According to Tarik, the Capitals have re-signed winger Tomas Fleischmann to a two-year extension. Fleischmann will earn “$725,000 in each of those seasons, which represents a healthy raise over the $495,000 he’s due to earn this year.”

I’m sure there are more than a couple Capitals fans who will hear the news that Fleischmann was extended and had the initial reaction of “Why?” Perhaps it’s self-centered, but I assume this because that was my initial reaction.

Despite initial reservations Caps fans might have, this move does make a lot of sense for the team. The risk is relatively low, as the commitment from the Capitals side isn’t all that much, either in terms of contract length or monetary value. The potential upside is significant however and as Tarik notes, “With six goals and 15 assists in 53 games, Fleischmann’s production is certainly low for a top-six forward. But the organization — Coach Bruce Boudreau in particular — believes that he’s on the verge of a breakthrough based on his play the past month (eight points in 13 games).” I think that’s a pretty fair assessment, and I too have felt that Flash has looked on the verge of breaking out for twenty games or so. If Fleischmann does end up breaking out and becoming a legitimate top-six forward, great. If he doesn’t the Capitals aren’t too committed to him at this point, at least contract-wise.

The only way the Capitals could get into trouble with Fleischmann would be if they became married to the idea of having him settled amongst the top six forwards, a legitimate concern given that the organization has seemed very committed to Flash so far this season. Five of the top six forward slots are all but taken, at least for next season, with Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Viktor Kozlov, Michael Nylander and Alexander Semin, so the Capitals only need to find one more player who can play at a top-six level. Fleischmann may end up being capable of doing this; he may not. What the Capitals need to remember is that they are fairly deep at wing right now in terms of young players and if Fleischmann can’t raise his game to where it needs to be for him to produce enough to warrant a spot on the top two lines Eric Fehr, Chris Bourque and possibly Francois Bouchard could all be decent options instead. There’s an advantage in numbers here, since the more solid young players a team has the more likely it is that at least one will emerge as a solid (in this case, top six forward caliber) player. Hopefully McPhee and Boudreau can remember that, and are willing to give another player a fair chance if Fleischmann doesn’t step up his game like they think he will.

More reaction from: The Peerless Prognosticator, Mike Vogel, A View from the Cheap Seats and On Frozen Blog.