Penguins sign Comrie for 1 year, $500,000
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Mike Comrie, Journeyman has 359 points in 568 NHL games
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Third-line center, if Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal play on the same line. Top-line winger to replace Bill Guerin. Fourth-line utilityman.
The list of where Mike Comrie could end up playing with the Penguins is nearly endless -- perhaps anywhere but center on the top two lines, where Sidney Crosby and Malkin and/or Staal figure to hold tight.
And it matches the list of forward spots Comrie is willing to fill.
"For me, to be able to come in and try to complement the players the Penguins have, to fit in and be a guy that can make plays and play on different lines and give them different looks on a team that can make a playoff run, that's something I'm excited about," Comrie said Friday after signing a one-year contract with the Penguins for $500,000.
"If you get your stick open, there's some world-class guys who can get the puck on my stick."
Comrie, a journeyman who turns 30 next Saturday, could add some scoring punch and maybe a finishing touch from wherever he plays. He has been mostly a right winger in recent seasons but was primarily a center earlier and can play on the left side.
"Versatility," general manager Ray Shero said, "is what really interested us.
"We have no preconceived notions about who he's going to play with or where he's going to play, but he's a competitive guy. He's got quick hands in tight. He's a good, talented offensive player. Maybe on our second power-play unit he could be a guy on the half-wall, a position we've had some trouble filling."
Comrie, 5 feet 10 and 185 pounds, has 167 goals, 359 points in 568 NHL games with Edmonton (twice), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Ottawa (twice) and the New York Islanders. He has scored at least 20 goals five times, at least 30 goals twice. He had 13 goals in 43 games with Edmonton last season, which was cut short by a bout of mononucleosis.
First Published September 4, 2010 12:00 am
