2018-19 Utica Comets

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UticaHockey

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Feb 27, 2013
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I'll move this over from the previous Comets thread. Nice to see a high end prospect that sees the value of playing in the AHL and have the opportunity to play for a call up. Refreshing change from the college or NHL and Europe or NHL only mindset.
 
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Guardian452

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Jun 10, 2011
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Can't wait to see this kid play and would love to see him in a Canucks uniform 2-3 years down the road. I also have a bit of a family connection with him. I went to university with his uncle and my dad and his grand-father were long-time friends. His grand-parents owned the Marigold restaurant in Winnipeg's Chinatown. I had a lot of special family celebrations there over the years.


*Edit*

Oops, posted this in the wrong thread. I thought I was responding in the Jett Woo thread.
 
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krutovsdonut

eeyore
Sep 25, 2016
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bummer for cassels. he is almost the poster boy for a 3rd round pick forward whose limitations are thoroughly exposed at the next level. that must be very hard to process and accept when you achieved so much success in junior.
 
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go comets

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Who are some UFA all-star AHL centres we could target?

Never gonna happen. GM Johnson already stated that bringing in free agents you have to be careful that they will not take away ice time from the prospects.

I see this team moving forward with what they have for Centers. Kero, MacEwen, Gaudette, and Motte look the most likely.

Gaudette may squeeze onto the Canucks, but that would probably push Gaunce down. keep in mind that only Kero played Center in the AHL on a regular basis... but that is how the Canucks roll......
 
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F A N

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Aug 12, 2005
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What about a guy like Ben Street? NHL aspirations pretty much over. BC boy. Was in Calgary with Weisbrod. Ppg C in AHL. A leader.
 

Bad Goalie

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Jan 2, 2014
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Canucks trade 26 yr-old/6'2"/205 LB center Michael Chaput for 25 yr-old/6'0"/185 LB Tanner Kero. Kero is a .65 PPG center in 130 AHL GP and Chaput is a .66 PPG center in 301 AHL GP. Chaput was on a 1-way with a salary and cap hit of $687,500. Kero comes in on a 1-way with a salary and cap hit of $750,000.

This trade is basically a wash had Chaput been re-signed to a 1-way. That may have been the hangup. Michael was not signed. Chicago just might have wanted to shed one of their 50 signed players as Chaput can simply be allowed to walk as a UFA.

Next, what has me doing a bit of paranoid thinking is that Benning may have acquired this guy as a cheap fill in for the Canucks center depth, but I don't think so. I see a Bozak type or what he should do is acquire a veteran center and a 2019 pick to provide some team with cap relief.

Kero will likely be a Comet and the good thing about him is that he doesn't qualify as an AHL veteran. The negative side is thaty with the release of cassels and the trade of Chaput the Comets now have in house a total of 2 centers, Kero and Darcy. Neither of these 2 is a #1 center and neither fits the role of a checking 4th line center. I see Kero as a #2 and Darcy as a#3. the wash leaves the Comets in the smaller boat than ever. They now need 3 centers. Cassels and Chaput are missing and only Kero came back.

I was hoping they would pass on Hamilton, leave Bancks out on the wing where he is best suited, and bring in 2 centers. With Cassels gone, Chaput merely replaced, and Hamilton not brought back the number is now 3. Even if Hamilton does return (#4), somebody in this lineup is the #1 call-up and there has to be a competent AHL only guy to slide into that can handle the #1/2 spot and this guy (X) and Kero would have to be the ones. Darcy is not that guy. He proved that last season. He will be a solid #3 either way and if Hamilton is re-signed (please NO), he should be the 5th center.

X - #1
Kero - #2
X - #3
Darcy - #4
Hamilton type - #5

The X at #1 could easily be Gaudette and he would get the first call and the rest have to be rearranged to get the top 4 and there is nothing left on the shelf. Thus my reasoning behind why the Comets need 3 more centers before the season begins. there are no given competent centers among the remaining Comets forwards. I don't care if center has been a position before in their lives. The Canucks are not going to build centers for Vancouver out of any of them. MacEwen would be the closest thing and he still hasn't nailed down the wing. His D-zone play is still weak and his ability to get the puck at the half boards and get it up the ice is less than 50-50. Center responsibility carries way too much of a burden.
 
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go comets

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Jul 10, 2013
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I forgot all about Darcy, but that is not hard. He should be an extra and fill in as callups happen. Right now he is our #2 Center... I will be shocked if the Canucks even sign one Center.....

This team has absolutely no one to push back and keep young talent from getting run... Unless some rookies are up to that task.....not a good position to put young players in... Canucks probably completely oblivious to the situation....
 
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Bad Goalie

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Never gonna happen. GM Johnson already stated that bringing in free agents you have to be careful that they will not take away ice time from the prospects.

I see this team moving forward with what they have for Centers. Kero, MacEwen, Gaudette, and Motte look the most likely.

Gaudette may squeeze onto the Canucks, but that would probably push Gaunce down. keep in mind that only Kero played Center in the AHL on a regular basis... but that is how the Canucks roll......

Horvat, Gaudette, and Sutter will be in the middle for Vancouver at least three years. They will likely be signing another in the form of a UFA this summer. Nobody in Utica is being groomed as a center. With all the trouble they had last year with injuries in both Vancouver and Utica, there was never a thought to moving MacEwen into the middle and he is definitely not an NHL center to be.

The new kids that could end up here are all wingers except for Gaudette and I will consider it a miracle if he ends up here (miracles do happen, but not often). Kero and Darcy will be in the middle. I forgot about Motte, but he has been a forward for the Canucks and has only played 62 games in the AHL. If he does play center here it will should be at #3.

Kero - #2
Motte - #3
Darcy - #4

There are no other centers in Utica. MacEwen will be RW probably #2. So with Motte now in the picture, they will need a #1 and a #5. Any other guy here will put into the center position will occur due to injuries and call-ups making it necessary. Note that other than Bancks that spot was filled with PTOs when the **** hit the fan last season, not MacEwen or any other guy who once wore center after his name.

If Benning and Johnson leave all these new kids as well as the holdovers short in the middle, they are stalling the growth of every one of them. The acquisition of a mere two players, a #1 center, and a #1 d-man turns this team into an AHL threat from the get go. Even the ghost has to see that and Benning has seen the problem with a center deficit at both his own level as well as the Comets.

It was Virtanen that suffered from the lack of a play making center the last time Benning spoke up about it. That was one guy. How do they explain to Dahlen, Boucher, Jasek, Lind, Palmu, MacMaster, MacEwen, Gadjovich, Carcone, and whomever else they demote to the Comets after the Canucks sign their free agents, that they will need to figure out how to play the game without centers the second the Canucks take the top 2 they have when their own fall to the inevitable injury bug? This is the first time he will be shafting his own acquisitions, who he claims need to grow in a winning environment. That can't happen if he shortchanges the middle.

Right now he can't cry expenses either because at the moment only Kero is getting big bucks, $750,000. Boucher ($300,000) and Bachman ($275,000) get the other so called "big money". McEneny and Sautner make just over the normal minimum at $100,000 each. Motte Dahlen, Kole, Jasek, MacEwen, LaPlante, Palmu, Gadjovich, Carcone, Brisebois, Chatfield and even Gaudette, Juolevi and Goldobin, should they end up here for some reason, all will make $70,000 or less.

Bancks, MacMaster, Darcy, Arseneau, Blujus, and Sifers are all on AHL contracts and none of them are worth any kind of outrageous contract. The expense of a #1 center and a #1 D-man would be n0 sweat off Aqualini's money sacks. They spent more cash than that last season on Megna and Wiercioch alone without adding in Boucher, Chaput, and Bachman.
 

Nucker101

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Apr 2, 2013
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Dowd should be re-signed for Utica. Gives them a C who can produce in the AHL and play in all situations. Former captain in college so a leader in the room as well.
 

Bad Goalie

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Forgot about McMaster, but he was a center in college.......

It's MacMaster just like MacEwen.

Yes, he was a center. The list of "he was a center" is a big one on this team and the rest of the league as well. It's the same thing in Vancouver. However, it's like every sport. When guys are young athletes the best ones are selected to play the best positions. As they get older and the wheat is separated from the chaff, many of the kids fall by the way side, the best still get the prime positions, and the rest fall into the remaining, but by no means less important roles. By the time guys reach the next to the best pro level, most are the wings and those who are still the best retain their center roles. The majority of the Comets this and every other season are not centers and those forced into the role because there is no one else are just not as skilled as they need to be and while not their fault, the team suffers for it.
 

Bad Goalie

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Dowd should be re-signed for Utica. Gives them a C who can produce in the AHL and play in all situations. Former captain in college so a leader in the room as well.

I'm sure it could be a possibility, but as he is a UFA without a contract, I'm sure he has his agent still trying to lock down another year with someone in the NHL. Settling for a 2-way with the obvious intention of being sent to the AHL would be his last choice. A 1-way would obviously be more appealing.
 

sting101

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Feb 8, 2012
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Jake Guentzel 2yrs ago at the exact same age as Gaudette played 33 games in Wilkes-Barre to start before graduating to the Pens.
 

VanJack

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Jul 11, 2014
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Really depends whether the Canucks sign a UFA center on July 1st. If they do, then one of Gaunce or Gaudette is ticketed for Utica. Not sure whether either one qualifies as a true No. 1 center, but they'd probably be close to it at the AHL level.
 

F A N

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Aug 12, 2005
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Really depends whether the Canucks sign a UFA center on July 1st. If they do, then one of Gaunce or Gaudette is ticketed for Utica. Not sure whether either one qualifies as a true No. 1 center, but they'd probably be close to it at the AHL level.

I doubt it. Gaunce isn't seen as a C anyways and if Gaudette proves ready he'll be in the NHL. They plan to start Pettersson on the wing and it seems like they consider Gaudette a C. Essentially, the depth chart is Horvat and Sutter. Gaunce, Pettersson, and Gagner are guys who can and likely will play wing.
 

VanJack

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Jul 11, 2014
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I guess Tanner Kero is also listed as a center....and I see the Hawks haven't qualified Michael Chaput, making him a UFA on July 1st....could the Canucks/Comets re-sign him?...and Tyler Motte is also listed as a center with pretty decent AHL numbers over his career....still lacking that game-breaker at the AHL level though.
 

Get North

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Aug 25, 2013
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I guess Tanner Kero is also listed as a center....and I see the Hawks haven't qualified Michael Chaput, making him a UFA on July 1st....could the Canucks/Comets re-sign him?...and Tyler Motte is also listed as a center with pretty decent AHL numbers over his career....still lacking that game-breaker at the AHL level though.
Motte hasn't played centre since college I believe. He didn't play centre with Utica, Vancouver, Chicago, or Columbus as far as I know. The centre depth looks like this,

1. Horvat
2. Sutter
3. Gaudette
4. Kero
5. Darcy

That's it assuming Gagner, Granlund, Pettersson, Gaunce, MacEwan aren't playing centre.

I think Matthew Peca from TB would be a great pick-up for Utica's top centre. Seth Griffith, Kale Kossila, Kevin Roy are some interesting ones, they're young players who produced good numbers in the AHL, could be good fits. A reliable, expensive one would be Brandon Pirri. Bryan Froese and Brian Flynn would be some good reliable Cs as well.

There's a market out there for Benning to take C, it's up to him if he wants to sign one. Some of them can be used in the NHL as well as 4Cs, (such as Pirri, Froese, and Flynn).
 
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Bad Goalie

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Jan 2, 2014
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Motte hasn't played centre since college I believe. He didn't play centre with Utica, Vancouver, Chicago, or Columbus as far as I know. The centre depth looks like this,

1. Horvat
2. Sutter
3. Gaudette
4. Kero
5. Darcy

That's it assuming Gagner, Granlund, Pettersson, Gaunce, MacEwan aren't playing centre.

You are seeing the real picture.

Your list of 5 only has 4 guys on a Vancouver contract.

Darcy is on an AHL contract and began with Utica last season on a PTO out of training camp.
MacEwen hasn't played a lick of center in Utica. Way too much defensive responsibility in the middle for a guy who hasn't even shown he can handle said responsibility on the wing.

As for the rest of your assumptions, I can't say what will happen with your Canucks, but Gaunce, Granlumd, and Gagner have all played center up there. Gaunce played center down here his 2nd (and last) season in the AHL after playing LW his entire first season. He could play center down here, but he is no where near a #1 play making center.

Benning is going to sign a UFA center for Vancouver. That is almost a sure thing. He better get a couple real good AHL level centers as well or this season will become another real cluster **** quick once the injuries start happening on the big club, not to mention what happens when you compound that with injuries on the farm at the same time.

Getting rid of centers before stocking the cupboard might not be such a good idea.
Chaput was more than serviceable as a #2.
Kero couldn't have been acquired outright so that deal was just an exchange of centers, therefore doing nothing for the depth.
Cassels was far from a play maker, but he could hold his own as a #4.

I'm almost of the mind to believe if Cassels doesn't get picked up, we will see Utica sign him to a contract much the same way they have done with players like Biega, Archibald, and Valk in the past. He wouldn't be out of place even as a reserve and we all know that he would see a whole lot of action the way the players fall like dominoes on both rosters throughout the season.
 

F A N

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Motte hasn't played centre since college I believe. He didn't play centre with Utica, Vancouver, Chicago, or Columbus as far as I know.

I think I remember some Columbus and or Chicago fans saying that Motte should be tried at C.
 
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