2016-17 Utica Comets Thread

[73 Percent]

1 hour ago, Fan since 82 said:

Would certainly suck to lose him through waivers, but I have a heard time seeing him get regular time on any NHL club. Great size and good mean streak but not quite an NHL calibre d-man.

I don't see Pedan getting claimed

[ShakyWalton]

3 hours ago, Fan since 82 said:

Would certainly suck to lose him through waivers, but I have a heard time seeing him get regular time on any NHL club. Great size and good mean streak but not quite an NHL calibre d-man.

The sample size here wasnt very big...training camp should tell a better story..some games he looked okay..others he had a few brain farts..in the AHL he was one of Uticas steadier D men..once Tryamkin arrived he pretty much sat on the bench if he dressed at all.

[ShakyWalton]

2 hours ago, Gooseberries said:

I don't see Pedan getting claimed

As much as I think he would get claimed it really doesnt matter because there is no room for him here..Larson has been gifted a spot by management it seems and he is way down the pecking order..I see hidden talent there but it really doesnt matter..he would probably be better off moving on but not for nothing..he is only 23 with size and toughness.

[Boudrias]

In my mind players are not 'gifted' a roster spot. It is all about current and future potential. If Larson's upside is viewed worth more than giving Pedan a shot then that comes down to management decision. I honestly cannot comment on Larson as I have never seen him play. It is claimed that he might QB the 2nd PP which if that happens would be a real boost. In the end it does come down to allotting TOI to players and Van now has enough prospects on the blue line that competition will be tough.

[Fan since 82]

7 hours ago, ShakyWalton said:

The sample size here wasnt very big...training camp should tell a better story..some games he looked okay..others he had a few brain farts..in the AHL he was one of Uticas steadier D men..once Tryamkin arrived he pretty much sat on the bench if he dressed at all.

Yes it would be great if he made a leap and came to camp and played lights out! Time will tell.

[ShakyWalton]

6 hours ago, Boudrias said:

In my mind players are not 'gifted' a roster spot. It is all about current and future potential. If Larson's upside is viewed worth more than giving Pedan a shot then that comes down to management decision. I honestly cannot comment on Larson as I have never seen him play. It is claimed that he might QB the 2nd PP which if that happens would be a real boost. In the end it does come down to allotting TOI to players and Van now has enough prospects on the blue line that competition will be tough.

Thats the thing..who has seen him play..all I hear about on CDC is him quarterbacking the PP and playing bottom pair...the guy couldnt cut before in Edmonton...I dont know where this guy fits in or Pedan for that matter.

[Boudrias]

16 hours ago, ShakyWalton said:

Thats the thing..who has seen him play..all I hear about on CDC is him quarterbacking the PP and playing bottom pair...the guy couldnt cut before in Edmonton...I dont know where this guy fits in or Pedan for that matter.

I believe he has +/- 125 NHL games with Dallas and Edmonton. His stretch in the KHL and the points he put up there has led to speculation he can re-enter the NHL with an offensive upside. As a RD it gives him some advantage. Tryamkin could eclipse/ or has already Pedan's ability to break the lineup. Sbisa, Larson and Tryamkin are probably the bottom pairing options unless Pedan blows the doors off in pre-season. Injuries might help him as well.   

[ShakyWalton]

2 minutes ago, Boudrias said:

I believe he has +/- 125 NHL games with Dallas and Edmonton. His stretch in the KHL and the points he put up there has led to speculation he can re-enter the NHL with an offensive upside. As a RD it gives him some advantage. Tryamkin could eclipse/ or has already Pedan's ability to break the lineup. Sbisa, Larson and Tryamkin are probably the bottom pairing options unless Pedan blows the doors off in pre-season. Injuries might help him as well.   

Definately some D moves coming up..looks like no room at the inn to me..Im pretty sure he will be plucked off waivers..but what I said earlier applies..he would probably be better off going elsewhere instead of staying in our system if thats the case.....am I cvorrect in saying that he got signed this offseason..was that a 1 year contract?...I agree about Tryamkin..just not sure about Larsen, Sbisa and Biega...wont be long now and we will find out.

[elvis15]

19 hours ago, ShakyWalton said:

Thats the thing..who has seen him play..all I hear about on CDC is him quarterbacking the PP and playing bottom pair...the guy couldnt cut before in Edmonton...I dont know where this guy fits in or Pedan for that matter.

He put up reasonable numbers in the NHL previously but the reason for not playing in Edmonton wasn't because he couldn't cut it, but rather it was Edmonton. They wanted him back but he wouldn't come. That's why we got his rights and he's coming back to the NHL now.

[stonecoldstevebernier]

I think at this point its safe to say that the dust has settled on free agents and what the Comets have is what they have, pending on who makes the Canucks in training camp. And, I suppose, if anybody surprises at Comets camp. Overall, I like their forward group a lot more than last season's, there's a lot more depth there and barring injuries/call-ups they have four solid lines they can roll. If Cassels can take a few strides this year that'll go a long way to strengthening their centre depth too. Unfortunately there aren't really a ton of actual prospects on the roster, unless some of these bubble guys like Laplante, Carcone, and maybe Abols (if he plays in the pros) can crack the lineup on a regular basis.

 

Defense is an interesting bunch. If Biega makes it down through waivers (assumed he's the one sent down) it looks a lot more structured. There's a good balance of offensive guys (Billins, Subban, Stecher) and stay at home guys (Biega, Shields, Nilsson) and a higher ratio of prospects should be in the mix here, as Sautner's a factor as well.

 

Team toughness could be a potential hole as they don't have a lot of guys who like dropping the gloves apart from Archibald and Labate, although that's not a necessary component to success. I think as long as Bachman and Demko can hold down the fort in goal they should comfortably land in a playoff spot - well, comfortably being relative to last year. If Green can guide a team of PTOs to the playoffs this team should do just fine.

TL;DR: I'm bored and want hockey season to start already.

[canuckledraggin]

This is going to be Demko's team next year. I like the additions that Benning made and it remains to be seen who makes the Canucks and who gets sent to Alasksa. http://www.eliteprospects.com/team.php?team=15223

 

There's 25 players on that list, but noticeably absent are Subban and Labate, who I expect to make steps forward again this year. I would bet money that Biega is the captain of the Comets next year and along with stellar goaltending from Demko, leads the team to the playoffs next year.

[stonecoldstevebernier]

Travis Green was on 1040 yesterday, discussing Pedan, Tryamkin, Gaunce, and how he'll deploy his goaltenders in Utica this season:
 

 

[Odd.]

12 minutes ago, stonecoldstevebernier said:

Travis Green was on 1040 yesterday, discussing Pedan, Tryamkin, Gaunce, and how he'll deploy his goaltenders in Utica this season:
 

 

Sbisa, Larsen, Stecher, Tryamkin, Biega, Pedan, etc (no particular order).

 

Battle of the 5th-8th spot

[stonecoldstevebernier]

14 minutes ago, Odd. said:

Sbisa, Larsen, Stecher, Tryamkin, Biega, Pedan, etc (no particular order).

 

Battle of the 5th-8th spot

I think Sbisa is a lock, because of his salary, and the fact that the front office loves him. Larsen should stick because of his unique skill set, he's already being hyped as the new PP quarterback. Tryamkin should be in since they don't want him to bolt back to Russia. Which leaves Biega, Pedan, and Stecher.

 

I like Stecher a lot. But I think after what happened with Corrado last year he has to be one of the odd men out since he doesn't need waivers. The real intrigue is who else will be joining him in Utica, although I think most people expect Biega. Biega's the better NHL player right now but Pedan has more potential and Biega has already reached his. I'd expect him to have a better chance of sneaking through waivers.

 

Even if Stecher has a Hutton-like camp I don't know if it'll be enough. Not everybody can play at once, so if he's going to be the 7th or 8th guy here that isn't going to be very helpful to his development. I think he'd be a better fit playing regular minutes in Utica in all situations and then get called up when there are injuries so he doesn't miss any playing time.

[Odd.]

8 hours ago, stonecoldstevebernier said:

I think Sbisa is a lock, because of his salary, and the fact that the front office loves him. Larsen should stick because of his unique skill set, he's already being hyped as the new PP quarterback. Tryamkin should be in since they don't want him to bolt back to Russia. Which leaves Biega, Pedan, and Stecher.

 

I like Stecher a lot. But I think after what happened with Corrado last year he has to be one of the odd men out since he doesn't need waivers. The real intrigue is who else will be joining him in Utica, although I think most people expect Biega. Biega's the better NHL player right now but Pedan has more potential and Biega has already reached his. I'd expect him to have a better chance of sneaking through waivers.

 

Even if Stecher has a Hutton-like camp I don't know if it'll be enough. Not everybody can play at once, so if he's going to be the 7th or 8th guy here that isn't going to be very helpful to his development. I think he'd be a better fit playing regular minutes in Utica in all situations and then get called up when there are injuries so he doesn't miss any playing time.

 Stecher vs Subban in Utica too.

 

I'm liking the depth of our defense though not gonna lie. It's one of those very good problems to have.

[WhoseTruckWasIt]

On 8/26/2016 at 4:45 PM, ShakyWalton said:

Thats the thing..who has seen him play..all I hear about on CDC is him quarterbacking the PP and playing bottom pair...the guy couldnt cut before in Edmonton...I dont know where this guy fits in or Pedan for that matter.

I saw him play quite a lot when he was a young regular in Dallas.  I'm not sure why so few people remember that.  He didn't want to play in Edmonton, and it was probably a good career choice to leave.

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

Utica could use some more size on the backend.

 

Chad Billins - 5'10''

Alex Biega 5'10''

Jordan Subban 5'9''

Troy Stecher 5'11''

 

hope the Comets can find a guy with some size to fill in on the backend.

 

Too bad John Landry didn't sign back with them...thought he really anchored that backend last season.

[ShakyWalton]

11 minutes ago, WhoseTruckWasIt said:

I saw him play quite a lot when he was a young regular in Dallas.  I'm not sure why so few people remember that.  He didn't want to play in Edmonton, and it was probably a good career choice to leave.

I remember him playing..he didnt stand out to me at all but checking his stats he did pretty well in Edmonton...12 points in 30 games...if he impresses  and helps the PP..I wont complain..

[WhoseTruckWasIt]

1 minute ago, ShakyWalton said:

I remember him playing..he didnt stand out to me at all but checking his stats he did pretty well in Edmonton...12 points in 30 games...if he impresses  and helps the PP..I wont complain..

That's kind of my point.  Not standing out as a young guy getting regular minutes on a pretty average team is pretty darn good.  I remember thinking that Edmonton had done well to acquire him.

[stonecoldstevebernier]

3 minutes ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

Utica could use some more size on the backend.

 

Chad Billins - 5'10''

Alex Biega 5'10''

Jordan Subban 5'9''

Troy Stecher 5'11''

 

hope the Comets can find a guy with some size to fill in on the backend.

 

Too bad John Landry didn't sign back with them...thought he really anchored that backend last season.

They'll miss Pedan in that department. They have Sautner at 6'0", Negrin at 6'2" and Shields at 6'3" after that though. Oh, and Nilsson is 6'0" but he plays a physical style. The downside is that the four you named will get the bulk of the minutes down there so it'll be a pretty small group every night regardless... Shields is the only bigger guy penciled in as a regular.