As a holdover who many criticize, Tom Poti won’t ease many of the concerns people have about the Washington Capitals defense. That being said, the team decided to extend Poti’s contract, keeping him in the fold for two years after his old deal expires this season.
TSN’s Bob MacKenzie reports that the deal will pay him $3 million in 2011-12 and $2.75 million in 12-13. That new deal will register a $2.875 million annual cap hit after this season.
Poti has been part of the Capitals organization for the last three seasons, with the 09-10 season being his best campaign. He scored 24 points in 70 games with a massive +26 plus/minus. Naturally, some will point out that plenty of players benefited statistically from being on that regular season powerhouse last season, but that’s still an impressive set of numbers for a guy who often gets critiqued for his play in his own end.
He’s a bit injury prone and can struggle a bit on the penalty kill, but some consider him the ninth best defenseman in the Southeast Division. What do you think about the deal?