Coach Al Sims and captain Colin Chaulk retired, and now so has the goaltender who backstopped them to four championships between 2008 and 2012.The Komets aren't sure whether their leading scorer, Brett Smith, will be available to play Friday against Tulsa.
He has been suffering from concussion symptoms and missed the last two games, after Bloomington's Ryan Palmer clipped him in a 2-1 Blaze victory at Memorial Coliseum on Friday night.
Palmer was suspended one game by the CHL for the act. (To be clear, since there were reports to the contrary, Smith was not suspended by the CHL for retaliating.)
Smith leads the Komets with 14 goals and 42 points in 33 games.
The Komets also don't know whether forward Chris Auger, who has missed the last 10 of the last 14 games with a concussion, will be available. Auger has 13 goals and 23 points in 26 games.
Komets general manager David Franke said the team isn't speaking with physical defenseman Jason Goulet. He was recently released by Arizona.
I'm sure some of you will ask about Mark Nebus, who was released by Laredo. Based on his plus/minus rating, I doubt the Komets will have interest.
