A little over a week until training camp starts and Penguin GM Ray Shero is still fine tuning the Penguins roster. Today he signed center journeyman Mike Comrie to a one year deal. While PenguinPoop writer Reg Dunlop and I tried all day to post this from our none functioning phones we had plenty of time to debate the why this signing took place.
The Penguins are the deepest team in the NHL down the middle so signing another center is a very odd thing to do. Is it possible that Jordan Staal’s foot is worse off than they have been saying? There has also been talk of putting Malkin and Crosby on the same line or Malkin and Staal on the same line, this all could be stemming from the fact that Malkin is horrible at faceoffs to the tune of about a 39% win percentage. (check out FrankD at Pensburgh: Evgeni Malkin: Not So Good on the Draw)
Malkin and Crosby on the same line has worked in the past for about a game then goes sour fast when the other teams start putting all there best defensive players against them. Staal already has a great third line. What if Comrie could center a Malkin line? This would give the Penguins possible three great scoring lines and possibly the best checking line in the NHL between Talbot, Asham, Goddard and Rupp.
Comrie turns 30 next Saturday and already has five seasons of 20 or more goals under his belt. Bringing both Comrie and Arron Asham in inexpensively really adds a lot of depth to the Penguin roster. This means players like Eric Tangradi and other WBS Penguins who were looking at a few easy open roster spots on the big team are going to have to earn it. Competition is a good thing – right?
On a side note: The Penguins have been in dire need of a scoring winger, I should say a Right handed scoring winger for about 2 seasons now. The one sided powerplay will be one sided once again this season unless Shero makes a trade which is very possible with the depth the Penguins now have.
Another side note: Mike Comrie married Hilary Duff this summer.
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