(Caps Outsider)
After playing more than ten years in Washington and Hershey, Caps center and constant unsung hero Jay Beagle has moved on to Vancouver for the next four years at $3 million a year.
As much as we wanted him to continue being the perfect fourth line center for Washington – the guy who kills the hell out of penalties, wins the hell out of faceoffs, is widely loved by everyone, and makes peanuts compared to the stars – Beagle deserves a payday that the Caps weren’t willing to give him. According to spotrac.com, Beagle has earned $9,676,829 in his hockey career, which is at the very low end for players who are in the league for as long as he’s been. At 32 years old, signing with Vancouver was his last chance at a relatively big payday.
Beagle is one of the hardest workers on the team and the team, nor Caps fans, have taken that for granted. He wins faceoffs and kills penalties. If the Caps struggle with either of those next season, it’ll likely be because of Beagle’s absence. That said, it’s unusual to pay a fourth-line center what Beagle truly deserves for his contributions. We’ll even keep rooting for him, as we have for other former Caps who moved on to get money greater than what the team had to spend on them.
I can personally attest that he was one of the nicest, most generous and down-to-earth professional athletes I’ve ever interviewed. He once spent extra time skating with kids at an even at the Gardens Ice House, but didn’t even cut into my one-on-one interview time with him afterward. He showed up at autograph signings, staying until the very end, signing everything and taking as many photos as the fans wanted.
God bless you, Jay Beagle. Thanks for playing a huge part in bringing the Stanley Cup to Washington. You’ve made us fans for life.
