An injury to former Rangers forward Derek Dorsett opened the door for Carcillo who was acquired in January from the Rangers’ eventual Stanley Cup Finals opponent Los Angeles Kings. Though the 31-year-old grinder managed just three goals in 31 regular season games, he showed enough to head coach Alain Vigneault and GM Glen Sather that the organization traded away Dorsett, opening the door for Carcillo to earn a spot in training camp. The Ontario native is merely a bottom-six forward at best; his mix of feistiness (career-high 207 penalty minutes in 2009-10) and intermittant ability to bury a timely goal (two goals in eight post season games last year) does not quite make him fantasy-relevant.
Carcillo was signed before last season to provide a physical presence for the team, but he was limited to just 28 games after tearing his ACL on a questionable hit from then-Oiler Tom Gilbert. He is expected to be 100 percent when the season starts and will be a key part of the Hawks' 2012-13 season. He should be able to deliver like he did in Philly in 2009-10 (207 PIMs and 194 hits); 20 points would be a bonus for the premier pugilist.
Only two seasons ago Dan Carcillo was on the other side of the Stanley Cup finals with the Flyers. Carcillo hopes to give more room on the ice for the likes of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane after the team suffered from a lack of muscle in 2010-11. Carcillo's numbers dropped significantly last season from 22 points in 2009-10 to six points while his penalty minutes dropped 207 to 127 as his games dropped from 76 to 57, partly because of a knee injury. The key for Carcillo is not going overboard with the muscle. Too much of the fisticuffs would lend to fewer games this season.
Carcillo played 76 games during the regular season last year, but was shuffled in and out of the lineup during the playoffs. His rough-and-tumble style isn't exactly a unique or irreplaceable skill set, but Carcillo is one of the best at racking up penalty minutes. His 207 PIMs last season was the fourth-highest total league-wide and he led the NHL in the category in 2008-09 with 254. He's a streaky goal-scorer who can provides upwards of 10 assists per season, but his real value comes in how much time he puts in the penalty box seating area.
The Flyers will look for Carcillo to make team hard to paly against. Carcillo plays an extremely upbeat, aggressive style of play and needs to continue to do that to keep being productive. He will chip in with some offense occaisonally but his true litmus test will be playing relatively clean and not taking too many penalties and/or suspensions that end up hurting the team.
If you had Daniel Carcillo on your fantasy team last year, and if your league rewarded players with points for PIMs, you were more than satisfied as he led the league with that statistic. However, with the addition of Brian McGrattan and Todd Fedoruk to the Coyotes' roster, he most likely will return to being an agitator and try to contribute offense. There is no doubt that the physical element is still part of his game, but with the muscle that the Coyotes have added, his opportunities might become somewhat diminished.
Daniel Carcillo impressed many on the Phoenix Coyotes for his style of play and for his work ethic. He is an aggressive player that can hit and skate. He has been compared to Sean Avery and his aggression can cause distractions as he seems to not know to pick his spots when agitating his opponents. He would be a better hockey player if he concentrates more on his hockey skills. He should improve his overall stats as he most likely will be used in many different situations.
Carcillo collected 311 penalty minutes in just 51 games while playing for Wilkes-Barre in 2005. The 21-year-old right winger also showed he can score a bit, as evidenced by his 11 goals and 13 assists. He's not the biggest skater on the pond (5-foot-11, 202 pounds), but the Penguins are in need of players with nasty dispositions like Carcillo's.
