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TSN is reporting that the Washington Capitals and restricted free agent defenseman Mike Green have come to an agreement on a four-year contract that will pay him an average of $5.25 million per season. The signing has to be seen as a major relief for the franchise, as Green is just the sort of young impact player who may have well attracted an offer sheet from another franchise, this despite the fact that Washington General Manager George McPhee had made it clear from the outset that he would match any offer sheet Green might have received.

With Green signed, the team's immediate concern has to be signing unrestricted free agent goaltender Cristobal Huet. The latest word on those negotiations came from Corey Masisack of The Washington Times, who spoke with Huet's agent Stephen Bartlett. According to Bartlett, he and the Capitals hadn't been in contact for some time, as he had indicated to the team that he and Huet were committed to waiting until today to see what the market has to say about Huet's value. I talked briefly with Bartlett myself last Friday, and he said to me that while the team and Huet were in sync on the length of the contract, the holdup was, as it always is, the dollar amount.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: I was assisting Dr. Mirtle in surgery when the Caps held a conference call, but Puck Daddy was there.