from Alex Prewitt of The Washington Post,
Mike Green had no desire to discuss the future, because the future might take him away from here. He did not want to consider life beyond this season — whenever the Washington Capitals’ playoff run ends, the defenseman’s contract expires and he enters unrestricted free agency. Sitting at his locker stall in a private moment Monday, inside the practice facility that became his office a decade ago, he tapped his foot and fiddled with his stick. He would not allow himself to think about leaving behind this city, these friends, this home.
“Excuse my language,” he said. “It scares the [heck] out of me.”
The fear is kept at bay, Green explained, by what’s happening all around him. The Capitals have moved within two wins of advancing into the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in his career. They are using a new system under Coach Barry Trotz that liberates Green inside the offensive zone and allows the skilled puck-mover to pick his spots. The summer signings of defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik have lessened the burden on Green, allowing him to finish second among NHL blue-liners in points per 60 minutes, despite averaging his lowest ice time since 2006-07.
Green has never been this happy with the Capitals, he said.
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