There had to have been a reason for Mike Comrie's lack of production to start the season, right? After all, he looked pretty solid during the preseason, was even rumored to be a perfect fit on Sidney Crosby's wing and had the makings of a first liner at best, second liner at worst.
It turns out Comrie was playing through a hip injury for most of his 2010 season, an injury he sustained in the Penguins' second game of the season against the Canadiens, as noted in today's Trib Review.
And now, the news is worse.
From that same article:
"He was trying to battle through and work with the injury he did have," Bylsma said. "At one point, it did get worse. That's when we removed him from the ice, settled it down and started the rehab." The rehab apparently isn't working. Comrie is scheduled to see a doctor regarding the hip injury Dec. 27. He produced four goals during that time and displayed instant chemistry with Evgeni Malkin.
I know Comrie has taken a lot of flak on the site for his limited production during the season, but it looks like he was ultimately just trying to keep his ice time intact while struggling through this injury. I think I speak for everyone when I say it's pretty disappointing to see a guy sustain something like that in the second game of the year, but if anyone's upset about it I'm sure it's Comrie himself.