What makes a good center? Solid face off win %, high quality of play making ability, the ability to see the entire sheet of ice, able to win battles for the puck, and some decent defense. They are the quarterback on any given line, and must direct the flow of the team while on the ice.
The biggest thing that a center needs to be able to do? Stay healthy.
Join us while we discuss the high risk option of Mike Comrie, currently of the Edmonton Oilers.
Current Cap Hit: $1.25 million
Nathan: If it weren't for his injury concerns, I'd snap up Comrie as depth, but he's not good enough to be top six, nor is he healthy enough to be solid depth. So ...
Verdict: Pass
Buddha: Let's see... good in the circle? 53.2%, check. High quality of play making... sketchy at best. Decent defense? A -9 in 43 games... nope. Able to win battles for the puck? At 5-1, 185, he could easily be man handled. Ability to stay healthy? 43 games last season, 63 the season before, only three times in 12 seasons has he approached a full season. No way. This guy makes Marian Gaborik look like Lou Gehrig.
Verdict: Not worth any amount of money, even if Hillary Duff is part of the package.
JS: Another big-ass question mark hovering around this guy. Bouts with inconsistency and injuries make him a risky, if inexpensive choice. He managed 21 points in 43 games, and considering the guys he played with, it could be deemed as not too bad. Maybe with Havlat and BTE, he could be rejuvenated. Again, he's a pretty risky choice, but it could pay off. Not too bad on the faceoff circle either, but injury prone and smallish. If we could have him at 1 million, it would leave lots of cap space and he would still probably be our best option at 2nd line center.
Verdict: 1 year, 1 - 1.5 million