Nylander “Not Good Enough”?

Coach disputes Nylander's contention

Got your tiny violins ready?  If not, grab them and start playing.  It's time for Caps fans to feel bad for Michael Nylander, the man most love to hate (or at least strongly dislike).

Nyles knows he isn't wanted by the Caps and he says that Coach Boudreau told him that he "wasn't good enough," according to an interview transcribed at Japers' Rink.  Harsh words, for sure, and seemingly out of style with Bruce, the gentle giant.

If it seems out of character for Bruce to trash a player like that, it's because it is -- at least according to Gabby himself.  He said "I do not have any recollection of saying that to Michael. That is not my style, and not something I would say," according to Capitals Insider.

Given how quickly Gabby responded and how out of character it seemed for Bruce, it's likely that Nyles misinterpreted him or that something was lost in the translation.

Still, since Boudreau is a gentleman and won't say it, we could find any number of Caps fans -- hundreds, if not thousands -- who'll do his dirty work because, at the end of the day, Nyles really wasn't good enough.

He's about to enter the third year of a four-year deal and it's been downhill, as you'd expect for an aging forward.

Injuries took away about half his first season with the club.  Last year, he got in just 72 games, and found himself a healthy scratch down the stretch and in the playoffs.

His point production has been dropping faster than Donald Brashear's gloves.  Boudreau gave him plenty of ice time to prove himself, and all he proved was that he wasn't up to the challenge.

So the Caps are stuck with two more years of a player who knows he isn't wanted.  Even if Boudreau won't say he's not good enough to his face, the diminished ice time and scratches communicate it just as strongly.

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