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Green wants to return to Washington: “I believe we’re going to win a Cup here”

Mike Green

There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Washington Capitals at the moment. The head coaching job is vacant, Alex Semin sounds like he’s ready to leave and All-Star defenseman Dennis Wideman is an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

So it was probably nice for GM George McPhee to hear Mike Green wants to stay put.

“Absolutely, I love it here,” Green told CSN Washington. “This is a great organization, a great city and I believe that we’re going to win a Cup here and I want to be a part of it.”

Of course, it might not all be music to McPhee’s ears.

The hiccup with Green’s situation is that he’s an RFA. To retain his rights, the Capitals must make qualifying offer equal to his 2011-12 salary.

Green made $5 million last year.

The 26-year-old has also been chronically injured -- missing 83 games over the last two seasons -- and seen his offensive numbers plummet. Green, who once threatened to break the franchise record for goals by a defenseman, failed to record a single tally in his last 22 games of the year.

But when healthy, Green is a rare talent. He’s twice been nominated for the Norris Trophy and is only two seasons removed from a career-high 76 point campaign.

So, what’s his value heading into next season?

“That’s something that we’ll talk about, I’m sure, after things settle down here,” he said. “I’m excited to come back if that’s the game plan. That’s what I want, but we’ll see.”