Confirmed with Link: Michael Chaput has been traded to Chicago for Tanner Kero

[tyhee]

How do you know Kero? Are you a Hawks fan? I admittedly don’t know anything about the kid so I’d appreciate inside. Seems like a nice playmaking center for some of our wingers in Utica but perhaps he has more upside than that?

What is it that makes him seem like a nice playmaking center for some of our wingers in Utica? I admit not knowing much about him but his 44 assists in 130 regular season AHL games and 6 assists in 25 AHL playoff games do not suggest "playmaking center" to me.

I"m not saying he is a bad player, just that his numbers don't suggest playmaking is a strength.

 

[Bad Goalie]

What is it that makes him seem like a nice playmaking center for some of our wingers in Utica? I admit not knowing much about him but his 44 assists in 130 regular season AHL games and 6 assists in 25 AHL playoff games do not suggest "playmaking center" to me.

I"m not saying he is a bad player, just that his numbers don't suggest playmaking is a strength.

His numbers cross over very similar to Chaput, .66 PPG to Chaput's.65 PPG in the AHL. He adds a little better numbers than Chaput in his NHL time, but we have no idea who he skated with vs who Chaput skated with in Vancouver and neither one had big minutes nor payed a lot of games. They were both filler for spurts and shipped right back out.

Kero will make more on his 1-way ($800,000) than Chaput did on his ($687,500). Both set up as #2 AHL centers. Neither has a history of being a big play maker. As time progressed last season Chaput became just that. He had real good success between late season rookie sign ons MacMaster and Jasek. Darcy actually spent time in the middle between Goldobin and Boucher.

The major difference I see is that Kero is not a vet by AHL rules. That leaves the door open to bring in a vet to fill the 3-yr void at #1 center and another at #1 D.

#1 play making center.
#1 puck moving/PPQB D-man
Boucher
Bancks
Sifers
X VE

 

[Bad Goalie]

Basically a small cap dump by the Hawks as Kero has one year left on his deal....would be shocked if they qualified Chaput and doubt the Canucks would have either. Although if they're still interested they could double back on Chaput once he becomes a UFA....but they need to integrate younger guys into the lineup in Utica.

Kero another former USHL player and U of Michigan forward...becoming something of a factory for the Canucks.

"they could double back on Chaput once he becomes a UFA....but they need to integrate younger guys into the lineup in Utica."

I don't advocate bringing Chaput back now that Kero is on board. Don't need two clones. As to the integrating younger guys into the lineup, what the H are you talking about?
At center the Comets have:

X
Kero
Darcy
X
X
X

Maybe Motte and/or Gaudette are assigned here. Do they qualify as youth? I think absolutely.
Motte is a Vancouver winger and even during the AHL playoffs, when the Comets were desperate for centers, Motte was on the wing so I don't pencil him into the middle at this point..

There absolutely are no young centers to "integrate" into the lineup instead of a veteran. There is easily plenty of room for both. There is actually room for 2 vets in the middle and I pray they won't re-sign Wacey Hamilton as one of the 2.

Youth? How does Dahlen, Gaudette, Jasek, MacMaster, Lind, Gadjovich, MacEwen, Carcone, Palmu, Juolevi, Brisebois, Chatfield, Sautner, McEneny, and Dirk fit your order blank? Heck even Boucher and Motte are young.
All, or at least most, of this list will be in Utica at least to start the season.

All of those forwards are wings!!! Not a center in the bunch based on Vancouver's usage of those players. So, I agree Chaput doesn't need to be re-signed if Chicago decides not to keep him. However, it does not override the dire necessity for the immediate acquisition of centers while good ones are still available in Europe and as soon as they can legally be chased down in NA.

Kero is the only absolute center on the books and many posters are already looking at him as the 4th line center or 13th forward in Vancouver and Gaudette up there as well. That would leave Utica with ZERO centers on Vancouver contracts.

Time to take off those rose tinted lenses and see that the crop of good prospects that could end up in Utica will absolutely NEED centers to allow their games to grow and enable them to blossom into NHL players. At the moment those centers are not even in the Cancuks organization. One can only pray that Benning has finally penciled this into his to do list and that Ghost Johnson starts to perform the job his title says says he holds, Utica Comets GM.

 

[alternate]

Basically Benning saw an opportunity to get a little smaller without gaining any offense, and he took it.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Comets centers last season consisted of Chaput and Cassels on NHL deals, Wacey freaking Hamilton and Cam Darcy on AHL deals and various ECHL guys on PTOs. At least it brings in another depth center that can play in Utica.

It just substitutes Kero for Chaput. Cassels has been released. Darcy has been re-signed and Hamilton has not and hopefully stays that way. So Kero is not added depth. The Comets actually have less in the middle than they did at the conclusion of last season and you have established how little that was. Motte probably ends up here, but will probably remain a wing so that's no help. Gaudette a very slim maybe, but will head out with the first need for a call-up. Good centers have to be acquired or the new prospect pool will be playing pocket pool without them.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Ideally like Chaput should have been he's used as a 2/3 center in Utica. We still need someone better, but if Chaput was going to move on there's no harm in swapping him for Kero.

I'm guessing this was probably a deal worked out by someone lower in the organization, maybe Ryan Johnson?

"I'm guessing this was probably a deal worked out by someone lower in the organization, maybe Ryan Johnson?"

One can only hope. He has been inert most of his past in said position. He came alive at the end of last regular season in bringing in MacMaster.

 

[tyhee]

His numbers cross over very similar to Chaput, .66 PPG to Chaput's.65 PPG in the AHL....

We agree that Kero is a 2nd line center and essentially just replaces Chaput, though when I total heir AHL scoring on hockeydb.com I get slightly different numbers, with Chaput holding the very small advantage in total scoring, with the difference being slightly wider when just looking at assists.

Regular Season Career AHL

Kero 130 games 40 goals 44 assists 84 points
Chaput 301 games 77 goals 121 assists 198 points

Chaput has .658 ppg, Kero .646. They are very close, Chaput holding the small advantage.

Looking at just assists, though, has Kero at .338 assists per game and Chaput at .402.

What has happened is that Kero has a higher goals per game, Chaput more assists per game. The margin is enough that on the face of it Kero appears to be slightly less of a playmaker than Chaput.

Regular Season + Playoffs Career AHL

Kero 151 games 42 goals 50 assists 92 pts (.609 ppg; .331 assists per game)
Chaput 336 games 84 goals 130 assists 214 pts (.637 ppg; .387 assists per game)

Here Chaput has a wider but still small advantage in total scoring and an advantage in assists though less than is the case for the regular season without playoffs.

I don't know how Kero will perform with the Comets, but Kero looks less of a playmaker, by a small margin, than Chaput was.

Of course, there are two advantages of Kero over Chaput for 2018-19. One is in veteran status (Kero isn't) and the other is that Kero is signed to play, while Chaput is a free agent.