The good thing about Dylan Blujus is that his 196 GP in the pro game don't make him an AHL vet. He now gives the Comets 7 D-men under contract:
Blujus
Sautner
McEneny
Brisebois
Chatfield
Sifers (vet)
Jagger Dirk
There is not a #1 puck moving PP QB in the mix nor is there a veteran lock down defender. Without these guys this D-corps is in big trouble.
Dirk will most likely end up in Kalamazoo or be # last on the depth chart. There is no indicator that makes him a quality AHL defender.
Arseneau was a PTO and signed 2 such contracts. He is a depth forward, but offers more grit than any contract player on the roster. 2 points in 20 regular season games coupled with 49 PIM paints a simple picture of his game. I'd be okay with him as a depth player, but if he gets a regular roster spot, again the Comets are in trouble. He is not a vet either.
These kind of signings have their place, but it worries me that Benning will take this as reason for him not to worry about the centers and top level D both of whom are necessary to bring the kids along. If the past is an indicator nothing will be done until the big club drafts and then goes through their free agency searches. The Comets' missing links are the main task that an AHL GM (now Johnson) should be addressing as soon as possible. Benning has enough to deal with for the Canucks. Let Johnson work with Conacher, who knows the AHL talent pool, and get the key pieces on board.
Boucher and Chaput should be brought back. Letting a player who will challenge for the AHL scoring title go to another franchise is piss poor management when he is still an RFA. Chaput is also an RFA. He too needs to be signed. He is a fine #2 center for the Comets, but he is not the kind of play maker that counts as #1. Add the #1 and you have 2 top level centers. Now, maybe you can get by with Cassels and Darcy types at #3, but someone has to center the checking /D-first/shutdown line. That's not Cole or Cameron.
In the past they extended guys like Grenier and LaBate for God's sake.There is no excuse to let Chaput and Boucher go elsewhere and end up playing against the Comets.
A team leading point machine like O'Reilly (45pts/51GP, 61pts/76GP, and 19pts/23Playoff GP), mostly assists, needs to be the newly acquired center. The talented list of forwards will need these center types to bring their game up to the pro level. Gaudette would be excellent, but as the first call-up he wouldn't erase the need for that top center. There will be enough talent on the wings that all 3 of these guys would have players to put up points with. That's why I don't really like Cassels as the 3rd center.He just isn't talented enough offensively to feed the 3rd line talent who will be used to scoring goals. The potential list of forwards on this team could force Lind and Gadjovich to the 4th line. (Dahlen, Boucher, MacEwen, Jasek, MacMaster, Carcone, Palmu, Archibald?, Bancks?). See why I said Arseneau is okay for depth?
CENTERS!!!!! Vancouver, CENTERS!!!!!! P---L----E----E---E---A---S---E!
I really think Chatfield, Sautner, Brisebois, and Blujus are the only four D of the above 7 that can be counted on when the first puck drops. McEneny is recovering from a major knee injury/surgery that cost him an entire season. Counting on him right out of the gate is not good thinking. He will need time to get his game back and who knows how much his skating will be effected.
The group of 4 played last season with Wiercioch and Holm. Neither of these 2 vets was a defensive model for any of the kids moving forward. Both were reluctant to take the body and both were weak in front of the net. Neither was a puck moving D-man. The result was the kids had similar problems in their games.
Wiercioch put up points, but on the PP was very shaky bringing the puck up the ice and turned it over a lot for chances by the opponent. Holm was very good once the PP was set up, but also was not adept at bringing it in himself. The 4 above did have some PP time, but none showed the kind of flair that would say he was heir apparent to the #1 PP QB spot to one of them.
The Sanguinetti, Fedun, Robak type guy was missing last year and needs to be added to this year's team. Billins and Sifers weree not even close to what Kent Huskins brought to the Comets.
Chaput, Boucher, X center, X puck moving PP QB, anchor D-man would be the five game night Vets. Sifers is also a vet, but should be a depth D-man. If one of the 5 vets were be a VE like Boucher was last season, there would be room for another vet (Archi/Bancks).
The good AHL teams build their teams with the vets planned onto the roster and they don't bring in too many to screw up the roster on a nightly basis as was the case in Utica for the first 3rd of the last season when Cull was rotating vets in and out of the lineup every game. He had as many as 10 at one time.