The Washington Capitals have decided not to renew No. 2 center Brendan Morrison’s contract for next season, reports Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post.
The 34-year-old was signed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract last summer in the hopes he could rediscover the point-producing touch he had as a Canuck. But after a fast start in which he scored nine goals and racked up 14 assists in the Caps’ first 29 games, Morrison faded in the second half and was scratched twice in the playoffs.
“We talked to Brendan last week,” McPhee said. “He’s a first class kid, but we aren’t going to renew him.”
My guess is that Morrison could find a job somewhere else in the league, but he’ll probably need to accept the $1.5 million-type deal he received last season. It’s pretty stunning how rapidly his skills eroded, although perhaps he’s just another guy from those Vancouver Canucks team who is suffering from some residual karmic Todd Bertuzzi stink or something. (See: Naslund, Markus)