Comrie needed the opportunity for his lifetime

Comrie needed the opportunity for his lifetime

Having former Blackhawks teammates Eager, Andrew Ladd and Brent Sopel with him has made for a smooth transition off the ice. “It makes it a lot easier,” Byfuglien in a New York Rangers jersey said. The Thrashers have reached the playoffs just once in their history and have never won a postseason game. But Byfuglin, who played three seasons in Chicago, likens his new team to where the Blackhawks were just a few years ago. “I think there is a big upside here,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of young, hard-working players and some veterans with Rangers jerseys who know how to win. I see a lot of good things. I think it’s going to be exciting.”

Mike Comrie didn’t need the money. The son of furniture magnate Bill Comrie in a New York Islanders jersey, the husband of entertainer Hilary Duff and a nine-year NHL veteran with plenty of his own cash, Comrie needed the opportunity. He had bounced all over the NHL and back again – going from the Edmonton Oilers to the Philadelphia Flyers to the Phoenix Coyotes to the Ottawa Senators to the New York Islanders in islanders jerseys, then to the Senators for a second tour, then to the Oilers once more. He had been part of contract squabbles, trades and free-agent signings. He had battled illness and injury. He had made one Stanley Cup run, advancing to the final with the Sens in 2007, but otherwise had never come close.

For the Pittsburgh Penguins, it might turn out be the bargain of the NHL offseason. They signed Comrie to a one-year, $500,000 contract, and already he has shown the potential to put up big numbers for one of the NHL’s top Cup contenders. He scored a team-leading four goals in four preseason games and added an assist with ottawa senators jersey, mostly centering a line with winger Evgeni Malkin on his right side. “Mike is an extremely smart and intelligent hockey player,” Penguins coach Dan Bylsma told reporters after Comrie scored twice wearing senators jersey Sunday in a 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. “I wanted to give him a chance to read off of Geno. That was my initial thought. They have shown some chemistry that seems to just keep getting better.”

Comrie, 30, was interested in coming to Detroit. His skills and smarts seemed well-suited for the Wings’ puck-possession style, and he was familiar with the area, having spent two years at the University of Michigan. But when the Wings signed Mike Modano wearing philadelphia flyers jersey on Aug. 6 to center their third line and pump up their second power play unit, they had no room for Comrie. “I talked to a few teams,” Comrie said. “But this team with flyers jerseys was definitely one where I hoped I could come in and be a guy that the team could count on.”

Penguins GM Ray Shero told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Comrie didn’t become a possibility until “sometime in August.” Even then, Shero in a toronto maple leafs jersey and his staff didn’t jump at the chance. They considered other options, and then finally signed Comrie at a rock-bottom price on Sept. 3. It was a low-risk, high-reward move. At worst, Comrie doesn’t pan out with leaf jerseys, and the Penguins are out only half-a-million bucks. At best, Comrie clicks with the likes of Malkin and Sidney Crosby, contributes on the power play and rediscovers his scoring touch. Comrie’s numbers have slipped in recent years, but he has produced as many as 30 goals and 60 points twice in his career.

If Comrie continues to play with Malkin in a lightning jersey, he could hardly find himself in a better situation. He isn’t the only hungry player eager to prove himself. After battling with an injured shoulder last season and posting career lows in games (67), goals (28), assists (49) and points (77), Malkin is healthy and looking to return to top form. “It’s not like he had a bad year,” Crosby wearing tampa bay lightning jersey said. “He probably didn’t have the year he wanted to, and that would be something you’d have to talk to him about. But he’s competitive. He has high expectations of himself. He knows there’s a lot of pressure on him.