Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Free Agent Madness: Petr Sykora

Welcome to the newest Outsider Feature: Free Agent Madness. It'll run as long as it keeps me entertained. Then, most likely, it'll be back to shiny, jingly things like key rings & pocket change - but for now, enjoy & comment.


Free Agent Madness
Petr Sykora

Word has come through that while in his native Cezch Republic, Sykora has wondered aloud whether or not he should return to the Pens, or find another NHL team. Let's take a look a Pety's file, shall we?

The Good
- Pretty solid on the power play, career-wise.
- .74 PPG since he entered the league - another solid stat.
- Potted 15 PPGs in 76 games last year.
- Probably still capable of a 50 point season, which would be on par for a 2nd line RW (the likeliest place for him in Atlanta).
- Seemed to play his best with Geno Malkin, which bodes well for playing with guys like White & Pevs (smart, puck distributing centers).
- Has two cup rings.

The Bad
- Only played 7 games in the playoffs.
- Injuries seemed to be a constant last year (Respiratory infection, goin, foot, etc.).
- Frank D. at PensBurgh seems to think Sykora's been a little slumpy this year.
- Cap hit of $2.5 mil over the last two years with the Pens seems to be a bit more than what we're looking to spend for a top-six forward (I literally had to choke down bile as I typed that sentence).
- Might send some folks into booze-fueled depression to see him leave Pittsburgh.

Outsider Verdict

As hockey players go, Petr Sykora would be a solid pickup for any team. age is a-creepin up on him, but he's still got plenty left in the tank. At the right cap number Sykora is gold. But the combination of the ASGs unwillingness to spend and Atlanta not being (shall we say) very attractive to FAs who are used to any high degree of success should keep Blueland free of the Petr Fevr for the time being.

Thoughts?

1 comment:

Mortimer Peacock said...

I say no. I mean, he could be worse, but...