Comets to open their home season with a 4-game home stand starting tonight. They will play 3 of them in the next 4 days starting with Syracuse tonight, defending Calder Cup Champs Charlotte on Friday, and Rochester on Saturday. We'll get a better idea of what we might expect from this team in the next 3 games. Word and actual viewing of Binghamton and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is that they are not very good. Syracuse, an annual contender, has racked up 5 points in their first 3 GP, Charlotte is 2-2, and the Amerks are 3-1.
It's interesting how the Canucks didn't sign Ferraro or Schenn because, we were told, they didn't want to waste a contract slot that might be needed later, especially when the NCAA seasons end. Then they traded Biega and surrendered that contract slot to an ECHL forward in return. Meanwhile Syracuse became the beneficiary of smart Tampa Bay franchise building. The Crunch will greet the Comets with a stalwart defender for the few games he played with the Comets near the end of last season before the Canucks called him up, Luke Schenn.
Schenn is joined by a 2nd vet
Cameron Gaunce
That's 2 veteran D-men to play with their younger guys, 4 of whom are TB draft selections.
2017 1st round Cal Foote - 2nd year Crunch
2016 6th round Oleg Sosunov - 2nd year Crunch
2014 2nd round Dominick Masin - 4th year Crunch
2014 4th round Ben Thomas - 4th yr Crunch
The roster is rounded out with
Nolan Valleau - undrafted 5th yr pro/non vet
Luc Snuggerud - 2014 5th rounder Chicago/3rd year pro with only 58 AHL GP.
Tampa Bay obviously values placing solid veteran defenders with their kids. Both were given Tampa Bay contracts.
I'm betting that both Schenn and Gaunce will be in the Crunch lineup with the 4 Tampa draftees.
Utica doesn't have a single veteran with 4 rookies, 3 2yr players,and their most experienced on a Vancouver contract is Sautner. Juolevi and Brisebois are the only 2 out of the 9 who are Vancouver draft picks. Blujus is actually the most experienced Comet, but he and LeBlanc are not signed to Vancouver and would explain why Blujus has been scratched. Neither has played yet. Would think Blujus signs in tonight with Sautner in Vancouver. He is the most experienced left.
6 years of drafting with 1 Canuck and only 2 Comets drafted by Jim. That really is pathetic. A bottom feeding NHL team with at least 7 selections = 35 picks. He's pissed away several in trades for basically nobody. Then there's the NCAA and Europe. If you don't have your own property it is essential to go out and fill out your roster with available talent. You also have to be aware of the Veteran rule. Every summer the used hoc key player lot is full of available players. It only requires an active AHL GM working in collusion with his boss GM to make the acquisitions.
The Comets goal had filled 2 keepers coming in under contract.
They acquired McIntyre and Kielly making 4. Check.
The D had 4 returning contract players. Brisebois, Chatfield, Sautner, Juolevi.
They signed 3 more undrafted rookies inn Rafferty, Teves, Eliot.
Johnson. re-signed LeBlanc and Blujus. Poor d-corps construction. NO veterans on defense inThe AHL is a recipe for disaster.
The forwards had 5 returning Vancouver contacted guys coming back of which none were centers: Boucher, MacEwen, Jasek, Lind, Gadjovich,. They went out and signed 2 centers in Camper and Graovac. They acquired 2 more wings in Perron and Bailey. They cut 2 more wings in Baertschi and Goldobin. Wings Check.
There were 2 AHL contracts returning in Bancks and Hamilton and Johnson re-signed Malone and Arseneau.
Centers 2 + Hamilton. short 3. Converted Jasek. That was an act of desperation. Bancks fills in for injured Graovac. Huge downgrade. The guy is a banger, crasher, energy line wing.
Tonight both Bancks and Graovac are out. Missing a center.
Graovac injured and Bancks. Center position no Check.
problem with Tahan is his stores are in Rome, New Hartford, Yorkville; everywhere but Utica. Nice furniture though 
