It's not fair to call the Capitals signing of Brendan Morrison controversial, but it is one that has its champions and dissenters.

The soon-to-be-34-year-old has been off-par recently and if it weren't for the bargain bin price the Caps signed him for ($1.5 mil), the cows in the Caps Nation would be mighty restless.

So that's why we've decided to breakdown some of the recent quotes and commentary about the newest Cap and read between the lines.

Brendan Morrison is now on a contract year - It's no secret, players tend to perform at their best when they are at the end of a contract. A strong contract-ending season means larger offer sheets. While Morrison may have chosen the Capitals because they are winning squad, they are also the best team that he could possibly pad his stats with. See Dainus Zubrus for a lesson in "Ovie-nomics: The Art of Getting More Money Because You Played With The Best"

"He has a clean bill of health and is committed to coming to camp in great shape," GM George McPhee said through a team spokesman. "We think he could really flourish here." - Part of the reason every club that was interested in Morrison offered only a year is because he's a liability. Knee, hip, groin and wrist injuries have been the culprits, and this isn't exactly Tom Brady returning from his first major sports injury.

Morrison is a character signing - Morrison's skill set isn't strong enough to earn him the second line center job by name alone. He also isn't exactly as fast as he used to be (see the above comments), so the Capitals are hoping that Morrison can find his game this season and use him as a bridge to Anton Gustafsson and Marcus Johansson -- both could be in Washington next season.

"It would also appear that today's signing has all but eaten up the remaining space the Caps had under the $56.8 million salary cap ceiling" - Expect a move, and possibly a sizeable one, but before you start tooting your "trade Nylander horn," remember that the Caps survived with their heads brushing against the ceiling last year. While the addition of Morrison might be another "Michael, we don't like you" moment, there's no guarantee that the Caps will be rid of Nylander any time soon.

"Morrison earned $2.75 last season, so he's taking a decent pay cut to come to Washington." - We've already learned why he's taking the pay cut, but for dissenters consider this; Donald Brashear wanted $1.4 million to play less than 10 minutes a game. Morrison is getting $.1 million more than Brash wanted and will possibly play top-six minutes. That's a steal.

Morrison and Mike Knuble are former teammates in collge and the SEL - For those of you who like to play armchair line-maker, begin making up your dream Morrison and Knuble line now. Bruce Boudreau loves to change the lines; in fact, it's rare a line stays together for more than a few games. With the Semin-Ovechkin-Backstrom (SOB) line likely to see daylight more than once, you have to think the Caps put serious thought into re-igniting any chemistry Knuble and Morrison may have had.

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