Sure, but if Yelle & Pahlsson could have also chipped in 20 goals a year with 15-20 assists, they’d have been even better. And I think Bowers has 20 goal potential to be drawn out of him to go with that defensive prowess.
Yes they would've been....but they wouldn't have been 3rd/4th line centers then. They would've been flirting with 2nd/3rd line duties at that point and have the higher associated cap hit. At some point, the Avs will need two good offensive lines, a good shutdown line and a line that may or may not be cobbled together with players who are specialty team artists or just getting sheltered while getting their feet wet in the NHL. I don't mind spending money on a good 3rd line center....but when Soda is our 2nd best center, he shouldn't be toiling away in that role. That's where low scoring (cheaper) defensive minded faceoff specialist comes in to play.
I miss Niko. Hell I miss a lot of our our bottom six players from years gone by. They knew their role, played it accordingly and didn't cost much. Podes, Hinote, Messier (also played D). At this point, I'd really like to see Greer get regular minutes on the 4th line, if he starts to show his offensive capabilities at this level he can then be tried on the 3rd and we can bump LBN or Calvert down a line. I just think he is perfectly capable of playing solid minutes and be used in a defensive situation.