The Free Press’s Helene St. James posted a morning profile of Red Wings free agent signing Christian Fischer, a middle-six, penalty-killing forward who hopes to bring physicality to his new team:
Christian Fischer is 6 feet 2, 212 pounds and shoots right; he adds size to the lineup, but he’s not the type whose physicality leads to penalties that hurt his own team.
“His role as a right winger was something of need, a little bit bigger guy,” Yzerman said after signing Fischer for one year, $1.25 million in July. “I won’t speak for Derek (Lalonde), but at times he likes a big matchup line, a defensive line, and Christian helps on the right side. Christian is a real good checker, straight up and down right winger.”
Yzerman signed Fischer, 26, on the second day of free agency. Fischer is coming off a solid season with the Arizona Coyotes, posting 13 goals and 14 assists in 80 games. He’s a veteran of 398 career NHL games, all with the Coyotes, who drafted him in the second round, No. 32 overall, in 2015. He has 56 goals, 55 assists and 99 penalty minutes in six-plus seasons, along with a minus-60 rating that’s more reflective of how much the franchise has struggled than Fischer’s commitment to a two-way game.
“It’s very cliché to say, but I value playing the D side of the puck,” Fischer said. “Over my years in Arizona, I’ve really solidified a role of playing a lot, and for the last three to four years, I was taking every D-zone draw with our team’s top line. I was PK-ing as one of the first guys out the front door. I’d like to say I do a lot of those dirty things. They’re not goals and assists, but everyone knows that’s how you win hockey games.”
Continued; if Fischer is on the third line with J.T. Compher, one wonders who earns that coveted third spot on that particular line…Presuming that everyone is healthy coming out of training camp.
