This one's a bit surprising to me-I kept thinking they'd sign Robak, which seems really unlikeley now because the Comets are likely to already have enough veteran skaters that they may be platooning them. Perhaps Robak was seeking something the Comets couldn't or wouldn't give him.
I have been mulling this exact dilemma. I see the following as absolutely on the roster. The players are not committed to these exact positions.
Forwards:
Sedin/Sedin/Eriksson
Baertschi/Horvat (they can't possibly leave this kid unsigned)/X
Granlund/Sutter/Y
Z/Gagner/Dorsett
EX
So X/Y/Z/EX need to be inserted. these players come from the following pool: newly acquired Burmistrov ($900,000), Megna ($675,000), Chaput ($687,000), Rodin ($700,000). Any forward on this list is on a 1-way and must pass through waivers.
Gaunce ($832,000 last year of contract) and Boucher ($(715,000 last year of contract) who are not resigned as of yet. They were on 2-ways last season, but are likely shopping for 1-ways as ELCs have expired. In any case, both have to pass through waivers.
Boeser, Goldobin, Virtanen, and Molino are all still on ELCs and 2-ways.
Defense:
Edler/Tanev
Hutton/Stecher
DelZotto/Gudbranson
Wiercioch/Biega
All of these defensemen are on 1-way contracts and the bottom 2 are making $650,00 and $800,000 respectively. The only threat to these 8 spots is Juolevi and he is an ELC on a 2-way.
Why all the financial info in addition to the waiver info? Because the Canucks will have to cut 1 D and 7 (EDITED TO 5) Forwards from these numbers in order to hit 23 and both of those issues become very instrumental here.
Boeser, Goldobin, Virtanen, and Molino can go down without waivers and make $70K each.
Any other sent down would result in:
Wiercioch $650,000 or Biega $800,000
Burmistrov $900,000
Rodin $700,000
Chaput $687,000
Megna $675,000
Gaunce To be increased? from $832,000
Boucher To be increased? from $715,000
For every one of the ELCs kept in Vancouver a huge salary from AHL standards will go down.
So let's say they keep Juolevi who comes down Biega at $800K or Wiercioch at $650K?
If Boeser and Goldobin stay up as so many list in their mock lineups along with newly acquired Burmistrov, whom I cannot believe they acquired at $900K for the Comets. All but one left of the 7 forwards left above will be attempted to be sent to Utica. The 2 ELCs go right down, but the other 5 are very costly demotions. They would end up comprising one of, if not the highest, priced AHL rosters.
For the first time since this off season began I am beginning to wonder if the Canucks are finally telling the truth when they said they were not going to rush the kids anymore. Burmistrov, Wiercioch, Gagner, the re-signings of Chaput and Megna and reupping Gaunce and Boucher would allow for this to happen to the nth degree in Vancouver.
Olli could get his 19 yr old season of growth and development outside of the NA pro game (Jrs. or SHL with Dahlen and Petersson).
Boeser, Goldobin, Virtanen, and Molino could take a season or at least a big part of it to develop together along with Subban, McEneny, Brisebois, Chatfield, Demko and even Carcone as they are likely a big part of the future to be combined with the youth that's already in Vancouver and the next couple draft picks they get along with futures from flipping a couple more at the deadline. Can't say it would be a bad plan.
I don't see Benning passing up the new toys now anymore than he could in the past. Thus, I either see trades coming that will involve some of the aforementioned guys in deals or he holds on to them all and creates a minor league salary group from waiver eligible players that will dazzle most of the rest of the league with their paychecks. So much for those posters who said the Canucks would never commit to those kind of dollars for players especially in the AHL in such a small city.
He can't keep the numbers he currently has in Vancouver, so something along these lines has to happen.
P.S. Don't forget that Pedan will be making $200,000 on the AHL end of his contract. and Bachman will be receiving $450,000 and LaBate a measly $90,000. I'm also betting that Archi got one of those aforementioned decent contracts that each AHL team hands out in small numbers, at least matching Pedan's $.
There is an error in my post. I stated "7 Forwards from these numbers"...
I neglected to account for the 2 extras forwards the Canucks will carry so the number is 5. it is noted in the text above.