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.