UFA Option: Mike Commodore

There's a nice post up at Black Dog Hates Skunks today, which I'd suggest reading. In the comments section, Andy Grabia (of Battle of Alberta fame) suggests, and not for the first time, the acquisition of Mike Commodore. Commodore is a guy frequently tagged by those of us who follow the Oilers as a possibility to stabilize the defense on next year's team. Let's examine his numbers for the past two seasons, keeping in mind that his 2007-08 numbers were much nicer with Carolina than Ottawa.

Time On Ice/60
2007-08: 14:49 EV, 3:00 SH, 0:22 PP
2006-07: 15:47 EV, 3:43 SH, 0:22 PP

Quality of Competition
2007-08: 4th on team
2006-07: 3rd on team

EV Goal Differential While On Ice/60
2007-08: 2.62GFON - 2.87GAON = -0.25
2006-07: 2.88GFON - 3.42GAON = -0.56

Penalty-killing Goal Differential While On Ice/60
2007-08: -5.96
2006-07: -3.96

RTSS/60
2007-08: 7.14 Hits, 4.71 BKS, 4.81 SH
2006-07: 7.94 Hits, 5.24 BKS, 5.05 SH

PIMs Taken/60
2007-08: 2.98 Minors, 1.98 Majors
2006-07: 3.27 Minors, 0.93 Majors

A few nice points here. Commodore has consistently played second-pairing minutes at even strength, both in quantity of ice-time and quality of competition. He's been decent (a little below break-even) for some poor teams, indicating that he can probably keep his head above water in that role on next year's Oilers. He's OK on the penalty-kill, not great, but would probably be a useful addition for the Oilers in that role. He adds a physical presence, and blocks shots, so he'd obviously be an immediate favourite of Craig MacTavish. He also shoots quite a bit, and based on his offensive numbers is probably decent at clearing the puck out of his zone (anyone who's seen him play more recently, please post your opinion in the comments section). Finally, he fights, something the Oilers could use a little more of.

There are a couple of cons, too, that need to be mentioned. Commodore doesn't usually face the toughest opponents, and that's really what the Oilers need. He could help, but I don't think he's the ideal solution. The other problem with Commodore is that he takes a ton of minor penalties; we all know what a pain it is to have a physical defenseman constantly making his way to the penalty box. All things considered, I think that Commodore is a player of interest to the Oilers, depending on price.