Crombine is a firecracker on ice, but he's a one-dimensional fantasy threat. Can you afford to carry a mid-range PIMs man? There are probably meatheads available who'll give you more.
The Bolts signed Crombeen to replace the grit of the traded Steve Downie. Trouble is, Crombeen doesn't have Downie's speed or skill, so his value will be restricted to the deepest of sin bin formats.
The Blues re-signed Crombeen to a two-year deal in the offseason and he’ll reprise his role as a third/fourth line enforcer. He most effective in the corners and mixing it up, and will likely supplant Cam Janssen as the team’s leading tough guy. Crombeen’s been a top-15 guy in terms of penalty minutes the last three seasons and could move up without Janssen around.
Crombeen was a fixture on the Blues' third line last season, as well as fixture in the penalty box. He recorded 168 minutes in penalties, spending a little over two minutes per game serving an infraction. That tells you all you need to know about him. He's not blessed with a deft scoring touch, but is a tough player in the corners and will protect his teammates. For a team so in need of a scoring punch, we may not see Crombeen in the top nine with Matt D'Agostini and Vladimir Sobotka competing for third-line minutes.
Crombeen will compete for a spot on the fourth line. He lacks scoring punch, but is the type of player a hockey team needs. He's belligerent, battles in the corners and protects his teammates.
Crombeen provided some bulk up front when called upon, something he may be asked to do more often with the departure of Antii Miettinen. He'll be a depth player for the Stars, but could be a decent source of PIMs (39 in eight games last year) for those digging deep for knuckle-chuckers.
Crombeen's play has been slow to come around after being Dallas' second round pick in 2003. He played most of the 2006-07 season in Finland (55 games, 13 goals, 152 PIMs) but hasn't had much success above the junior level during his pro career. A return stint with Iowa of the AHL seems likely.
Playing for Assat in Finland's SM-Liga this season following a poor season (5 goals, 7 assists in 52 games) for Iowa last year.
Second in goals and PIMs for the Barrie Colts of the OHL in 2004-05, Crombeen is expected to play for Iowa of the AHL this season.
