Time to shop Green

After prolonged time to heal this offseason thanks to the lockout, it was hoped that Mike Green would enter the season healthy.  So far this season, he has missed eight games.  When he initially injured his groin, he missed only three games before returning saying his groin was feeling 100%.

I guess that was wishful thinking.

Injuries are becoming a troubling issue for Green as they have cut his past two seasons short. Green played only 81 games combined in those seasons.

Predictably, his production has declined as well. Green was on pace in both the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons for his lowest point totals since 2006-07. Green’s scoring ability was a luxury the team enjoyed, but without it he’s a very average defenseman. He tallied a whopping 76 points in 2009-10, but he was the team’s worst player in the infamous first round defeat at the hands of Montreal.

What makes Green so valuable is his offensive abilities. It would be nice to have Green back in the lineup, but if he is not producing, then he adds just another body to an already crowded blue line. As his production and health continually seem to decline, the Caps need to shop him in the offseason before another lackluster season takes away any trade value he may still have.

Obviously other teams will be aware of Green’s injury concerns, but they will be aware of his upside as well. At 27 years old, there will be numerous teams willing to roll the dice on Green, but the clock is ticking. The more Green struggles this season, the lower his trade value slips.

Still, it is hard to imagine there will be no interest for Green. He’s a great player when he’s healthy, but it just does not seem to be working out in DC anymore. Better to trade him now while he still has some value than hold on to him and risk watching his career disintegrate.