Maybe I am being naive but if Comcast's side of the story is true (that D* Wants to move the Versus to the Sports pack and deprive fans of NHL Hockey), I don't think D* would feel inclined to give out free fredits/free center ice to unhappy customers.
with that said, D* May cave in because of the amount of people canceling D* In favor another provider that has playoffs
Maybe I'm incorrect on the details, but directv giving people free center ice in exchange for dropping versus probably works out financially in directv's favor.
They dont have to pay comcast for versus, and they probably paid a one time fee to the NHL to carry center ice, not a per subscriber fee.
Of course, if you wanted versus for other stuff, then your SOL. Of course, if directv carries that sport as a package that they pay an annual fee for, they could give that to you for free and still be financially better off.