Tale of the tape:
Marcel Goc is a 29 year old, German born center for the Florida Panthers. He stands at 6’1″ and 197 pounds. Goc is a 10 goal, 30 point guy who can win faceoffs and play a defensive role in a tough minutes situation and put up some excellent possession numbers. And he possesses a skill that many fans value heavily, he’s good at faceoffs. Goc is on a very affordable deal, making $1.7M against the cap this year and next, and with the amount of cap space the Habs have, they could easily fit him in.
So to see if Goc is a fit, I asked our SB Nation brothers Litter Box Cats about him. I talked to associate editor Alex Calloway:
Me: Habs fans have expressed some interest in acquiring Marcel Goc for a possible playoff run. How has he played this year relative to the last couple of seasons?
Alex: Last season Goc was part of Florida’s shutdown line along with Sean Bergenheim and Mikael Samuelsson. The line handled the toughest assignments and was able to shutdown the other team’s best lines. He also won 51.6% of his face offs and led all Panther forwards in shorthanded minutes.
This season Goc is playing without both of his linemates from last season (Bergenheim is out for the season with an injury and Samuelsson went back to Detroit), but is still handling tough assignments very well. He still has a 51.6% face off percentage and is second among forwards in ice time.
Me: In your estimation, would Goc be satisfied with a fourth line role? Because I don’t think he could unseat Plekanec, Desharnais, or Eller. Is he a good team guy?
Alex: Goc has been used as a top-six center for some below average scoring teams (Nashville and Florida), but I believe he would take a fourth line role like a professional. I just don’t think he’ll stay there come playoff time.
Me: What do you think the Panthers would be looking for as compensation for Goc should they choose to trade him within the division? (Since we’re in the same division next season)
Alex: That’s a good question. The Panthers already have a talented and deep farm system, so they likely won’t be asking for a prospect or pick. So Goc could be winning faceoffs with the Le-Bleu-Blanc-Rouge for a fourth round pick.
Or an AHLer since Florida has had some injury problems.
Me: That sounds like a very low cost for a player of Goc’s caliber. Thank you for doing this, Alex!
