97.1 the Ticket’s Will Burchfield took note of the comments made by Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman today, and Burchfield took note of Yzerman’s belief that signing J.T. Compher to a 5-year contract was worth the price of admission:
As for the decisions the Wings have already made in free agency, Yzerman said that “on each player, very comfortable with the term of all the contracts we did.” Asked specifically about Compher, who hadn’t topped 33 points in six seasons with the Avalanche prior to last season and nevertheless reeled in a big-money deal from Detroit, Yzerman said the 28-year-old is a “very good athlete and a good skater” who can handle the NHL grind. He also brings flexibility up front, on top of his Stanley Cup-winning pedigree.
“Anything can happen injury wise, but at this stage, a five-year term is reasonable,” Yzerman said. “What I do like is his versatility as a hockey player. He’s a natural right-shot centermen, which we don’t have at this time, who has played all three forward positions, has played on the power play, does kill penalties. I think he’s a very versatile player for us. And again, that ability to move around, to me, makes him very valuable.”
Compher’s offensive breakthrough last season did come with a bigger role, and a similar one likely awaits him in Detroit. On an Avalanche team riddled by injuries, he finished third among forwards in ice time, behind only Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen. Compher’s 20:32 per night was more than three minutes higher than his previous career high. He put it to good use.
“Very familiar with his career,” said Yzerman. “I’ve watched him all along, and in particular last year where he’s in a free agent year and knowing (Colorado’s) cap situation, we kept a close eye on him. He played a bigger role there this year, we got to see some of his versatility, and he thrived in that role.”
