 69 penalty minutes, which included a career-high 29 penalty minutes on Nov. 22 against Atlanta. He also registered a career-high seven points with one goal and six assists.

The 6'4", 216-pound native of Kingston, Ontario, was a second-round selection of the Dallas Stars, 39th overall, in the 1998 Entry Draft. He missed 25 games in the middle of last season with a fractured foot and sat out the final 14 games of the year with a dislocated thumb.

[Snipes19]

Great news.

This guy is a heavyweight, and I always like to see them get a new deal. Granted, with Brashear in Washington Erskine doesn't fight as many heavys, but he's still a mean and tough player on the blue line nonetheless. Good hitter and fighter.

I've always liked watching Erskine play.

[JKidd]

Really good to see. Been a fan of Johns for a while, and he is a guy that not only is able to play with the mitts off, but he is able to actually play the game on top of it. For spots last year, he was playing 20+ minutes a night for the Caps and going up against top units.

Hopefully he stays healthy (seems to be his only issue) and is able to play the entire season with'em.

[Humpzilla]

Great to hear Erskine finally get resigned by the Caps. Once Brashear leaves, he should get his shot as the Capitals heavyweight.

I just hope this year he plays a bigger part in the Bolts/Caps series & rivalry.

[dipandmitts]

really great news..thnx for the article thrill

[suckerpunch]

Great news, now the Caps have someone who will fight McGrattan....

[Blouin]

I like this resigning. It gives them a strong D-man and Brashear's replacement

[roy36cairns]

If Erskine stays healthy, he is a top-10 fighter. I bet he racks up at least 10+ FM's this year even with Brashear on the team.

He is a very underrated player as well. With the Caps logjam on D, I was hoping that somehow he would end up in a Pens uniform...

[jayc948]

I hope Erskine stays healthy this year. I think he has a shot at playing a good amount of games this year. It seemed like even though he only played a quarter of the season, he improved his game a lot. It's going to be interesting to see how he fares this season.

[nyisles15]

I loved Erskine for the short time he was on the Isles. He made a name for himself in his first game as an Islander and from what I hear, he was absolutely loved by his teammates and had a great lockerroom presence.

[Mr. America]

I hope he sticks with the caps! They're my 2nd favorite team to watch.

[BGDDYKWL]

$525K this year, $550K next. One-way.

[Kingdog819]

Originally Posted by BGDDYKWL

$525K this year, $550K next. One-way.

very nice. Like others have stated though, he has to stay healthy, but since he has really improved his game, he is worthy for a 3rd line d-man easily.

[Isles4life]

I'm a huge fan and I'm glad to hear he got this contract. I hope we see a lot of him these coming seasons.

[rondo]

Deserving, the guy has paid his dues and it's nice to see it's a one way deal. His game has improved and he is always willing and entertaining in the fight department.