Personally, I think Comeau is going to be a very solid player. I'm just not sure he has the hands or offensive instincts to ever be much of a scorer. I'm not saying he won't - just that I have doubts.
Comeau's got elements to his game that this team desperately needs - i hope he can bring his game to the next level. This will be a big year for him....similar to Bergenheim and Tambellini - moreso that Okposo, Tavares and Bailey.
Comeau's got elements to his game that this team desperately needs - i hope he can bring his game to the next level. This will be a big year for him....similar to Bergenheim and Tambellini - moreso that Okposo, Tavares and Bailey.
Quite frankly, I'm more concerned with the development of the big 3 than Blake Comeau, and I also think Okposo and Bailey need to show improvement over last year (yes, even Okposo) and Tavares needs to show something as well. I see what you're saying though - just adding a different spin to it.
No, worst case scenario is that he is a total bust.
Don't you think that scenario is gone? A total bust doesn't make a team for more than a couple of games at best. The guy has proved at least that already.
I like the tone of Comeau's statements. Sounds like he learned a valuable lesson last year and will appreciate his opportunity without assuming that a spot is guaranteed.
Would like to see him play more committed on a within and between game basis, and also take the body more consistently. He's got a solid checking base, but doesn't use it enough.
I like Comeau. He and Okposo work well together after the Rangers game where he wrecked Avery, threw him over the boards, and blew him a kiss he looked like a completely different player.
If Comeau can click with Tavares I can see him turning into a 15-20G 40-50A guy
I like the guy. However i think 70 points is a bit high for him. I think for him to reach these numbers he would have to become a Diferent player
I would think he could become a real solid 40 to 50 point player.
15 maybe 20 goals along with 20 A
Don't you think that scenario is gone? A total bust doesn't make a team for more than a couple of games at best. The guy has proved at least that already.
I'd personally like to see a guy play a full season in the NHL and score at least 10 goals before we declare him "proven."
If Comeau busted, he wouldn't be the first kid who couldn't hold it together over the course of a full season.
I like Comeau. He and Okposo work well together after the Rangers game where he wrecked Avery, threw him over the boards, and blew him a kiss he looked like a completely different player.
Comeau always impressed me......but it's what Gorton thinks. I remember his hustle that game.
I'd personally like to see a guy play a full season in the NHL and score at least 10 goals before we declare him "proven."
If Comeau busted, he wouldn't be the first kid who couldn't hold it together over the course of a full season.
I'm a huge Comeau fan, but I agree with you 100% - he hasn't shown much, yet. Showing flashes of competence on a horrible team, in losses, lacking consistency are symptoms of any young player in the NHL.
Not all become regular NHL players.
For Comeau to emerge as a valuable NHL player he needs to improve a great deal IMO. Specifically, he needs to become more consistent (Sillinger being the prime example of consistency - every shift, you know what you get). He has the physical skills and he's got enough talent and hockey sense to become a pretty good pro - I hope he can put it together.
Comeau always impressed me......but it's what Gorton thinks. I remember his hustle that game.
OlTimeHockey, I'm happy to see I'm not the only one who thinks Comeau impressed a lot. He's developing along the prototypical power forward path, going from a perimeter player who uses his size to something clicking and pissing him off for a a stretch of games. The key for him is going to be keeping that pissed of energy going. It reminds me a bit of Big Bert who struggled with this a lot early on. I don't think he will ever come close to Bert's West Coast Express days (which was a year long clinic on what being an elite power forward entails) but I would not be surprised if he developed into a poor man's version of him (less skill, similar physical presence).
The good thing for him is that he he is able sustain that energy not just for a shift or a game (ala Sister Isbister) but for stretches of games. He is also a smart player, picks his spots, and knows how to play defense. Now he needs to keep that together for a whole season. Not sure if it will click entirely this year , but I would hope we saw mean streaks like the one he had following the Ranger game with more frequency. That was the second game in a ten game stretch where he had 11 points and was dishing out at least one big hit a night.
Last edited by Hipster Doofus: 09-10-2009 at 11:58 AM.
I like the guy. However i think 70 points is a bit high for him. I think for him to reach these numbers he would have to become a Diferent player
I would think he could become a real solid 40 to 50 point player.
15 maybe 20 goals along with 20 A
Notice how I said if he could click with Tavares. Now if you put him on a "normal" line I see his potential more of a 10-15G 30-40A guy. The 15 point bump up would be because he is playing with a guy who has the potential to get 40-50 goals and open up the ice a bit.
What I liked about Comeau's game last year was his feistiness and his willingness to get his nose dirty. If he turns out to be a 40-50 pt guy who plays 3rd line minutes and sometimes 2nd if needed and kills PK I think he will help the Isles alot.
Half the team is in the same boat needing to prove their place on this roster full time. He got his wake up call being sent down for the first half last year. I expect a better and a more complete player in Comeau. Anything else would be a disappointment. I expect consistency in his play from day one with some point totals coming in the second half.
I think Comeau has very under rated vision and can really find the open man with the puck. I like his hockey IQ and he seems as if he is understanding what it takes to stay up with the big club. I would not be shocked to see him pot 15-20 goals and 40-45 points this year. He is the real "wild card" in regard to the rebuild. If he turns out to be a top 6 forward, along with Tavares, Okposo and Bailey...we are on our way.
I like how Comeau likes to get the puck and carry it into the zone.
For most of last season, he seemed to hang onto it too long once he entered the opposition zone, but he seemed to pass it up more often later in the season.
I think he was actually a bit inspired by Okposo's way of taking the puck bulldozing along with it.
Comeau is also good at twist and turning in the corners right before it looks like an opponent will nail him.
Of course, sometimes he got caught and paid the price.
I like how Comeau likes to get the puck and carry it into the zone.
For most of last season, he seemed to hang onto it too long once he entered the opposition zone, but he seemed to pass it up more often later in the season.
I think he was actually a bit inspired by Okposo's way of taking the puck bulldozing along with it.
Comeau is also good at twist and turning in the corners right before it looks like an opponent will nail him.
Of course, sometimes he got caught and paid the price.
Comeau has the opposite problem that most young players face.
Typically, young players (especially offensive players) need to drastically adjust their game because of the speed and physical style of NHL play. Players have far less time and are much more susceptible to being out-muscled along the boards and losing the puck. They are forced to make decisions faster and hold on to the puck much less - hence, play without the puck, positioning becoming far more critical to success at this level (see: Tambellini - and zillions of other junior/AHL stars that fade to Europe)
Comeau holds on too long, eludes opposing players extremely well and seems to have the confidence and poise of a player with 10 years NHL experience. Unfortunately, his decision-making hasn't developed yet, not at the NHL level. It's not a foregone conclusion that this will happen but he's got all the tools to be a very effective third line player at WORST. He can skate, hit, forecheck, smart defensively and will only get better with time.
On the UPSIDE, if he can learn to use his offensive linemates well, improve his consistency and become that key complimentary winger (Adam Graves?) to pure offensive raw talent (Tavares?) then we could have something really special.
Don't mean to draw comparisons or to project his upside with the Graves reference - but he's the best example of a great complimentary player who made the star players truly shine. A very underrated part of hockey and a real value to a team IMO.
