More Rumored Names

So my secondhand inside source has thrown a few more names into the Hawks Rumor Mill:

Samuel Pahlsson, C, ANA

Pahlson is another guy who won't answer the expressed need of an offensive centerman. However, he seems like a really valuable intangibles guy. Despite only having one double-digit goal season (11 in 05-06) and never reaching 20 assists, the guy gets a ton of minutes and plays nearly every night (didn't miss a game for three straight seasons at one point).

So if he's not bringing offense but is getting trusted with a lot of minutes (he currently is third among Ducks forwards, behind only their two leading scorers), he must be a heck of a defender and face-off guy. And to some extent, the numbers bear that out. He regularly is in the 53-55% face-off win range, and his plus-minus has hovered right around zero prior to this season. For a guy who obviously is out there checking the other team's top line, that's not a bad plus-minus at all (tho it's been ugly this year - probably cause the Ducks have struggled). He's also got 13 career short-handed points, which suggests he's a regular on the PK.

When you factor in that he's a proven vet (31, 8 years in the league) with a ring (as a key checking forward with the Ducks) and costs ya only $1.4M for this year, I can see how he'd be a nice piece of the playoff push. The Hawks clearly have nothing to lose in obtaining a centerman (would anyone really miss either Buff or Brouwer?) and a lot to gain (I hate seeing either Sharp's or Versteeg's gifted play be cramped by being out of position). And while some would much rather see a high-scoring center, I'm absolutely fine with a good fundamentally sound veteran who can play defense and win face-offs.


Dominic Moore, C, TOR

A very interesting case - the guy bounced around the league without any great impact for a few seasons before finally settling with Toronto last year and starting to show some promise at the ripe age of 27. This year he's really broken out upon being given a significant role, with 11 goals (career high) and 28 assists. That assist number is almost as many as he had in his first three full seasons COMBINED. Given how horrid the Leafs are, those are impressive numbres.

As a natural centerman, solid on the face-offs (around 51-52% over his career), and playing his best hockey, Moore would be an upgrade for the Hawks. Like Pahlsson, he clearly fits a need at center. And with only a one-year $900k deal, there's no financial downside. But is this guy the best you can do? Not overly proven either offensively or defensively, is it worth messing with the chemistry? Or maybe this is another diamond in the rough, a guy who's showing talent now that he's got a shot, and could fit in as a longterm answer at center for the Hawks. Hard to say.