Karl Alzner is a restricted free agent, and the Washington Capitals surely want to keep him after he had a breakout season in 2010/11. However, the Capitals have yet to come to an agreement with him and are already over the salary cap. They can still sign Alzner, but will have to cut salary elsewhere before opening day.
All this has caused Alzner to be admittedly anxious about his status. In an interview with Boomer and Walker on SportsNet 960 The Fan in Calgary, he said being a restricted free agency is a "little bit scary" for him.
Right now, actually, it [weighs on me] probably more than it should. I think about it quite often because obviously I want a contract. It would be nice to know exactly what's going on. Now, there's possibilities where things could happen -- I'm not saying that it will -- but nobody right now knows where I'm going to play next year. That's the thing that's a little bit scary for me right now, the unknown. I want to get something done, but you just got to wait for the right thing to be there. At this point, you've just got to be patient.
Alzner did say he wanted to return to Washington and that he is already working on his game to "do a lot more out on the ice." He said his preference is to stay because the Capitals are so close to a Stanley Cup.
[Leaving a team that's close is] not a very good feeling, and I don't want to be the guy who's next to do that. Obviously, it looks like a very bright future in Washington. I definitely want to be a part of that and help them win. But like I said, it's in my hands but it's out of my hands right now. We just have to crunch some numbers and see how it unfolds.
Alzner is expected to command at least $3 million a season and is one of the top defensemen on the market.
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