When Brooks Oprik signed a five-year, $27.5 million contract with the Capitals four years ago, a former Caps beat writer described the move to me as ‘stupid.’
Considering Orpik’s age (he was about to turn 34), and the length of the contract, the move did indeed seem odd, though it’s possible Matt Niskanen, who also signed with the Caps, wanted Orpik to come with him from Pittsburgh.
Orpik became an alternate captain, and the organization praised him for his locker-room presence and for helping to coach younger defensemen. But his on-ice numbers, particularly things like CORSI, led to countless articles, including on this site, to question GM Brian Maclellan’s move to have a high-dollar, older defenseman play in the place of younger, faster players with a lower cap hit.