With the All-Star break now officially underway, I’m going to dedicate the next few posts to rating the performances of the Isles through 50 games.

Today we’ll cover the centers.

Mike Comrie- 14 goals, 22 assists, 36 points. That’s pretty much where you would usually expect him to be at this point in the season. However, when you take into consideration that he’s never gotten this much ice-time in his career on the powerplay and at even strength, Comrie should have at least 45 points. His play in the neutral zone has also been suspect at times, hence the reason for his team leading -13 rating. Luckily he’s scored some big goals for the time, including three game-winners. With Bill Guerin and Richard Park playing as well as they have been the past dozen or so games, Comrie is going to have to step up his game as well.

Rating- B-. Better play in the defensive end and a few more goals on the powerplay could have changed this rating big time.

Mike Sillinger- 14 goals, 12 assists, 26 points. After taking a game off on New Years Eve to heal from a bevy on undisclosed bumps and bruises, Sillinger has been a completely different player and has played an integral part in the success the team has had this year. He’s played in all situations and seems to have rebounded from his bout with ICan’tFinishItis that he had earlier in the season. He’s still one of the leagues best when it comes to face-offs and is still a more than solid leader on the ice. A solid second half could push him back to the 60-point mark that he reached two seasons ago with Nashville and St.Louis and just barely missed with the Isles last season.

Rating- B+ [ If I could rate his play over the past dozen games, I’d easily give him an A+. However, his slow start really hurts his rating.

Josef Vasicek- 11 goals, 8 assists, 19 points. Vasicek is basically the opposite of Sillinger in most respects. He started the season so strongly that for a while he was holding the team down offensively. Then, like it has for most of his career, mediocrity came and bit him in the rump. He has played very well in the defensive end this season, even when he wasn’t producing offensively, which has made him a valuable player on the penalty kill and in close games, but the Isles really need him to find his scoring touch again. Simply put, he needs to park his rear in front of the net more often and get a few garbage goals.

Rating- C+. He’s on pace for his usual type numbers, but just like Comrie, Vasicek is playing more, he should be having the best season of his career. He’s also playing with Miroslav Satan and should be cashing in on some of his shots and getting a little more space on the ice. That isn’t happening.

Andy Hilbert- 5 goals, 4 assists, nine points. Since moving over to the fourth line, Hilbert has been a sparkplug and a revelation. No longer forced to produce, Hilbert may actually crack 10 goals for the Isles this season, after scoring only eight with much more offensive ice-time the year before. He works hard in both ends of the ice and has worked his tail off on the penalty kill. However, with 87 shots on goal, Hilbert hasn’t finished nearly as much as he is capable of. He’s been a proven offensive threat at every other level he’s played at, Hilbert can’t cut it on higher lines and despite his inspired play over the past month, has proven exactly that this season.

Rating- C. If I could rate heart and desire, he’d score much higher, but simply put, the guy has to finish more. There’s no other way to say it.