Mike Peca Chooses… Columbus! WTF??

The verdict is in and Mike Peca has chosen to sign a contract for the upcoming season with… the Columbus Blue Jackets. I haven’t been following the situation all that closely, but given all the rumors swirling around Peca and the New York Rangers, this move is a little surprising to say the least. And as you can obviously see, playing for a contender was not a high priority for Peca.

Here’s some reaction from the internets…

Battle of New York

“Glen Sather opted to pass on signing Peca, and I for one feel it is a good non-signing. Leaving the cap room available should we acquire a defenseman is the first good thing that comes from this. Second, should Hosaa not be on the top line, replaced by Straka, it gives some kids a chance to compete for the third line center position.”

Eric McErlain at the FanHouse

“…adding Peca to a team in search of an identity like Columbus seems like a no-brainer. Then again, one wonders just how long Peca will stay. No matter how much Columbus might improve this year, nobody has them projected to be a playoff contender, and it would make sense if Peca was simply looking for a safe place to re-establish his reputation on the ice ahead of next Spring’s trade deadline.”

James Mirtle

“In any event, this franchise has to make some sort of a move toward playoff contention in the near future, and I can’t see it happening this season — even though there’ve been some strides on the blue line and in goal. Goal scoring remains the team’s Achilles’ heel and Peca doesn’t help there.”

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