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White is a great utility guy who proved his worth last season with the Flyers by posting 11 goals, five assists, 101 PIM and 208 hits while skating predominantly on the fourth line. His role will be similar with Arizona, as the winger has a plethora of talent before him that's just waiting to blossom. The 28-year-old will establish his physical presence as usual, so if you’re in need of toughness, White is worth a look; just understand that the 2006 third-round pick probably won’t offer much else.
White played a career-high 52 games with Montreal last season, but was not brought back and became an unrestricted free agent. He's a fourth-line agitator who sometimes agitates himself into dumb penalties. He gives relentess effort but has little in the way of offensive skill. At this time, he's still looking to hook on with a team.
White had just one point (a goal) in 26 games played and was second on the team in penalty minutes with 67. That should tell you all you need to know about the fourth-line center. He'll go to the wall for the team, but that sometimes leads to problems. Most notably, he took a couple of bad penalties that had a hand in two Montreal losses early in the season and had to fight his way out of the doghouse. He eventually earned back the confidence of head coach Michel Therrien and the organization re-signed him to a one-year deal in the offseason. He'll return as a fourth-liner/healthy scratch player for the 2013-14 season.
White missed the start of the 2011-12 season due to a sports hernia and was limited to 20 games with the Canadiens. He was signed to a one-year deal in the offseason and will bring the fourth-line grit for which he's become known. There's no subtlety here. The Habs want him to be part of the newer, tougher Montreal. White and Michael Blunden occupy the same role, so keeping both on the roster will be redundant.
White was called up from Hamilton in January and after some initial stumbles, including a subsequent demotion to the AHL and some healthy scratches, stuck with the Canadiens as regular on the fourth line for the final 25 games of the season. He played all seven of Montreal’s playoff games, giving the Canadiens a bit of sandpaper on the forward line and earned himself a one-year deal in the offseason. It looks like he’ll make the major league roster from the get-go in 2011-12, but we don’t see a big offensive role for him.
An interesting player to watch this season might come from one of the most unlikely source. White currently sits at right wing on the fourth line. His minor league career has showed a gritty and impactful side of White that Montreal hopes will come out this year. While racking up consistent 60 point season he also was a forceful checker registering over 500 PIM in four-plus seasons.
White is an energy player who is like a buzzsaw on the forecheck. He projects as the kind of guy a coach will send over the boards to handle the hard stuff -- killing off penalties and protecting late-game leads. Yes, he can score but his skills are average at best, and he's already gotten that dreaded "character player" label. He'll be invaluable on the ice but not so hot on your fantasy roster.
