Hey! Remember when Burke said they were done for the time being? Remember the depth chart I made yesterday? With that XXX hole in the 4th line center spot signifying the need for a 4th line center? Replace the XXX with the name Phillippe Dupuis.
Dupuis, 26, played with the Colorado Avalanche last season in a depth role. Is he an upgrade on Tim Brent? That remains to be seen. But the difference here is the price-tag. Dupuis signed a one-year, two-way deal - which means he'll be paid an AHL salary if he gets sent down. Brent on the other hand landed a two-year, one-way deal.
While the price tags don't matter to most fans, it's important to some teams. If you get equal value from Dupuis that you did with Brent well then you save yourself a bit of coin and term (Brent's making about 100k more than Dupuis with an additional year on his deal). If he fails to secure a 4th line spot, you don't have to worry about paying him $650k to play in the minors.
Dupuis is a speedy forward who can play a solid defensive role. He can also chip in with some offense from time to time. He's also a willing combatant even though he's not the biggest guy - he had 128 hits last year.
So for the time being, pencil him into that 4th line spot until more depth (if any) is added.
Here's a link to the National Posts article on the signing
