The season's over before we wanted it to, but we have a little more time than most years to look back at the players and see where things could go from here. This idea is, well, borrowed liberally from The Peerless Prognositcator, a very funny and insightful blog that I highly recommend (despite its subject team). It goes by the team's season -so if the player misses a chunk of time, it'll be reflected.
Player: Craig Adams
Role: 4th line forward, PK specialist
Contract status: UFA on July 1, ($550,000 in 2009-10)
You know what you're going to get from Craig Adams. He's going to work hard, be a solid defensive forward and battle. He'll take faceoffs, kill penalties, block shots and do most of the dirty work. The skill players get the glory and have fans wear their jerseys, but a guy like Craig Adams is the coach's favorite player. Because he is reliable, and as a professional, there's fewer better traits to have.
As you can see, there's not too much offensively, as you'd expect. Adams contributions are more than just the numbers, but notice how Adams best splits were at the beginning (and the end) of the season.
Questions: Will Adams be back next season? I think the majority of Pens fans would like to see him return, but there is the matter of a contract. The Pens have a ton of unrestricted forwards in guys like Max Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, Mike Rupp, Arron Asham, Mike Comrie and Eric Godard. Tyler Kennedy and Dustin Jeffrey need new contracts and other young forwards like Nick Johnson (who "looks like an NHL player") and Eric Tangradi will be pushing for full-time jobs too. Where do you slot Adams in that mix, if at all? How long of a contract and how much money would be acceptable?
For the poll- rate Adams' 2010-11 season based off of your expectations for him. If he did the best possible job that he could have done, rank him a 10. If he performed so terribly you cringed when he was on the ice, give him a 1. If he met expectations fine (not good or bad) give him a 5. And remember, it's for his expectations, not a rating of how good his season was compared to say Corey Perry or Daniel Sedin.