Marc-Andrew Bergeron would fill a second pairing role on many clubs in the league right now. At 30, the guy is right in his prime and already has a few years of NHL play under his belt (7 seasons to be exact). When you look at the teams he's played for in the past - Edmonton, NYI, Anaheim, Minnesota and Montreal, neither have been an exact power house or offensive haven outside of arguably last years Montreal team. However in 60 games last year, he was able to grab 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points. Not too bad for a number 2 pairing. Given that if he played a full season he could potentially have hit the 40 mark for the first time in his career. His career line of 75g and 119a for 194pts in 399gp is very solid and averages to 0.5 pt/g. Again, not bad for a second line pairing or even a third line depth role/insurance for a contender. While he's averaging about even points per period for his career, he has a slightly higher chunk of the pie for the third where he's had 69pts compared to 51pts in the 2nd and 59pts in the 1st. So he can reasonably be put out at any time and find the net for you. Further, he can also perform when the game is on the line.
Now his defensive play is merely average, but his value is strictly tied to his hard shot and offensive abilities to move the puck up the ice. Pair him with a solid stay at home defender and he fits the role perfectly. His only other issue will be how he performs coming off a bad knee injury from last season which will spook teams into offering him a 1 year deal to see how he does before possibly offering something longer. Teams like Dallas, NYI, Toronto, NJ and St. Louis could all use his skills to help better the club for this season. For Dallas (especially need his skills), St. Louis, Ottawa, etc. he could be a great addition to help them get into the playoffs and perform. It won't be too surprising to see him get signed before the Christmas freeze in the next week and a half given that he'll come cheap and be effective.
Now his defensive play is merely average, but his value is strictly tied to his hard shot and offensive abilities to move the puck up the ice. Pair him with a solid stay at home defender and he fits the role perfectly. His only other issue will be how he performs coming off a bad knee injury from last season which will spook teams into offering him a 1 year deal to see how he does before possibly offering something longer. Teams like Dallas, NYI, Toronto, NJ and St. Louis could all use his skills to help better the club for this season. For Dallas (especially need his skills), St. Louis, Ottawa, etc. he could be a great addition to help them get into the playoffs and perform. It won't be too surprising to see him get signed before the Christmas freeze in the next week and a half given that he'll come cheap and be effective.
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