I’ve brought new Atlanta Thrashers GM Rick Dudley’s fixation on muscle and toughness up a few times already, but fellow former Chicago Blackhawks front office member Dale Tallon likes adding bruisers as well. The new Florida Panthers GM signed tough forward Andrew Peters to a one-year, two-way deal according to George Richards.
At 6'4", 240 lbs., Peters adds another large, menacing presence to a Southeast Division that is transitioning from a finesse-driven group dominated by the Washington Capitals to a stable of feisty squads ... probably still dominated by the Capitals.
Peters engaged in nine fights in 29 games last season according to Hockeyfights.com. Two of those fights were with Thrashers fighter Eric Boulton, so it should be easy to predict that those two will scrap a few times next season with the increased exposure that comes with being division opponents. (Hockey Fights’ polls found that Peters “won” their first fight while the second one was voted a “draw.”)
While I think that the impact of enforcers is declining a bit in the NHL, tough guys will probably have a place as long as fighting is legal. If that holds true, the Andrew Peters of the world will rarely have trouble finding work.