Hockey Country

Ottawa 4 NY Islanders 2

2006-12-05T23:12:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

Jason Spezza & Dany Heatley. Sometimes the offensive stats aren’t a fair reflection of who was the best player in a hockey game. This wasn’t one of those instances. Heatley and Spezza combined for five points (Heatley two goals, Spezza goal and two assists) and were head and shoulders above every other skaters with one possible exception on the other side. Spezza was flying out there, and it sure seemed as if every time he and Heatley hit the ice something was produced, even if it was just chances. These two are back in the groove that lifted them atop the league’s scoring race in the first half of last season. Heatley’s finish is scary good and Spezza is not only making plays but is also a legitimate threat to score now as well. Teams have to respect the way he’s firing the puck, and when they do that, it opens up more room for the rest of his linemates. With more natural playmakers, you don’t have to play the shot because the logic is, he’s going to dish it. But Spezza has scored enough blasts so far this season that he can no longer be looked at as a one dimensional offensive player. I feel bad for Chris Kelly, having to keep up with these two the way they’re rolling right now. He must feel like the fat friend that rolls with the two 10s Saturday night at the bar. His role is important, but at the end of the day, no one cares about him, try as he might.

Peter Schaefer on the PK. The penalty killers in general were quite good, but Schaefer deserves special mention. Great at winning battles for loose pucks, very strong with the puck on his stick, and was the reason the Isles spent significant time in their own end with the man up.

Martin Gerber. When the Islanders turned it on into the second and third, Gerber stood tall and answered the call every time. I think I’m past the point where when a shot is fired on him I hold my breath. He always looks to be sound positionally and isn’t giving up those juicy rebounds that were commonplace when he was in the midst of that awful slump. Now, when he’s handling the puck, that’s a different story.

Andrej Meszaros. I think we can officially say the sophmore slump is gone and not returning. Meszaros is playing his ass off right now. Blocking shots both on the PK and even strength, real strong on the point on the PP, is carrying the puck with a ton of confidence, and playing the body consistently.

THE BAD:

Daniel Alfredsson, goal scorer. He left the game with what looked like a nasty foot sprain. The only word we’ve got as of this writing is that it’s a lower body injury. No shit. But up to that point, he couldn’t buy a goal if it was being sold 2 for 1 for a nickel. He missed the net three times, two of which were prime scoring chances, and in the first period had the net W I D E open with Mike Dunham down and out, and he fired the puck right into his pads.

8,741. Ouch.

THE OPPOSITION:

After the first 20 minutes, I thought to myself, these are those shiny new Islanders I’ve been hearing so much about? I thought maybe my TV was broken, and the 2006 Sens were playing the Isles of 10 years ago. They were awful. The only reason it wasn’t 5-0 after the first was because of Dunham, who stood on his head, which has apparently happened more than once this season. While Rick DiPietro has the big contract, Dunham has supposedly been the superior goalie. Is there a goaltending controversy on Long Island?

I assume something was said by Ted Nolan after the first because a different team emerged, and they made a game of it. It was pretty clear Ottawa was the better, more talented club, but at least the Islanders gave a good honest effort. Some shined brighter than others. Jason Blake may be the most underrated player in the NHL. If he was on a line with some guys who could finish, his numbers would be through the roof. His speed and tenacity make him one of the most dangerous players currently in the game, but there isn’t much for him to work with, especially with Yashin out.

I also liked the games of Mike Sillinger and MSG Goat Tom Poti. Poti has been driven out of two NHL cities yet he was their best d-man on the night, in both ends. Yes Rangers fans, you read that right. Tom Poti was good defensively.

UP NEXT:

No rest as they travel to D.C. and face the Caps. This one will be interesting. The last time these teams faced off, a month ago to the day, it was one of the lowest lowpoints for a team that had been experiencing a ton of them. I warned that the Sens could not take Washington lightly because while they may not be the most talented club in the league they don’t give up and with A.O. in the line-up can turn a game around in a heart beat.

What happened? Ottawa got up big early (and either were or were not rubbing it in, depending on who you believe), took their foot off the pedal, got sloppy, and Washington clawed their way back into the game, eventually winning it in OT.

A lot has changed in a month. This really does seem like a different team. Not only will there be a different goalie in between the pipes (I assume) but the big guns are performing in a major way. But if Ottawa is their worst enemy, again, the result will be the same.

Ottawa 6 Florida 0

2006-11-30T23:32:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

Total domination. While they slipped slightly in the third period (as tends to happen with a six goal lead), I thought this was, all around, the best game the Sens have had in a long time. Their play in the defensive zone, save a few brainfarts that didn’t result in anything because of Ray Emery and some luck, was terrific. Every Sens forward was committed to the cause, backchecking with vigor and making it impossible for the Panthers to sustain any pressure. In addition, the forecheck was relentless. Every line maintained an aggressive forecheck presence throughout the game, which is what this team needs. It wasn’t just the third and fourth lines doing the dirty work. All four bought into the gameplan. It’s difficult to pinpoint one line as the best because each had their moment in the sun and spurts where you figured they were the best trio. I liked the game, in particular, of the Daniel Alfredsson line. Tremendous two-way games from all three. As well, the defence unit had an extremely strong game. Andrej Meszaros, Anton Volchenkov, and Chris Phillips deserve special mention. Meszaros followed up Tuesday night’s strong outing with an even better game. Two points, rushed the puck well, and was extremely effective in his own zone. Volchenkov is in a zone and playing his best hockey since, well, ever. When a guy is blocking shots in the third period of a game that his team is leading 6-0, you know he’s a team player.

Daniel Alfredsson’s aggression. I’m not sure if he simply woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or if there was something, away from the cameras, that we missed, but Alfie was PISSED off tonight. He came as close to dropping the gloves as I’ve seen him and even extracted some revenge on poor Stephen Weiss (who had a rough night) later in the game for a perceived cheap shot in the second. His play is coming around in a major way and I genuinely believe he’s a week away from breaking out huge. Speaking of which, um, can someone else step in for Daniel Alfredsson to punch Weiss in the face, please? I was glad he got pissed but after throwing a few blows he should be stepped away by someone else who pummels the other guy. A hilarious moment in the game was when Alfie and Weiss were tussling, color man Gord Wilson said something to the effect of “I bet Chris Neil is on the bench, standing this, watching, taking notes”. Camera cuts to Neil on the bench wiping his face with a towel, not even paying attention.

Ray Emery. Solid when called upon, he’s building more and more confidence with each win.

THE BAD:

Losing Wade Redden. There’s not much indication of the severity of the injury, but it didn’t look good. On the replays you could see him grimace after being hit by Jay Bouwmeester. If it’s any consolation, the fact it’s not another lower body injury (i.e. groin), but instead of the upper body variety. That of course is assuming the Sens are feeding us bullshit information about player injuries. Surely they wouldn’t do such a thing, right? Redden has proven himself to be quite the catalyst this season, and without him, the team, and in particular the powerplay, struggles badly. So say a prayer the Sens aren't without their most important blueliner.

Shattered glass. Let's also hope the kids who felt the wrath of Phillips and Weiss are alright. The word is that they were taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure, but boy was that scary for a few moments.

THE OPPOSITION:

While the Sens caught them in a dry spell, as the Panthers are now goalless in three straight games, I'd be very concerned if I'm one of the couple dozen fans this team has. Compared to the spirited effort they displayed six days ago, this was a catastrophe of the grandest kind.

They had ZERO jump in the first period, and for a team on the brink of big trouble, there was absolutely no desperation. It's one thing to be playing poorly or not getting the breaks. To just have bad puck luck or no chemistry. But when there apepars to be minimal effort, that's bad news. Where Olli Jokinen for most of this game? Where was Jay Bouwmeester? Jozef Stumpel? Nathan Horton? Bryan Allen, who was awesome in the last meeting. The only time I noticed him was when the Sens were knocking him around. I'd say Todd Bertuzzi can't get back soon enough but I'm not sure he'll make a lick of difference.

And on paper, it might seem as if goaltending was the problem, but Alex Auld was awesome before he got the mercy hook. I remember saying I didn't know if Auld playing was a good thing or not. If it had been Ed Belfour from the start, the score might have been double digits. He made at least six huge game-saving stops and cannot be faulted on many of the ones that did get by him.

The game story, if you want it simplified, is that the Panthers D had no answer for the Sens pressure. They made the 'Canes blueline that I shit all over two nights ago look like the the d-men who backstopped the Habs in the 70's.

Are changes in order? Does it even matter?

UP NEXT:

Tampa Bay Saturday night. The Bolts took it to the Sens Sunday afternoon so there is, I'd hope, some desire for revenge. The big thing to watch will be who they have in goal. Johan Holmqvist stonewalled the Sens in that game and was a big reason for the result, but he got chased the other night.

Ottawa 4 Carolina 1

2006-11-28T23:44:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

Martin Gerber. He needed this one. More even than a W, Gerber needed a solid performance without any major costly mistakes, and we got that. Though it certainly looked like this would be a long night based on the early (and lone) goal he gave up, where he looked awkward and uncomfortable, Gerber managed to compose himself nicely and give a strong outing that hopefully builds some confidence not only within himself but also with his teammates. Because there can be no disputing that Ottawa played like a different team with Ray Emery between the pipes than they did when it was Gerber tending the goal. One good game doesn’t mean he’s out of the woods, and he’ll need to do the same the next time he gets tapped on the shoulder, but it was a good starting point. Fundamentally, a lot of the things that were killing him, and as a result the team, were much better. Primarily, Gerber didn’t look nearly as small. You could see, based on where the ‘Canes where shooting – high – that the book is out on how to solve Gerber, and as long as he was going down so quickly, so deep in the net, the opposition was going to continue to roof it with success.

The penalty killing. Awesome. Carolina had five powerplay opportunities and could barely build any momentum from all the man advantages they had. In fact, in a few instances, Ottawa was generating more chances and getting more energy from killing off all the penalties. Props to Chris Phillips, Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher, and Chris Kelly, who were all terrific in this area.

The third period. The final 20 minutes has become a pretty sizeable foe of the Sens this season, which is a strange thing to say given how well this team was at protecting leads that season. We’ve already seen Ottawa shit the bed in the third and blow a lead a handful of times this season, and we’re only 25 games in. While it was when Ottawa scored their second and third goals to blow the game open, the truth was, Ottawa was the inferior team in the second period, as Carolina dictated the pace and dominated the majority of the frame, spending much more time in Ottawa’s end than vice versa. So, despite a two goal lead going into the last period, I was a tad nervous based on the various collapses we’ve seen this year. However, a different team came out for the third period.

The Patrick Eaves-Mike Fisher-Chris Neil line Terrific. Fisher scored a goal, registered an assist, and was the catalyst for his line’s strong play throughout. It was nice seeing Eaves score because he’s been due and they need him to be more of an offensive presence for this team to prosper. Whenever people would say “where is the secondary scoring going to come from now that Martin Havlat is gone?” I would tell them (after pointing out that Havlat only accounted for nine of their league leading 312 last season) that Eaves would be a big part of it. He scored 20 goals in 58 games last season, and in the process, demonstrated a tremendous natural goal scoring instinct that made me think a more seasoned and mature Eaves would rack up quite the tally in a full season. Thus far, that hasn’t been the case, and it’s not because of a lack of opportunity, as Eaves spent significant time playing with some pretty offensively talented people. His overall game has improved since moving onto a line with Fish and Neil, but that scoring presence hasn’t come around. Let’s hope his first goal in seven games ends the slump and gets him scoring like we need him. Fisher’s skating pretty friggin’ well right now as well.

Going to the net. Someone lit a fire under the asses of the Sens’ forwards (and Christoph Schubert). That’s the only explanation I have for why Ottawa skaters went so hard to the net, nonstop. The first goal, scored by Patrick Eaves, was a direct result of him skating hard through a bit of a clutch from a ‘Canes defender and getting rewarded as a result. Even Daniel Alfredsson, a former Lady Byng nominee, was going to the net, and got punched in the face as a result (would’ve liked some retribution for that, but that’s another issue).

Christoph’s Schubert’s shot. Holy fuck.

Andrej Meszaros. Over 25 minutes played, strong in all ends of the ice, good in every situation. This is the Meszaros we’ve become used to.

THE BAD:

Chris Phillips lack of discipline. The Big Rig’s new found habit of taking bad defensive zone penalties is starting to annoy me, mostly because they all result from Phillips not skating and instead resorting back to the “old NHL” ways of hooking. We’ve had these new rules for a little while now. I would’ve thought otherwise smart veterans like Phillips would’ve adjusted by now, but alas, that’s not the case.

Playing with fire. Both Joe Corvo and Wade Redden must’ve decided they just didn’t give a fuck because each guy threw caution to the wind. Redden threw the puck through his own crease more than once and Corvo thought he was Bobby Orr the way he attempted to pylon Carolina skaters.

The attendance. I realize the ‘Canes aren’t burning it up the way they were last season, and Ottawa no longer has that “must see TV” buzz around it (seems to have gone south to Buffalo), but less than 15,000? And that’s announced. It’s a good bet the real number was closer to 13K. What gives Raleigh? Was there a town hall meeting going on simultaneously?

THE OPPOSITION:

The one noteworthy observation I have to make about the ‘Canes, above all others, is that their defence is a mess. In comparison to the squad that backstopped Carolina to a Cup win in the spring, this one is ass. Pittsburgh-last-year ass. Now, a drop off of some sort had to be expected. They lost Aaron Ward, an unremarkable but important piece of the puzzle, to free agency and Frantisek Kaberle to a long-term injury, and that hurts. But the guys they have left who were so good last year, the Glen Wesley’s (looked 50 years old out there), Brent Hedicans and Mike Commodore were not the least bit effective. Hell, Anton Babchuck, a guy they got for almost nothing from the Hawks (nice trade) was their best rearguard. Now, no offence to Anton Babchuck. He’s a former first rounder and had a very good game, but they need the veterans to anchor the ship.

This was where the game was won. All four of Ottawa’s lines forechecked consistently and Carolina’s defence, which was praised by that old relic John Muckler for their puck moving ability and overall speed last year, couldn’t deal in the slightest. Carolina’s forwards were fine and in the second did a excellent job of taking it to the Ottawa defencemen in that frame.

Also, John Grahame stinks. I thought this much was known but the Hurricanes thought he would be a good backup to Cam Ward and, apparently, serve as their insurance should Ward suffer from a sophmore slump/Conn Smythe Curse. And here I thought Jim Rutherford was one of the best GMs in the NHL.

UP NEXT:

A game against Florida on a Thursday night may not seem like a big game, but I think it is. Sorta. Ottawa, like most teams, tends to struggle when they come back from lengthy roadtrips. There is a hangover that carries over and the first game back at home is often quite poor. So it’ll be especially interesting to see if they can keep it rolling after a nice win tonight to their home returns. The early word is Alex Auld is starting. I haven’t seen enough of Florida, nor cared enough about them to follow the team closely, to know if that’s good or not.

A confession

2006-11-19T10:41:00.000-05:00

I didn't see last night's Sens-Sabres game. A previous engagement had me out and about, and my attempt to dust off the VCR and record the game (yes, I'm still behind on the PVR bandwagon) didn't go so well. As a result, I have no thoughts.

And since they won, I'm debating "missing" Monday night's game against Minnesota, watching it on a delay when doing so will have no effect on the outcome one way or another.

New Jersey 3 Ottawa 2

2006-11-18T01:45:00.000-05:00

Sort of an abbreviated version tonight. Blogger already ate my previous attempt and it's nearly 2am.

THE GOOD:

A strong third period. For the second consecutive game, the Sens elevated in the third period. Unfortunately, unlike Wednesday night, by the time they turned it up a notch, the hole they dug themselves was too severe to get out of. But still. It's reassuring to see that that hurdle looks to have been leaped.

Mike Fisher & Chris Neil. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that these were the lone Sens skaters who brought it for a full 60 minutes. Fisher was skating like the wind, again, and generated a number of the team's prime scoring chances. He was also the only Sen who was able to penetrate the Devils trap they implemented from the midway point of the game on. He rushed the puck down the wing often and good some decent shots away as a result. Neil must have thought it was April because was stirring the pot the way he did in the Tampa series. I'm pretty sure the Devils want to kill him.

Ray Emery. 23 saves with three goals allowed may not blow you out of the water, so on paper it probably seems like Emery was quite ordinary but in fact it was the exact opposite. Emery was even better than he was Wednesday night and was probably the only reason the game was as close as it was after the Sens played so poorly in the second. Emery is providing Ottawa with something they were never getting consistently from Martin Gerber: steady, reliable goaltending with the big saves being made. Emery cannot be faulted on any of the three goals scored.

THE BAD:

The second period. Boy oh boy did they disappoint here. This was the 20 minutes where the game was lost. What I think is happening is that this team is so fragile emotionally that when they have a pretty good first period (still not outstanding, but certainly better than the Devils) yet go into the room down a few goals while having hit a post or two, they start feeling both dejected and bad for themselves. Then they come out feeling down and out and the other team takes it to them.

Daniel Alfredsson. He scored Ottawa's second goal but overall, where was the captain last night? It would be kind to say he was not a factor. #11 makes it difficult for us Alfie Apologists with games like this.

The powerplay. 0-2. Back it sucking it seems.

THE OPPOSITION:

The Devils came out pretty flat in the first, yet a lucky bounce (and a strong finish from Jamie Langenbrunner) as well as an effective powerplay had them up two goals after the first 20 minutes. And while Ottawa scored twice in the third to make things more interesting, the truth was, once they netted a third goal in the second period the end result was never really in doubt. The idea that the Devils would blow a three goal lead in the third period at home seemed pretty unrealistic.

The big surprise was how dominant the Langenbrunner-Zach Parise-Travis Zajac line was. They were responsible for all three of New Jersey's goals and were, far and away, their best players. Zajac looks to be a hell of a player and at 21 should have fans of the team excited.

Brian Gionta, invisible. Way to earn that paycheck.

UP NEXT:

Right back at it, which I think is a good thing. They can build on the good things from this loss and hopefully *fingers crossed* correct the mistakes. Buffalo didn't play their best two nights ago so you know they'll want some revenge and redemption while, ideally, the Sens want to prove Wednesday night and not the game we saw five hours ago was the real team.

TSN vs. the Senators

2006-11-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

The Ottawa Senators organization has a new number one rival, it seems. Though, geographically speaking, it was just a walk down the street.

There's a strange situation going on over at TSN, and right they're butting heads with the people at ScotiaBank Place.

I mentioned it in my recap of last night's Sens win over the Sabres, but Pierre Maguire, once Ottawa's loudest cheerleader, has since become their most vocal critic. Maguire has a daily segment on the local morning sports talk radio show on The Team 1200. It's an insanely popular segment on the highest rated sports radio morning show in the country. Meaning, when he talks, people hear it.

Maguire started the season picking the Sens as a favorite to win the Cup. In less than two months, he's done a complete 180. Every day he now refers to the team's lack of speed and talks about how much they miss Zdeno Chara (at the start of the season he said John Muckler made the right choice with Wade Redden over Chara).

It seems as if Maguire doesn't simply think they've been playing bad. He thinks they're an average team. This has drawn the ire of some, and it was showcased nationally last night. For the whole game he mused about the superiority of the Sabres. Buffalo was faster, tougher, wanted it more, etc. When Ottawa managed to pull out a gutsy win, there was much egg on his face. This morning on Ottawa radio, he said all the right things and the hosts did their best tapdancing performance, skirting the issue without confronting Maguire.

But it doesn't end with Maguire.

A few weeks back there was a report on RDS, rooted at TSN, that Ray Emery's arm injury was more serious than the team was letting on. That he might miss 8 weeks. Ooops. Not true.

This afternoon, Eugene Melnyk held a conference call to give everyone a vote of confidence. Murray, Muckler, Mlakar. All them. The first question of the call was from TSN's Darren Dreger and he didn't waste anytime with softballs.

Listening in, you could literally feel the tension when Dreger asked the questions about how Melnyk can tolerate losing. He managed to basically editorialize with every question he asked, making it clear HE thought pink slips need to be issued. Melnyk seemed thrown but handled them relatively well, issuing the token responses that I imagine his P.R. man had written up before hand.

Oh, and the story about a top level Melnyk aide, his supposed second-in-command flying on red eye to Buffalo last night for the game? The story about how this was the precursor to heads rolling? All nonsense. It's since been revealed that the trip was planned all along. Who exactly turned this into a big deal? Oh, right.

With the Battle Of Ontario fizzling out somewhat, it's nice to know the Sens still have some enemies in Hogtown.

Ottawa 4 Buffalo 2

2006-11-15T23:03:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

A spirited performance when it mattered most. Now, let me say this: the Sens are still not out of the woods. They’ve dug themselves a lofty hole with their play over the last month, and it’ll take more games like this before those parade plans get unraveled from the trash bin, however, this was a great start. There are a TON of positives to take out of this game. The team finally showed up, big time, in the third period. They finally scored a third period powerplay goal. They finally won a game after being scored on first. They didn’t blow it when a lead was established. Most of all, they came to play when it mattered most. Others called this a must win game, or a game seven type scenario, and while I was not nearly that dramatic, I did think this was one they needed as desperately as a game in November can be. But even more than the win, they need a strong outing. They needed to leave the game feeling good about themselves, and if that came because of a great effort in defeat, then it would be a worthwhile experience. Going into Buffalo and beating the best time in the league is more than even I expected. The question now is, can they build on this? Will we be looking back on tonight’s W as a turning point in the season or will they fall back into their rut? Let’s not forget we thought this club was out of the woods three weeks back when they beat up on the Devils and then the Leafs twice. It didn’t last.

Penalty killing in general, but in particular, the 5-on-3 kill in the first period. This was one of the key points in the game, I believe, as Ottawa established a lot of confidence from this kill. They didn’t turn it on immediately after shutting the Sabres powerplay down, and in fact it was just the opposite, but I think it told them that they could play with Buffalo. As well, Ottawa was a threat on the PK the way they were last season. They had two breakaways that, if this team had the bounces going their way, would have been goals. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be, but getting chances is a good step in the right direction.

The powerplay. For one, they didn’t get scored on with the man advantage. That’s a positive to take away. But in general, they were much better on the PP. Still not where I, and I’m sure every other Sens fan, would like them to be, but at this point, it’s baby steps. Murray made some subtle but ultimately smart adjustments. One of which saw Dany Heatley take Daniel Alfredsson’s spot on the point. I have to say, I didn’t think this was wise. While Heatley has a better shot than Alfie, making him a prime candidate to man the point, he’s also not a great skater, meaning, against a speedy Buffalo team, he might be caught should the puck bounce and a Sabres player get possession (ie, last year’s game 5 OT winner). But Heatley showed great poise when handling the puck back there and utilized the big shot. Also, Denis Hamel joined the first unit powerplay, getting the unglamorous but very necessary job of standing in front of the net and causing trouble. As someone who’s been clamoring for more Hamel ice time, it warmed my heart to see the coaching staff oblige.

Ray Emery. He looked shaky at various points, and gave me heart palpitations when he handled the puck behind the net, but in the end, Ray Emery provided this tea with something Martin Gerber has been unable to and that’s steady, reliable netminding. He made the big saves when they were needed and when Gerber has not been. Time to get on his back and ride him for a while because he looks to be up to the task.

Chris Phillips. A monster game from the veteran, and it was needed badly. He’s been struggling quite a bit this season and has been the subject of numerous trade rumors. And when a pillar of the franchise and a leader in the locker room is struggling it starts to effect the rest of the team. In his own zone, Phillips played like it was one of those must win, do-or-die game seven type situations, which is usually when he shines brightest. 28 minutes of game time and he was terrific in every bit of it.

Anton Volchenkov. He’s really hitting his stride. He too played like a desperate man, taking the body with much aggression (just ask Adam Mair) and blocking a shitload of shots. At the start of the season he was either 5th or 6th on their depth chart, but with Wade Redden out of the line-up, he’s their best defenceman right now to me. In the final seconds of a close game, there isn’t anyone else I’d want on the ice more than the A-Train because I know he’ll take a puck to the face if it means it’ll stay out of the net, and that’s the kind of commitment we need.

Throwing the puck at the net with traffic around the goalie. There’s a valuable lesson to be learned here: don’t be fancy. Both the game winner as well as the goal that tied the contest came from a shot being fired from the point and someone redirecting it along the way. Full marks to the Senators for staying with it despite missing the net consistently in the second period while also getting shots blocked nonstop throughout the game.

THE BAD:

Andrej Meszaros. He redeemed himself slightly but getting an assist on the goal that made it 2-2, however, I think we can officially say he’s in the midst of a severe sophmore slump. After coughing the puck up on the winner the other night, he also gaffed on Daniel Briere’s goal and was almost responsible for another later in the first period when he didn’t get in position for a Ray Emery pass. Daniel Alfredsson bailed him out because if that had led to a goal as well he really would’ve been in the doghouse. Unfortunately, with Wade Redden out, Ottawa has to play him quite a bit anyway even though I’m sure Murray wishes he could sit the youngster for a bit to let him work through his issues from the bench and not on the ice, where he can hurt the team.

Giveaways. Ottawa had 17 of them, which is about 16 too many against a team as good and sizzling as the Sabres. Throw in Ottawa’s only slumps and they simply couldn’t afford to be that sloppy. It didn’t burn them in the end here but if they do so Saturday night when these two teams match up at ScotiaBank Place they probably won’t get the same result.

Francois St. Laurent. Terrible calls on both ends. He blew early whistles that fucked each time. The Sens more often, but late in the game, with the Sabres pressing, he whistled the play dead even though Stevie Wonder could’ve seen the rubber loose.

Pierre Maguire. I actually usually like the guy, and defend him often, but boy, when he’s bashing your team, it stings hard. Why do I feel like he enjoys seeing the Sens struggle? Is my vagina sensitive because the team is struggling and I’m being defensive when I shouldn’t be? It might just be a case of us being allowed to bash them because they’re our kids, but when other (bald alien-like) parents call them brats, them’s fighting words. It might just be karma because the Sens were getting the media blowjobs last season.

THE OPPOSITION:

Buffalo lost for two reasons, as I see it: their special teams didn’t deliver on either end and when Ottawa turned it on in the third period they couldn’t respond by elevating their own games. If their powerplay was effective we’d be talking about this game in a whole different light.

It’s also worth mentioning that Buffalo came in pretty undermanned. Without the pairing of Henrik Tallinder & Toni Lydman, Ryan Miller (bet you’re glad you held onto Martin Biron huh) and Maxim Afinogenov (who I desperately need back soon before I plummet even further in my office pool). When you’re without those kind of players, there will be a dropoff. And it's not as if their top guns underperformed. Brian Campbell was awesome, which really pleases me because I've liked the guy since he played under Brian Kilrea as a 67 and thought everyone was wrong when the accepted opinion was he wasn't an NHL caliber defenceman. Tomas Vanek looked like the guy who had all the hype coming into last season. Chris Drury brought the heart and leadership.

However, the bottom line is that Ottawa wanted it more than Buffalo. And so they should. Buffalo has the best record in the NHL. It'd be foolish to think they would be able to match Ottawa's desire when the Sens are fighting for their lives.

UP NEXT:

New Jersey Friday night. This one will be big as well because if they fall back into old habits, and the shit luck returns, they will feel even more dejected because the sentiment will be "damn, I thought we got this monkey off our back". I have to assume that Ray Emery will get the nod in nets, and that will make a difference. The skaters in front of him play with much more confidence than they have with Gerber between the pipes, and that matters.

The Devils are back their old ways, sorta. They're not scoring a lot, but now not giving up even more. They also have a middle of the road PK which might play into the Sens hands given how effective their powerplay is right now.

Montreal 6 Ottawa 3

2006-11-13T23:35:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

The first period effort from the Sens. Ottawa was all over the Habs in the first frame. Physically, they were dominant, and were generating far more offensive opportunities than the Canadiens as well as outshooting Montreal by a wide margin (17-7). It looked as if a fire was lite under them as a collective, and the kind of fire that would sustain itself for the full 60 minutes. It didn’t happen, unfortunately, and I think a big reason was because despite being, far and away the superior team, the Sens went into the first intermission tied 1-1, thus deflating them.

Coming back, sorta, in the third period. I must admit, when Lantendresse scored his second goal off the blast from Souray to make it 4-1, I figured, it’s a wrap. If I was there in person I probably would have headed for the exits, just based on the way this season has gone. There was absolutely no reason to think the Sens would claw their way back into this game, yet that’s exactly what they did. They had some assistance from the referees, who put the Habs in the box with some questionable penalties (perhaps making up for all the calls they missed earlier, including the hit from behind on McGratton), however, Ottawa managed to get back into the contest and for a few minutes, with the momentum decidedly on their side, it looked as if they would tie the game 4-4. Then Martin Gerber shit the bed, again.

Denis Hamel. He got a little more ice time than usual (over 9 minutes), including some shifts on the second unit of the powerplay, but there still wasn’t enough Hamel for my liking tonight, especially based on how well he played in the first period, where he went hard to the net with regularity while also finishing every check he could.

Patrick Eaves. Good drive to the net on his goal, Eaves played a great game, but just didn't get much help from those around him. Threw a ton of hits as well. If everyone came to play like Eaves, Ottawa would be 2 points better.

THE BAD:

Martin Gerber lets us down again. It’s a shame. It really is. I truly believe the guy is trying, and he looks to be taking this slump hard, however, the bottom line is, nice person or not, an NHL team needs a goalie they can depend on, and right now, the Ottawa Senators don’t have such a thing. Despite his big salary and supposed pedigree, Gerber is not that person. Now, it would be both incorrect and unfair to pin this loss entirely on his shoulders, because he made some strong saves throughout the game to keep Ottawa involved, including a gave-saving glove in the second period that looked to have the potential to rally his troops. Ottawa didn’t lose because of Martin Gerber, however, they do need him to come up with the saves, including ones on soft shots. The Mike Johnson goal to make it 5-3 and essentially ice the Senators’ chances should not be going in on any supposed NHL caliber starting goaltender. Some are claiming it was a deflection but it if so wasn’t significant. It wasn’t as if the puck changed direction drastically.

An inconsistent effort. Again. While the game was 60 minutes, the Senators only came to play for 30 and the result indicates that. As I’ve said time and time again, this team simply isn’t good enough, nor are they getting the lucky bounces that a team firing on all cylinders does, to not work hard for the full game and expect to get the two points. Certainly not against a team that works hard more often than not and is coming off a rather humbling experience in front of the country on Hockey Night In Canada and especially not without their best defenceman Wade Redden. Ottawa’s collapse could be seen coming a mile away. As soon as they didn’t leave the first period up three goals, they started having doubts, and the effort got worse as the game went on. By the mid-way point of the second, Montreal was dictating the pace of the game, outworking Ottawa, beating the Sens to all pucks, and even out muscling the bigger Ottawa team in the corners and in front of the net. That carried over into the third when the Habs were able to net two quick goals to put three goals between themselves and the Sens. Bryan Murray talked about being proud of his players despite the losses they took on this past road trip. That they worked hard. Nothing to be proud of here, coach. Your boys let you down, and I didn't see you doing much to change it.

The big guns not delivering. All three had decent games as far as effort and scoring chances, but Ottawa’s big three up front, Alfredsson, Heatley, and Spezza had to produce tonight and were unable to do so. People talk about secondary scoring, but what this team needs most, night in and night out, is for these to be factors on the score sheet. I’ve defended Daniel Alfredsson as vehemently as anyone in this city, yet my patience is running thing. There’s only so much effort and no production you can take, and I’m reaching my breaking point. And Dany Heatley’s act is getting REAL old. For a supposed natural goal scorer, he’s sure managed to make not scoring goals look easy.

THE OPPOSITION:

The Habs should have counted themselves lucky to get out of the first period not down a few goals. Some bad puck luck around the net by Sens skaters as well as good goaltending from Cristobol Huet keep them in the game and they built from that point to take over when Ottawa’s effort fell off a cliff. Montreal got strong games from rookie senation Lantendresse (who didn’t look a bit out of place alongside Koivu and Ryder) as well as, of all people, Radek Bonk, who displayed good chemistry on a line with Alexander Perezhogen. Suddenly the loss of Christopher Higgins doesn't look so crippling.

UP NEXT:

On the road again. Ottawa leaves town to visit, oh shit, the Buffalo Sabres. You know, the best team in the NHL. Buckle up friends, because this one could get VERY ugly. Either that or the team will get their shit together knowing if they do not the odds of being utterly humiliated are very good. If I was a betting man, and the guy at the local Quickie who sees me stumble into his store every Sunday at 12:50 knows I most certainly am such, I'd wager that the Sabres make the Sens look quite foolish.

The city of Ottawa went to the polls tonight and made it clear they want a change. A fatcat politician was booted out in favor of someone who, hopefully, has new ideas and new vision. I can’t help but think that if such an election was held amongst the fanbase of this team, there wouldn’t be a single person within the organization left standing, from the President to the kid who rips tickets.

We’re now 17 games into the season. How long before the mentality that the team will right it’s own ship, that things will turn around on their own, is thrown out the window? In a conference as tight as the Eastern Conference, Ottawa cannot afford to fall too far behind early because we’ve seen what happens when a team has to dig themselves out for a big hole. 20 games just may be the magic number and with the next three contests against Buffalo, New Jersey, and Buffalo, John Muckler and Bryan Murray might consider it wise to call a real estate agent because they don't look to be long for this city.

You thought Bob Clarke had it good

2006-11-13T18:41:00.000-05:00

Dear Doug MacLean,

Do me a solid: take some of those compromising photos of my boss that you clearly have on yours, because I sure would love to be a complete failure and have others, who I hired, take the fall while I coast with a fat contract.

Thanks pal,
Chris

Like shooting fish in a barrel, I know, but I had to

2006-11-12T20:55:00.000-05:00

Dwayne Klessel posted this bit on his "blog":

Shawn Horcoff for Chris Phillips. Would you do it?

Not if you are Edmonton in my opinion. All you need to do is look at last year's playoffs and how these guys performed. My memory of Horcoff was that Detroit series and the finals. I felt that Horcoff could have won the MVP in the playoffs last year. HE was the best player on the Oilers. He is the most well rounded player for sure. He is very similar to a young Steve Yzerman.

My Memory of Phillips was him allowing players to skate by him in the Buffalo series, including the goal that eliminated the Sens. I also remember that one goal by Drury where he was allowed to skate in from the corner and score without anyone touching him.

Now, I don't believe this rumor has any basis in reality, and probably started on a message board by some armchair GM, however, there are two points that are worth destroying:

1) Chris Phillips was NOT on the ice when the Sens were eliminated
Funny how memories can be such bullshit. How Chris Phillips can be held responsible for the goal scorer to knock out Ottawa when he was on the bench is beyond me. Daniel Alfredsson has been the goat on that one (and to a lesser extent Wade Redden) but now we're blaming people who were watching it like the rest of us? Was Phillips supposed to jump on the ice and tackle Jason Pominville? Use his superpowers to will the puck off Pominville's stick?

As anyone who's watched the Sens over the years would know, Chris Phillips has been, year in and year out, their most consistent playoff performer, and was still one of the few effective Sens in the Sabres series despite having a bum knee that probably should have had him on the shelf.

The odds are pretty good that Chris Phillips will leave Ottawa at the end of the year. Despite his struggles this season, he's still highly regarded throughout the league and will therefore get a rich contract on the open market this summer. Based on the contracts thrown out this past July, Phillips is probably a $3 million blueliner, and that's too rich for the Sens blood.

But I don't think they'll be moving him anytime soon. Phillips has what this team is supposedly lacking most, according to its critics, and that's heart and leadership. You think this is a soft, mentally weak team now? Move the Big Rig and you'll be yearning for the past month.

2) Shawn Horcoff is like a young Steve Yzerman
I hope I don't have to even say anything.

Another day another struggle

2006-11-08T22:29:00.000-05:00

I didn't see tonight's game because I'm too cheap to pay for CentreIce, but just listening to it casually this evening, in between other errands as well as the finale of Lost (what a jip!) frustrated me immensely. Seeing the highlights only heightened this emotion.

Martin Gerber, not such a great goalie after all. Those goals were Patrick Lalime-in-April-esque in terms of badness. Tommy Salo even said he could stop those.

It starts at the top

2006-11-07T18:56:00.000-05:00

First, I have to make a confession. I woke up this morning very disgruntled. Watching the highlights of last night's collapse only frustrated me further. I was far too kind on this team in my wrap-up last night. I was blinded by the fact that the effort was improved, from embarassingly bad to just alright. There is NO excuse to let a three goal lead slip away like that.

And it seems as if a lot of you feel the same way. I haven't seen the fanbase this rilled up in many years. There has been discontent, even disapproval, but nothing like this. As a result, a lot of you are calling on a move of some significance, and the popular theory seems to be that a major trade is just what the doctor ordered.

I don't disagree. At this point, I'm open to any trade that makes this team better. With the exception of, perhaps, Andrej Meszaros, no player should be viewed as untouchable, and if you can truly get a good return, and are not simply trading for the sake of it, then anyone and everyone should be fair game. Jason Spezza? Make your best offer. Dany Heatley? What are you gonna give us? Wade Redden? Hey, I'll listen.

But there's one sort of significant problem: the Ottawa Senators GM is a moron.

If you want to see a trade, don't you want to make sure the guy deciding who to trade and what to get back knows what he's doing? Don't you want to feel a level of trust with that individual? How many of you trust John Muckler to do the right thing?

I felt, and still feel, that Muckler's head should have been on the shopping block after the Sens fell apart in the second round against Buffalo. I said as much at the time.

Nothing that's taken place this season has swayed me from that stance.

Muckler narrowly avoided the axe two years ago because the thirst for Jacques Martin's blood was so severe everyone, myself included, sort of overlooked his errors. But we've driven every other potential scapegoat besides the captain out of town already. Gone are Radek Bonk, Patrick Lalime, Zdeno Chara, and coach Martin. I'd hope the fingers would finally be pointed at the right man by now.

Let's, quickly, review the major moves John Muckler has made as the general manager of the Ottawa Senators that have made me question his ability to guide this team in the right direction:

Bryan Smolinski for Tim Gleason and the contract that followed
Made in the spring of 2003, when the Sens were the best team in the NHL, gearing up for a Cup run. Smolinski was supposed to bring scoring depth and a veteran presence, having played 60 career playoffs. Smolinski was paired with Daniel Alfredsson and Todd White on the second line and as a result tallied some points, but was never really a major factor. And that would be the best way to summarize his entire two-and-a-half seasons in Ottawa. On paper, it might seem like was very effective based on the fact he put up 94 points in 161 games after that. However, Smolinski was a floater on most nights and his major contribution, sound defensive play, wasn't enough to justify his salary. A salary John Muckler gave him. It was thought that Smolinski was a rent-a-player when he was traded for because his contract expired at the end of the season. Nope. Muckler signed the then 32-year-old to a four year contract worth more than $10 million. A contract so bad that, a year in, after the new CBA, the Sens came *this* close to buying him out entirely. Smolinski was basically a throw in in the Martin Havlat deal this summer, the same way Greg de Vries was a summer earlier. If the Hawks wanted Havlat as made as they said (and the equally ridiculous contract they gave him said they wanted him BAD), they'd have to take Smolinski off the Senators hands. Meanwhile, the guy who we gave up for those two magical seasons of Smolinski, Tim Gleason, has emerged into a top four d-man so competent he was the major piece the Carolina Hurricanes got back for Jack Johnson. 20 years old when they let him go, Ottawa essentially gave Gleason away. Yeah, they had (and still have) good depth at D, but can you ever have too many NHL calibre blueliners?

Vaclav Varada for Jakub Klepis and the contract given to Varada
The only thing that makes this trade not look absolutely awful is the fact Klepis has never developed into the solid NHL the Sens appartently thought he would when they picked him 16th overall in 2002. Varada, traded for the same spring as Smolinski to add some grit and toughness to the squad, achieved short-term success with Ottawa. He played with Marian Hossa and Radek Bonk on the top line (think about that for a second) and was effective in the superpest role. But as time went on, his role diminished, as did his contribution. Last season, he was one of the league's highest paid fourth liners. Who signed him to that deal? Oh, right. Perhaps the President of Varada's fan club. Muckler threw a charity deal his way. A two-year deal signed just before the lockout, it ended up being $1.2 million after the rollback. Varada. One year of it withered away due to the lockout but we still had him taking up that cap space while playing six minutes a game for much of last season. If he wasn't on the fourth line, Varada was up in the press box, a healthy scratch, a spot he occupied for two of the team's playoff games this past April and May. No NHL team wanted him so now Varada's in Switzerland.

Peter Bondra
Another move that was salvaged because Brooks Laich, the guy who went the other way, has yet to materialize into much of a player. This one is hard to criticize because it would be insincere. I don't think too many of us thought this would go so badly. Surely no one thought a guy who'd scored over 450 career goals, widely considered one of the best pure snipers in recent NHL history, would struggle so badly once in a Sens uniform. In his 30 games, regular season and playoffs combined, with Ottawa, Bondra scored a total of six goals. None of them came in the seven playoff games the Sens had that spring. Bondra was held scoreless entirely for that series loss to the Leafs. While I'm sure everyone of us would have made this trade if it was an option, ultimately, a GM has to be held responsible for his failures, even if they were wise ones at the time.

Greg de Vries for Karel Rachunek
Rachunek, then 24, had found his way into Jacques Martin's doghouse. Despite having a very good season the year before, mostly as Wade Redden's partner, he fell out of favor with the coach, which is a surefire way to get traded. I was disappointed that Muckler gave up on the kid so soon but everyone seemed to think de Vries and his 94 career playoff games would bring a calming veteran influence, what with his Cup ring, to the team. Wrong. De Vries played 20 games as a Senator, and while he collected one more point in the postseason than Bondra, he had one of the worst series I've seen a supposedly credible NHL rearguard have. He was awful, and as I said above, was a throw in the Hossa-Heatley did, mostly because he was paid over $2 million, a New York Rangers Glen Sather contract. He's since rejuvinated his career in Atlanta, but his run in Ottawa was the definition of a clusterfuck.

Dany Heatley for Marian Hossa
This is one that a lot of people are taking Muckler to task for right now, and with Hossa at the top of the NHL's scoring race, it's easy to see why, but I don't think this one is as bad as some of the other brainfarts our fine GM has been a part of. The reality is, Marian Hossa wanted too much money for him to stay in Ottawa. He wanted to be paid like Jarome Iginla and Vinny Lecavalier. I don't blame him, because when he's on his A game he's every bit the player they are. However, Ottawa just couldn't make that salary work within their salary structure, and something had to give. He's struggling badly now, but let's not be so quick to forget all the things Heatley did for this team. He's not the complete player Hossa is, and never will be, but he can score with the best of them, and comes at $1.5 mil cheaper. Meaning, for the price of Hossa, we get Heatley and Mike Fisher.

Signing Dominik Hasek
Another one that looked good at the time, it's since been rationalized by the handful of Muckler defenders still left in this city (most of them work for The Team 1200 it seems) because Hasek got hurt, which was out of his control. This is sort of true. He did get hurt, but he got hurt how we all thought he would. This was the primary reservation when he was inked to a deal. They could dress it up as an abductor, but we all knew he hurt his groin. This was a guy who had a history of pulling the chute when he was hurt, and the odds of him getting injured had to be considered pretty good considering his history. So counting on him, with no real back-up plan, was asking for trouble. I think anyone who reads this blog with any regularity knows I'm a big Ray Emery fan, and I came to his defence when the blame for the loss to the Sabres was placed at this feet by far too many people, but he wasn't ready to be Plan B. And worse than having no Plan B, Muckler turned a blind eye the obvious until it was too late.As soon as Hasek when down, a call should have been made to Doug Riseborough in Minnesota, or some other GM with a competent veteran netminder, and made something happen. Instead, he convinced himself that Hasek was a week away from coming back. He was always a week away. By the time they realized Dominik Hasek might just be done for the season, it was too late, and apparently, the best option was Mike Morrison, a goalie less talented and qualified than the rookie they already had. John Muckler had Hasek in Buffalo and saw firsthand what he's capable of, both good and bad. If Hasek would have stayed healthy and the Sens won the Cup, Muckler would have been proclaimed a genius. But when it didn't, he has to be held accountable.

Tyler Arnason
Does this even need an explanation?

The Martin Havlat trade
I'm not the biggest Martin Havlat fan. Let's get that in the open first. I think he's an immensely talented player but when the going gets tough, he has routinely gotten going. I don't believe he can be counted on and I don't think he's an elite player all things considered. So when it looked like he was on his way out of town, I didn't shed the tears many of you did. At the time, I even defended the return, because at the time I was under the impression Tom Preissing was a good defenceman, an assumption that has thus far proven itself to be false. Even with Havlat not having a contract and asking for a big payday, and Muckler's options being pretty limited as a result, I have to think he could gotten than all that. It might be unfair to judge this trade so soon, having not seen what kind of NHLer John Hennessy becomes, but it sure doesn't look good now.

Jason Spezza's new contract
How much of Spezza's apathy is linked to a level of comfort he got when he got the new deal? I didn't like the contract when it was signed and I sure don't right now. It was signed just days after Eric Staal got the same contract from the Hurricanes and one couldn't help comparing the two. Staal has just led to his team to a Cup and played like a seasoned veteran during their run while Spezza performed an impressive disappearing act in the second round against Buffalo. It's carried over into this season. He had a couple of good games to pad his stats and give the impression to those who aren't watching the game that's it's not all bad, but trust me, it is. When you're paid what Spezza is, $4.5 million, there are certain expectations, and Spezza has shown no ability, or willing, to play at that level. The excuses about his age are bullshit. He's 23 now, and having played 179 games in the NHL, is no longer the greenhorn he was five years ago when he first came to the city. The mistakes that were easy to overlook when he was 20, 21 are no longer acceptable. You'd expect some maturity as a player, and every now and then it emerges, but he continues to be crippled by the same mistakes that made him ineffective as a rookie. The contract didn't make a lick of sense. Spezza had no arbitration rights and his only leverage was holding out. So why throw the bank at the kid, and not even get a long-term deal out of it?

So what have we learned tonight class? Point blank, John Muckler is an incompotent GM. He's shown little ability to decipher the right trade, and the right fit, from the wrong one. This is the man you want making this blockbuster trade?

Before a single player gets ship in or out, the trigger puller has to changed. As long as this man is the primary decision maker for this organization, the Ottawa Senators will continue to underachieve and disappoint when it matters most.

A sweeping change is needed, and it's long overdue. Hand this old, tired, washed up relic his pink slip and in his place put someone who has a vision, who's contemporary, and who isn't so stubborn that, years later, he still defends his mistakes as if they were something else.

Fire John Muckler.

Washington 4 Ottawa 3 (OT)

2006-11-06T22:45:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

Daniel Alfredsson. Scored a goal, registered an assist, was in mid-season form skating wise, and ultimately generated the majority of the chances the team got, it was another solid effort from Alfie. His finish still doesn’t look to be where it needs to be. This is where he needs better linemates. Peter Schaefer does a lot of good things along the boards and in his own end but is lacking that explosiveness that made him so effective last season. Dean McAmmond can skate like the wind but he’s just not, night in and night out, a second line center. Point being, Daniel Alfredsson needs more to work with.

Anton Volchenkov. It might seem foolish to suggest that Alexander Ovechkin, who scored two goals including the tying one, was shut down, but relatively speaking, that’s what Volchenkov did. Now, truth is, there is no way to shut down A.O. entirely. He’s too good, too explosive a player for any rationale person to think he can be made a complete non-factor. What you can only hope to do is minimize the damage he does to you, and a big reason Ovechkin didn’t dominate was because of the fine play of Anton Volchenkov. He was all over A.O. anytime the sophomore touched the ice (how was Glen Hanlon not trying harder to avoid this match-up?). He was physical, blocked shots, and managed to stay with Ovechkin. Talent wise, Ovechkin vs. Volchenkov is a horrible mismatch of the David and Goliath variety, yet Volchenkov managed to come out of it for the better. Simply not being embarrassed by Ovechkin is an accomplishment.

Martin Gerber. He gave up four goals, so I’m sure some trigger happy fans will be quick to point the finger, however, can you really fault him on any of those goals? Two of them were powerplays goals and all four were deflected and were a result of the defence not doing a better job of neutralizing Capitals skaters who roamed free in front of the net. Gerber fought the puck a little bit in the third, and the rebounds were juicier than I would have liked, but he made the big saves when called upon. I’ve seen some say it’s time to hand the reigns to Ray Emery entirely but I don’t think Gerber’s play has warranted this. If you’re gonna go with Emery because, for whatever reason, the team plays better in front of him, so be it, but I don’t think Gerber has been any more inferior for the last little while than Emery.

THE BAD:

Another inconsistent effort that leads to a collapse. The first period, the Sens came out like gangbusters. They were all over the Capitals, outworking them to every puck and driving hard to the net while remaining committed to the defensive side of the game. Once again though, that 3-0 lead, the alleged worst lead in hockey, did them in. They got up three goals and stopped skating as hard and didn’t keep the foot on the gas, allowing Washington to get back into the game. To their credit, Washington didn’t give up, and got a lot of momentum out of their goal late in the first to make it 3-1 and then were bailed out by Brent Johnson in the third. When Washington made it 3-2 you could see the lack of confidence the Sens are currently crippled by rear its ugly head. Ottawa is beating themselves as much as any opponent is, and that’s a dangerous position to be in. If they were losing because the other team was outplaying them while the Sens were giving 100% effort, then I’d take this losing streak much better. But that’s not what is happening. They’re losing to inferior teams who are outworking them, and it’s become completely unacceptable.

Chris Phillips brainfart. I sympathized with him on Saturday night but the tripping penalty with a minute left in the third period was not characteristic of a usually ice cool veteran. Is the pressure getting to him? Washington was all over the Senators and it felt like they would score but Philly has to know better than to make such a costly error. He’s a leader on this team and sets the standard for the rest to follow.

Special teams. We’ve gotten used to the powerplay letting us down, but I was thoroughly disappointed by the play of the penalty killing unit, who’ve been one of the few consistent brightspots throughout the season. If the PKers had been better, Ottawa would have come away with the two points.

Tom Preissing & Christoph Schubert. The third defence pair struggled badly. It seemed like every time they got tapped on the back and leaped the boards, something bad happened. I don’t think they track this statistically, but it sure felt like each shift saw them pinned in their own for the majority of it. Schubert in particular had a bad night. He fumbled with the puck more often than not and took two pretty bad penalties, one of which resulted in a goal.

THE OPPOSITION:

Washington looked completely out of it and at one point it sure seemed like a blowout was imminent. But they stayed with the gameplan, maintained a strong effort, and got a massive boost from an unlikely source in Brent Johnson, who came in in relief of Olaf Kolzig. Brent Johnson apparently thought he was Dominik Hasek, as he was making pad saves like the Hall of Famer in his prime.

The Sens were trying to blow the game wide open in the first five minutes of the second period. They had a half dozen prime, golden scoring chances and Johnson stonewalled them every single time. This lit a fire under the asses of the Caps, who realized they had a goalie in a once-in-a-season type zone in between their pipes, allowing them to open it up, take more chances, and thus claw their way back into things.

I talked about Ovechkin, who despite a gladiator-like effort from Volchenkov was still a factor, but the Caps also got great games from the other Alex, Alexander Semin, Chris Clark, and Matt Pettinger up front while their defence unit as a whole is MUCH better than they appear on paper. A unit who’s top four consists of Brian Pothier, Jamie Heward, Mike Green, and Shaone Morrison might not strike fear into you, but they sure brought their A-game from the second period on and outmatched a much more skilled Ottawa forward core.

The Caps continue to plug away, get better, and be a difficult W. I’m sure times are tough for fans of this team but they should take solice in two facts: 1) they’re going to be very good very soon and 2) they don’t quit. When a team is undermatched, that’s all you can ask for.

UP NEXT:

A pretty big trade or a pink slip, I think. I'm not panicking as much as most of you are, but I have to think the top brass can sense the level of discontent and they'll do something, even if it's not necessarily the right move.

This is the best y'all could come up with?

2006-11-05T20:01:00.000-05:00

When a team struggles, rumors run rampant. This much is to be expected. In a hockey craze market like this, it's what 24/7 sports talk radio stations and hockey columnists live on.

But really people, if we're going to spread nonsense, let's at least make sure it's sensical nonsense. Because what's making the rounds right now certainly isn't.

Firstly, "Eklund" is reporting that the Sens and Flames are in trade talks for a deal that would see the much maligned Daniel Alfredsson go to Calgary for Robyn Regehr.

Now, hopefully, we've all realized long ago that "Eklund" is full of shit. Kinda goes without saying I know. But even a broken clock is right at least two times a day, and one of those times was last summer when he broke the Dany Heatley-Marian Hossa. So when he talks about the Sens, I sort of perk up just a little bit.

All of that said, I have to believe this is total B.S. The Sens are a team that is struggling offensively. Their problem is not on the blueline. So how does this deal make a lick of sense? If you move Alfie, that's even more pressure on Jason Spezza and Heatley, who've folded like cheap tents many times this season already.

The other isn't quite as absurd but it still feels like complete drivel, and that's Bruce Garrioch's report in today's Ottawa Sun that the Sens are seriously looking at Brendan Morrison as a solution to their center-ice troubles. These rumblings aren't new. Over the summer there was such talk, but it never materialized, and it's origins likely laid in the same lame chat rooms that spawn the majority of these things.

I do believe that Ottawa needs an upgrade in the middle. Dean McAmmond and Mike Fisher have both been solid this season however each are more suited for the third line spot. Over the long haul, I'm not convinced either are up to the job. But Brendan Morrison?

Is he really much better? He hit the jackpot by getting paired with Todd Bertuzzi and Markus Naslund when they were at their most dominant and reaped the rewards statistically. Hell, if you or I was in the middle of those two for those seasons, we would've tallied 50 points. Don't get it twisted, he's an above average player that, for the right price, would be a nice addition. $3.2 million is not that right price though.

The Sens payroll is at about $41.8 million. Alexei Kaigorodov leaving (probably for good) cleared about $1 million of room but not nearly enough to bring in a salary of that size. And the guys supposedly going back the other way (Anton Volchenkov or Christoph Schubert) don't help that cause either.

The major problem the Sens are facing is who do you deal? Alfredsson? That would be a disaster. Spezza? He's still too young to give up on entirely. Heatley? It's only a matter of time before he turns it around. Antoine Vermette? That won't sit well with the French Sens fans who maintain the franchise has a conspiracy against players of that ilk.

The team needs scoring, so moving any of those guys doesn't seem plausible. And while some stretch lies on the blueline, as they have seven NHL calibre defencemen, one major injury can change that in a hurry, and it's never a bad thing to have one d-man too many.

A trade wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. A change might be what this team needs. But I just don't see where you deal from and how you make it make sense, both from a hockey perspective and economically.

Carolina 3 Ottawa 2

2006-11-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

Daniel Alfredsson. Yeah, I said it. And those of you who started booing the captain tonight when the team was falling apart before our very eyes in the third need to check your hockey IQ. If not for Alfie, this one would have been much uglier. In addition to scoring the goal which I would have thought would've quieted the critics, Alfredsson played determined all night. Strong on the forecheck, relentless in battles for pucks, an agressive attitude to playing the body, and a sound defensive game. Contrast that to Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley and then decide who should be shipped out of town if you're wanting a big shake-up. And while I'm at it: if you want to play the "hindsight ISN'T 20/20 game", one I know we all love, let's go a little easy with the "BOY THE TEAM SURE MESSED UP BY TRADING MARTIN HAVLAT INSTEAD OF DANIEL ALFREDSSON" nonsense. I expect that kind of idiocy from certain bloggers, whether it be on their own page or when the local paper gets lazy and decides to devote two pages to reader comments and ol' faithful chimes in so he can say he writes for that particular publication, but really people, think about that one for a second. You question Alfredsson's heart but praise Havlat? He's a tremendous talent, a great scorer, but has the heart of the tin man pre-Yellow Brick Road walk and the durability of a Pinto. If he was the captain, this team would be in such trouble we'd be yearning for a 5-7 record.

Chris Phillips. He'll take some heat for the unsportsmanlike conduct call in the third. I'm sure of that. But aside from that mental lapse, the Big Rig had a strong game, I thought. Very physical, excellent work on the PK, and led the team in blocked shots with 7. On the penalty itself, I thought the first call for the hit on Brind'Amour was total bullshit, but I don't think it made a lick of difference between the 'Canes were pressing as it was and probably would have scored regardless, however, it sure left me leaving the building with a sour taste in my mouth. I believe Phillips' outburst was as much about the team's struggles this season as it was about that particular call. You won't find a guy who cares more about this city, this team, and these players than Chris Phillips. If someone stood up after this game to rally the troops, to call out those who aren't carrying their load, I'd bet good money Philly was the guy doing it. So you know he has to be taking this recent stretch hard, and I believe that stick smash was him letting it all out.

Chris Kelly. Another one who shined on the penalty killing and was a big reason Denis Hamel got that goal to make it 2-0.

Martin Gerber. Started fighting the puck a little in the third, when the whole team started playing like shit, but overall, it was another solid game from the 'tender. He was good positionally and gave minimal rebounds (until the third period anyway). On the goals, the only one I'd say he should have had was the winner, but when you're down two men it's sort of a given you'll be scored on. Unless, of course, you're the Sens.

THE BAD:

A collapse. It hardly came out of no where, but it's still discouraging to see the Sens fall apart with such ease.

Jason Spezza. You want to point fingers? You want to lay blame? Here's as good a place as any to start. Jason Spezza is playing dreadful right now and if this is the first line center we're expecting to carry us this season, this team in a heap of trouble. Right now, Spezza is coasting off of a three-game run where he tallied a shitload of points. If you try and criticize him, his defenders point out the fact he's leading the team in scoring. That's all fine and well, and I'm glad he decided to show up for those three games, however, game in and game out, he's a mess. There is zero committment to his game. The excuses of him being a young kid went out the window when they dished out $9 million to this apparently pimply faced, high pitch voiced centre. If you want to be paid like a top level player, you better come to play like it night in and night out. This does not mean he won't go through dry spells. But these games where the effort is non-existant demonstrate why this team will never win a Cup. It's not because the Captain is Swedish as you armchair Don Cherry nationalists. It's not because Zdeno Chara is gone, lest you forget what a slug he was in May. It's not even because we don't have a supposed #1 goalie. It's because one of our key pieces of the puzzle is unreliable. You never know which Jason Spezza you're going to get. Will it be the guy who can take over a game or the slow skating pylon that is invisible despite playing 20 minutes? Spezza is still making the same mistakes he did five years ago, when Jacques Martin "insulted" him by suggesting he wasn't mature enough to play in the NHL. At 23, he's still not, it seems on a lot of nights. I have to think Bryan Murray and his staff have sat the guy down, played video, and pleaded with him to correct his errors. Yet he continues to make them.

Dany Heatley. Not much better. My frustration with him is only at an 8 though, because I still see some effort on most of his shifts.

That fuckin' powerplay. Kinda goes without saying at this point. The Sens were literally handed this game by the referees and the Hurricanes lack of discipline, and for what seems like the billionth time this season, failed to make anything of it. In the third period of a 2-2 game, Ottawa had four powerplay runs and didn't score a single goal. They even had another 5-on-3 for more than 40 seconds and nothing came from it. The effort was there, in most cases, and they did a nice job of distributing the puck, but at some point, you have to score. I'm hoping and praying that when Wade Redden comes back, things will get better, because I'm beginning to think it's a matter of if this PP will turn it around, not when.

Antoine Vermette. A poor effort from the usually steady winger. On the game winner, Vermette has to be held responsible for the gaff in his own end.

Alexei Kaigorodov. Look, you seem like a nice kid. You're very talented. You will probably be an excellent NHLer some day, perhaps soon. But that time is not now.It does you no good to play three minutes and watch most of a game from the bench. If you were smart, you'd go to the AHL, play a ton of minutes, get aclimitized to the North American game, and come back ready to tear it up next season. I understand if you're homesick, and maybe you're not cut out for hockey on this side of the Atlantic, however, not reporting makes you look very unprofessional.

THE OPPOSITION:

Carolina's a team that needed the two points as much as the Sens, and at some point in the second period, started playing like it. A switch was flipped, and they resembled the team that ripped through last season. Cam Ward was terrific, Erik Cole was awesome (three points and very physical), Rod Brind'Amour was dominant in both ends of the ice, Eric Staal was excellent with the puck, and their defence, while lacking a star, was strong from start to finish. Are they back or was this their version of Ottawa's three W run where they scored

Because be sure, they were far and away the better team. They outshot the Senators 40-26 and dictated the pace of the game for the majority of the contest.

UP NEXT:

It may look like a gimme, but the Sens cannot afford to take the Capitals lightly when they travel to D.C. Monday night. The Caps are not good team but they come to play and if Ottawa takes the night off , the end result will be the same as it was tonight. That guy Ovechkin is rolling, having scored two goals tonight. He might just make the Sens look foolish.

Montreal 4 Ottawa 2

2006-10-31T23:50:00.000-05:00

THE GOOD:

Yet again, the penalty killing. While the powerplay remains ass (more on that soon, trust me), the penalty killers continue to bail out the Sens when they take thoughtless infractions. In particular, Anton Volchenkov, Chris Kelly, and Mike Fisher.

The return of Peter Schaefer. He wasn’t as effective as he is when he’s playing his best, but you saw the value in having #27 back in the line-up. He was his usual great self along the boards, showed no signs of a sore hip when he was throwing checks, and was good on the forecheck.

THE BAD:

The powerplay. At this point, criticizing the Sens’ PP is beyond redundant. It’s a complete clusterfuck. What was the one goal that Ottawa scored tonight? A puck thrown at the net. Why don’t they seem to realize these are the goals they need to start getting to get themselves out of this funk? Stop being blinded by your own individuals talents. Yes, you’re terrific players, but these cutesy highlight reel plays, with tic-tac-toe passing, are not effective. They haven’t been all season. Maybe it’s a good idea to cease attempting them? Bryan Murray needs to send a message and, for an entire powerplay, give some ice time to Denis Hamel, Chris Kelly, Chris Neil, and more to Mike Fisher, because at least with know with those guys, this nonsense won’t occur. They may not score, but it won’t be because of hubris. Let the big guns watch from the bench. Oh, and another shortie scored against. Wonderful.

A lack of confidence. Ottawa is a team that, when things are rolling, boy are they ever. During that terrific three game romp of the Devils and then the Leafs twice, they looked like one of the best clubs in the league. They’re back, we thought. Boston was a bit of a reality check and tonight was the splash of water in the face we needed to realize, this team has a lot of issues. They can’t play from behind, for one. That was theme that reared it’s head at various points last season but is especially prevalent now. If they can score the first goal then all’s well, but this team cannot face adversity, it seems. Is it because they lack the character to dust themselves off after being knocked down?

Bad defensive zone coverage. It was common to see a Canadiens skater open and free throughout the game. On two of the Habs’ goals, a player was left all alone. Jacques Martin is rolling over in his grave. He died from seeing these games, you see.

Key players taking shifts off. Heatley, Alfredsson, and Spezza all had points in the game, and in some cases more than a few, where they looked to be coasting. This cannot happen. As cliché as it may be, this team’s best players need to be their best players. The 8-1 win over the Devils saw Heatley and Spezza in particular do all the little things well. Those things were ignored far too often tonight.

Taking early penalties. Going into Montreal is never an easy task. Even when the Habs are not playing especially well, the Bell Centre is a difficult place to get two points in. Ottawa has, historically, been pretty inconsistent when traveling to La Belle Province, and this season, so far, has been no different. The shootout win from a few weeks saw Ottawa play well but fall apart in the end. This game saw them play with little life for 50 minutes, score a goal, get back into the game, but ultimately fall short. And I believe it all stemmed from those first 5 or so minutes, when Ottawa took two very unnecessary penalties. Right away, Montreal had the momentum and, with the exception of a shift here or there, controlled the game the rest of the way through. Penalties are going to happen. Players are still adjusting to the new rules. But the ones that they got whistled for, a stupid holding penalty by Chris Phillips and then a really sloppy hooking penalty by Daniel Alfredsson six seconds after the Senators killed off the first one.

Denis Hamel only playing 3:33. If a team is struggling to score, is it not wise to throw a guy who scored over 50 in the AHL last season on the ice every now and then to see what he can accomplish? Shit, even Brian McGratton played more. Let’s remember that Hamel scored in the last Sens-Habs game, with a goal that’s just the kind they need right now: hard work and a big second effort. Hamel got one shift in the third period.

THE OPPOSITION:

The Saturday night shootout game between the Habs and Leafs was a treat to watch as a fan with no significant rooting interest, but truth be told, the Habs were badly outplayed and were lucky to get the single point. They rebounded well.

The big talk in Montreal, with that relentless media, was Alexei Kovalev being moved to center so Sergei Samsonov could play on the second line with Kovalev and another Russian, Alexander Perezhogin. Even Guy Lafleur chimed in with his thoughts on the high paid Ruskies. It was only one game, but I thought they played real well. In fact, both the Russian line and Saku Koivu’s group had strong games, with Chris Higgins being the best Canadiens skater.

As well, the much heralded freshman, Guillaume Latendresse actually looked liked the guy the French media has made him out to be. Without question, the best game I’ve seen of his thus far. Very physical, good speed in both ends, and generated some offensive spurts.

And how long before Montreal has a true, genuine goaltending controversy? David Aebischer wasn’t tested on a major level, however, he answered the bell when called upon.

UP NEXT:

The Sens don't play until Saturday night, when the defending Cup champs come to town. Carolina isn't exactly firing on all cylinders either, with a 5-5-2 record and having allowed 45 goals in 12 games. Has Cam Ward come back to Earth? Will be and Cristobol Huet fight it out for the 2006 Jim Carey Award? Last season, the games between the Sens and Canes were real barnburners, however, last season seems like an eternity ago for both clubs.

I haven't decided if having three days between games is a good thing or not for the struggling Senators. Clearly, there are some serious things that need to be worked on. Will three days of hard practice fix things?

Boston 2 Ottawa 1

2006-10-28T23:04:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD:

Martin Gerber. Even in defeat, I thought this was the Swiss netminder’s best game of the season. He’s been burned by some poor performances by the team in front of him so far, and on this night, with an often blasé skating group not helping him a lot, Gerber bailed them out more than once. More than anything else, Gerber looked confident, which has been the theme for Senators coming out of slumps thus far this year. Spezza and Heatley turned their games around when they started playing with buoyancy and that was certainly the case here. Gerber wasn’t fighting the puck, looked calm and cool throughout, controlled his rebounds very well, and was even good handling the puck, something I never thought possible a few weeks ago. It’s a shame the Sens couldn’t pull out the two points to give Gerber something to hang his hat on. Let’s just hope the defeat doesn’t deflate Gerber and instead he’s able to carry it over into his next start. If he does, the Sens sport two very confident goaltenders, which is a good problem to have.

Chris Phillips. His play fell off a little in the third, which I suspect was partly due to Philly tiring with all the minutes he was logging, however, overall, the Big Rig turned out a strong game. How much of that was because he wanted to play well against his defence partner of four years, Zdeno Chara, who knows. It’s not as if the uber-determined Phillips needed extra motivation (and if he did, I’d hope it would come when he found out Wade Redden was playing), but whatever it was, it worked. He was very effective in his own end, laying checks as well as taking them in order to make the right play, as well as breaking up many rushes from the Bruins.

The penalty killing. Yeah, they allowed a goal, the game winner no less, but they were able to neutralize the Bruins for most of the games and were effective on the whole. They should have never been on the ice in the last five minutes with the game tied.

Anton Volchenkov. Another solid, albeit unspectacular outing from the A-Train. Very responsible defensively, good physical presence, and never caught out of position, which is more than you can say for the majority of the Senator rearguards.

The intensity in the first period. A fight between Chris Neil and Wade Brookbank (what’s that about Neil not fighting other fighters?), a near fight between Chara and Brian McGratton (smart bait by Gratts), and tons of hitting made me think the game would be electric. It didn’t last. Neither team came out with that same energy in the second period, unfortunately, and the quality of the game fell significantly. But for 20 minutes, it was quite good.

The Toronto-Montreal game. Even with a rooting interest in the Sens-Bruins game, I found myself turning into RDS to catch the Habs-Leafs contest more and more as the night went on. What a finish.

THE BAD:

Another uneven effort. Perhaps Ottawa came in overconfident and figured they could take it easy and still get the W against a struggling Boston team. Maybe those three consecutive blowout wins inflated their heads a little too much. Whatever it was, the Sens as a team definitely didn't come to play for the full 60 minutes, and the result reflects that. This isn’t to say they played poorly. But it was a flat, uninterested team that took the ice and, with the exception of a shift here or there, that attitude remained throughout, and only got worse as the game aged. They didn’t play with the same jump, they weren’t going the extra mile to win the battles along the boards, and the passing was sloppy. The play in their own end was also a problem, especially in the second half of the contest. Lazy attempts to clear the zone, which are about the most frustrating to me as a fan (I'm sure my neighbors hear me yell "JUST GET IT OUT!" a dozen times every other night and think strange thoughts), were far too prevelant.

The powerplay. The Senators did notch one goal with the man advantage (a five-on-three), but overall, their play in that position was not good. Wade Redden has taken a lot of criticism for his lack of offensive production thus far but his importance to this team, especially in this area, was blatantly obvious when you saw how poor the Sens defencemen were on the powerplay. They had a difficult time keeping the puck in the end and a lot of the passes, whether they be from D to D or to a forward on the wing, were not good. Boston came into the game with one of the worst penalty killing records in the league thus far and Ottawa was not able to exploit it. They even got a second five-on-three in the third period for nearly 90 seconds, and could not get anything out of it. And if you want to look for a turning point in the game, that’s as good a place to start. The Bruins already had the momentum, having just scored two minutes earlier, and the jolt they got from killing those penalties really lit a fire under them.

Undisciplined play. If Jacques Martin was still coaching this team, some players would be getting an earful on the plane trip home. Chris Neil in particular took two very bad, ill-timed penalties in the last five minutes of the game. The second, with less than two minutes left. was a questionable call, and it barely looked like interference to me, but Neil should know better than to even tempt fate at that point in the game. Especially when the previous penalty he took resulted in Boston taking the 2-1 lead.

Andrej Meszaros. This was one of those nights when the Slovakian defenceman looked his age. A very poor performance. Many mental errors both with the puck and positionally. You could count these kind of games from the kid on two hands last year, which for a 20-year-old rookie d-man was pretty remarkable. I suspect we won’t see too many this season that resemble this one.

Giving up odd man rushes. I realize that much of the reason the offence had exploded in the previous three games was because the defence was getting involved in the fun, often joining the rush. But you have to pick your spots. The Sens must’ve allowed half a dozen odd man rushes, including three in the first period, and almost all of them came from a defenceman overextending himself offensively, leaving the team prone. Thankfully, none of them ended in the Bruins lighting the lamp, mostly because Martin Gerber saved the day (on one of them Jason Spezza of all people backchecked hard and broke up a pass), but maybe they need to get burned on one of them to learn their lesson. I would think that after the first couple they’d get the message but alas they kept playing with fire, asking to be burnt. If they do this against a better team, it’ll happen.

Tom Preissing. He’ll get the goat status due to the turnover that resulted in P.J. Axelsson tying the game, but even beyond that, he struggled. With Wade Redden out, you’d think Preissing would get an increased role, but he only played 13 minutes, and much of that was logged on the powerplay, where he didn’t play particularly well. He’s really having trouble finding his role on this team, especially with Joe Corvo back and playing so well (Corvo, in contrast, played 29 minutes, the most on the team). Preissing’s had a couple good games but on the whole hasn’t made the impact I expected. If Christoph Schubert has a few really good games Preissing might find himself in the press box unless he steps it up.

The ice. You’d think a hockey city like Beantown would have a resident ice guru who made sure the rink’s surface was sound. Pucks were bouncing all night long, for both teams.

THE OPPOSITION:

Like most Ottawa-Boston games, this one was a slow, often uninteresting game, and much of the reason was because that’s how the Bruins, who dictated the pace for the majority of the game, wanted it. It seemed as if they were biding their time, waiting for the chance to score and then take over offensively. Don’t get me wrong, they had their chances, and more than Ottawa, but they knew they couldn’t run and gun with the Sens and therefore played a more consecutive game.

The one guy who didn’t get that memo was Phil Kessel, who was, hands down, the best player on either team. I’d seen the rookie in one other game this season, and came away remarkably unimpressed, but he won me over here. He literally took the Bruins on his back in the second period, when the pendulum shifted for good in their favor, generating the majority of their good chances and generally serving as the catalyst for their attack. If Patrice Bergeron had actually come to play, they could have really been a dangerous combination.

The other guy I watched closely, like most of you did as well I’m sure, was big Chara. All eyes were on how he’d fare against his old team and I thought he had a strong game. He wasn’t dominating, but he certainly made his presence felt, both in his own end by throwing his weight around in the corners, as well as by scoring the game winner. I think he’ll get more up for when he comes back to Ottawa next month, his first visit back in the nation’s capital as a Bruin.

UP NEXT:

Montreal on Tuesday. Both clubs should be anxious to get the win, with the Habs losing in tonight’s barnburner at the Molson Centre. While they lost, and were clearly outplayed by a determined Leafs team, they’re still having a solid season thus far and if Sergei Samsonov is truly back, and the two goals tonight weren’t an aberration, then Ottawa might be in some trouble because he’s a gamebreaker. On their side, the Sens have to be hoping both Peter Schaefer and Redden will be back. The early word is that Schaefer will be ready but with these hip injuries it’s tough to pinpoint a hard return date, and Redden’s lower body injury is apparently the same groin that bugged him earlier in the season, meaning it might be another game before he’s ready.

Ottawa 7 Toronto 2

2006-10-27T01:49:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD:

Going hard to the net. Whether it was Dany Heatley or Chris Neil or Patrick Eaves or Chris Kelly, Ottawa forwards didn’t waste any time with the fancy shit, instead rushing right towards Andrew Raycroft and making his life miserable. The majority of the goals scored came from hard work around the net.

Smart play with a lead. It was pretty well over going into the third, with Ottawa up by four goals, but I was fearful Ottawa would get lazy and the Leafs would net a couple to come away with some momentum, leaving the Sens deflated in the final frame. That didn’t occur, which shows the maturity of this team, because even the team last year was prone to that quite often. No dumb passes, good effort in both ends of the ice, and a strong forecheck maintained throughout ensured the Leafs had zero chance of making a game of it again. Hell, they were even blocking shots with a five goal lead. That’s commitment.

Joe Corvo. When the Sens signed Corvo, I knew so little about what he brought to the table I had to solicit thoughts from Kings fans. I knew his name and some stats, but his game as a player was a mystery to me. So to say I was skeptical when Ottawa threw over $10 million on his lap would be an understatement. Thus far, I’m glad to be wrong. Since coming back from the injury, Corvo has been a tremendous surprise. He’s really completely turned the defence core around. On this night he racked up a career high five points, and those stats are in fact indicative of how good a game he had, in both ends of the ice. He was physical, he joined the rush and created offence, and in his own end was very responsible. And what a shot.

Dany Heatley & Jason Spezza. Considering they had a combined eight points, including a hat trick from Heatley, it’s fair to say they had a good game, but once again, their dominance extended beyond the numbers. When the pair started the season struggling, they were justifiably criticized by fans and media alike not just for their lack of offensive production but also all of the little things they were doing horribly wrong. Almost everyone of those little things have been rectified, and shockingly enough, their scoring has turned around. Coincidence? I doubt it. Spezza isn’t turning the puck over with as much ease. The handful of dangerous passes he made last night followed Jason at the very least surveying the situation. Heatley is finishing his checks and in his own end committing himself 100%. Spezza is battling hard in one on one puck battles. This really does show that those same little things are what contributes to big success.

Ray Emery. He wasn’t forced to be spectacular, obviously, but he made the timely saves when called upon and played with a lot of poise and confidence.

Darcy Tucker getting his just desserts. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. Anton Volchenkov’s open-ice shoulder smash looked to knock the life out of Darcy, as he wasn’t much of a factor from that point on.

The PK. Continues to be the backbone of Ottawa’s success, even when the powerplay isn’t firing on all cylinders. They pressured Toronto’s dangerous point men Kaberle and McCabe, who once again weren’t nearly the impact players they usually are, and even generated a handful of decent scoring chances down a man.

Chris Neil. With his six hits, he takes over the NHL lead in that category. I’m sure Leafs players were cursing his name after each one, which is what he’s best at.

THE BAD:

Daniel Alfredsson’s finish. He hit two posts, so perhaps a Mulligan should be given to the captain, but he still does not have that January scoring touch just yet, and it looks to be effecting his confidence.

Finishing without Wade Redden & Chris Phillips. Are the Senators incapable of ending a game with their six defencemen healthy? Both left with lower body injuries, and that’s all that’s known at this point.

Magnetic goalposts. Ottawa hit at least four in the second period (a fifth one looked to occur, but could have just missed). Meaning, that explosive second period could have been even more ugly for the Leafs had they not gotten some luck with the steel.

THE OPPOSITION:

Going into the game, I didn’t buy all the hype about this one getting out of hand and ugly because I figured in order for that to happen, the score would have to be lopsided and I didn’t see that occurring. I thought it would be a hard hitting, entertaining game that would be too close for either team to decide to take liberties with the other. For a while, I was looking correct. Then Ottawa blew it open and the Leafs, for the second straight game, had no response.

Which brings me to the same question I had after Tuesday night’s game: who are the 2006 Toronto Maple Leafs? Do you have an idea? I sure don’t. They were very much in the game in the first period, as it could have gone either way, and for much of the second gave as much as they received in the way of scoring chances. When Jeff O’Neill scored to make it 3-2, I thought, here we go. Yet once Joe Corvo restored the two goal lead, the Leafs seemed to collectively fold their tents, and this time, no one even decided to go down with a fight.

If I’m a Leafs fan, I’m yearning for Pat Quinn. At least his clubs would fight until the end.

Andrew Raycroft got lit up for seven goals, but he had no help from his defence, and if one were to make a list of those responsible for this defeat, he wouldn’t even chart. The blueline was terrible, again, with the big guns Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle struggling badly for the second straight night. They need help badly.

And up front, the guys who need to play well didn’t. As mentioned earlier, Tucker had the fight knocked out of him early. The top line of Kyle Wellwood-Mats Sundin-Alex Steen had a few strong shifts, especially in the first period, but they faded quietly. Sundin in particular looked to have thrown in the towel. Was he just frustrated with all this losing? In the third, when the Leafs needed to show some sign of life, he resembled the rest of his teammates by having no response. I’d be concerned about that.

UP NEXT:

The Boston Bruins on Saturday night. It’s our first look at the revamped B’s, who are in the midst of a slump that has some of their previously enthused fans wondering if their expectations were set too high. It will be strange, but fun, to see the Sens play against Zdeno Chara. I wonder how much it’ll hurt him to crush his former teammates, who I’m sure are still pals of his, in the corners, or in front of the net. Coming off a loss last night to the Habs, in heartbreaking fashion, you know they’ll be itching for the two points.

Ottawa 6 Toronto 2

2006-10-25T00:47:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD:

The big guns. It started in Saturday night’s blowout victory over the Devils, and thankfully carried over into tonight’s game. In addition to putting up points, both Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza had strong all around games. Spezza’s turnovers have been reduced tremendously, and when he did make the occasional drop pass, he figured it wise to at the very least look back to ensure the person receiving the puck was wearing the same sweater as he. Both men displayed an impressive defensive commitment as well, playing as hard in their own as they did in the opposition’s. A great example of this was how Dany Heatley basically saved a goal, as Mats Sundin had Martin Gerber down and out on a wrap-around in the second period, yet it was Heater who stuck with him and got a sick on Mats’ to block any shot attempt. And while he didn’t have as significant a game offensively, Daniel Alfredsson did all the little things right. He was good in transition, moved the puck well, and was a big reason the penalty killing was so good. This kind of effort from Ottawa’s best three players will pay dividends down the road.

Mike Fisher & Chris Neil. What a game from both men. Neil has probably been the Senators most reliable forward this season, which is remarkable in itself when you realize how far he’s come as a player. It wasn’t that long ago that Neil was used sparingly in a four line role, mostly filling the job of enforcer for the club. Now, he’s on the ice in key moments, often. And Mike Fisher was on fire. While officially it says he logged 17 minutes, it sure seemed like 30 to me. Every time I blinked Fisher was on the ice rushing the puck up the ice. How many scoring chances were generated strictly by Fisher? Half a dozen? He was in mid-season form, and needed to be.

Joe Corvo & Chris Phillips as a defence pair. Redden and Corvo was a nice duo in theory, as was Andrej Meszaros and Phillips, but it just wasn’t working. Credit to Bryan Murray for noticing this and making an adjustment. Redden and Meszaros had an average game, with shifts ranging from awful to excellent, but Corvo and Philly were steady throughout. They seemed to have a natural chemistry and had no difficultly finding each other on the ice.

Some powerplay goals. The PP is still very poor, and needs a ton of work, but some goals scored with a man advantage is a start.

The penalty killing. The Leafs didn’t do themselves any favors with their poor execution on the powerplay, as they just didn’t have it tonight, however, the Sens made it difficult for them. Ottawa clogged the neutral zone, making it extremely hard for them to penetrate the zone, let alone sustain some pressure.

Defence joining the rush. This was what we were told to expect when Joe Corvo was signed and Tom Preissing was acquired in the Martin Havlat trade. I like it.

THE BAD:

Complacency. Ottawa owned the Leafs in the first frame. The 3-0 score was flattering to the Buds as they were outplayed in every facet of the game. However, the Sens did not keep the foot on the gas pedal, playing quite poorly in the second period, allowing the Leafs to get back in the game ever so slightly. On the one hand, I’m glad they did, because it would have been a very dull two or so hours if they hadn’t, but it reminded me too much of the infamous FLU game between these teams.

Martin Gerber in the third period. I was getting flashbacks of Patrick Lalime, and it sure seemed like the Leafs were too based on how often they were firing the puck from any and every angle. Gerber had a decent enough game overall but was not very reassuring at various points and has pretty much established himself as the worst puckhandling netminder in franchise history. And considering we’ve had both Lalime AND Hasek, that’s saying a lot.

Losing Anton Volchenkov. The severity of the injury remains a mystery at this point, but it sure would be a shame for the A-Train to go down when he’s playing his best hockey in forever.

Darcy Tucker gooning Patrick Eaves. A dirty act that even the most diehard Leaf Nation members must have a hard time defending. Tucker’s vagina hurt because his team was down and went after a kid who doesn’t fight. What big balls he has.

THE OPPOSITION:

The Leafs remain an enigma to me. Does anyone know which team will take the ice each game, because I sure don’t, and I’ve seen more of their games this season than I haven’t. There are some old faithfuls, as Mats Sundin came to play as always and the aforementioned asshole Tucker who was his usually pesty self . But where was Kyle Wellwood? Mike Peca?

Don’t get me wrong, there were spurts where they were all over Ottawa, and points in the game when they were dictating the pace of the game, however, these moments could not be sustained for extended periods, and truth be told, most of them occurred as much because of Ottawa’s poor play as it Toronto’s good.

Their defence is in big trouble, and I’m not sold on the idea that it’s solely because they’re without Pavol Kubina, though there can be no disputing the fact it hurts. Are Tomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe burnt out or was this just an off night for the pair of workhorse rearguards? That was one of the worst games I’ve seen Kaberle, who is usually their one reliable blueliner, play in many years. Not only was he not a factor, even on the powerplay where he and McCabe shine brightest, but he routinely hurt his team in his own end.

And I hate to say I told you so, but holy fuck does Hal Gill suck. I believe I said as much when he was signed but too many of you were won over by size, overlooking the fact the guy really can’t play. It pained me to see Brendan Bell struggle because I’m a big fan of his. Ian White was the lone defenceman who didn’t embarrass himself. I become more impressed with his game each time I see him play.

Thursday night, the Leafs need to come out with a much better effort if they want to quiet the whispers that they’re an inconsistent bunch.

UP NEXT:

These same Leafs. You know their pride will kick in and they’ll come more prepared Thursday night. The last time Ottawa beat them up on home ice, they did much worse in response. It looks like Ray Emery will get the nod for the Senators. I have no opinion on that one way or another.

They can't catch a break

2006-10-22T23:26:00.000-04:00

As if losing both Nikolai Khabibulin and Martin Havlat for at least a couple weeks each wasn't bad enough, the early word is that Michal Handzus will miss the rest of the season after tearing both his ACL and MCL.

That sound you hear? It's the Hawks playoff hopes dwindling away.

Better late than never

2006-10-22T20:58:00.000-04:00

I must admit, I was pleasantly surprised to wake up late this afternoon and find out the Philadelphia Flyers had cleaned out, ousting Ken Hitchcock while letting Bob Clarke retain some dignity by stepping down.

First off, make no mistake, Bob Clarke was fired as well. I have no inside knowledge telling me this, but you don't have to be a genius to put two and two together. In addition to his familial connection that seemed to give him carte blanche within the organization, in that city, Bobby Clarke is a legend within that franchise. I'm sure the last thing Ed Snider wanted to do was pink slip his son in law, the guy who captained their only Cup winning seasons, but he didn't have a choice.

I imagine Snider pulled Clarke aside sometime late this week, told him they wanted to move in another direction, and let him "resign" rather than get the axe. I can respect that.

Truth is, if Clarke had a different wife, or played his NHL years with another team, he probably would have been canned years ago. The amount of executive brainfarts he's committed are many. Among them:
- how he handled Roger Nielsen's cancer
- the Eric Lindros mess
- all the goaltending misjudgements over the year
- Chris Gratton
- Derian Hatcher & Mike Rathje

Clarke was also saved by the fact the Flyers organization has been incredibly good at drafting and developing young talent. Despite routinely drafting late, if they even hold onto their first round picks, Philly has built up an impressive crop of young players over the years.

As for Hitchcock, I feel bad because I genuinely think the man is a good coach, and I doubt he'll have a hard time finding a job. But based on how players played for him Tuesday night, it sure seems as if they've given up on Hitch. Perhaps John Stevens, a younger bench boss with (hopefully) some new, fresh ideas and a connection to the players that Hitchcock clearly lacked.

The Flyers have enough talent to pull it together and make the playoffs. And as we saw last season, once the postseason begins, anything can happen.

And you thought we had it bad

2006-10-18T00:02:00.000-04:00

No one is more disturbed by the Sens struggles this season than I, but watching the Flyers get bitchslapped by the Sabres 9-1 really puts things in perspective. As discouraging as this season has mostly been thus far, compared to the situation in Philly, the Sens are firing on all cynlinders.

While Ottawa cannot get its best players to answer the bell, it sure seems like that's all who is coming to play for Philadelphia. Beyond the Peter Forsberg line, they're not getting any offence, and are looking very one dimensional. And slow. Oh so slow.

Meanwhile, Robert Esche's relationship with Ken Hitchcock makes Jason Spezza and Bryan Murray look like best friends by comparison. That situation will only get worse before it gets better. If Esche was calling Hitch brainless before the game upon learning he was getting the start, he surely cannot think much of him after being left in the net for all nine goals. And was that retribution from the willy bench boss? Did he find out about Esche's comments and decide to pay him back by keeping him in goal? I'd say Esche might demand a trade ala Patrick Roy and Mario Tremblay 11 years ago, but really, who wants a backup with an inflated view of his worth and no ability to stop the puck with any consistency?

If I'm a Flyers fan, and that's as disturbing a thought as I've had today, beyond the bad goaltending (because that's not a new worry, I hope) and even the score, I'm most concerned about the absolute lack of heart and desire shown by the players once they were down by six or seven goals. By then, the game was out of reach, but you'd think they'd go down fighting. Nope. Somewhere, Dave Schultz is pissed off. I imagine even he was punching people just out of habit upon seeing the score. This may be where they miss the Eric Desjardins and Keith Primeaus most. With his shootout stick fiasco, Forsberg's leadership abilities have been called into question.Who's going to rally the troops and right this ship?

As is the case when I hear people calling into local sports shows here, demanding the head of the GM or a trade of that star player, I urge Flyers fans to show some patience. Be concerned, but don't fly off the handle. That said, I'm not sure Ed Snyder will show that same restraint. If I was wielding the axe, I know who I'd get rid of, but something tells me, a convenient family link will stop that from happening, again.

By the way, am I ever glad I have Maxim Afinogenov in my pool.

Calgary 1 Ottawa 0

2006-10-13T00:13:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD:

The quality of the game. Someone who didn't see the match-up might look at the score and assume it was a slow, dull game. It was not. Despite it ending 1-0, it was a mostly exciting hockey game that resembled a contest in May more than it did an mid-October affair. There was tons of hitting, good end to end action at various points, and spectacular goaltending by both 'tenders. This just further cements the fact that scoring doesn't equal excitement alone. 1-0 games can be tremendous.

A strong effort. Though Ottawa did not come out with the W, we cannot be too disappointed with the game, as much as the end result leaves us unfulfilled. Ottawa brought it to the Flames for much of the contest, and I felt like were the better team overall. This is not to dismiss the Flames effort, nor their two points, because they played their game well, but Ottawa was the better skating team 5-on-5 and generated more chances.

Ray Emery. I truly felt bad that Emery not only lost the shut out, but ultimately takes the L, because he was terrific and matched Mika Kiprusoff, considered by most to be the best goaltender in the world, save for save. He did what Gerber hasn’t been able to do and that’s make the big timely stops when the team needs it. He was aided by some poor shooting by the Flames (Kristen Huselius missed two wide open nets) but regardless, when called upon, answered the bell, including an awesome kickpad save in the second that brought the crowd to its feet. The goaltending controversy continues.

Antoine Vermette & Mike Fisher. I thought this pair were Ottawa’s best skaters on the night, doing some great things both at even strength and when killing a penalty. They were responsible for most of the odd man rushes Ottawa got and were the only two Sens I can recall that, consistently, carried the puck through the neutral zone and into Calgary’s end without being impeded by their rigid fortress known as team defence.

Chris Neil. Registered six hits, but it sure seemed closer to 10, Neil was a thorn in the side of Calgary every time he stepped on the ice. He went hard to the net and stirred all kinds of shit.

Chris Phillips. A much better outing from the veteran who'd struggled badly in the previous games. Solid in his own end, good at moving the puck, and some physical play. Basically, the kind of game they'll need from him every night for this season to be an effective one.

THE BAD:

The embarrassingly bad powerplay. To say it’s been awful would be a disgrace to the term. Awful doesn’t do it justice. It’s been absolutely abysmal. 1 for 25 thus far this season, and 0 for 8 on the night. They aren’t winning battles for pucks. they’re forcing plays around the net. They’re slopping with passes. They’re tentative and reluctant to take shots, yet when they finally do, almost always miss the net, and badly. Something needs to be done, but I don’t have the faintest idea what that something is. I figured five days between games, and many rigorous practices, would help, but alas, it did not. So I give up. They tried mixing things up by throwing some fresh faces on the ice with the man advantage, including Denis Hamel before he got murdered, and it didn’t make a lick of difference. Granted, some powerplays were more effective than others, and some chances were generated, but when you get eight powerplays, including two in the last six minutes in a game where you’re down a goal, you have to capitalize. When your PK squad generates more and better scoring chances than your eight powerplays, it says two things: 1) your powerplay fucking blows. 2) the other team’s sucks pretty badly.

Zero puck luck. Even though Ottawa was the better team from where I sat, they were once again done in by getting no breaks around the net. As was the case in the last two periods in Saturday night’s loss to the Sabres, Ottawa had a ton of chances and yet couldn’t bury any of them. How many 2 on 1s did they have? Three, four? I don’t believe they even got a shot out of any of them except a shorthanded rush by Mike Fisher. A few of the occasions, the puck was literally bouncing. Dany Heatley continues to struggle, and with the rubber, doesn't resemble a sniper in the least bit.

Wade Redden. The debate all last season was Chara or Redden, Wade or Z. I always stood firmly in the corner of #6, because I felt like his skillset better suited the new rules as well as the fact I thought losing him would be more difficult to overcome. The fact that Redden had a monster first round against Tampa despite still grieving from the death of his mother, while Chara struggled horribly, only cemented my stance. However, that choice, four games in, isn’t looking so good. Redden had been average at best thus far this season but tonight’s game was truly his worst. Early on, things looked good, as he outmuscled Jarome Iginla for a puck. That turned out to be the highlight of the night for Wade. The rest of the night, Iginla, who was matched up against him for the majority of the game, dominated Redden. Firstly, who’s bright idea was it to put Redden against Iginla? Does Bryan Murray even know anything about his players? Wade Redden is not a shutdown defenceman. He’s (on most nights) a gifted offensive defenceman who’s among the best in the world at outlet passes as well as rushing the puck up the ice. He’s sound defensively, but only because he’s excellent positionally. He’s not physical and in one-on-one battles, he’s usually outmatched, even against average players. Against perhaps the best power forward in the NHL? Retarded. If he wasn’t pushing Redden around, Iggy was pyloning his ass every chance he could. I felt bad for Redden for a bit, because he was put into a role he’s not equipped to play, but after a while, that wore off. His poor efforts on the powerplay as well as some sloppy passes didn’t do him any favors either.

Daniel Alfredsson. A pisspoor game from the captain, again. This is becoming a pattern.

Jason Spezza's giveaways. Last season, when he was putting up big points, we could ultimately look the other way at Spezza's terrible brainfarts with the puck. However, when he's not scoring, those mistakes are magnified tremendously. He's hurting the team more than he's helping them right now.

THE OPPOSITION:

Full marks to the Flames. They played their style of game to a tee. They shut down the neutral zone, allowed Kipper to see whatever pucks were fired, and cleared rebounds very effectively. They won this game the same way I assume they will during crunch time in the postseason.

Flames fans were kicking up a lot of dust over Alex Tanguay and his inability to produce on a line with Iginla in the first couple games, and as a result, he was taken off the trio, with Kristen Huselius put in his place. If I'm a fan of the team, I liked the look of that combo much more than the previous one, even if it's not as imposing on paper.

Oh, and Miikka Kiprusoff's pretty friggin great.

UP NEXT:

Saturday night against the Habs on Hockey Night In Canada. Sort of a big deal, and ideally, another outing where they'll get their spirits up. Montreal's rolling pretty strong, coming off a big win last weekend over the Leafs and a shutout victory against Philly last night.

As important as a game in October can be

2006-10-12T07:59:00.000-04:00

Much has been made about tonight's game between the Sens and the Calgary Flames. A lot of that is due to the long delay between games, however, there is a genuinely large level of discomfort in the city with the Senators right now. A lot of nervousness.

It's absurd to say a game on October 12th is a must win game. It'll only be the fourth game of thr season. It's still early. But they need this win. Before this ship sinks even further, it needs to be righted.

The powerplay needs to start rolling. Martin Gerber needs to make a number of big saves and instill some confidence in his teammates so they can play an aggressive game without worrying that every single mistake will result in a goal. Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, Wade Redden, and Daniel Alfredsson, the team's best and highest paid players, need to start playing like it. The team as a whole needs to display some sort of desire from the first drop of the puck.

We're gonna find out what this group's made of very quickly.

Well that was quick

2006-10-10T12:15:00.000-04:00

If you're one of the poolies who picked Patrick Eaves as a sleeper late pick because he was going to play with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, and thus rack up significant points, I've got bad news: he's been demoted.

At yesterday's marathon hour-and-a-half practice, Eaves was lined up on the fourth trio with Chris Kelly and Brian McGratton (rookie Alexei Kaigorodov also got time on the line, but odds are he's sitting again) while Heatley and Spezza practiced with Daniel Alfredsson.

Coach Bryan Murray is saying this doesn't mean he's disappointed with Eaves, however, the kid struggled badly the last two games and perhaps was in over his head.

Buffalo 4 Ottawa 3

2006-10-07T22:18:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD:

- A sign of life. The most frustrating part of Thursday night's loss to the Leafs was the absolute lack of passion displayed by the majority of the Senators. With the exception of one player, the entire team displayed a terrible effort. What I wanted to see tonight, even more than a W, was, for 60 minutes, a determined team take the ice. We didn't get that. The first 20 minutes looked scarily similar to the 6-0 blowout defeat. There was zero urgency to their game, even when on the PK, which is unacceptable. Thankfully, a switch was flicked in the first intermission. I don't know how. If it was a veteran player (Chris Phillips is the likely candidate) standing up and setting the troops straight or a verbal lashing from the coach, but the result was a different team in the second period. They played with much more enthusiasm, which is all we can ask for. If they play this way every night, they'll come out with the two points 75% of the time. Let's hope it doesn't die a painful death in the four days between games. I also like that they didn't quit when Buffalo scored the goal to restore their two goal lead. Instead, the Big Line got right back at it. Often in the past, an Ottawa Senators team would pack it in then. Nice to see that wasn't the case, even in defeat.

- The Big Line. Include me in the converted group. Going into the season, I said they need to keep Alfie and Spezza/Heatley seperate so as to distribute the scoring over two lines. I thought, based on the chemistry displayed by Schaefer-Fisher-Alfredsson in the pre-season as well as how Patrick Eaves fared with Spezza & Heatley last year, it was the best road to go down. I was wrong. Alfie has been a mostly non-factor these three games while Spezza and Heatley struggled badly Thursday night. Yet when Murray put the three of them together in the third, magic emerged. This is no coincedence. So now I believe it's time, for the short term anyway, to keep these three together. It's clear there is an energy that develops when these three are on the ice that cannot be duplicated with any other line combos. I know the fear is, if that line gets shut down, where will the offence come from? It's a legitimate concern, but right now, it's not like we're getting a lot anyway, so what do we have to lose? If nothing else, throw them together for half a dozen games to get Alfredsson and Heatley rolling, because as it stands, they both look lost out there. Neither is playing with the swagger and confidence that allowed them to be so dominant last season. Then, once they're up and running, think about spreading the scoring around. When you're struggling as much as this team is, you can't reject the few things that are working.

THE BAD:

- The breaks. For whatever reason, the Sens just didn't have them go their way tonight. I know that sounds like a cop out ("we didn't get lucky"), however, Ottawa truly didn't have an ounce of puck luck in this game. Shots were going wide, errant passes were beyond prevelant, pucks were hitting defenders who didn't even appear to be making an effort to block a shot. To say Ottawa is a team out of sync right now would be an understatement. They're not helping their cause with brainfarts in their own end though. Chris Phillips' decision to hit the Buffalo player instead of playing the puck, which led to the first goal, still confuses me. For a nine year pro to make that kind of rookie mistake is baffling.

- Tom Preissing. Did he miss one game or 50? He's a defenceman billed as a speedy puck mover, yet he looked incredibly slow and awkward with the puck tonight. Preissing was responsible for a handful of poor plays with the rubber, including one terrible giveaway that led to a big scoring chance. Worse, Preissing's back check was non-existant. People can say what they want about Daniel Alfredsson's heart or legitimacy as a captain (and right now, a lot is being said) but at least when he turns it over he's the hardest skater back, determined to correct his error. Same went for Marian Hossa when he played here. Is there an invisible piece of quicksand on the ScotiaBank Place ice that explains why Preissing was literally in one place for 10 seconds while the Sabres player carried the puck down the ice? Very poor performance.

- Dany Heatley's finish. I touched on it above, but jeez, is Dany Heatley ever fighting the puck. Last year, when he had it on his stick, he could do no wrong. This season, he can't buy a goal, and with the $4.5 mil the team is paying him, you'd think that may be an option. He's gonna have to find that scoring touch soon because there isn't a whole lot else to his game beyond his tremendous ability to light the lamp, and so when he's not doing that with any regularity, there's little use for him.

- Special Teams/Undisciplined play. Not good. Ottawa's powerplay, which was so potent last season, has been depressingly bad so far. And don't you Monday morning quarterbacks, who are claiming the Sens plight is linked to no Chara or Martin Havlat, try and put it on those two, because, combined, they only put up 12 PP points last year. Ottawa went 0 for 8 with the man advantage, and a lot of the powerplay time was spent either in the neutral zone or in their own end trying to get their shit together. In a one goal game, a 0% PP is a killer. Meanwhile, they handed a sizzling Sabres team seven powerplay opportunities. The fact Buffalo only burned them for one goal in that situation is both a blessing and a tribute to the good work put in by the penalty killers.

- Anton Volchenkov. I don't have to say anything. Just read what I've written for the previous two games, because it's same gripes. Please trade this guy already. At least with Preissing back his ice time was down to less 15 minutes a game. The idea of him playing 20 again makes my head explode. It seems as if he's trying, so it's difficult to be too hard on the big Russian, however, his choices on the ice as well as his speed, or lackthereof, are awful right now. If Joe Corvo were to come back tomorrow, Volchenkov would be the odd man out, I'd hope. It's shocking how far he's slipped on this team's depth chart. One of the reasons they were able to unload Greg de Vries and his $2 million+ contract in the Hossa for Heatley deal was because they were certain Volchenkov could step in and be the top four d-man for nearly half the price. Now he's probably not even in their top six if all are healthy.

THE OPPOSITION:

Despite some turnover in talent, the Sabres the same kind of game that allowed them to rack up over 100 points last year and will likely have them tally as much this season. Their forwards were committed to a two-way game, they were great in transition, their defence was more than willing to jump into the play, and goaltending was clutch when it needed to be. They basically have a championship formula down cold.

They did slip a little bit in the second, giving up the puck more than I'm sure Lindy Ruff would have liked, thus allowing Ottawa to get back into the game, but fortunately, Martin Biron bailed them out. With his plain white protest goalie mask, he did himself big favors for getting dealt to the first time who decides their current goaltending situation isn't cutting it (the early favorites are Detroit and Philadelphia).

UP NEXT:

It's not gonna get any easier folks, as Calgary is next on deck, though not for a while. The game is Thursday, and in between now and then, the Sens will have plenty of time go over game tape and think about why they're in their current perdicament. I suspect it will be a long week.

Toronto 6 Ottawa 0

2006-10-05T23:54:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD:

A much needed reality check. Every team has to hit some roadblocks in a season. Perhaps it’s a good thing Ottawa got theirs so early in the term. Tonight’s debacle was a harsh slap in the face that things won’t be as easy as last year, when they could play an ordinary game and still come out with a two goal win. The Sens are still among the NHL’s elite, I believe, but if they expect to be able to coast through 60 minutes and pull out two points, they’re in for a rude awakening. Let’s hope the 6-0 drubbing will serve as motivation for a team that seems to desperately need it. They should feel embarrassed. They got spanked at home opener by their biggest rival. If that doesn’t light a fire under their collective asses, then we’re in for a LONG season folks.

Mike Fisher. There weren’t a lot of Sens players who could fall into this category, but if I had to pick one, it would be ol’ faithful, #12. Fisher’s effort was where it usually is: top notch. He didn’t take a shift off and when almost every one of his teammates were half-assing it out there, Fisher worked hard every shift and maintained a strong forecheck presence. On nights like this, it’s a shame there aren’t 19 Mike Fishers in this organization.

Ray Emery. He didn’t look particularly good on the goal he allowed, but overall, I thought Emery was strong in relief of Martin Gerber and should get the start Saturday night when the Sabres visit.

The return of the Battle of Ontario. If we’re looking for positives after this mess, and that’s what I try to do instead of drowning my sorrows in hard liquor, we can at least celebrate the fact that this year’s season series looks to be competitive. That’s good. Because as much fun as last season was, and believe me, I loved every minute of it, these games are much more enjoyable when the two teams are at least a little bit evenly matched.

Dominik Hasek loses. Yes, I’m that vengeful.

The Lost season premiere. So The Others really aren’t hut dwelling peasants? Well I’ll be damned.

THE BAD:

Pretty much everything. This was as bad a game as I’ve seen the Sens play in a while. Maybe I’m forgetting some other headaches. The blowout in Atlanta last season immediately comes to mind, but yikes, this was ugly. Usually their stinkers take place on the road, so doing it in front of a home crowd makes it worse. Throw it who it was against and I feel like I got kicked square in the balls about eight times. To single out a particular player wouldn’t be fair, because, honestly, they all sucked. Some more than others, but the entire team played like ass. There was no jump to their step. No drive to their game. With the puck they were sloppy and thoughtless. In their own zone they were a nightmare. If you had a drinking game consisting of a Sens skater having the puck on his stick but not getting it out, you would have been ridiculously shitfaced by 8:30. To put it frankly, they just didn’t want it. Not half as badly as the Leafs did.

Martin Gerber. After pretty much stealing the first period for the Sens Wednesday night, allowing the Sens to rally in the second period and get the win, Gerber fell back to Earth and gave me, and many of you I’m certain, visions of Patrick Lalime. That first goal by Chad Kilger was vintage Lalime during the 2003-04 season, and unfortunately it didn’t get better from there. The Ottawa defence didn’t do Gerber any favors, as they had an equally awful night, however, when you have a $3.7 million goalie, you’d hope he could stop a lot of those shots that lit the lamp. The alleged goaltending controversy, sparked by his poor pre-season, was quieted 24 hours ago, but this is the kind of outing that gets that talked started all over again.

Special teams. Toronto’s powerplay, which failed them the night before, was on fire and Ottawa couldn’t handle it, while the Sens did zero with their own man advantage opportunities. Half the time the play wasn’t even in the Leafs zone. Brutal.

Anton Volchenkov. Hey Wayne, you like this kid so much? Throw some pucks our way and we’ll let you have him. And with Preissing still out, Volchenkov is going to have to continue to play big minutes. I fear what Daniel Briere and Maxim Afinogenov will do to this sad sack in two sleeps.

Undisciplined play. If the penalties are from infractions for going hard to the net, preventing a prime scoring chance, or just generally mixing it up and getting carried away, I don’t think Bryan Murray would rake that player over the coals. When they’re mindless mistakes, the way almost every penalty the Sens took tonight was, you know there will be Hell to pay. Peter Schaefer in particular will get it, and should. He took two terrible “new NHL” penalties, both of which occurred when the Sens had a powerplay.

THE OPPOSITION:

Give the Leafs full marks for this W. Some might try and dismiss the victory by saying it wasn’t as much as they won as it was that Ottawa lost (the way Leafs fans rationalized the thrashings we laid on them last season). That’s bullshit. The Senators certainly played awful, but Toronto came to play, took it Ottawa, and deserved the two points they left the nation’s capital with.

While on Wednesday night it was almost exclusively Mats Sundin providing the offensive jump for the Buds, tonight it was a team effort. Darcy Tucker, who I thought was strangely invisible except for a bad slashing penalty in the opener, was back to his old self, stirring the pot, scoring goals, and generally being a fucking dick. He has to play like this every night for the Leafs to challenge for a playoff spot, and if I’m Paul Maurice, I give him the most minutes of any forward besides Sundin.

As well, the defensive breakdowns that characterized Wednesday night’s 4-1 loss were largely non-existent tonight. Does Pavel Kubina make that much of a difference? Staying on the defence, Ian White impressed the shit out of me. He was terrific with the puck and played over 20 minutes.

So which Leafs team is the real deal? The one who, for 45 minutes of gameplay, sleepwalked through opening night, or the club that stormed into Ottawa and dominated the Sens? I’m not sure yet, but I do know that even if the answer is right in the middle, they’ll be a more competitive team than last year.

UP NEXT:

Buffalo, and just what this team needs, I think. If they can’t get up for that game, with the team that ousted them coming to town, then we can sound the alarms, even if it is only three games in. I’m not going to lay on the hyperbole too thick and say it’s a must win, because it’s not, but the Sens need a good outing for 60 minutes, and this fanbase needs something to loosen the ropes around our throats.

Ottawa 4 Toronto 1

2006-10-04T23:44:00.000-04:00

THE GOOD:

Martin Gerber. One regular season game won’t quell the concerns of an entire city, but at least we now know the Swiss netminder can play well in a Sens uniform. After that pre-season, such a thing seemed pretty unlikely. And not just well, but very well. Martin Gerber was the reason Ottawa was in this game early, as it was his big timely saves that prevented the much more assertive Maple Leafs team who were all over Ottawa in the first 10 minutes. Bryan Murray is right that Gerber is the anti-Hasek, and I for one like it. There are no sprawling snowangel saves, just sound positional play with minimal rebounds and few unnecessary risks. There were, literally, a dozen excellent saves made by Gerber.

Christoph Schubert. He came into the game their sixth d-man, only playing because of the foot injury to Joe Corvo, and yet by the end of the night, I thought he was one of their better players on the night. Schubert saw significant time with the man advantage, manning the point, was very physical, made smart plays with the puck, and pinched or joined the rush when the appropriate opportunity arose. Considering Schubert played only one pre-season game due to a vicious virus he picked up down in the Caribbean, his game was superb.

Andrej Meszaros. Tom Preissing’s injury, which I’ll touch on in a bit, forced heightened minutes by players who weren’t expected to play that much, Meszaris chief among them. The other sophmore rearguard was also very good on this night, and overall, may have been Ottawa’s best defenceman, playing overall 25 minutes due to t. He threw many big hits and was probably the only Sens blueliner who wasn’t running around like a madman in his own zone. He was the stabilizing force back there. With Chara gone, he’ll gave to log similarly big minutes this season and he sure looks up to the task.

Dean McAmmond. You wouldn’t know the $700,000 man was one of Ottawa’s most senior players based on his jump. The veteran was flying out there, and created plenty of chances with his speed. This is a signing that may end up paying bigger dividends than we thought.

Patrick Eaves. The whole top line of Heatley-Spezza-Eaves, who’s average age among them has to be like 23 years old, was good, but I loved the game of Eaves, who tallied a goal and assist.

Chris Neil. If someone would have showed you Chris Neil's goal three years ago, and said this is the kind of player he would become, I'm sure most of you would have thought they were a dirty filthy liar. Neil was, sometimes, overaggressive and could've taken a few more penalties on top of the one he got whistled for, but at least he was into the game. Why he didn't get more ice time confuses me.

THE BAD:

Anton Volchenkov & Chris Phillips. Yama hama, it’s fright night! Yikes. Who thought this pairing was a good idea? It seemed as if every time they stepped on the ice, horror ensued. I realize Phillips moving to the right side is a major adjustment, but Jesus Christ, the guy’s an eight year pro. Is it THAT drastic? And Volchenkov, what the fuck. He was terrible. Volchenkov was a step slower than everyone else on the ice, responding to plays five seconds too late and as a result was constantly out of position. Phillips and Meszaros were consistently solid in the pre-season while Volchenkov and Redden have had some success together in the past, so why not go with those pairings instead of trying this fiasco?

Daniel Alfredsson. I liked that he scored the empty net goal to shove it up the ACC faithful’s asses, however, overall, Alfie had a pretty ordinary game. Not quick with the puck and some uncharacteristally poor plays in his own zone had been confused. The chemistry that he and Mike Fisher had in the pre-season was non-existant here.

The first period, both from an entertainment factor and as a Sens fan. I realize organizations like doing those pre-game ceremonies, honoring this legend or that one, but can we keep the players in the room for them? Because every time they take place, one or both teams end up losing their steam and the quality of the game suffers. Next time place some sappy sentimental video with some ass Sarah McLachlan song in the background to pay tribute to Red Kelly.

Ottawa’s faceoffs. Draws have been a problem for as long as I can remember, and they were awful here, only winning 36% of the draws. Chris Kelly, who’s usually money in the circle, won a pitiful 2 of 14 faceoffs and Spezza won 7 and lost 15. Mike Fisher and Dean McAmmond were slightly better but the other two really hurt the team. Michael Peca himself carved the Sens up on puck drops.

Denis Hamel. Not bad by any means, but I expected more enthusiasm and energy out of a guy who you'd think would be superpsyched for what seems like his first steady NHL job in a while. Hamel seemed tired and played with a lackluster effort. Did he blow his load in the pre-season, just winning the job?

Tom Preissing’s injury. The last thing the Sens needed was another defenceman going down hurt. The extent of the injury isn’t known. As of 11:30pm, all we know is that he left with a lower body injury. Apparently the Sens training staff are still in playoff mode. He looked good in the first period, and was a big part of their first goal, but it’s a shame we didn’t see more of him. Cross your fingers that it’s not serious because if so we might be in trouble.

THE OPPOSITION:

Toronto would have been up a few goals if not for Martin Gerber during the first 10 or so minutes of the game, and were the dominant team in the first period, however, they were unable to sustain that pressure and fell apart in the second, allowing Ottawa to blow the game wide open by capitalizing on their mistakes.

Mats Sundin was sensational. He’ll need to be for the Leafs to have any shot at a playoff spot this season, however, we saw proof positive that even he can’t do it alone. He needs help. Kyle Wellwood provided spurts of offence alongside Sundin and Alex Ponikarovsky had a handful of decent shifts, but beyond that, Toronto’s forwards were very impotent past the 10 minute mark. Most of the chances that came after were generated by Tomas Kaberle and Bryan McCabe who had good games both on the PP and at even strength. As mentioned, Mike Peca was a beast on the draws and was busting his ass, but he’s just not much of an offensive presence. I hope they’re not counting on him to be a major contributor when it comes to goal scoring, because they’re in for a major letdown. He provides excellent defensive play, can kill penalties, and, but he’s not the cure to their goal scoring woes.

I have no clue what happened to Darcy Tucker, but I can’t remember a Leafs-Sens game where he was such a non-factor. Besides his slashing penalty on Patrick Eaves, he wasn’t involved in the game at all. The scoresheet says he played nearly 19 minutes, third among Leafs forwards, but I would’ve thought he played 10 or so. When the Leafs were struggling in the second, getting manhandled by a rejuvenated Sens team, I was waiting for his usual act of foolishness in an attempt to rally his teammates. Alas, it didn’t happen. Has Sideshow Bob been tamed?

Hal Gill played like Hal Gill, which is to say slow and prodding. I’d hope this isn’t news to the organization. Meanwhile, the other new face, Andrew Raycroft was strong but ultimately outdueled by Gerber. Still, besides the Schubert goal that had him looking quite silly, he looked good in nets, including two big stops on two breakaways, by two pretty good snipers in Spezza and Heatley.

Also, the Leafs powerplay let them down big time. They certainly had their chances, but had to have buried some of them if they wanted to win.

UP NEXT:

The Leafs again! Fun.

Slim pickins

2006-10-04T01:43:00.000-04:00

It’s every bloggers job to make lofty, grandiose predictions about how the coming NHL season will develop. So I’m not gonna disappoint you. Here they are. Are they insightful? That’s for you to decide. If it makes you feel better, I’ve spent many bored hours at a desk on someone else’s dollar thinking this over.

Unfortunately, here’s the downside: it turns out I’m not very good at these. Last season, I predicted Boston would win the Eastern Conference and that Buffalo, the Rangers, and the Hurricanes would miss the playoffs. Oh, and the Calgary Flames would win the Stanley Cup. So by that logic, call Vegas and put good money on Florida to be drinking from Lord Stanley eight months from now.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. Buffalo Sabres
Having learned from their exit in the conference final, the Sabres will a better team for it. Should they stay healthy, they’ll be the best club in the Eastern Conference, able to roll four lines that can hurt you, six d-men that can play 20 minutes, and one of the best goaltending tandems in the league. What will be interesting to observe is how they respond in their new role of consensus favorite. They were able to sneak up on a lot of their opponents last season because no one considered them a threat, but once you go to the final four, those days are over. And Buffalo fans, you better hope this year is the one, because with both Daniel Briere and Chris Drury eligible for UFA status in July, this might be your lone kick at the can with this core.

2. New York Rangers.
No one saw this team succeeding last year, yet building around Jagr paid off big time. Adding Brendan Shanahan and Matt Cullen will take their powerplay over the top, and Aaron Ward provides a much needed veteran presence on the blueline. Oh, and all three bring Cup rings, which ideally translates to the others soaking in their wisdom. I’m picking Henrik Lundqvist to win the Vezina and backstop the Rangers to a 100 point season.

3. Carolina Hurricanes
There will be some hangover, which is to be expected, however, the ‘Canes remain the cream of the crop in the Southeast. They still have six likely 20 goal scorers, a balanced blueline, and a goalie who has proven himself capable of carrying a team on his 22-year-old shoulders. The fear those down in Raleigh should have though centers around the scenario where Ward struggles or goes down with an injury. John Grahame is not able to be a number one goalie.

4. Ottawa Senators
People in this city don’t give two shits about regular seasons. We know this. So where the Sens finish is irrelevant as long as it’s in the top eight of the conference. Losing Chara and Havlat hurts, but a full season of Patrick Eaves, an increased role for Antoine Vermette, and the additions of Tom Preissing and Joe Corvo should help alleviate that almost entirely. Can Mike Fisher be a second line center? Is Martin Gerber the answer? These are the pressing questions that will make the season intriguing.

5. New Jersey Devils
Lou Lamorello finally solved the cap issue, and with Brian Gionta back in the fold, the Devils have to be considered a lock another playoff birth, and should give the Rangers some competition for the division title. New head coach Claude Julien leads a team that tore up the second half and largely remains in tact. Having Patrick Elias for the majority of the season will aid their scoring needs, as with a gamebreaker like that, there’s no way they’ll finish 22nd in goals scored again.

6. Atlanta Thrashers
If they actually had NHL caliber goaltending last season, Don Waddell’s guarantee of a franchise first playoff birth would have been realized. The mess that was their netminding situation is the kind of fiasco that, hopefully, only occurs once in a lifetime. They put up 90 points last season. If they have Kari Lehtonen, 95 isn’t out of the question, and 100 isn’t as absurd as you might think. Losing Marc Savard isn’t great, however, it also won’t hurt to the extent you think, and his replacement of sorts, Steve Rucchin, brings leadership that Savard just doesn’t have in his makeup. They’ll score a ton of goals, with the one Achilles’ heel possibly being in the backend, having lost Jaroslav Modry’s 38 points and 20 minutes a game.

7. Philadelphia Flyers
Owner Ed Snyder put out the word that his patience was running thin. Ken Hitchcock’s job is on the line and the unthinkable, Bob Clarke being removed, isn’t so silly as it was previously. Philadelphia is entering a crossroads season and I don’t see it going particularly well. Their goaltending situation remains unsteady, especially with Antero Niittymaki’s questionable health. Taking Eric Desjardins and Keith Primeau’s presence out of that room will hurt and the kids (Jeff Carter, Joni Pitkanen, Mike Richards) aren’t quite ready to take over. Enjoy the one year of Forsberg you have left.

8. Tampa Bay Lightning
Many have theorized that trading for Marc Denis solves Tampa’s problems, but I believe that’s a simplification. Goaltending was certainly their primary issue last season, but it extended beyond that. Despite being loaded with talent on the top lines, they struggled with scoring and their defencemen didn’t go the netminders any favors. Shuffling out Dary Sydor and Pavel Kubina, and replacing them with Filip Kuba and Luke Richardson, has recipe for disaster written all over it. They’ll need monster years from Brad Richards and Vinny Lecavalier to even finish this high.

9. Montreal Canadiens
While it’s hard to believe the Habs won’t win the Cup based on the hype surrounding “Guy” Latendresse, I think the Habs are in for a tough go at it. A lot will depend on Cristobol Huet. I don’t see him collapsing entirely, but I also can’t see how he’ll be able to replicate last season’s successes. And if Huet doesn’t stand on his head, the Habs don’t win. Their D, even with the addition of Janne Niinimaa, is still way too weak and their forwards not committed to doing their part in their own end. You won’t find a bigger fan of Guy Carbonneau than me, but I see his first season being a tough one.

10. Toronto Maple Leafs
I’ll save you the time now Leafs Nation. You don’t even have the write those comments or the nasty emails: I have a bias, I’m a Sens fan, I’d never admit the Leafs will do well. Strangely, I went against the grain last season and thought they’d make the playoffs, and we saw how that went. This time around, I’m not making that mistake. An improved blueline helps, and Andrew Raycroft could rebound in a new environment, however, there just isn’t enough scoring up front. They’ll need huge seasons from Kyle Wellwood, Alex Steen, and Alex Ponikarovsky, and I’m not convinced they’re up to the challenge. JFJ will survive the season though, for those of you in GM death pools.

11. Florida Panthers
The Panthers desperately need a playoff birth to re-ignite a dwindling fanbase, but it’s not gonna happen. They’re moving in the right direction, and adding Bertuzzi means they’ll at least be interesting to follow, however, ultimately, their weakness lies in goal, which is a strange twist of fate for an organization that has been dependent on their goalie for so long. Ed Belfour won’t be able to stay healthy and Alex Auld doesn’t have what it takes to get the job done.

12. Boston Bruins
Talk about hype. The B’s finally throw some paper around and suddenly they’re back in the Cup hunt. Chara will make an already strong defence good, and I like their first line, but scoring beyond those three will be hard to come by. They’re praying Marc Savard rejuvenates Glen Murray, but I don’t see that happening, and after those three, where is the secondary scoring going to come from? Also, Hannu Toivonen is a few years away for starting status while Tim Thomas was an aberration.

13. Pittsburgh Penguins
Pens fans, take relief in the fact that things are getting better. Malkin gives you another weapon, Colby Armstrong looks to be the real deal, and Nils Ekman was a nice addition. But onto the bad news: Marc-Andre Fleury is a flop, Jocelyn Thibault is done as a starter, and the defence that struggled badly last season won’t be much better this time around, unless Mark Eaton turns into a Norris. If you’re expecting that, I got some land to sell you.

14. New York Islanders
The circus in Uniondale continues. Not enough scoring, an overrated and overpaid defence, and a ridiculously overrated goalie make this one of the worst Islander teams since the lowly teams of the mid-90s. Strap in Long Island. It’s not gonna be fun.

15. Washington Capitals
There still isn’t much to this team behind A.O. and Kolzig, which explains why they had to pay Brian Pothier, Ottawa’s sixth defenceman $2.5 million to come there, however, as long as the fans of this team can be patient, there shouldn’t be any major issues. Even if you do end up losing 50 games, you still get to watch the most exciting player on the planet every night, so it’s hard for me to feel too sorry for you.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

1. Anaheim Ducks
Consider me one of the many who’s drank the Kool-Aid about the no-longer-Mighty Ducks being loaded for success. While all the talk is about the Chris Pronger-Scott Niedermayer combination, let’s not forget that have a pretty potent offence that can bury whatever opportunities arise. If Selanne and McDonald can replicate their ’05-’06 campaign, the stage is set for the kids to be the sporting cast, and I believe they’re up to it. And they better, because I have Corey Perry in not one but two pools so if he fails there will he hell to pay. Might want to do something about the potential goaltending fiasco though because I see that going sour very quickly.

2. Calgary Flames
Alex Tanguay might be getting too much pressure placed on him, as anytime savior status is dropped onto a player, it has the potential to go horribly, but if nothing else, he gives them a dangerous weapon who can play with Jarome Iginla and not drag him down. Everywhere else they’re set, and should Tanguay bring 30 goals, you’re looking at another 10 points. This is a team that lost a shitload of one goal games last season, and he has the skill to change those situations. I’d feel more comfortable with them if they had Sutter behind the bench still though.

3. Nashville Predators
I may have been a year early predicting it, but the changing of the guard in the Central is in full effect. The Preds have, slowly, built a tremendous team around a core of young players while ushering in some big name veterans to provide the scoring they previously lacked. Jason Arnott may have the biggest single impact of an player signed as a free agent this past offseason, giving them the #1 center they’ve lacked since inception. Finally Paul Kariya has someone to play with, and it’s a guy who will create a lot of open ice for the speedster. I’m still not sold that they’re mature enough as a group to win in the playoffs but they’ll be there during the first 82 games.

4. Dallas Stars
Many are predicting their demise, and I was with you last season, but I see the Stars still being a top team until April. Marty Turco may fold like a cheap tent in the postseason, however, you cannot deny his regular season successes. A big part of that is a loaded defence that remains mostly in tact, as well as a forward group committed to strong play in their own zone. However, they’re gonna have to start winning when it matters most or there will be changes much grander than a new captaincy.

5. San Jose Sharks
The other team in California turned things around wonderfully and are well positioned for another run this season, including plenty of cap space to add firepower where it’s needed. And should they ever decide to stop demanding the farm for Vesa Toskala (did he win a Cup and I missed it?) and get something for him, they instantly get better. I am somewhat skeptical about their blueline, because it’s largely untested, and the ease in which they moved Preissing would concern me a little if I was a Sharks fan, but Doug Wilson has proven himself to be a master of his trade, so who am I to judge?

6. Detroit Red Wings
Like Philly, they’re a team in transition. Not quite yet Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterburg’s team, the old faces from the better days still linger. There’s way too much talent here for the Wings to fall flat on their faces, but I believe the days of 100 point seasons are, for the time being anyway, gone. Good luck with Dominik Hasek. I’m sure that won’t end horribly for all involved, again.

7. Minnesota Wild
No team improved themselves more than the Wild, who finally paid their dedicated fanbase back for their patience and passion by spending some money to get better and return to the playoffs. They brought in two 30 goal scorers in Mark Parrish and Pavol Demitra and improved their powerplay by signing Kim Johnsson, two major holes that hurt them horribly last season. The question is, can Jacques Lemaire coach this team? There’s no point in bringing in offensive minded players, at a high cost, if you’re not going to let them run wild, and I’m not convinced he’s able to adapt. They may need a new bench boss to reach the heights their new lineup allows.

8. Phoenix Coyotes
Besides Minnesota, the ‘Yotes were the next most improved club, and like Florida, they too desperately need a playoff spot ASAP, as they’re on the cusp of being entirely irrelevant. I was very cynical about Wayne Gretzky’s motives when he took the coaching job, thinking it was more about selling tickets than anything else, but the fact he came back after a year from hell says a lot. Curtis Joseph is 39 years old, so to expect him to play 60 games again and contend for the playoffs isn’t rationale, so they may need backup help, but an improved defence (Nick Boynton and Ed Jovanovski instantly make them better) should make his life easier. They may not score at will but won’t struggle to light the lamp as badly if Ladislav Nagy can stay healthy. Oh, and I’m nominating Owen Nolan for comeback player of the season.

9. Edmonton Oilers
It’s a sad state of affairs Edmonton, I know, but after coming within a few goals of the Stanley Cup, they’re gonna miss the playoffs. Dwayne Roloson is in for a wakeup call because I think he’s gonna hit the wall, which won’t be helped by their awful defence. They have cap space and forwards to spare, so it may be shortsighted to judge this team and not the one that emerges in a few months, but as it stands, I think this is a club that’ll lose a lot of 5-4 games.

10. Columbus Blue Jackets
Still a year away, Doug MacLean is collecting a juicy core of ultratalented youngsters who will make this team dangerous in a few. They’ll be able to score at will, but moving Denis placed a lot of pressure on Pascal Leclaire, who’s yet to prove himself as a starter in the league. It would’ve been wise to invest in some blueline help to make the transition easier, but that would require basic common sense, something this franchise has proven to be devoid of time and time again.

11. Vancouver Canucks
For a franchise that’s been a lock for the playoffs, and always mentioned among Cup contenders, it’s got to be strange to now be considered on the outside looking in. They’ve finally solved the goaltending problem, and for many years to come, but in the process sacrificed a ton of goals. With a new coach that has historically placed an emphasis on defence, they may be moving in a new direction. Unfortunately, a lot of the same old faces remain from the previous regime, and the transition to a new system could be a difficult one. Perhaps they need to move out those players before they can take the step in the right direction. The excitement that defined GM Place may now be replaced by low scoring, dare I say dull games.

12. Los Angeles Kings
What are the Kings doing? Are they rebuilding? Are they trying to compete? Do even they know? The Demitra for Patrick O’Sullivan trade, as well as the request Jack Johnson acquisition and rookie Anze Kopitar getting top line duty, would indicate they’re going with a youth movement. However, they also spent significant money on Rob Blake and Alyn MacCauley, as well as signing Dan Cloutier to a pretty silly contract extension. Purgatory is never a good place to be in, and the Kings seem to have a bad identity crisis.

13. Colorado Avalanche
The shit’s gonna hit the fan in Denver. Pierre Lacroix’s exit truly marked the end of the era, though the fact only two players remain from their cup win five years ago should’ve told that story on it’s own. Colorado’s been hit hardest by the salary cap, losing key players are replacing them with laughable pylons. I thought Patrice Brisebois and Pierre Turgeon was as bad as it could get, but when you realize they have Tyler Arnason as their second line center, you know all you need to about their prospects this season. Jose Theodore will have to commit hockey robbery on most nights for them to reach the playoffs, and I think those days have passed him by.

14. Chicago Blackhawks
When they traded for Martin Havlat, I thought you could rationale the big contract by realizing that it would provide excitement to a fanbase which needs it pretty badly. Alas, that excitement lasted all of a few weeks, and reality set in. The Hawks still aren’t good enough to compete. They don’t have any scoring depth, which can be seen by either Bryan Smolinski or Michal Handszus on their top line, and Nikolai Khabibulin’s been exposed as all hype. Expect plenty of empty seats in the United Center once again.

15. St. Louis Blues
What are they doing? I have the utmost respect for John Davidson, but surely you’d think the last thing they needed was a team full of veterans on their last legs, yet by bringing back Doug Weight and signing Bill Guerin, that’s exactly what they did. And the worst part is, beyond those wrinkled vets, they have very little offence. They’ll get another top pick at least. That’s something to look forward to.

Cup Pick:
Anaheim over the Rangers.

Others think I'm smart too you know

2006-10-02T18:56:00.000-04:00

Chris Young seems to think I still have something to offer and included me in his hockey blogger's roundtable along with Tom Luongo, Lyle Richardson and James Mirtle. It doesn't suck, so read it.

Muckler gets it sorta right

2006-10-02T18:45:00.000-04:00

The Ottawa Senators trimmed the final layer of fat today, making the last set of roster cuts.

The point of interest for everyone for the last week, and the primary debating point on Ottawa sports talk radio for that period, was the decision between disappointing Russian rookie Alexei Kaigorodov and journeyman AHL sniper Denis Hamel. They had polar opposite camps. While Kaigorodov struggled during his first chance to shine, Hamel made the most of the opportunities given to him. For me, it was a no brainer. Keep Hamel and let Kaigorodov develop his North American game elsewhere. Turns out, there was a C option I didn't think existed.

Ottawa has decided to carry 22 players, among them both Kaigorodov AND Hamel.

What does this mean? I haven't figured it out yet, but my initial response is that it’s pretty foolish.

What’s clear is that the Sens didn't want to lose either. The fear is that if Kaigorodov doesn't make the team, he'd go back to Russia and with as hard as they fought to get him out of that mess, they would never get a second chance to bring him over. Despite my best attempts to dig deep into the situation and get the truth, I'm still clueless about his status. The initial reports were that if he didn't make the big club, the agreement with his Russian Super League team was such that he would have to go over there. However, reports floated that this was not the case and he was over here regardless, AHL or NHL. The fact he's signed a contract seems to make me think it has to be the latter.

If that is the case, the Sens have made what I consider a pretty big mistake.

They tried Kaigorodov on the Alfredsson line. They gave him a chance and, while it was only the pre-season, to say he failed would be putting it lightly.

And let's be real: given his skillset, the only place for Kaigorodov to play would be on the top two lines. Where they currently have him penciled in, on the fourth line, is a complete waste of both his time and the clubs.

We saw with Jason Spezza what a few years in the AHL can do for a developing player. As much as the comments may have stung, Jacques Martin's remarks back in 2002 that Spezza was still a boy playing with men was 100% on point. He went to the AHL and his balls dropped hockeywise, and he came back a man. There are still kinks, but the difference is vast. In the A, he was given the ball to run with and built up a tremendous amount of confidence dominating that league.

This is what Kaigorodov needs. A spot on the fourth line, playing 7 or 8 minutes a game does him little good.

There is a theory out there, and one that I think holds some weight, that the Sens, regardless of how poorly he played, were going to keep "Kai" around. Given how much hype was heaped on him, they couldn't admit defeat and send him packing.

If that's the case, Hamel has sure made a clusterfuck of their plans. Make no mistake, he played his way onto this team, and did so despite the organization wanting otherwise. And if he could've cleared waivers, I absolutely think they'd have sent him on his merry way to upstate New York with the rest of the them.

Because while Ottawa may have made up their mind about what kind of player he is, I have to assume some other team, a club not as talented as Ottawa, would've taken a run at him. That may be where Serge Payer lies. He had a strong camp and improved his standing within the organization. I wouldn't be shocked if another team scoops him up and gives him the fourth line checking center job that was pretty sewn up with the Sens.

Still, kudos to the organization for not cutting Hamel. I was certain they'd find a way to fuck it up, and they proved me wrong. Bravo.

Now that we know the team sorta, what's the line combos we go into Wednesday night with?

There is a significant divide amongst the fanbase as to the first line. I'm of the opinion that, for the time being, it's better to keep the Big Line apart. The first line is, obviously, going to be Jason Spezza at center with Dany Heatley on his left side. I'd pencil in Patrick Eaves to play right wing. It's a trio that played together, off and on, throughout last season, and Eaves rose the occasion every time. Despite being much smaller than both Spezza and Heatley, Eaves brings a physical, balls-to-the-wall attitude that seems to allude his more high profile teammates. Some might make a case for Dean McAmmond given how well he played with Spezza and Heatley in the pre-season, and the veteran presence as well as defensive responsibility he'd bring, and it's hard to argue with those points.

The second line is set in stone. Mike Fisher stepped in when Kaigorodov flopped and was terrific with Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Schaefer. He and Schaefer are no strangers to each other, as along with Chris Neil they made up Ottawa's third line for most of last season, a line that on a lot nights was Ottawa's best, and on almost every, was the hardest working. Some, myself included, questioned whether Fisher had what it took to be a true #2 center. You can't deny his work ethic or his dedication, but I was unsure if the natural skill required was there, and desire doesn't make up for that entirely. I always viewed Fisher as not quite good enough to be a #2 center, but too good to be a #3, which in theory is a perfect situation to be in. Fisher will get his shot and you'd be foolish to bet against him. Schaefer is coming off his best season as a pro, and there's no reason to think he can't do better with more ice time and an increased role. And Alfie is Alfie.

All of this doesn’t mean the Big Line is dead. There can be no disputing the chemistry that those three players have, and it would be foolish to let it waste away. It has to be used appropriately. In situations where the team needs a big goal, those three should absolutely get tapped on the back.

The third line needs to provide a lot of energy. That's what Schaefer-Fisher-Neil did last season, and the trio of McAmmond-Antoine Vermette-Chris Neil, on paper anyway, brings a lot of jump, significant offensive capabilities, and, ideally, plenty of fight. Vermette had 20 goals last season playing on the fourth line. As a result, his fans called for the French Canadian to get a bigger role. Yet everytime he did, he played poorly, leaving many to assume that he worked best in a minor role. I was one of those people, and part of me still is, but at some point, he has to be given a shot to prosper or plummet, and for an extended period. Neil scored a career high 16 goals last season, and though some of you downplay those goals by saying half of them were tips or juicy rebounds with gaping cages, the reality is, Neil got his goals by doing something we've all been clamoring for from this team: he stood in front of the net.

The fourth line, I think, should be Hamel-Chris Kelly-Brian McGratton, leaving Kaigorodov on the outside looking in. Hamel can play D reasonably well, is physical, and has proven himself to be a capable goal scorer. Chris Kelly is one of the more useful players on the team, and when there's an injury he can move up, but for even strength I like him on the fourth line. And, crazy as this sounds, I believe McGratton will have a very good season. Okay, stop laughing. He's worked his ass off to develop his game and, yeah, he'll never be a top six forward, I think he's capable of a regular shift without hurting the team.

So that's how it breaks down. We'll know the answer to these questions Wednesday night, but it's pretty cut and dry from where I sit.

Why does God hate me?

2006-10-01T21:34:00.000-04:00

I just realized Wednesday's opening night in the NHL conflicts with the season premiere of Lost. Great. As much as I love the Sens, a choice between Spezza or Sawyer, Heatley or The Hatch, Fisher or Freckles isn't as easy as you'd think. For the past week my personal life has taken a back seat to late night DVD marathons catching up on season 2. Hopefully by the time 9pm rolls around, Ottawa will be up by six goals and my interest will have diminished, so I can watch Jack bitchslap The Others without any distractions.

Even in the pre-season...

2006-09-28T10:13:00.000-04:00

It's still VERY sweet to beat the Maple Leafs at the ACC.

There were a couple of good things to take out of last night's W:
1) Mike Fisher did not look a bit out of place on the second line alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Peter Schaefer, furthering confusing the situation with Alexei Kaigorodov. Previously, I stated I would prefer Fisher on the third line, but he sure looked like a second-line center on this night. Combined, the trio racked up seven points and were, far and away, the best line the Sens rolled in the Hog.
2) Ray Emery was terrific and is making life very difficult for Bryan Murray (and in turn, John Muckler). While he hasn't downright sucked, Martin Gerber has yet to assert himself as the bonafided number one goalie. To say he's been ordinary would be an understatement. Meanwhile, Emery has shined more often than not and if the job truly wasn't Gerber's regardless, as Muckler said back in July when he signed the Swiss 'tender, then I would think Emery has to be considered for the starting job. Economics (as in the fact Gerber makes $3.7 mil per season) might play a factor, but if it's all about who's playing better, there can be no disputing that Emery is the frontrunner on that criteria alone. In the third period, he was sensational.
3) In addition to scoring another goal, Dean McAmmond had a strong outing. Having another speedster in the line-up can never hurt.

On the flipside, it was another piss poor performance from the Russian that was supposed to save us. Murray gave Kaigorodov every chance to succeed even though he took him off the Alfredsson line. He was lined up with red hot Denis Hamel and Patrick Eaves, who has an uncanny ability to find the net, and yet he still didn't generate much in the way of offensive chances.

We'll see how things go tonight when Montreal comes town.

Decision day sees no surprises

2006-09-26T18:10:00.000-04:00

The Sens trimmed the fat this morning, reducing the roster down to 28 players. No real shocks on who didn't make the grade, though I'm sure a few fanboys online will shed some tears at one particular demotion.

Firstly, a gang of players were sent back to their junior teams. Cody Bass was sent back to Mississauga, Nick Foligno to Sudbury, and Tomas Kudelka to Lethbridge of the WHL. All three had good spurts in this pre-season but none made a definitive impact or played well enough that you thought they warranted consideration for the big club. Yet.

Bass is a kid I've followed for some time now. He brings a ton of work ethic, tenacity, and do-or-die to an organization that doesn't have much of it. In the Pittsburgh game a week ago, Bass played very well but wasn't able to maintain that level of play for the rest of camp. Still, he's not even 20 yet and another year in the OHL, perhaps followed by a season down in Binghamton, will really help his game. I'm excited about where he'll be two or three years from now.

Foligno is built along the same lines. The odds of him ever developing into a top six forward aren't great, but he seems tailor-made for the third line, chipping away at the opposition and scoring big, timely goals when they're necessary, something I imagine that's in his DNA.

As for Kudelka, he's also a few years away, and the team has such decent depth on the blueline that I can't see him being in a Sens uniform for some time.

Sent to the fledging Binghamton version of the Sens were goalies Jeff Glass and Kelly Guard, defencemen Neil Komadoski, Charlie Cook, and Neil Petruic, and forwards Jeff Heerema, Arttu Luttinen, Brian Maloney, Grant Potulny, Danny Bois, Andrew Ebbett, Chanse Fitzpatrick, Cory Pecker, Bobby Robbins, and Ryan Vesce.

The one name that will likely upset, or at the very least disappoint some is Luttinen, the (allegedy) gritty Finnish winger who many vocal pundits online expected to make the club this season. I never quite bought into that hype, but based on how others were billing him, I certainly thought he'd make more of an impact than what I saw Friday night against the Sabres, where he was mostly invisible.

And while Luttinen has been presented by his fans as a tough player, he's still yet to play a single real game of North American hockey, so maybe a year of that will help round out his game and 12 months from now, perhaps with some roster spots available, he'll be better suited to make a run at a job with Ottawa.

That said, I know a lot of you are sad. Don't fret too much.

The other name of interest is Jeff Heerema. I wonder if he's where Denis Hamel was a year ago. Penciled in as a minor leaguer and nothing he does in the short term can change that. I'd think a guy who scored 74 points in 77 games on a pretty rotten Binghamton team last season would at least survive the first cut solely based on that, and the club wanting to get a better look at him, but shows what I know. Even if he has had a pretty ordinary camp thus far, doesn't 74 points give him some leeway?

I know I, for one, would've liked to see how he fared paired up with some of the regulars in a pre-season game or two, but like with Hamel, perhaps his destiny was written before camp even began. I do know a lot of the moves the Sens made this offseason were about strengthening a very weak Binghamton team, a team that struggled badly last season, and I'm sure Heerema and his 74 points are a big part of that, but let's see what he's made of and if he has anything to offer the big club in the immediate future.

In the nets, both Glass and Guard had solid pre-seasons, doing themselves favors in establishing some notorioty among the fanbase. Glass in particular was said to be ridiculously good in Saturday night's win over Philadelphia, and might be the goalie to watch in a few years.

The remaining club, if you're curious, is:
G Ray Emery
G Martin Gerber
D Wade Redden
D Chris Phillips
D Andrej Meszaros
D Joe Corvo
D Tom Preissing
D Christoph Schubert
D Anton Volchenkov
D Michal Barinka
D Andy Hedlund
D Tomas Malec
D Jamie Allison
F Daniel Alfredsson
F Jason Spezza
F Dany Heatley
F Mike Fisher
F Patrick Eaves
F Peter Schaefer
F Antoine Vermette
F Chris Neil
F Chris Kelly
F Dean McAmmond
F Denis Hamel
F Alexei Kaigorodov
F Brian McGratton
F Josh Hennessy
F Serge Payer

There aren't many jobs to be won, and I suspect they're keeping the Josh Hennessys and Michal Barinka's around to get better looks at them and see how they fare when playing with and against better calibre talents, possibily so they know who to pencil in as the first call ups when the inevitable injuries occur.

A mixed bag weekend

2006-09-25T00:25:00.000-04:00

The Sens played three games in three days this past weekend, losing only one, and the end result is more names added to the injured list, a struggling Russian, and one Senator making life very difficult for the coaching staff.

First, the walking wounded: with both Peter Schaefer and Daniel Alfredsson already on the shelf as a precautionary measure with groin injuries, two defencemen who will sorta need to be healthy if the Sens plan to prosper this season got themselves hurt.

Fortunately, the aching groin that forced Wade Redden to leave Sunday evening's game in Halifax against Toronto doesn't appear to be serious.

However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, the Sens will be without Joe Corvo for an estimated four-to-six weeks with a broken foot. It seemed like an innocent enough play, and when he was taken off the ice, I would never have thought the injury was serious, yet here we are. It's times like this that having a Christoph Schubert calibre rearguard as your 7th d-man comes in handy.

Truth be told, Corvo was not impressing me in the least bit prior the foot injury. He looked slow, sluggish, uninspired and made poor decisions with the puck in the pre-season games I saw. This doesn't mean I was demanding a trade, or questioning the signing (a lot). However, I sure would have been much more comfortable if Corvo blew me away during those first insignificant games he played as a Senator.

The pairing between him and Redden looked awkward, and seemed to be affecting Redden's game as well. That's strange, because all last season, Redden juggled defensive partners and throughout it, maintained a high standard of play, able to adjust to whomever was beside him on the blueline.

What will be interesting to observe is who gets to play with Redden during the first part of the regular season now that Corvo is out. The pairs looked to be locked in, with Redden alongside Corvo, Chris Phillips teamed with Andrej Meszaros, and Tom Preissing and Anton Volchenkov making up the bottom pair. Now that's out the window. Bryan Murray seems to be in love with the idea of Phillips and Meszaros, so odds are, it'll be either Preissing or Volchenkov playing with Redden. I suppose Schubert is a possibility, but that'll be a lot of minutes for a guy who wasn't even considered good enough to be in their top six d-men.

Smart money is on Volchenkov getting the nod. He and Redden have played together for some time, with mostly good results, and having some familiarity back there will help with the other pairs being so new. If that ends up being the case, it'll be an odd twist of fate for the "A-Train", who had been the subject of trade rumors. Many people, myself included, wonder about the economic sense of having a fifth defenceman being paid $1.25 mil on a team counting every penny due to limited cap space, and when it looked like Alexei Kaigorodov wasn't coming off, it made sense to suggest John Muckler should dangle Volchenkov in front of GMs in hopes of getting that elusive second line center.

All of that said, the idea of Preissing paired with Redden intrigues me. I was never too hot on Corvo and Redden, as they seemed too similar (Corvo a poor man's Redden) to work, while Preissing seems to have a better all around game. However, when they threw $2.6 mil at Corvo in July, that all but guaranteed they'd be giving him top four minutes. We'd love to think salaries have no baring on who gets ice time, but if you truly believe that, I have both land AND a bridge to sell you.

Also a major highlight of the weekend action was the continual disappointment that is Alexei Kaigorodov. I'm someone who was willing to cut him some slack as far as immediate impact, because coming from Russia to North America is a significant adjustment for the kid to make, and even I'm let down by his play. For those of you who were convinced he's the messiah that would take this team to the next level, solve their problem on the second line, and put up Ovechkin type numbers his freshman year, you must be feeling suicidal.

There's no way to spin his play thus far as anything but piss poor. He's looked downright lost on the ice on a lot of occasions. The Wednesday night loss to Toronto was a nightmare, the worst possible scenario, and Friday night versus Buffalo, the guy just wasn't a factor. That was an improvement over the previous game, because he didn't embarass himself, however, when I notice prospects who are expected to make up the third line in Binghamton more than the supposed savior, there are problems.

I'm not calling the kid a bust yet, but he has a small window to impress and he's shit the bed quite severely thus far.

I wonder if that even matters though. With the way he's been built up, he sort of has to make the team. His destiny is set in stone and these games may not even be of any importance besides getting him acclimitized to the NHL. Sending him back to Russia would be a colossal embarassment to all involved, and one I have to think the organization wants to avoid at all costs. Something tells me all that "his job isn't guaranteed" talk is just that, talk.

And speaking of sealed fates, how about Denis Hamel. Are you any more confident the guy will make the team even after scoring five goals, because I'm sure not. Having witnessed Hamel score a natural hat trick Friday night, and receive a standing ovation from the (alleged) 16,000 for it, I still think they'll find a way to send him back to Bingo in a few weeks.

Hamel, for whatever reason, is perceived by the Sens (and seemingly every other NHL team) as a career minor leaguer. A guy who can light it up down there but who's not well suited to thrive in the NHL. He has other opportunities and didn't make the most of them, however, his game looks to be much improved since then.

The argument made by people who think Hamel shouldn't make the club centers around two things:
1) Pre-season success means nothing (and they reference Brandon Bochenski)
2) Hamel has to play on the top lines

Let's address them individually.

The first one is true. Pre-season success is of little significance. But using Bochenski as a reference point isn't fair to either Hamel or the departed former Senator. Hamel scored over 50 goals in the AHL last season. The year before that, he netted 39 when there were a ton of NHLers in the league due to the lockout. This isn't some flukey September where luck is getting the better of things.

The second is one I believed for a while, so I can't fault those who still do. The perception around Hamel is that he's a goal scorer with little else to his game. If that was the case, then playing him on the fourth line would be asking for trouble because his skillset isn't suited to play in that position. But Hamel isn't just a goal scorer. He happens to do that very well, but his game includes an above average defensive prowess and a willingness to play the body. If there is a hole on the third or (more likely) fourth line, then he's as fit to fill the void as anyone else in the organization.

Essentially, what it comes down to is politics, and as a fan, who just wants whatever it takes for this team to win occur, it's frustrating to observe. A kid from Russia, highly touted, has never played a single pro game on this side of the Atlantic and gets a job handed to him. It was up to him to play his way off the team, and not center Daniel Alfredsson. Meanwhile, a rough and tumble 29-year-old who's proven himself capable of lighting the lamp has to play like the reincarnated Rocket Richard to get this team's brass to even consider him for a job.

It sorta sucks, but that's life in the big leagues I guess.

Seeing the way the fans responded to Hamel, you'd think it would be a P.R. nightmare to have him not make the team now, but I remain confident they'll find a way to fuck it up.

Touching on the other bases from the last couple games:
- Ray Emery looked solid Friday night and made a number of impressive saves. He looks to be finding his mid-season form with ease.
- Speaking of mid-season form, Jason Spezza is turning the puck over like it's February already. It was discouraging because the rest of his game has been strong however these silly giveaways erase all the goodwill he establishes with his solid play the rest of the time.
- Dean McAmmond didn't look at all out of place alongside the aforementioned Spezza and Dany Heatley Sunday night against the Leafs. McAmmond will likely start the season on the third or fourth line, but I like having him on deck to mix things up when necessary. He brings a veteran presence to that line that's difficult to get in other combos unless it involves Alfie.
- I also liked the game of Brian McGratton on the second line that game, lined up for a lot of it with Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly (last year's fourth line for much of the season). McGratton's game has come a long way and the idea of him playing six to eight minutes a game, as he has aimed for this season, isn't as laughable as you might think.
- Michal Barinka had a strong game Friday night. Very physical, good in his own end, and didn't make any mistakes when the rubber was on his tape. He looks NHL ready to me, so I'm excited about having him on the farm as the first call up. Despite being a big body he can skate and seems to have good hockey sense.
- For all the hype he gets on the HF Boards, Arttu Luttinen sure hasn't done much to impress me. Where's all this toughness I heard about?
- Thoughtless, ill-timed penalties cost them Friday night's game. Let's hope these are just the guys getting the rust of their collective systems.
- Kelly Guard's gold pads rule. That is all.

Why even play the games?

2006-09-20T08:09:00.000-04:00

The nerds behind the PC game Eastside Hockey Manager simulated all the NHL games for the coming season and came to a startling realization: the Ottawa Senators are gonna suck, bad.

Their simulation saw the Sens (as well as the Leafs, Oilers, and Canucks) miss the playoffs. Yikes. If I took these things seriously I might be concerned, but when I read that they also had the Chicago Blackhawks finish 3rd in the Western Conference.

If the Hawks win their division, I'll get my Werner Herzog on and eat my shoe. Seriously.

Hockey in September doesn't suck

2006-09-19T21:56:00.000-04:00

I saw the majority of the Sens-Pens game from Halifax tonight that ended with our beloved Sens taking the W 5-2. Some quick thoughts:

- the chemistry between Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Patrick Eaves looked to be in mid-season form. Now that we have Kaigorodov penciled in alongside Alfie, it makes sense to keep this trio together to start the season. I LOVE the jam and determination Eaves brings to the line. It’s somewhat startling that the guy is oversized by the other two, more high profile players yet Eaves plays like he dwarfs the much heralded pair, however, until the kid’s body breaks down, we need to reap the benefits of his complete lack of common sense.

- a strong game from Ray Emery. Wasn’t tested significantly but made some impressive saves and showed very little of anything resembling rust. Kelly Guard was less inspiring, but didn’t hurt himself out there either.

- it’s absolutely unfair to judge someone on one game, let alone a game of the pre-season variety, but boy did Joe Corvo fail to impress me, and I doubt I’m alone. With the money they threw at the relatively unknown rearguard, expectations are high, and I hope this wasn’t a sign of things to come this season. I’m willing to cut the guy some slack for the entire pre-season because it’s a pretty serious adjustment he’s trying to make, but the club can’t afford for that learning period to be too prolonged. He needs to be more aggressive physically and be smarter with the puck if he plans to be worth that $2.6 mil the Sens threw his way.

- Danny Bois got himself noticed with his physical play, on a line with superpest Cody Bass. Solid performances from both.

The Sens return to action Wednesday night at the Cor…. ScotiaBank Place with our friends the Maple Leafs coming to town. I assume it too will be on the tube in some form, but if you’re like me, just hit up your local watering hole and I’m sure it’ll be showcased.

Some roster notes to make mention of include the first look at Alexei Kaigorodov, lined up with the captain, as well as the sorta debut of Josh Hennessy, who I’ve started to think will be the sleeper portion of the Havlat deal. Tom Preissing will pay dividends this season, but Hennessy looks to be someone who will be a factor for years to come sooner than later. As well, Martin Gerber and Jeff Glass split the pipe time. Gerber is looking to rebound from a so-so outing in the scrimmage the other night that caused many cynics to chime in with their doubts about his legitimacy as an elite goalie, while Glass just hopes to do something to make the Sens brass remember he exists.

On the other side, no Mats Sundin means a chance to really beat up on the Buds. Fun.

The more things change...

2006-09-17T21:37:00.000-04:00

There's nothing better than staying away from hockey coverage for a month, and coming back to a story about the zany New York Islanders. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, and also, like I haven't missed a thing.

Of course, I'm talking about the lunacy that is the new contract they signed Rick DiPietro to. 15 years. $4.5 million per.

If you've been sitting with baited breath, waiting to see what I think about it, I'll feed the need: the New York Islanders are out of their friggin minds.

It's a terrible contract from an organization who continues to solidify their status as the laughing stock in a league full of quite a few contenders for that crown. Their moves back the way the Chicago Blackhawks have managed their team over the last 10 years look good. I'm sure, somewhere in the Windy City, a Hawks fan read the news and said, well, it could be worse. We could be fans of THEM.

I've seen some defend the signing by saying if DiPietro turns into the elite goalie most seemed to think he would when the Isles picked him first overall so many years ago, the contract will be regarded as a steal. I suppose that's true, but dishing out long-term deals for what a guy might become, with little evidence that destiny is likely, is foolishness only found on Long Island.

I'd love to pin this idiocy on Garth Snow, who I must admit I love whipping at every turn, but this looks to be a move from above. If you recall, this same contract was talked about last summer when DiPietro needed a new deal then too.

Back then, I was unsure if it was wise, and was more intrigued by the precedent it might set. A year later, there is no confusion.

The reality is, there is no way this can go well. If DiPietro does become that new Patrick Roy/Martin Brodeur hybrid Charles Wang seems convinced he will be, he'll be grossly underpaid at $4.5 million and more than likely be quite resentful of that fact. If he doesn't, they have a massive financial albatross around their neck in a league that now has a salary cap and thus requires every penny pinched regardless of market size.

What I think this is about, ultimately, is an organization still unwilling to admit they made a mistake.

The Islanders unloaded Roberto Luongo, who's much closer to the status of next franchise goalie than DiPietro, to make room for the guy, and in the process, when selecting the American netminder first overall six years ago, passed by a couple pretty great players in Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik, who I have to think most fans of this circus would prefer over the guy with the rich new contract.

The Islanders organization, upon drafting Rick DiPietro, billed him so significantly as the next big thing that unless he did become Dominik Hasek dominant instantly, it was hard to view the guy as anything but a bust. He was destined to fail and the way they've handled him hasn't helped.

Make no mistake. He's a decent, above average goalie. But if you were to make a list of the best 10 goaltenders in the NHL, would his name even chart? I know he wouldn't crack my list.

The Islanders built DiPietro up and instead of resigning themselves to the fact he just hasn't become (yet) what they hoped, they continue to cross their fingers and assume it's just around the corner. I'd love to give them the benefit of the doubt, and figure they know what they're doing, but with this club, and these knuckleheads, that would be even more insane than the contracts a rich, jock sniffing billionaire with a hard on for athletes gives out.

And to think, not even 30 years ago, this organization was the toast of the league.

Pathetic.

UPDATE: When reacquainting myself with what's been going on in the hockey blogsphere, I came across what Tom Benjamin (who I'm glad to see hasn't retired to the cave for good after all) had to say about it

I don't think it is fair to bring the Yashin contract into it because that one is a different kettle of fish. That was foolish and I don't think this one is nearly so bad.

I disagree. The Yashin contract looks laughably awful now, five years later, but I don't think it was as misguided as this.

As strange as it sounds in 2006, back then, Alexei Yashin truly was considered by most people to be (in the regular season anyway) one of the best hockey players in the world. He was 27 years old and had already put up nearly 500 points, almost a point a game average for his career up to that point.

The silly part of that contract was a a 10-year committment to a guy who had already renegged on two deals up to that point in his career. The money was steep, but it was around what elite players were being paid and most people thought Yashin was in that class. His previous two NHL seasons saw the Russian finish 11th and 6th in league scoring.

It's quite amusing and enjoyable as a Sens fan to see what the hated Yashin has become since the trade took place, but don't let the last couple years allow people to rewrite history.

The Yashin contract, however excessive, could be defended on some level because they were getting a guy considered to be among the NHL's best, at a time when the franchise, having missed the playoffs for who knows how many consecutive years, needed to do something to make a splash.

In contrast to the DiPietro contract, that one looks downright sensible.

Around the NHL

2006-08-07T00:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Colonel By Day! Actually, I'm not sure anyone outside of Ottawa even refers to it as such, as when I've said that very phrase to someone who doesn't live here, they looked very puzzled and probably thought I was nuts. Do people not in the GOA (yes, it's called that now) even know who John By was?

Anyway, I'll call it whatever they want as long as it gets me a day off in August. And Alberta says Ontario sucks. Psssh.

I realized I've talked mostly about the Sens for the last little while, basically ignoring the happenings going on in the rest of the NHL. So on this lazy Monday I'm catching up. Where to start?

- A lot of people are hoping the Bruins will set an important precedent by walking away from what they considered to be a ridiculous award given by an arbitrator to David Tanabe. I would like to think that's the case, however, it's the Bruins. They do wacky stuff all the time and are the only team that has a history of doing this previously. As for the award, $1.25 mil is probably too much for Tanabe on that D, where he'll be a fourth d-man (the Bruins also have two very good young rearguards in Andrew Alberts & Milan Jurcina who are quite ready to step up, I believe), but if you're a team in need of a solid defenceman, that price, or around it, isn't bad. And if no team bites on Tanabe, he apparently has what it takes for another industry.

- I commented on it over at Bflo Blog, but it's worth saying here: I give Mike Noronen a lot of credit for deciding to ply his trades in Russia this coming season rather than riding the pine as Roberto Luongo's back-up for the Canucks. About a month ago, after Luongo was traded for, a frustrated Noronen expressed disappointment, noting that this probably means he won't see much playing time (a safe assumption). At the time, I remember thinking that it was time Noronen came to the realization the rest of the NHL seemingly had and recognize that he's seen as a back-up goalie. Unfair as that might be considering the lack of opportunity he was given in Vancouver after being traded, it's the reality.

But he manned up and has decided he'd rather play and hone his craft in Russia instead of serving as the second string 'tender for, I assume, more money in Vancouver. That kind of decision took balls.

- On a related note, the TSN article that broke the Noronen news noted he's a year away from UFA status, which apparently played a part in his decision. Someone with a superior knowledge of the new CBA, answer me this: do seasons played in leagues outside the NHL count towards a players years for UFA status? I assumed not but maybe I'm wrong.

- Pavel Vorobiev says the NHL and specifically the Blackhawks are biased against Russians. Americans don't like Russians. Imagine that. If I were to think of teams that had those kind of prejudices against Russians, the Hawks wouldn't be one of the ones I'd think of. Of course, stupid claims about the Sens having a bias against French Canadians have been presented by people of similar intellect before, so such allegations are not new in the hockey world.

- The trade that saw Kyle Calder swapped for Michael Handszus is cool because it's something you never see anymore in this salary cap age: an actual hockey trade. While I'm sure Calder's arbitration award played a part in the Hawks shopping him, the reality is, it's a deal that benefits both clubs and addresses a need they each have. Calder brings a talented, top-six forward to a winger short Flyers line-up. Handszus is a big body who can play both ends of the ice and never takes a shift off, which the Hawks have lacked for as long as I can remember.

- Speaking of the Flyers, what the fuck is taking Bob Clarke so long in signing Simon Gagne? Gagne apparently wants $5 mil, and based on the salaries given out this summer, I'd say he's worth it. I've seen some Flyers fans talk down Gagne by arguing that his stats aren't an accurate reflection of his value as a player because he played with Peter Forsberg, who could probably make me look like Rocket Richard, for most of the season. Obviously it helped Gagne to play with one of the best players in the world, but I also think Forsberg benefitted from having a red hot sniper bury all those chances. Gagne has grown into one of the most offensively dangerous players in the NHL and the Flyers would be foolish not to lock him up long term. But hey, it's Bobby Clarke. He's sort of nuts sometimes.

- I'd love to congratulate Paul Kukla on getting the blogging gig over at NHL.com, but I haven't gotten over my jealousy yet. All I get are offers to moderate the Sens section of some tools message board, continually.

- I have no idea what the truth is this Rick Tocchet gambling story, but I'm working under two assumptions:
1) Many many more people knew about this than are letting on
2) Someone, whether it be a player or not, gambled on hockey in this ring.
Those may seem like unfair assumptions, but nonetheless, I have them. When this story broke, the word was Coyotes GM Michael Barnett knew and placed bets with Tocchet. Has this been revealed as false? Why is it never mentioned? And if it's true, you want me to believe Barnett and Janet Gretzky knew and were involved, but Wayne Gretzky wasn't? His best friend/business partner and wife knew but he didn't? C'mon.

Perhaps I'm jumping to conclusions though, because, after all, the word of a dirty cop should be very tainted as far as the truth. And one who turns over on other people so easily. Pretty despicable if you ask me.

And is anyone else bothered by the eagerness of the authorities and the D.A. to speak to the media about this? It sorta kinda really reeks of a publicity attempt and their 15 minutes of fame. The day they announced a deal with the dirty cop they were all over the press talking to anyone who would liten about the case. Very tacky.

- The best player still without a contract for this coming season: Mike Leclerc, assuming he can stay healthy.

- Who will be the next team to take a shot at Alexandre Daigle? It looked like he found a home in Minnesota under Jacques Lemaire, but his star burnt out quickly last season there and he finished the year in the AHL. His old habits of not trying very hard emerged and he was sent packing.

Well that was fast

2006-08-02T17:27:00.000-04:00

About four hours ago, we learned the Russians would not be signing the transfer agreement, meaning, for us anyway, no Alexei Kaigodorov. I wonder what the Sens course of action would be.

Seems like they had a Plan B ready, as they've inked journeyman forward Dean McAmmond to a one-year contract. No terms have been released, but it's probably a safe assumption the salary is close to what they would've paid Kaigodorov (700K).

It this good enough? Does McAmmond fill the second-line center hole? I'm not sure.

McAmmond's 33 and brings a ton of experience, which is good, but his stats paint the picture of a guy on the decline. He registered 37 points on an awful St. Louis team last season, but was also a -25, second worst on the team, ahead of only blueliner Steve Poapst. McAmmond did log second-line center minutes (averaged 16 per game) with the Blues, but I'm not sure I couldn't have been on the second line of that team.

Also somewhat alarming is the fact that despite his pedigree in the league, McAmmond is pretty inexperienced when it matters most, the playoffs. He's played over 700 regular season games, but only 19 post-season ones. A lot of that was because he's been on some really bad teams, however, if we're going to add a seasoned vet, don't we want one who's put some time in in May and June?

McAmmond is versatile in that he can play either the middle or the left side (where the team isn't especially strong), but I have to assume center is where they'll pencil him in for the time being. Unfortunately, adding him doesn't cure our little faceoff problem, as McAmmond over 50% in that category in four years.

All of that said, he's still got great speed and, if paired with one of our own fast skaters, could be a dangerous weapon. He's not known to be a finisher (only scored more than 20 goals once), but again, with the right player who has that ability (Alfie?), might be very useful.

All bets were off when the Russians wouldn't budge, and I guess this was the best Muckler and company could do. However, feels a lot like we've replaced Bryan Smolinski with a guy not much better, if at all.

Of course, I say all of having seen, at most, a dozen games he's played the last two seasons. People who pay closer attention to the Blues and Flames, feel free to chime in and tell me if my assetment is inaccurate.

UPDATE: Ottawa also signed Rockland native Serge Payer to a one-year deal. Payer's no stranger to the organization, having spent the 2003-04 year in Bingo with the Baby Sens, and he played 71 games for the lowly Panthers last season. Probably a depth move.

Bad news: the Russians AREN'T coming

2006-08-02T15:23:00.000-04:00

Shitty.

Russia will not join the IIHF-NHL hockey agreement that regulates transfers between European clubs and the American league, the head of the Russian Hockey Federation (RHF) said Wednesday.

"At the talks with the IIHF [International Ice Hockey Federation] and the NHL [National Hockey League]... we failed to take into full account the interests of Russian clubs, which have players that interest the NHL," Vladislav Tretyak, who was elected the head of the RHF in April, said.

"The RHF therefore decided it was impossible for Russia to join this transfer agreement."

What this means for our beloved Senators is that the gaping hole at center on the second line we assumed would be filled by Russian phenom Alexei Kaigodorov will now have fall onto someone else's shoulders.

It is possible Kaigodorov, who still has a valid contract with Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Russian Elite League, will come over anyway. The Sens could try and negotiate a deal with the club on their own, but considering the 23-year-old is one of their best players, it'll cost a pretty penny. Or he could go the legal battle route ala Alexander Semin and the Washington Capitals last season. Either one is a big headache though.

In all likelyhood, Kai isn't coming over this season though, which has to disappoint the club. Just yesterday, GM John Muckler was on The Team 1200's afternoon show and said the Russian was now the club's #1 priority as far as offseason moves. Previously, Mucks talked about how Kaigodorov could center Daniel Alfredsson, which says a lot about how the brass perceive him.

So what will the Sens do?

In theory, it's possible they promote someone already inside the system. I had Mike Fisher penciled as the third line center and Chris Kelly as the fourth, but they could move up a line. Antoine Vermette, who I had on the third line left wing, can play center with ease, so that's a possibility.

But none of these are the best case scenario.

What about those players still available on the open market. If Kaigodorov is not coming over, his $700,000 or so can be spent elsewhere. Who's left?

Jason Allison, Yanic Perreault, Greg Johnson, and Jan Hrdina are the most noteworthy names. See the problem?

Allison can produce points, but the rest of his game is such a nightmare that would not be wise. Perreault might be a good pick-up but I'm not convinced he's a true second line center at this point in his career. I am convinced neither Johnson or Hrdina are, nor were they ever.

This is when the trade talks heat up, I imagine. I talked last week about the fact the Sens are rich in defencemen and so it makes sense, now that we know the hole won't be filled by the skilled Russian, to explore plugging one weakness by dealing a a strength.

Anton Volchenkov is either fifth or sixth on the depth chart from where I sit, which is sort of problematic when you realize he makes $1.25 mil. Yet, the Russian bruiser is still highly regarded around the league. Every trade rumor the Sens were a part of involved his name. We've since learned he and Vermette were who the St. Louis Blues wanted for Doug Weight back in January.

He's a valuable asset, and could likely bring back something of value. Throw his $1.25 mil salary and the $700K we alotted for Kai, and you got $2 million to play with.

Should be interesting.

Way too friggin' hot

2006-08-01T14:45:00.000-04:00

It's currently 48 degrees C with the humidity here in Ottawa, so I hope you'll understand if I don't have it in me to discuss hockey today. Even with the A/C blasting, I'm melting with each passing minute.

Where's Al Gore when you need him?

Yeah.... good luck with that

2006-07-31T12:52:00.000-04:00

So the Detroit Red Wings have done the unthinkable and signed Dominik Hasek to a one-year deal.

This tells me a few things:

1) They're desperate. I have to think this was about the last option they would've wanted to explore, or maybe second-to-last, ahead only of the Ed Belfour scenario, which they seemed to be zeroing in on a few weeks ago. I'm sure Ken Holland went through every other option available, whether it be trading for someone or signing another available goalie, and this is what they've come to. Financially, they had little room to maneuver, and Hasek comes cheap. Still, rewind back to 2004 when Hasek quit on the Wings and had the whole room wanting to choke him. A lot of those same faces are still present, and I doubt they've forgotten.

2) Hasek's "I only want to play for Ottawa" spiel was bullshit. Back when Dominik was on TSN's Off The Record in June doing his best Condi Rize impression, spinning as if his life was on the line, he said that he would only play for the Senators this season, and if not, would retire. I guess when he said it, he was confident they were going to come running back to him, which shows just how dillusional he is. I don't blame him for wanting to play still, but it'll take the jaws of life to remove the future Hall of Famer's foot from his mouth.

At the day, I don't think this is a terrible move. Hasek, if healthy, can be a gamebreaker. However, we all know he won't be healthy. The odds of it happening just aren't very good, and you have to plan for the most likely scenario as a GM, and in this case, it's Dominik in the press box for games that matter most.

However, as a cheap band-aid for the season, it's not a bad move. He'll secure a lot of wins for the Wings in the 30 or so games he plays and buys them some time. By the time the trade deadline comes around, the market for goalies, from teams with two starters and wanting to unload one, might diminish, and they'll be able to get a Vesa Toskala or Martin Biron for cheaper (both player-wise and financially) than they could now.

I wonder if Vegas is taking bets on how many games the Dominator logs before the groin/abductor/whatever else they wanna call it to spin the truth acts up again. I know how I'll be betting.

Good news: Sens ink Schaefer to a new deal

2006-07-28T15:31:00.000-04:00

Every now and then, a habitual disappointer shows you up. Proves your perception about them may be wrong. Today, John Muckler has done that.

In an offseason where he’s been (mostly rightfully) criticized for questionable personnel moves and suspect contracts, Mucks and company have locked up very important player for many years at a more than reasonable price.

Peter Schaefer was scheduled to have his arbitration hearing today, but ala a year ago with Marian Hossa, the Senators have avoided it, signing the scrappy winger to a four-year contract reportedly worth $8.4 million.

A great deal if I can say so myself.

$2.1 was around what I projected Schaefer at a month ago, before all the GMs went a little nuts and the arbitrators started dipping into the stash. Having seen what Kyle Calder ($2.95 million) and Mike York ($2.85 mil) were awarded, I fully expected Schaefer, who put up comparable numbers, to get in that area as well. And while that $700,000 difference may seem small on the surface, in a cap world, with the team right against it, that kind of money could’ve been the difference between keeping Schaefer around and not.

Had the hearing occurred, I do still think Schaefer would’ve gotten that kind of money, or incredibly close to it. It also would’ve meant he could be a UFA in a year and cash in bigtime in 12 months.

He chose not to, and it’s pretty damn refreshing. It’s nice to see a long-time Sen commit himself to the franchise for the long haul, and seemingly take less money to do it.

For months, we heard talk about how Schaefer wants to go back to Vancouver. Message board scuttlebutt said he had put his house up for sale and his wife, from B.C., was pressuring him to return to the area. There was reason for concern.

Schaefer’s contributions to this team cannot be measured by goals and assists, though he’s become very useful in that area as well. #27 never takes a shift off and wins more battles along the boards than any player I have ever seen, despite not being all that impressive physically.

Offensively, he came into his own this past season, scoring 20 goals and 30 assists, and I see no reason why that development will cease. Schaefer may never be a point-a-game player, but with an increased role and some time on the powerplay, it’s more than feasible he could net an additional 10 points next season. At $2.1 million per year, he's a bargain, or as close to one as you can get.

So bravo, John. You did good.

Catching up on the happenings

2006-07-27T02:40:00.000-04:00

After laying dormant for a good week or so, Sens GM John Muckler has had a busy couple of days, wrapping up a few of the unsigned players as well as adding a new one.

Re-signed Chris Kelly to a one-year, $725,000 contract.

Kelly’s an important, if underappreciated piece of the puzzle, so getting him signed was a priority. I’m slightly disappointed that it was only a one-year contract, because I think he has some good upside and so getting him locked in for a few years at that price might’ve ended up saving some dollars down the line. I have Kelly penciled in as the fourth-line center, in the same role he occupied last season, but he’s certainly capable of moving up a line if the situation calls for it. That said, the experiment Bryan Murray tried towards the end of the regular season, and into the playoffs, putting him on the top line with Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, was ridiculous. I could sort of, kind of, understand the logic, in that he wanted a defensively sound, dependable forward with the often defensively erratic youngsters. The coaching staff clearly views Kelly as a trusty footsoldier based on how often he’s on the ice late in key situations, especially late in the game, but it was unfair of them to put Kelly on that line, as his skillset just isn’t strong enough to warrant such a role. I actually felt bad for “Battleship Kelly”, because try as he might, he was just not suited for that role and as a result, struggled to perform with all that ice time.

Having said all this, the occasional promotion up to the third line isn’t a bad idea, because with Kelly, you always know what you’re going to get, and that’s a consistent effort every time he’s touches the ice. An incident that I remember very well to exemplify his character was in a game between the Sens and Hurricanes at ScotiaBank Place around Christmas time. Very early in the contest, Patrick Eaves, at the time still very wet behind the ears having only played a handful of games in the NHL, was hit from behind by a ‘Canes player whose identity I cannot remember at this moment. Without batting an eye, Kelly, not a big man nor known to be a scrapper, jumped in to defend the kid, taking on the mystery Hurricane (who, if my memory serves me right, was much bigger). Kelly got the boot from the game, but the message was clear: don’t fuck with our players.

Re-signed Chris Neil to a three-year, $3.3 million contract.

I have to admit, I was a little worried about this one, because Neil’s a big softy and I could see the arbitration process hurting his feelings. The truth is, Neil is coming off a big season, having set career highs in all the key offensive categories, however, 16 goals is a sort of misleading stat as I don’t think he’s as valuable, offensively, as say Antoine Vermette, who scored only four more goals. The good news is he’s inked for three years, which is a longer commitment than either Wade Redden or Jason Spezza were willing to give the franchise. The sorta bad news is, at $3.3, the pressure is on for Neil to perform. Will Neil continue to improve or is the 16 goal range his ceiling as an offensive contributor? If so, I’m okay with that, as Neil brings a lot of other things to the table that make him a valuable member of the squad. No one cares about his teammates more nor will you find a player in a Sens uniform more willing to defend said teammates. I believe he would literally take a bullet for the rest of the squad. So having a guy like that in the fold cannot hurt. I also like the role he played in the Lightning series of superpest extraordinaire. His antics got under the skin of the opposition, drawing numerous penalties and generally taking their focus off where it should have been (score goals) to something much more unimportant (let’s get Neil!). Neil, on a line with his good pal Mike Fisher I hope, will have another productive season, I expect.

Signed Jamie Allison to a one-year contract.

So this one’s interesting. Allison’s 31 years old and has played nine seasons in the NHL (though up and down from the AHL early on, having only played 372 games total). He’s a mostly stay-at-home blueliner, and adds depth to the franchise, so that’s all good, but the question out there seems to be whether or not this is a move leading to others. It’s doubtful the contract is a two-way deal, as I’m pretty sure Allison, who’s been a full-timer NHLer for eight years now, wouldn’t accept such a contract, so are they keeping him around as the 7th d-man? I assumed, with the acquisition of Tom Preissing, that Christoph Schubert would fill that role, existing as the spare part because of his ability to play either forward or D. Are they planning to keep two of those around? Or are they, as the speculation has said, perhaps dangling one of their defenceman for help up front?

The name that’s been thrown around has been Anton Volchenkov. He’s paid $1.25 mil, not an unreasonable contract by any stretch of the imagination but certainly not great for a 5th or 6th rearguard (which is where I have him penciled in), and he’s young enough that, despite some moments of inconsistency, is still regarded as a hot commodity around the league, possibly able to get something of significance in return. The working assumption has been that the second line center job would be Russian prospect Alexei Kaigorodov’s to lose, however, the transfer agreement with the Russians and the IIHF isn’t going so well, even with Sens’ European scout Anders Hedberg over there trying his best to help the process and specifically to pry Kaigorodov from Magnitogorsk’s cold evil claws.

If it can’t happen, there is a wide gaping hole that needs to be filled, and if they have a glut of top four defenceman, it makes sense to use one of them address a weakness that exists. Dealing Volchenkov might just be a case of the odd man out, as they’re not going to move Wade Redden or Preissing. Andrej Meszaros better be considered an untouchable at this point, and I’m pretty sure they’re not going to move Joe Corvo, who’s apparently trying to buy Bryan Smolinski’s house in the area. So it’s either Chris Phillips or the A-Train. I’m not entirely opposed to moving Phillips for the right price, because he’ll be a UFA in 11 months and with the prices comparable d-man got this offseason, it’ll be hard for them to be able to afford him. On the other hand, Phillips is a fixture in that locker room, one of the leaders, and the turnover is already big enough having lost Zdeno Chara. Of course, if the Sens were to be without both Chara AND Volchenkov, their backend is suddenly a whole lot less menacing to their opposition.

I’m sure Allison signed for the league minimum, or close to it, however, an extra $500K against the cap, if not especially necessary, seems unwise to me. He might be able to clear waivers, and so could be down in Bingo doing what Lance Ward was supposed to last year, which is provide veteran guidance to a youngish defensive unit, but who knows.

So all that’s left is to convince Kaigodorov to leave Russia and come here. I wouldn’t think it would be hard. I’ve never been to Russia, but I have to think Ottawa, in spite of it’s shitty winters, is a cooler place to live. And he’d get to play with Daniel Alfredsson! C’mon.

Oh, and Peter Schaefer, whose arbitration is scheduled for Friday. More on that tomorrow, or late tonight if I feel inspired. I'm a little nervous about it's outcome as the arbitrators appear to be hitting the blow especially hard this month. Who knows what wacky things they'll decide in this instance. Let's hope Muckler manages to avoid this one as well, getting Schaefer's name on a lengthy agreement. He's sort of a good player, I heard.

Dog days of summer

2006-07-21T11:44:00.000-04:00

Writing a hockey blog can be sort of difficult in July and August. Once the free agent frenzy, and all the moves that came as a result of it, died down, we've seen things get VERY slow.

So I'm turning it to you, the readers. However many of you are left.

What are you expectations for the Senators this season? Where do you see them finishing? What are the areas of concern for you? Specifically, are you confident Martin Gerber is the answer to their allegeded goaltending woes?

Allow me to be yet another who says WHAT in the Hell

2006-07-18T15:45:00.000-04:00

Neil Smith is no longer general manager of the New York Islanders.

The team announced that they have fired Smith and have hired former Islanders goaltender Garth Snow as the new general manager.

Unbelieveable.

This is a franchise who've done more to kick their fanbase in the balls than any other in the NHL, and yet Charles Wang seems to have learned nothing.

Say what you will about the player moves Neil Smith made (personally, I thought they were solid). Even if they were awful, does the man not at least deserve a full season before you axe him?

It's painfully obvious what is going on in Long Island. As many of us suspected, Mike Milbury is pulling the strings, and Smith probably had no interest in serving as his puppet. While GM jobs aren't easy to come by, I'd think Smith and his cup ring, one more than Milbury has as an exec, had too much pride for that.

Snow? Apparently not. But hell, if a guy gave me a three-year contract as a 36-year-old, I'd be more than willing to let him make me dance too.

Anyone who continues to be an Islander fan after all this nonsense has my infinite respect, because I can safely say I would've bailed long ago. If you're not throwing out those blue jerseys and taking the posters off your wall yet, you're a better fan than I.

Vermette inked for two more years

2006-07-18T12:49:00.000-04:00

The Senators continue to fill out the roster, as they signed Antoine Vermette to a new two-year deal today. The contract, worth $2 mil over the term of the deal, will pay Vermette $925,000 this coming season and $1.075 million for the 2007-08 frame.

So for the cap hit, which is the number you should be most aware of, it'll be $1 million.

Personally, I think that's a great deal. I would have liked another year or two on the deal, but it appears that the organization is working on a two-year plan, and trying to get him to a three-year contract would have cost a lot more, I'd think.

I had pegged Vermette at $1.2 or $1.3 in my estimation, so they managed to come in under that. I think a big part of it was the contract Derek Roy agreed to (for $841,890). Roy and Vermette are similar players and put up similar numbers last season, so it's likely the organization would've used that comparable in the arbitration session scheduled for Thursday.

With the absence of both Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski, Vermette will probably have an increased role this coming year, no longer regulated to fourth line and penalty killing duty. On the one hand, I look at this as a positive. He's a supremely talented player, so he deserves more ice time. However, last year, while all the Vermette supporters cried out for him to get a larger role, whenever that occured, Vermette choked, and badly. Every time Antoine was put onto a top line, and it happened quite a bit (including a game in the playoffs alongside Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza), he disappred.

We'll see if he's grown and matured as a player, able to take on a more significant role on the team.

By the way, it's worth noting, that the following contracts run out at the end of the 2007-08 season:
Jason Spezza
Dany Heatley
Mike Fisher
Wade Redden
Antoine Vermette
Patrick Eaves
Andrej Meszaros

Only the non-bolded players will not be eligible for UFA status. That offseason will be a headache endusing one for whoever the team's GM is.

Senators sign three prospects

2006-07-17T15:40:00.000-04:00

Story here. Likely a move to fill out the depleted Binghamton roster for the coming season.

The players signed are forwards Andrew Ebbett and Ryan Vesce as well as defenceman Charlie Cook.

Cook and Vesce spent last season in the AHL, and of the three, the one to watch might be the 23-year-old Ebbett. He was the senior captain of the University of Michigan Wolverines last year in a season of transition, as there was a ton of player turnover. Ebbett still managed to average more than a point-a-game with 42 points (14 goals & 28 assists) in 41 games, good enough to be second on the team in scoring. Size looks to be an issue as he's only 5'10" and 170 pounds, but the game has changed in the last couple years and that's no longer a deal breaker if the player is supremely skilled and works hard.

They seem to like him down in Ann Arbor:

Ebbett’s contributions, on the other hand, have gone relatively unnoticed by the public despite his propensity for winning faceoffs and his place as one of Michigan’s top-four point scorers...

"He’s got the pulse of the whole team. He’s more of the guy that hasn’t gotten the accolades. Like Rogers, he’s sort of flown under the radar as a player and as a student athlete here at Michigan. You have to be on the inside to see what Andrew Ebbett does."

According to Powers, Ebbett emerged as one of the team’s hardest workers after the coaching staff benched him for one weekend during the past season, at a point they believed that he had been consistently underachieving. Ebbett’s work ethic has not gone unnoticed among his teammates either, who acknowledge him as someone who doesn’t take anything for granted.

"Ebbett is the one that performs at the same level every game and practice," said junior T.J. Hensick. "His work ethic is contagious, whether it’s a practice, a game or schoolwork."

Can't hurt having a guy like that in the system if you ask me.

Confusion in the swamp

2006-07-16T19:39:00.000-04:00

Tom Lycan, who writes the Devils Due blog, appears to be very mixed up:

In James Mirtle's blog, he covers the whining in Ottawa about the new salary cap. After all, it sure is unfair that owners can't buy their teams into the playoffs by stockpiling talent without doing any scouting or salary balancing. What is the new NHL coming to?

Um, what?

The post he's talking about from everyone's favorite copy editor, err sports journalist, is here. Mirtle quotes me as one of the "whiners". I was just happy with all the hits I got as a result of the linkage. I disagree with what James said, but could at least see where he was coming from.

Lycan? I think he's out of his friggin' mind.

No one is "whining" in Ottawa about not being able to buy our way into the playoffs or stockpiling teams. Show me when this franchise has ever done that and how this new cap has restricted it.

Just to be clear, we're "whining" about the fact we can't hold on the players the team has scouted and developed. A sort of important difference, I believe.

And really, "whining" is a bit of an exaggeration. The whole motivation for Mirtle's post was a paragraph in a 3,200 word post I wrote. If you want an example of whining in blog form, this is usually a good place to start. Don't say I didn't warn you though.

The reality is that the current CBA is designed to create parity. It's intention is to distribute talent throughout the league, which in turn punishes clubs that draft and develop well because the system in place punishes those who teams, rendering them unable to hold onto all the talents they've established. As a fan of such a team, I'm not necessarily jumping for joy at this undeniable fact.

Now, Mirtle is right when he points out that even in the old system it would have been difficult for the Senators to keep all the talent together. Even in the years of free spending, Ottawa operated with a tight budget. In order to maintain this roster, they would have to raise ticket prices to level that this market cannot pay. However, a part of the new CBA is the lowered age of UFA status. Previously, Ottawa was able to hold on to their players until 31. Now, it's become much more difficult, as even if a player isn't a UFA yet, it's looming much sooner. It's changed the way things are done.

And James is also correct that, at the end of the day, Sens fans can't treat all this as a grand travesty because it's not as if this team, as talented on paper as they may be, have accomplished a whole lot as a unit, a fact I also made mention of when talking about why I wasn't suicidal over the Martin Havlat trade. The Senators have zero Cup banners hanging from the rafters, so maybe changes, even if they don't seem wonderful initially, are a good thing.

However, what it all comes down to, and what really burns me, is that I feel misled. For a year, we heard from the talking heads throughout the league, including one currently employed by the Senators organization, that the new CBA and the salary cap that makes up so much of it was necessary for teams to thrive and that in particular Ottawa would see the benefits of it.

I don't doubt that there are in fact upsides to the new CBA for the Senators organization, but when I realize we lost a year of hockey for all this, I sometimes sorta think it sucks.

UPDATE: Adam Proteau of The Hockey News has an article about this very subject. Very little new ground besides his generalization of every Canadian hockey market that I'm sure will go over very well. Also confirms my belief that THN gets much of their editorial ideas from blogs.

UPDATE #2: Awww eff it, I have to point this part out, because it shows just how out of touch Proteau is with this piece

"If you’re not successful I guess it becomes a lot easier because you become a buyer," Muckler said. "If you’re successful you become a seller."

Easier? Beg pardon, John? Nobody’s got it easier these days, not when the margin for error is precisely the same as it is in 29 other markets.

I really don't want to be the John Muckler defender of the Internet, because I believe I've made it pretty clear how I feel about the job he's done, however, dropping this quote in there, out of context, does Proteau's readers a real disservice and paints a misleading picture, though I imagine that's the point, as it furthers his argument.

Having read the source article of the quote, Muckler's "easier" referred to a team's ability to hold onto their good players, not winning, though one might argue the two are closely linked.

It's pretty basic logic, I assumed. If a team does well, their assets are considered hot commodities. If a team struggles, it's usually because their players have underperformed, and thus, the other 29 clubs won't be as eager to scoop up their youngsters.

Sens sign Christoph Schubert?

2006-07-15T23:58:00.000-04:00

It certainly seems that way.

While the club has made no formal announcement, both his NHLPA.com player profile as well as TSN's Ottawa Senators Payroll Commitments has his salary for the coming season listed as $525,000, so it looks like a deal of some sort has been reached. No details on the length of the deal, but it seems like the team is big on two-year deals right now so it's probably of that variety.

Assuming the deal is infact done, Ottawa's salary cap situation looks like this:

Even if Schubert doesn't crack the regular roster, expect him to be kept around (and thus, count against the cap) because he can play either forward or D and therefore is the perfect utility player. Plus, he would have to clear waivers if they sent him down to Bingo, and I have to think some team would scoop him up, as I believe Schubert is more than capable of being in a bunch of other team's top six.

UPDATE: It's been confirmed. One-year deal, as Schubert accepted his qualifying offer.

What a professional part 2

2006-07-15T14:44:00.000-04:00

Something tells me it'll be a little tense in the Ducks locker room during training camp thanks to this comment from Ilya Bryzgalov:

"I got a call from the club and they told me that they see me as their number one goaltender," the Russian told Sovietsky Sport newspaper. "They (Anaheim) also want to trade Giguere but no one wants him."

Later in the same story...

"I don't want to say anything about him because we play on the same team and I can't say anything bad about him."

I think it might be too late, Ilya.

What a professional

2006-07-14T14:48:00.000-04:00

Colour me stupid, but is this not a total breach of protocol?

Quinn revealed he actually turned down a chance to get back in with the Boston Bruins.

"As a matter of fact, I assume they were serious, they made me an offer," Quinn said. "But it wasn't anything that at that time was acceptable. So they moved on (the Bruins hired Dave Lewis)."

How do you think this makes Dave Lewis feel? To know he wasn't the club's first choice? What does Quinn accomplish by revealing this, other than to prove he's still considered a valuable commodity to all those in the media who say he's done as a coach (a media, I might add, he says means nothing to him)?

I'm puzzled why Quinn would do such a thing to a fellow member of the coaching fraternity.

Seems like a pretty dicky thing for him to do.

Some minor Sens signings to make note of

2006-07-14T01:18:00.000-04:00

The club announced yesterday they'd signed three prospects as well as re-upping a veteran AHLer. Inking new one-year deals were forwards Bobby Robins and Jeff Heerema as well as defencemen Neil Komadoski and Neil Petruic.

All four spent last season with the Baby Sens in Binghamton last season, and I'd expect that's where they'll be this coming fall.

I first saw Komadoski in last year's rookie tourney, and was very underwhelmed. He has a decent pedigrree, having spent years with the U.S. national junior team as well as being a major player for Notre Dame as a college player (quarterbacked their powerplay). He was given the C in last year's freshman tournament, which said a lot, to me anyway, about how the organization viewed him, however, he failed to impress. He was solid enough in his own zone but didn't really show me that he had much upside beyond that. Perhaps this was because of nerves, in that he was fearful to make a mistake and decided to play it safe instead. He reportedly struggled with consistency down in Binghamton last season and was even a healthy scratch with regularity, only suiting up for 41 games. Komadoski is now 24 and it's beginning to look like, barring a late blossom, he won't develop into the NHLer the team hoped when they selected him in the third round in 2001. He seems to exist only for organizational depth and a warm body down on the farm.

Petruic is said to be a powerplay specialist, a skill he honed for the full four years he spent at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In last year's rookie tourney, I remember him showing good puck moving abilities and decent skating skills, but his game clearly showed that he was right out of college. He spent last year split between Bingo and Charlotte of the ECHL. Petruic was picked the same year as Komadoski, but far later (8th round) and was actually a product of the trade that sent Andreas Dackell to Montreal. The question marks with Petruic continue to be his inability to play the body and his lack of consistency in his own end. But he's said to possess a great shot and with Filip Novak and Lance Ward no longer in the system, it's possible he's further up the depth chart than he was a year ago, meaning if Ottawa runs into some injury troubles on the blueline, we might see him up here.

Robins came to the AHL Sens late last season, signing his first pro contract after doing the full four years at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. It's tough to say how much upside he has, given that we haven't seen much of him, but at 6'1 and 220 pounds, he's a big body and according to those who followed the Bingo Sens last season, isn't afraid to use it.

Heerema is an interesting one. He was one of the few offensive bright spots on a very poor Binghamton team last year, racking up 74 points in 77 games, third on the team behind sometimes-NHLers Denis Hamel and Steve Martins. While it will be difficult for Heerema to win a job with the big club, based on those numbers, he should at least get a shot. He's a former first round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes (11th overall in 1998) and has bounced around amongst a few organizations, but has truly never been given a good look at the NHL level, having only played a total of 32 games over two sessions. There is, really, only one roster spot that's not locked up, and Christoph Schubert and Hamel have the jump on Heerema (as do a few prospects like Igor Mirnov and Arttu Luttinen I would think), but a good camp might make the organization think twice about how they view him.

Playing coach

2006-07-13T12:34:00.000-04:00

Dany Heatley - Jason Spezza - Patrick Eaves
Peter Schaefer - Alexei Kaigodorov - Daniel Alfredsson
Antoine Vermette - Mike Fisher - Chris Neil
Christoph Schubert/Denny Hamel - Chris Kelly - Brian McGratton

Wade Redden - Andrej Meszaros
Chris Phillips - Joe Corvo
Tom Preissing - Anton Volchenkov

Not as menacing as last year's squad, that's for sure, but still looks decent enough to me.

I guess playing the waiting game pays off

2006-07-12T23:07:00.000-04:00

In a summer where players, both of the UFA variety as well those who are restricted, are getting absurd contracts, Habs GM Bob Gainey looks to have pulled a fast one on the rest of the league. While many of his peers blew their financial brains out, getting caught up in the free agent frenzy two weeks ago, Gainey bided his time and waited for the right deal.

It looks to have paid off.

The Canadiens signed Sergei Samsonov Wednesday to a very reasonable two-year, $7.05 million deal.

That's right, a contract that doesn't make you do a spit take and wonder what the people involved were on when they drew it up.

Given what guys like Pavel Kubina ($5 million per year), Martin Havlat ($6 million), and Brian Pothier ($2.5 million) were able to convince obviously intoxicated NHL executives to give them, I was expecting Samsonov to command upwards of $5 million.

He's a dynamic, exciting, explosive player who can take over a game, and is tailor-made for the new NHL and the rules that encompass it. Where previously, his lack of size was a detriment, Samsonov's small frame now suits the game perfectly.

This isn't to suggest there aren't risks involved. Samsonov has been known to have consistency issues and has battled injury troubles throughout his career. But at $3.5 mil, it's a roll of the dice I would've thought every GM would take any day of the week. The upside of what he could bring far outweighs the negatives attached.

Earlier in the day, Gainey improved the Habs by unloading slacker Richard Zednik and bringing in Mike Johnson, improving his draft status in the process. Zednik is a talented player, but has spurts of invisibility that cannot be explained, and often he seems to possess nothing remotely resembling desire. He did some good things in La Belle Province, but it was time to move on.

In Johnson, they get a tremendously gifted playmaker who, I would think, will be able to be the set up man for Michael Ryder that Mike Ribeiro couldn't be. He's not a hard-nosed player, but his offensive talents are needed on a team that struggled to score goals last season Johnson will provide offence, that much is for sure. Leave the hitting to the others.

I heard lots of calls from frustrated Habs fans, angry their guardian was on the sidelines watching every other team at least make an attempt to get better. Gainey waited them all out and, in the course of about 12 hours, drastically improved his team, and didn't cripple the club financially in the process.

Show 'em how it's done.

Only 12 weeks away

2006-07-12T18:16:00.000-04:00

The NHL released the 2006-07 season schedule today. The Ottawa Senators sked can be found here.

This year, the Sens will be matched up against the Central division of the Western Conference for their away games and the Northwest for their homes, which means we'll see recently departed Marty Havlat face his new team as well as getting two more Canadian teams visiting ScotiaBank Place.

Some Ottawa-related highlights of the schedule:

As was the case last season, the Battle Of Ontario will kick off the new season, as the Sens travel to the ACC to face the sorta reformed Maple Leafs on October 4th. They'll butt heads 24 hours later here in Bytown. Let's hope no shootouts this time around.
The rest of the BOO, if you're wondering: October 24th @ Toronto, October 26th @ Ottawa, December 30th @ Toronto, February 3rd @ Ottawa, March 8th @ Ottawa, and March 10th@ Toronto. No games in the last dozen of the season, which sorta sucks because, hopefully, each team will be playing for something.
The Buffalo games, which proved to be among the most entertaining last season: October 7th, 2006 @ Ottawa, November 15th @ Buffalo, November 18th @ Ottawa, December 16th @ Buffalo, January 3rd @ Ottawa, February 7th @ Buffalo, February 22nd @ Buffalo, and February 24th @ Ottawa.
Our first look at Zdeno Chara in a Bruins uniform will be when the Sens travel to Boston on October 28th. His first trip back here doesn't occur until December 19th.
Marian Hossa and the Thrashers come to town on January 1st and then again February 17th.
The Northwest division games are October 12th vs. Calgary, October 19th vs. Colorado, November 20th vs. Minnesota, January 18th vs. Vancouver, and February 20th vs. Edmonton. With the way the Wild have restocked this offseason, all games should be worthwhile.
The aforementioned game vs. Havlat in his new digs will be March 4th in the Windy City.
Sidney Crosby and the Pens come to town March 5th and April 8th while Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals visit January 16th and then against two weeks later on the 30th.
Our dear friend Alexei Yashin comes back December 27th and March 15th.
The reigning Stanley Cup champs the Carolina Hurricanes visit Ottawa November 4th and February 28th. They travel to Raleigh on November 28th and February 27th.
The Sens play the Canadiens at home on January 13th as part of the Hockey Day In Canada deal.
The Sens' busiest months will be in November and March, when they play 15 games.
All weekday home games will start at 7:30 but weekend games 7. So basically, same as last year

UPDATE: Pre-season schedule, if you're curious:
September 19th - Ottawa vs Pittsburgh in Halifax
September 20th - Toronto @ Ottawa
September 22nd - Buffalo @ Ottawa at Scotiabank Place
September 23rd - Ottawa @ Philadelphia
September 24th - Toronto vs Ottawa in Halifax
September 27th - Ottawa @ Toronto
September 28th - Montreal @ Ottawa
September 30th - Ottawa @ Montreal

Nothing on any rookie camp info or dates, but when I get them I'll post the info. While, obviously, not on par with real NHL action, rookie camp games are always very entertaining. You have 20 kids battling for jobs and/or recognition, so rarely do you see anyone take a shift off, let alone a game. It's also where you discover the kids of the future. I remember last season being wowed by Alexander Steen and, on the Sens side, thinking this kid Andrej Meszaros had a lot of potential .

Last season the Leafs, Habs, Panthers, and 'Canes participated, and it was a worthwhile time. For $12 you got a tourney pass to see all games between any team involved. Some of the games took place in the daytime, which made it difficult to attend, but at that price, it was money incredibly well spent.

A quick clarification

2006-07-11T13:25:00.000-04:00

I was getting a lot of traffic yesterday because someone posted a link to this blog on the Supportive Hawks fans In Turmoil message board (acronym speaks for itself) saying the following;

Chris McMurtry, who runs Hockey Country and follows the Senators, is especially critical of Havlat and happy to see him go.

Of course, the next three pages are spent saying how I'm bitter and have sour grapes. So be it.

If I gave the impression I'm happy to see Martin Havlat go, then I didn't get across what I wanted. I'm not happy about the trade. Anytime you lose a 30 goal scorer who's 25 years old and still not in the prime of his career, who also happens to be among the most exciting players in the league, it's difficult to be happy.

However, I'm also not all that sad about it either.

This is a trade anyone who's been paying even the slightest bit of attention saw coming. It's an unfortunate side effect of that lovely CBA we lost a year of hockey to get. The same one advertised as benefitting small market teams like us, glossing over the whole "if you draft well and develop consistently, you won't be able to keep them" thing. Whoops.

Martin Havlat would have left in a year. This much is certain. The contract it would've taken to keep him here for longer is one I don't think any sane Sens fan could rationalize paying.

So knowing that, trading Havlat was the only option, I believe, because to lose him for nothing would have far worse. I've seen some say "well, keep him for a year and then make a run at the Cup!"

That's great if they win, which they haven't been able to do with all the stacked teams in the past, but if they come up short, then what? Running a team on a "Cup or bust" attitude in this new era is akin to playing Russian roulette.

You have to look to the future, and in this scenario, holding onto Havlat for one more year knowing you'll lose him didn't make sense.

Question the return they got if you wish (and I'm not disagreeing with those of you who think we didn't get as much as we should've), but, all things considered, if you think trading him was the wrong move, then I can't agree.

As far my criticisms of Havlat as a player, perhaps, in retrospect, I laid it on a little thick. Make no mistake, he can be a great player, and if one were to make a list of the most talented players in the league, he's surely chart towards the top. However, being talented and being effective, especially when it matters most, are often two entirely different things.

I've also seen some, when defending Havlat against his detractors, point out how exciting he is. There's no disputing that. He's often the most electrifying player on the ice and a collection of his greatest goals rivals anyone's in terms of excitement. But we've had six years of it. Exciting is great, but winning is better.

Chicago, as a franchise, is in a little bit of a different position. They need to give their fanbase, who've been kicked in the balls so often, a reason to care again. Havlat is that reason. He'll put asses in the seats.

I can't speak for every single Ottawa Senators fan, but I believe I'm on point when I say most of us want to win. We want a Cup. I'll sacrifice a little excitement if we can get that, and it's not like without Havlat, we're suddenly the Minnesota Wild. The Senators still have an explosive team full of entertaining and creative players.

I said it yesterday, and I'll say it again: changes needed to be made. Going with the same crop was not going to do it for me. Deciding who to move out was made easier by Havlat's posturing. Are they, on paper, a better team? Probably not. But being the best team on paper hasn't gotten us anything before.

Changes, even if they were solely for the sake of them, were necessary.

The Sens will move forward without Havlat, and I'm sure he will as well. He's finally got the contract he wanted and he'll now he able to be THE guy on a team, which, due to Ottawa's depth, was never an option here.

I'll be anxious to see how he handles it.

Muckler speaks out

2006-07-10T15:20:00.000-04:00

Sens GM John Muckler was on The Team 1200 a few minutes ago. The highlights:

This was a deal he worked on for a month. The team simply could not afford Martin Havlat at the price it would've cost and didn't want to risk losing him a year and getting no compensation
Tom Preissing will help the powerplay and gives them three defencemen, along with Joe Corvo and Wade Redden, who can anchor a PP.
All the moves they've made this offseason have added to their backend speed and puck moving ability, which was key in Carolina's success
They haven't freed up that much $. By his calculations, with Havlat and Bryan Smolinski, they would've been up around $47 or $48 million
He talked with six or seven teams about Havlat but they were all concerned about his contract status, and things weren't helped by his agent's public decree. Chicago was the natural fit because they had a low payroll and could afford to pay Havlat the contract he wanted.
He expects both Josh Hennessy and Michael Barinka to start the season down in Binghamton, but if they have good camps, he's sure they could win jobs, as there is always a surprise every training camp.
On the prospects in the system, he was very impressed with goalie Brian Elliott's performance in the developmental camp. He'll have another year in college and then probably go pro. Elliott will be a strong candidate for an NHL job in two or three years. He thinks defenceman Brian Lee will be able to go to the NHL right out of college.
They've agreed in principle to a contract with Russian prospect Alexei Kaigodorov but they're still waiting for the IIHF-Russian transfer agreement to be finalized.
Denis Hamel is a "strong candidate to get one of the positions on the fourth line."
On Mark Bell: he's not as consistent as you'd like but he's a big body and has talent. The Sens inquired about getting him last year but at that point the Blackhawks were not interested in letting him go.
He thinks they'll be able to avoid arbitration with all their RFAs and it's more of a formality than anything else.
He's not gonna "tweak" the team anymore, but are looking at a few players to bring in, however, he's comfortable with the team as it is. He wants to wait and see with the cap space they have and might not utilize it until the season is already underway.

Taking it all in

2006-07-10T12:05:00.000-04:00

About 15 hours later, I’m still in a state of confusion about the trade that saw Martin Havlat leave town for the shiny lights that are the Chicago Blackhawks, however, ultimately, I think it was the right move for an organization that is in a state of transition.

Havlat is another one of “our guys” and anytime they leave town it’s sad, but ultimately, it’s a deal that had to be done for a variety of reasons.

The first is the obvious financial one. Havlat was in the same boat as our dearly departed friend Marian Hossa last summer, where he wanted more than the Sens could pay. Whether or not he’s worth what he got can be debated. Personally, I believe it’s a gross overpayment.

People who don’t see Sens games tend to have a higher opinion of Havlat than those of us who see every contest, if for no other reason than the fact Havlat often appears on highlight reels scoring fantastic goals. You see that and think he’s a world class player.

He has to potential to be, and maybe when given the role of the go-to-guy in Chicago he’ll become that, but as it stands, Havlat is a very talented unreliable second line forward. That’s what he would’ve been here and so there was no way to justify paying him $4 million, let alone the $6 mil he got.

In Ottawa, Havlat was never on the top line, and as much as that hurt him statistically, it also meant he was rarely on the ice against the other’s team’s best players. We’ll see how he handles being matched up against Nick Lidstrom.

The only long-term deal he would've signed is one we would have had to dismantle the team to pay. If we went to arbitration with Havlat, it all but assured that we would lose him in a year and get zero in return.

The other reason is one that hasn’t been discussed as much, and that’s that this team needed some turnover. I’ve seen a lot written about keeping the core in tact. Really? Do I need to remind most of you how you felt after this team was knocked out by the Sabres?

At the time, the calls were for a complete and total overhaul, and yet a few months later, most did a complete 180 and were adamant that the organization signs everyone.

Some changes had to be made, and Havlat is as good as any place to start. He’s a chronic underachiever and has proven himself to not be able, or willing, to respond when the going gets tough (i.e., the playoffs). When such a player puts himself out there the way he did, putting the team in a weakened position by publicly declaring he wants to test the free agent market, it’s hard to cry too many tears at his departure.

We’ll miss the exciting goals and blazing speed, but I know I won’t yearn for the pisspoor performances in clutch games nor the embarrassing antics he was often in the midst of.

Losing Bryan Smolinski probably hurts more than we are all admitting. I realize he’s become the goat in a town that always has to have one, but all things considered, he was a serviceable player and at $1.7 million as far as his cap hit was probably paid accordingly. And if we’re being honest, “Smoke” was one of the more consistent Sens skaters in the second round against Buffalo. An honest effort every night, which is more than you can say for a lot of the other forwards, including Mr. Havlat, who performed his annual disappearing act on queue every spring.

What we got in return has drawn criticism from some, but Muckler and those around him were not working from a position of power. When Havlat’s agent came out and told everyone, his bargain power was diminished every more.

Yeah, it would have been nice to get back a top six forward in the deal, but all things considered, I feel as though the Senators did alright for themselves. Not only do we instantly get a lot more breathing room with the cap, but some talented guys are now in the organization.

Tom Preissing is a dynamic offensive defenceman who’s skillset is perfect for the new NHL. He can rush the puck, log big minutes, and put up points on the powerplay. The addition of him seems to symbolize the change in direction the organization is spearheading, that Muckler himself has talked about:

We want guys who are more offensive minded. What we're going to be looking for next season is more offence from our defence to take some of the pressure off the guys up front to score goals.

Preissing logged over 20 minutes a game in San Jose last season, third on the team as far as blueliners and behind only renowned horses Scott Hannan and Kyle McLaren, and then over 23 in the playoffs, second among defencemen on the team. Clearly, Ron Wilson and the Sharks organization liked what they saw out of the guy. His TSN scouting report makes mention of the question of whether or not he can log a lot of minutes in the NHL, but I have to think he’s proven he can. However, their concern about his lack of physical toughness is one that I too am thinking about.

Adding Joe Corvo and Preissing gives us two more puck movers and, immediately, makes our defence much more mobile, but at what cost? Is Preissing as easy to move off the rubber as Corvo is said to be, and if so, what effect will that have?

There is an issue with the newly acquired Preissing that is worth making note of, and that’s his contract status. While he’s only making $600,000 this year, a bargain, he will be eligible for UFA status after this season. Do we try and get him to sign an extension, knowing it takes away our room to maneuver, or let him play the season for such a basement bargain price and hope we can get him to stay? If he has another season like the one he’s coming off of, he’ll get upwards of $2 million if the last week or so’s market stays true.

Josh Hennessy is someone who, besides his awesome last name, has a lot of upside, most seem to agree. At 21 he’s still quite young but the potential to develop into a real player appears to be there. He was a presence in junior, scoring over 80 points in three straight seasons when a member of Quebec of the QMJHL, a team that he also captained. He’s said to be a real speedster, which should come in handy, and the holes in his game are apparently a lack of strength and minimal defensive prowess, issues that can be corrected.

Whether or not he’s NHL ready remains to be seen but I suspect he’ll be given every opportunity to make the big club come September. If not, another season in the A couldn’t hurt. Down there, he’d be one of the key players and be put into important situations.

His aptitude sounds like he’s tailor made for a #2 center role, but it might be years before he’s ready to take on that kind of responsibility.

Michal Barinka was one of many talented young defencemen the Hawks had in their system, thus making him expendable. However, for a franchise like Ottawa, who could use a couple more of those, he’s a nice addition. At 6’4” he’s got impressive size and most reports indicate he’s good at using it, whether it be in front of the net or in corners.

Though Barinka’s seen some time with the Hawks, Ottawa is much deeper on the blueline as far as NHL ready players, so I doubt we’ll see him in an Ottawa uniform anytime soon.

So let’s see where we’re at

While we no longer have that 30-minutes-a-night workhouse like a Chara, from 1 to 6, our defence has to be considered among the best in the NHL. Our third pairing, by my calculations, are a guy who was the #3 man on a pretty good Sharks team and Anton Volchenkov, who was in our top four for most of last season.

Does this mean a deal is in the works to unload one of them to feed one of our needs?

Surely Preissing would be wasted on the bottom pair, and if you put him in the big four, who do you take out? After the season he had, it’d be hard to rationalize setting Andrej Meszaros back, even with the disasterous playoff he had. If we’re paying Corvo over $2.6 million, surely we want him in our top four.

Up front we clearly have holes that need to be addressed. In this deal, we lost two forwards who would’ve occupied spots on the first three lines, and didn’t get anyone back to fill them. One has to think one of the spots will go to Russian prospect Alexei Kaigordov, who Muckler says the team is trying to sign. Personally, I’d much rather the kid spend a year down in the AHL for a season before trying his hand in the NHL. Having big success in the Russian league, even when filled with NHLers, is one thing, but the NHL game can be very different, and the adjustment might be a tough one.

If we’re to believe Zdeno Chara when he said Sens owner Eugene Melnyk told him the team planned to spend to the limit, then the Sens have some cap room to play with. While they’re at $35.1 million now, they still have to get some key RFAs signed. Let’s guesstimate Peter Schaefer at $2 million, Antoine Vermette at $1.3, Chris Neil at $1 million, and Chris Kelly at $650K. Now we’re at $40 million. If Kaigorodov is indeed making the squad, he’ll likely command in the neighborhood of $700. So, roughly, $41 million, with one roster spot, a forward one, to fill. You have to think they’ll want a bit of breathing room, so let’s put the cap, really, at $43 million, leaving the team with

But wait, what about Christoph Schubert? The German emerged as a very durable and useful player last season, versatile enough to play either forward or D effectively. He needs a new contract. With the addition of Preissing, the Sens are log jammed at D, so no room there unless he’ll be kept as the 7th man for depth.

I’ve put Schubert as the fourth line left winger, a spot he occupied on occasion last season, and one he can play successfully.

But we still need that second line forward. Putting Mike Fisher and Patrick Eaves, as I have, is placing a lot of responsibility on guys who aren’t used to such a role. Based on their character, I’m sure each would welcome such a responsibility, but it’s a roll of the dice and one I’d much rather not attempt from jump.

There are some forwards still available to sign if we want to fill Havlat’s second line spot, but the price might be high. Anson Carter is said to be commanding upwards of $3 million coming off a career season in Vancouver. I do not think Carter is worth this, and see his year with the Sedins as an aberration. Mike Peca is somebody I have an interest in, but again, I believe the price he’ll come for is too high.

At the end of the day, in order to properly evaluate this trade, we’ll need to be years down the road. Ideally, by then, we will have seen how Hennessy and Barinka develop, and in the short term, what the Senators are able to do with the cap space that’s come their way.

A case could be made that, on paper, we are weaker now than we were when the season ended, however, as we’ve come to learn very tragically, hockey games aren’t won on paper.

Changes of some sort had to be made after another spring of discontent. Question the changes if you want, but staying the course was not going to suffice. The organizations hands were forced by the economic realities that are part of the new CBA, and I don’t think they would’ve made these moves otherwise, but in the end, sometimes the best decisions are the ones you’re unwilling to make until your back’s against the wall.

I’m cautiously optimistic about the team we’ll ice this fall, but at least we know it won’t be the same old faces letting us down all over again.

Still would’ve preferred Mark Bell though.

Too good to be true indeed

2006-07-09T22:02:00.000-04:00

Alas, my dream of seeing Mark Bell come back to Ottawa is not to be. We came close though.

A three-team deal has been completed between the San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, and our beloved Senators. It breaks down like this:

To San Jose: Mark Bell
To Chicago: Martin Havlat & Bryan Smolinski
To Ottawa Tom Preissing, Josh Hennesy, Michael Barinka, & a 2nd round pick in 2008.

Havlat, who was so clear about not signing a contract and wanting to test the UFA market next summer, turned around and inked a new deal with the Hawks that will pay him $18 million over three years. Showing that money talks and bullshit walks.

I'm going to reserve comment on the deal until tomorrow, when I have some time to digest it and, frankly, become more educated on the guys we've got coming our way, because as of right now, outside of Preissing, I don't know very much about them.

I will say, bravo to Allan Walsh, Havlat's agent, for getting his client this contract. To say it's an overpayment would be unfair to the phrase. It's laughable how crazy that contract is.

Make no mistake about it, Havlat is supremely talented, but contracts should be based on results, and in that sense, Havlat is not a $6 million player now nor do I ever expect him to be. He's not worth as much as Patrick Elias, Marian Hossa, etc., and certainly not more than Peter Forsberg, but that's where he's situated.

I would say Hawks fans will see that contract's absurdity when Havlat disappears in the playoffs, but the truth is, I doubt Chicago will be appearing in those kinda games anytime soon.

See Marty. Can't say I'm sad to see you leave.

I'm bummed Bell isn't coming to Ottawa, but I should have known better.

Getting my fantasy GM on

2006-07-07T21:51:00.000-04:00

With word from Garrioach that the Sens are shopping Martin Havlat, with the reported teams involved being Chicago, San Jose, the NY Rangers, and Dallas, I've gotten way ahead of myself and decided which is the scenario I want to see come to fruition, and who I want wearing a Sens jersey in exchange.

Forgive me if this post reads like a bad "trade proposal" HF post.

Martin Havlat to Chicago for Mark Bell & a prospect.

Simple, huh?

Word out of the Windy City is that the Hawks are shopping Bell. Fine with me. There have been rumors of a trade of this sort, off and on, for a while, and I'm throwing my sizeable influence (as long as we're pretending, might as well lie too) behind it.

Chicago is where I want Havlat to end up, mostly because they're destined to suck for many years to come just based on who's in charge and I'd like to see Mach 9 have to deal with that for a while. Hey, I'm a bitter fan, what can I say. Unfortunately, our history of dealing with this team isn't so good. John Muckler is the one GM who Dale Tallon probably laughs at in private. But they have a plethora of good young players (because they've been awful for so long, see) and have a fanbase itching for a move of some signifiance having seen their beloved Hawks sit on the sidelines this offseason.

As for Mark Bell, as a player, I love the guy. Having watched Bell since he was a 16-year-old with the 67's, I know what he's capable of. He's got good size and uses it often, has good offensive upside, and can play well in his own zone. I understand the Hawks and some fans of the team are down on him because of his inconsistent play/effort. I rarely see Hawks games so I'll take their word for it. However, unlike Tyler Arnason, I don't believe that's his character, unless he's undergone major changes since leaving Ottawa at 19.

Speaking of Arnason, truth be told, it was Bell who I wanted if we were dealing with the Hawks at last year's deadline, not the pudgy baby we inherited instead. Alas, it wasn't meant to be, but we can correct that now.

Muckler will have a hard time selling Sens fans on any Havlat trade because, as often as he's let us down in the playoffs, we know just how talented Marty is. We've seen that talent develop from it's initial rawness as a rookie to the player he is today, which is a guy ready to break through as a significant player in the NHL.

Unfortunately, he wants a long-term deal, and we're not in a position to give him one. Before all this nastiness with Havlat and his agent Allan Walsh became public, I thought we could get around it by signing him to a small one year deal and then working something out in the season, but that doesn't appear to be an option.

Besides, do we really want a guy who has, through his paid representative, publicly said he wants to be a free agent in that locker room? Seems to me like a recipe for disaster.

Fans in this market covet Havlat very dearly, because like Wade Redden, Chris Phillips, Mike Fisher, etc., he's one of ours. So the day the trade is announced, I imagine there will be great discontent.

If we're getting Mark Bell in the deal, suddenly, Muckler's PR spin becomes a whole lot easier. Most hockey fans in this city know what Bell can do, because we saw it with our own eyes.

Bell's only a year older than Havlat and should come at a, comparatively speaking, cheap price. He's an RFA as well but only earned $1.064 million last season. Surely we could get him to a multi-year deal at, around, $2 million, maybe even less.

Bringing him in means we can move/dump Bryan Smolinski with little fear of how we'll be situated, as with Bell in the mix, down the middle we'd be pretty solid. Jason Spezza occupying the first line, Bell on the second, Mike Fisher as maybe the best third line center in the NHL (gotta keep him fresh for those dynamic PKs), and Chris Kelly on the fourth unit, where he belongs and shines brightest.

Along the wing, I'd go with the Big Line, with Peter Schaefer and Patrick Eaves on the second with Bell. Schaefer, assuming we can get him signed, is coming off his best season and Eaves is ready to break out. If he was able to score 20 goals in 58 games last season, it's not unreasonable to suggest 30 might be in the picture for a full season of work. Eaves has that knack for being in the right place at the right time (usually in front of the net) and after a while, you stop chalking it up to luck and start realizing it's a character of a natural scorer.

Fisher and Neil love playing together, and did so very well last season. By throwing Vermette on the line, you give them a talent-first player to work with. Vermette's skillset would mix well with their work ethic and toughness, I believe, and he'd have to start elevating that part of his game.

The fourth line remains up in the air besides Kelly and Brian McGratton, who I hope is ready to add more to his game than just fighting. He'll never be a top six forward but there were times last season when Gratts displayed other dimensions of his game. All we really need out of him is getting to the point where he's not a liability on the ice. The extra spot can be occupied by a prospect in the system (not Alexei Kaigodorov, who needs a full year in North America and the NHL isn't the place for it) or a cheaply signed free agent. There are plenty of those still available. Who really isn't revelant to this discussion right now, so long as they don't cost more than, say, $650K.

A simple Bell for Havlat swap wouldn't be fair, even with our position of being bent over and cheeks spread due to Havlat's very public stance of wanting to test the market, so we'd want a prospect as well. I trust the folks at Hockey's Future to know what they're talking about, which is more than I, but it would have to be one of their top 20 kids. A defenceman would be ideal but so longer as they're well regarded, I'm alright with it (getting fellow 67's alumnist Bryan Bickell would be awesome, but beggers can't be chosers). The real prize is Bell.

It might be possible I have my blinders on. It's been six years since Bell played as a 67 and become a fan favorite on one of the better junior teams in Canada. He could've plummeted as a player since then and I'm unaware of it. Blackhawk fans, all six of you left, feel free to tell me I'm being horribly irrational.

But I doubt it. And even if he's been circling the drain in Chicago, he can be repaired. The tools are there for him to be what this team has longered for for far too long, as genuine #2 center. I know, this sounds very familar. We heard it in the spring with Arnason. But as I said, unless Bell's character has gone to shit, I don't believe we'd have those same problems.

Besides, truth be told, coming from Chicago and that environment to Ottawa in mid-season like that was going to be difficult for anyone. It didn't help that Arnason had no work ethic or conditioning, but maybe if that trade had been made in the summer, when he hadn't spent the previous six months in a situation as bad as the Hawks,

Get Bell out of Chicago and that circus and onto a team with, comparatively speaking, a sparkling record of recent achievements. A team, who fail as they might in the playoffs, at least has an attitude of trying to win. The culture shock on Bell might last a couple days, but he'd won before (Mem Cup in this city seven years ago), so I have to think he wants to again.

Seems too good, too comfortable for us, to happen, right?

Having said all this, watch the trade not happen. Muckler'll find a way to fuck it up.

But hey, can't blame a guy for wishing.

Just a thought

2006-07-06T12:55:00.000-04:00

Rewind last summer when, during the last ditch attempt to keep Marian Hossa in Ottawa, Muckler offered Hoss, Zdeno Chara, and Wade Redden identical contracts to keep all three in a Sens uniform for years to come.

No details of the contracts offered were ever leaked, but it's safe to assume they were for no more than $4.5 mil per season considering at the time the organization was championing this "Alfie Cap" (which has since fallen by the wayside).

Hossa refused the deal because he felt he was worth Jarome Iginla/Vincent Lecavalier money (and he got close to it from the Thrashers), so he was dealt, but the word was at least one other person offered the deal was with it. Hossa said only one but media reports from people plugged into the team said both Chara and Redden were receptive.

When looking at Wade Redden's contract and the one that Chara signed with Boston, you can't help but wonder, what if.

Muckler might have his hands full

2006-07-05T20:33:00.000-04:00

From the NHLPA, the following Sens filed for salary arbitration today:

Martin Havlat

Chris Kelly

Chris Neil

Peter Schaefer

Antoine Vermette

I can see Schaefer, Neil, and Vermette getting very good deals. All three had career seasons and in the case of Schaefer is a year away from UFA status, so perhaps he's hoping to go, get a one-year deal, and then test the open market next July. They need to lock him up long-term.

How much it'll cost, I don't know, but unless it's something ridiculously extravagent, Muckler better do it. A few months ago I would've thought a deal close to Mike Fisher's ($4.5 million over three years) would suffice but it might take $2 million now.

With Vermette, an interesting stat that will play a big part in what he gets, since stats are all this nonsense is based on, is that he had the highest goal-per-minute average of all NHLers, racking up 21 goals. Perhaps his new contract will force the Sens to make him more than a fourth-liner.

And why is Chris Kelly able to file for arbitration? He's had one season in the league. Is it because of his age (25)? This new CBA continues to amaze me.

As for Havlat, who probably has his bags packed and house up for sale, I can't see how he could get a lot in this process. I mean, yeah, he's talented, but that doesn't mean anything in arbitration. He missed almost the whole season. How can he make a case for a big payday? I suppose they might point to his 30 goals in 2003-04 but that was so long ago, and in such a different climate, I fail to see how it's revelant. I thought Havlat blew his chance for a big contract when he got hurt but apparently he and his agent feel otherwise.

It's worth noting that rarely do all the players who file for arbitration actually . Most of the time it's a formality and a deal is worked out before hand, often right to the deadline (remember Marian Hossa signing his ticket out of town a mere hours before his hearing last season?)

And boy do I not envy Darcy Reiger. Looking at the list of RFAs the Sabres have makes me feel bad for them.

Grading the boss thus far

2006-07-04T15:54:00.000-04:00

Evaluating those in power is fun. It makes us little people feel very empowered. Perhaps a part of that is because, deep down, maybe even subconsciously, we both aspire to be where they are and think we could do better. Armchair GMing makes up the majority of most hockey message boards I check in on and it's good, harmless fun.

This also applies to players, by the by. I took great pleasure in handing out an F to Zdeno Chara when I did my post-season report card. Just typing that F made me feel good. Does that make me a dick? Maybe it does. What I do know is that it makes me feel a whole lot better about him leaving town, that's for sure.

John Muckler is someone who's come under great fire by the majority of the fanbase, myself included. I was pretty adament that he should've been handed a pink slip back when the Sens were knocked out of the playoffs. Alas, much to the chagrin of myself and others, that wasn't the case. The theories as to why ranged from Muckler possessing knowledge that could get Eugene Melnyk into hot water with the U.S. S.E.C.* to the two being kindred spirits.

Never the less, we're stuck with the old codger whether we like it or not. We can, however, rip his every move that we find idiotic. That's what I plan to do and encourage you to do the same. It's fun!

I was going to hold off doing this until the supposed other shoe dropped (probably the Martin Havlat trade), but what the hell.

The draft
It's difficult to judge how the Sens fared in this area for a few reasons. The first is that it usually takes years and years before one can accurately assess how a team did in a particular draft. The rewards may not be felt until years later. The drafting of Daniel Alfredsson 133rd overall probably didn't look great in 1993, yet three or four years later, it had to be touted as genius (or a wonderful fluke). Also, it doesn't help that, truth be told, I know very little about the players any team picked. I'm not one of these experts on prospects, so pretending to be such for this exercise would be laughable. The only player the Sens picked that I'm familiar with is Pierre Luc Lessard, and that's solely because he played across the river in Gatineau for two seasons and I saw him play a dozen or so times (good puck rusher, but undersized; good potential though). If the book on Nick Foligno is on point and he's everything the scouts say he is, I like picking him. We need more gritty, tough, balls out players in our system (Cody Bass seemed like the lone one before this), and his offensive upside sounds strong. Their 3rd round pick, Eric Gryba sounds like he's years away from being an NHLer. Ryan Daniels seems like he's no better than the other three or four above average goalies we have in the system. Bottom line, this draft was advertised as being poor and based on what I've read from people who know far more about this than I do, the Sens' crop reflects that.
C

Re-signing Wade Redden/letting Zdeno Chara go
The Senators had to retain either Redden or Chara. The fanbase would not have accepted losing both, so even from a purely optics perspective, this had to be done or there would have been a legitimate riot around ScotiaBank Place. Of the two, I believe they made the right choice. Redden is, all around, the more consistent defenceman and plays a more vital role to the success of the team. He's been with the club longer, and he showed with his willingness to take less money if it meant keeping Chara around, that he has a level of committment to the team. Chara, I'm not so sure about. He talked a good game but at the end of the day, he seemed driven by money. Nothing wrong with that, but we want the guy who isn't. The $13 million over two years looked sorta big on the day it was signed, but within 72 hours, after the UFA market opened and 3/4 of the NHL GMs blew their brains out, that contract looked pretty good. Compared to Chara's $7.5 mil per season, $6.5 for Redden is more than reasonable, and when contrasted against deals like Ruslan Salei at nearly $4 million and Pavel Kubina at $5, it's very reasonable. The one part of the contract that perplexed me then, and to an extent still does now, is the two year committment. I can't decide if this is good or not. On the one hand, it means we'll likely be in this position in two years again. But it also means we don't have a big contract on our hands for many years. The consensus from those in the know is that it was Redden who requested two years because he wants to see the direction the team is headed in and thus possessed some reluctance about signing long-term. I can dig that, as he must be getting sick of not winning a Cup, but it still feels strange to see Martin Gerber and Joe Corvo more committed to this team that a guy who's been here for nearly 10 years. Ultimately, all things considered, a good signing.
B+

Signing Joe Corvo
First, let me admit I greatly underestimated the value of defencemen on the open market (as did Tomas Kaberle's agent, I bet). When I heard about Brian Pothier asking for $2 million per season on a long-term deal, I about fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. I thought "no way any team will give him that". Hell, when doing my projections for where the Sens payroll would be a week ago, I thought he could be kept in the fold for $1 mil a year. Whoops. Turns out I was off by quite a bit, as the Caps gave him a $10 million, four-year contract. Seeing what other middle of the road guys like Keith Carney and Hal Gill were able to command from teams also showed me how out of touch I was. I clearly didn't get it. I thought things had changed, but I was wrong. So the Corvo deal has to be graded in that context, because in mine, over $10 million for four years is ASS, but looking at the big picture, it's only slightly extravagent. I'm still horribly uninformed on Corvo as a player, but the general verdict from Kings fans is that he's our new Pothier. Good offensive skills but soft and a liability in his own end. Corvo seems to be a slight upgrade over B-Poth but has the skillset that makes him well suited for the new NHL. The idea he's paid so much more than Chris Phillips all but assures the Big Rig will get a rich deal in 12 months, probably from some other team. That sucks. It also means our 5th defenceman, Anton Volchenkov, is paid $1.25 million, a pretty sizeable deal. I'll need some great games early from Corvo to be convinced this was a good one.
C-

Signing Martin Gerber
Another contract that I would've found hard to believe two weeks ago. When Dwayne Roloson signed for $11 million over three years to stay in Edmonton, I shook my head at what I believed was an error on the Oilers part, yet we gave Gerber just a tad more and I'm not sure he's any more viable any option. He's younger, true, but he also didn't have Roloson's amazing post season. The thing is, Muckler had to overspend on a goalie. He can no longer afford to treat that position as anything but priority #1 and if they truly think Gerber is the answer than the contract is a good one. I'm just not 100% sold that he is. Put me in the 75% category. One problem I do have with the deal is that it's three years, which means we're gonna have that salary on the books for that long in all likelihood. I think Ray Emery will be ready to be THE GUY within that time. Hopefully, that means we have a valuable asset in Gerber to trade should that be the case, but who can say? I do think it's disappointing that the organization is showing such little confidence in Emery, who I thought did very well for himself in the playoffs all things considered. Bring in a veteran as insurance, sure (I recommended Chris Osgood) but give the ball to Emery. The organization is saying that Emery can still Cam Ward Gerber and take the job, but if that happens, then we have a very expensive back-up taking up valuable cap room. I will say, I like that Gerber had the choice of Ottawa and Detroit, and with the money equal, chose to come here.
B-

Re-signing Jason Spezza
This one confused me. Spezza had to be brought back, but the price tag of $4.5 mil amazes me. That's his market value? I pointed to Eric Staal's signing as being important because it would set the bar for Spezza, but little did I know they would get the same money. Spezza admitted Staal was used as a comparable and thought it was a fair one. Really, Jason? You see that thing on Eric's finger? That makes it unfair to me. I seemed to be wrong when I thought Spezza didn't have arbitration rights and thus had little leverage, as he apparently does, but even if that's the case, could he really have gotten that much in the process? If he used Staal as his comparable then surely any sane arbitrator would see the two have a very distinct difference that should have a direct effect on their salaries. And not to go off on a rant, but why the fuck is it that in arbitration, when someone takes slighly less to stay somewhere, that is an invalid example, because that's not the market, but when a pisspoor team drastically overspends to lure a hot property to their mess it is? I'm no economist (obviously) but is it wrong to think the market is somewhere in between? And like with the Redden deal, we only locked up Spezz for two seasons. If we're gonna throw the big bucks at the kid, then logic would say we get him for more years, right? Apparently not. The aforementioned Staal deal was for three years.
D

Dean's comments:

John has an impressive track record, but fails to learn from the mistakes of his past as well as those committed by his peers. He often does not listen to reason and seems as if he's existing in an entirely different universe. He refuses to admit his mistakes.

His GPA is low enough that he could be withdrawn from the program, especially considering his already existant standing of being on academic probation, but those in the highest of powers have decided to give him an opportunity to redeem himself. It is wise of John to take this matter seriously.

The "Martin Havlat trade" course, which has become compulsory in this program for John because of his poor performance in "Jason Spezza contract" course as well as the decision to enlist for the "Sign John Corvo" course that was not recommended for his major, will be an important one and will likely play a significant role in determining if John goes forward to even attempt his thesis in April or, hopefully, walk the stage in June.

On thin ice.

* not a real theory, but pretty juicy, huh?

Spezza kept in the fold, but it's a costly move

2006-07-03T18:07:00.000-04:00

John Muckler isn't sitting around on this day off, as he spent the day signing Jason Spezza to a new two-year, $9 million deal.

Yes, that's right. Spezza will be paid as much as Eric Staal this coming season, except the 'Canes got Staal for one more season.

When the Staal deal was signed, I figured it would have an impact on Spezza's contract, but not in the sense that they would be for the same money. Staal was more important to his team and was a major part of his team winning the Stanley Cup. Spezz had a decent, albeit inconsistent, postseason, but the Sens failed to get out of the second round.

If Staal is worth $4.5 million, I figured, at most, Spezza was in the $4 mil area. You might say squabbling over $500K is a waste of time, but in this cap world, half a million bucks is a whole lot, especially for a team like the Sens who will be close against it.

So how in the world can Muckler justify this deal?

I'm all for locking up Spezza long-term but two years isn't a major committment (though that seems to be what the guys are taking to stay; do they know something I don't?).

Spezza had no arbitration rights so his only option was to play hardplay and not report to camp.

Oh, and in case you're wondering...

I'm beginning to wonder if the people at ScotiaBank Place have a plan. I assume they do, but assuming anything with this regime has proven to be dumb in the past.

Even if they unload Martin Havlat, they'll still be way over the self-imposed cap of (supposedly) $40 million.

That's it?

2006-07-03T12:45:00.000-04:00

Chris Pronger has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks, Sportsnet has confirmed.

Sportsnet sources say the Edmonton Oilers will receive forward Joffrey Lupul, prospect Ladislav Smid and a conditional draft pick in exchange for the defenceman.

I gotta say, I'm underwhelmed, and if I'm an Oilers fan, I'm disappointed with the return. Sure, future help is great and all, but Oilers fans must've gotten their fill of trading away franchise players for young return back in the 90's. After going to the Cup, I have to think they want to compete again this year for the prize and it'll be a lot more difficult without Pronger, even with Lupul on the wing to score 30 goals.

And as a Sens fan, I wonder, was John Muckler involved? Did he make a pitch? Eklund says the Sens were in the hunt, but he's sort of a lying douche so that doesn't mean anything.

What we could offer can be debated, but surely, a deal featuring Martin Havlat (already on the way out anyway), Chris Phillips (UFA next season and, in this market, will probably cost $4-$5 mil, so he's gonzo as well), and some highly touted prospect (Brian Lee? Nick Foligno? half of Patrick Eaves?) would intrigue Oilers fans more than this. Hell, I'd even throw in a draft pick or two.

Aw well.

Stevie Y ready to retire

2006-07-03T10:58:00.000-04:00

According to reports, Detroit captain Steve Yzerman will call it a career today at a press conference in two hours.

Obviously, this was a decision he battled with, but I have to say, it was the right one.

Yzerman has been a shadow of his former self for a while now, and only able to be anything close to an impact player because of his massive heart and desire. On the one hand, he deserves infinite respect for caring about his team and the game enough to keep playing even though he was experiencing tremendous pain, but at some point, it got to be almost depressing to see how far he'd fallen.

Selfishly, I wanted to remember Yzerman as the dynamic gamebreaker who could take over a contest and on most nights was the best player on the ice. He was making that more difficult each year.

The timing is right and now the Wings can go in a different direction without any guilt. Makes sense all around.

The weekend's biggest winners

2006-07-03T00:07:00.000-04:00

If you thought the first few days of the free agent shopping would be slow and decided to take the long weekend off and head up to the cottage, I imagine you've come home with your head spinning. Zdeno Chara a Bruin? I know, it’s hard to believe.

It was certainly an interesting 48 hours and with guys like Michael Peca, Sergei Samsonov, Brian Leetch, Jaroslav Spacek, Eric Lindros, Bill Guerin, Brendan Witt, Mark Recchi, Brendan Shanahan, and Anson Carter still without a home, it's far from over.

So here it is: the five teams I think did the best job this weekend. If you missed my maddening, ongoing thoughts on each signing as they occured, don't fret.

1. Vancouver Canucks

Though the Canucks only signed one UFA in Willie Mitchell, Vancouver earned this spot for inking three of their key RFAs to new deals before that as much as any new faces brought in. The Mitchell contract, at $3.5 mil per year over four seasons, will end up being one of the better steals of the shopping season, I believe. He’s a gritty, tough defenceman who will work his ass off every shift and can play against every team’s better forwards with success. Canucks fans know all about this, having seen it first hand in the 2003 playoffs when Mitchell shut down Todd Bertuzzi. Him paired up with Mattias Ohlund should give Western Conference skaters the shakes. Getting Mitchell for $3 million less than it would've cost to keep Ed Jovaovski in the fold will end up being a wise move. Locking up the Sedins with three-year deals for a little more than $3 mil per season should also win Dave Nonis some favor. The twins really came into their own last season, and I’m not of the opinion that Anson Carter was responsible. If anything, he benefited from being paired with them. And the Roberto Luongo contract, though excessive, solidifies for the foreseeable future what’s long been their Achilles’ heel. Luongo still has to prove he’s a playoff goalie, but I can’t see that being an issue, because in the big games he's been thrust into at the international level, the netminded has shined. Their defence has some holes, with the departure of Jovanovski and the loss of Bryan Allen in the Luongo trade (I think they'll miss him more than Bertuzzi), but it sure seems like Nonis is up to the task of filling them.

2. Minnesota Wild

Did someone inhabit Doug Risebrough’s body? In the last week they traded for Pavol Demitra and signed impact players Kim Johnsson and Mark Parrish as well as adding depth to their defence with Keith Carney. Their blueline did take a hit with three of their rearguards (Mitchell, Filip Kuba, and Andrei Zyuzin) leaving for what they think are greener pastures (Kuba for $3 mil per season was one of the more absurd contracts dished out), but I like the enthusiasm and comittment to improving the Wild demonstrated. In all cases, they probably overpaid, but to get most players to come to Minnesota, I guess that is what it takes. Johnsson, at nearly $5 mil per season, is a risk because of his considerable concussion history, but one I would’ve taken if I had their cap room. Johnsson can rush the puck, anchor a powerplay, and has gotten much better in his own zone over the years thanks to playing under Ken Hitchcock. If he’s able to stay healthy, and that may be a big if I know, this deal will look good in retrospect. Parrish going to Minnesota was seen by a lot of people as a lock given he’s a native of the area. He brings something the team desperately needs: pure scoring. He’s a decent sized skater and can use his body but the guy is basically a natural goal scorer and can light the lamp on a consistent basis. Dropping him into that line-up means, right off the bat, Minnesota’s offence improves dramatically. The one that may not have been wise was Keith Carney, who at 36 years old could be on his last legs and therefore a two-year deal worth over $2 mil per could end up being too rich. He struggled in Vancouver last year but perhaps that was just because of the chance of scenery, as when players leave a team they’ve played for for a long time the transition can often be difficult. Carney has a whole summer to get accustomed to his new team and maybe that will make a difference.

3. Boston Bruins

Did they ever send a message to both their fanbase and the rest of the NHL. That message: we’re not fucking around. They devoted over $11 million per season to two players, which could have been too much, but I believe it necessary, and just like that, they’re a measurably better team. $7.5 million is more than I would’ve spent to keep Zdeno Chara in Ottawa (by about $3 million), however, thanks to boneheaded moves by the previous administration, the Bruins were in an unfortunate position where they had to overpay to do what was needed, which in this case was bring in a player of significance. The Nick Boyton for Paul Mara deal they made days earlier with Phoenix will end benefit both clubs I believe but with Chara they suddenly have one of the better bluelines in the league (Chara, Mara, David Tanabe, Brad Stuart, and keen youngsters Andrew Alberts and Milan Jurcina). They’ll need it because I’m not completely sold on Tim Thomas and Hannu Toivonen as a legitimate goaltending threat for a team contending. Adding Orleans native Marc Savard gives them a playmaking center for Glen Murray to line up with, assuming they don’t decide to deal him. And Shean Donovan, the former 67 workhouse, will provide a strong effort and desire every time he touches the ice. It might just be a new era in Beantown after all.

4. New Jersey Devils

For a couple reasons. The first, Lou appears to have learned his lesson from last summer and isn’t overspending based on name value. It’s a shame others didn’t, but I guess you have to make the mistakes yourself before you realize the error of your ways. Witnessing others do so isn’t enough. Locking up Patrick Elias and Jamie Langenbrunner to lengthy but still reasonable deals makes the Devils big winners in my book. With all the talk of Elias possibly getting close to max money from some teams desperate for his scoring, a seven-year deal at $6 million a year is a tremendous steal and goes to show all the loyalty and familial environment the Devils try to nurture is useful (see Martin Brodeur’s contract for further evidence). Other teams could learn from that as well. Langenbrunner for less than $3 mil is also an excellent deal considering what I would’ve paid for him if I was a GM. The Devils still have their work cut out for them with two very key RFAs to sign in Scott Gomez and Brian Gionta but based on the strength of the weekend’s moves, I doubt it’ll be a problem. By keeping their key pieces in place, the Devils move in the right direction.

5. Nashville Predators

The Preds only really made one move, and that was the previously mentioned signing of Jason Arnott, however, it's one that I'm a big fan of. At this point in his career, Arnott, often labelled a chronic underachiever, finally looks capable of being the number one center he was supposed to be when the Oilers drafted him in the first round 13 years ago. He was the best player on a very good Dallas team last season, and it wasn't because of the pieces around him. In the dozen or so Stars games I saw, it was Arnott elevating the games of those around him. I fully expect him to be able to do the same in Nashville and provide even more leadership to a team that has been knocking on Western Conference supremecy for a few years. They tried to make a run at it this year with Yanic Perreault, Scott Hartnell, and later the recently departed Mike Sillinger in that role, and try as they might have, they simply weren't up to the task. Arnott will be. Tremendous move by David Poile and his crew. Some might think the $4.5 mil per season over five years is a hefty price to pay, but given what he’ll bring to the team, and where he’ll play, it’s more than reasonable to me.

Where we stand

2006-07-01T21:30:00.000-04:00

One of the posters over at the HF Boards pointed this out in the TSN article on the signings that Muckler said:

said Muckler, who added he isn't done with the free-agent market.

Really John? And how's that? Because it sure seems like you have your hands full with the above.

Sens sign Martin Gerber

2006-07-01T19:42:00.000-04:00

No terms known yet. Will update when we get them.

Good news, I think.

UPDATE: Contract is three years at $11.1 million, or $3.7 per. Seems mighty high to me.

Any Kings fans wanna help me out?

2006-07-01T19:40:00.000-04:00

The Sens have apparently signed defenceman Joe Corvo to a four-year deal worth $10.5 million.

I'll admit that my knowledge of the Kings is severely limited, because I just don't see much of them due to playing so late into the night.

Should I be happy about this? Angry? Indifferent?

I'm very confused.

UPDATE: If you're like me and horribly uniformed on Corvo, some stats:
29 years old. 6 feet tall. 205 pounds.

Last season:
81GP, 14G (11th among D in NHL), 26A (50th), 40points (26th). +16, highest among L.A. d-men. Averaged 19:59 per game, 4th among L.A. d-men.

The scouting reports seemed to indicate he's an offensive-minded d-man.

This is the Chara replacement Muckler was talking about? Seems like a slight upgrade over Pothier.

I feel like Muckler saw everyone else doing something and around 7PM, after he woke up from his daily afternoon nap and warm milk, he said "well shoot, I better do something, huh?". And this is that.

Again though, until 15 minutes ago, when looking at his profile on NHL.com, I wouldn't be able to tell you what Joe Corvo looked like, so really, I don't know what I'm talking about.

UPDATE #2: After reading what Kings fans are saying on the Hockeys Future Forums, I'm not exactly warming up to this deal.

"There isn't a stat for defensive screwups. Corvo would be nearly a league leader. He's soft as a feather."

"He's just a shade better than Andy Elmore." (I assume he means Andy Delmore, who costs about 1/3 what Corvo does)

"they will need to learn to deal with Corvo's defensive mistakes. There will be a lot of them unless he gets paired with Redden, and there's no way that's happening."

"Haha, good riddance! Over 2.5 million for Corvo? Hell no!"

"Peace, take the next flight."

This isn't ideal / free agent signing musings

2006-07-01T15:18:00.000-04:00

It looks like Jeremy Jacobs' son is serious about shedding the image of the Bruins being tightwads, as he allowed new GM Peter Chiarelli to dish out the big bucks today. Boston signed Zdeno Chara to a five-year, $37.5 million deal today according to TSN.

This mean we'll see Chara at least eight times a season. Dammit.

$7.5 mil would have been way too much for the Sens to spend, but for a Boston team that desperately needed to make a splash and regain all the confidence they lost with their fanbase when they shipped Joe Thornton out of town, it's not a bad contract. Boston's defence was weak and now it's a whole lot better.

By the way, I sure hope Chara doesn't give the "it wasn't about the money" speech. It clearly was.

He was offered $6 mil to stay on a team that was a contender every season he was here, and chose the cake.

Nothing wrong with being driven by money, but please don't try and tell us otherwise.

And you have to think this'll make the already uncomfortable situation with Chiarelli even more awkward. What a kick in the balls by him to the team that he probably thinks is dicking with him.

EDIT: I've decided to turn this into the official "Saturday signing thoughts" post

Boston signs Marc Savard to a five-year, $20 million deal.
Boy are the B's ever making an immediate impact. Over $11 million on two players in less than four hours. The price seems a little steep, but again, Boston's in a position where they probably have to be willing to overpay. Whether or not Savard can be a true #1 center remains to seen, as I know his size turns a lot of people off, but the guy is a points machine and in spite of his small stature has really worked hard to shed himself of the lazy label he deservedly got in Calgary.

I would've LOVED to see him in Ottawa, but the price tag was just too high for us to even be in the discussions I'm sure.

By the way, don't the Bruins still have Alexei Zhamnov's salary on their books? I recall hearing his name in the buyout rumors but didn't see it anywhere yesterday when the teams were making it official.

Toronto signs Pavel Kubina to a four-year, $20 million deal
Yikes. The Leafs now have $15 mil invested on three defenceman. It's nice that JFJ is committed to fixing that glaring weakness, but I feel as though they spent too much on this one.

Kubina's coming off an average season according to most people who saw more of the Bolts than I did and the consensus there seemed to be that they didn't even want him back if this was the cost.

Still, he has a Cup ring, and was a major part of that run, so adding a winner to the mix can't hurt the Leafs.

Again though, I wonder, where are the Leafs going? Are they rebuilding or trying to be a contender again? Based on this signing I'd think it's the latter. I realize you can't completely rebuild in Toronto, as that fanbase won't accept it, but more of a youth movement appeared to be the route to take. Guess not.

Phoenix signs Ed Jovanovski to a five-year, $32.5 million deal.
I've already seen some point out Jovo now makes as much as the Sens dished out to Redden. An important distinction is that the 'Yotes got Jovanovski to committ for five years, so that likely increased the value. Had he taken a two-year contract, I'd bet it was less than $6 mil.

Much of what I said about Boston can be applied to the Coyotes because they had to do something big this offseason. Their moves last year did not pan out and the appeal of Gretz as coach wore thin very quickly with that fanbase, who ended up being much more demanding than I thought they'd be.

Los Angeles signs Scott Thornton to a two-year, $3 million deal.
I like this one, and wonder if Muckler made a pitch of any sort. Thornton's a gamer and even though the new rules didn't suit his skillset, I found him to still be an impact player. He won't be anything more than a third-line guy but provides a lot of character. My question is, aren't L.A. rebuilding as well?

They traded away Pavel Demitra, who at $4.5 mil was a decent deal, and are reportedly shopping Craig Conroy. I figured they were going with a young crop. Bringing in a 35-year-old player seems to indicate otherwise, unless he's going to be one of the lone veterans, around to guide the kids.

Toronto signs Hal Gill to a three-year, $6.3 million deal.
If the Kubina signing was an overpayment, this was a robbery on the agent's part. Hal Gill is crap. He's, at best, a fourth defenceman (which is where he'll be) and at $2.1 million, he's now vastly overpaid. Despite his massive size, he's not nearly a physical presence and has the heart of a schoolgirl. Ferguson Jr. is showing his desperation, I believe.

Carolina re-signs Eric Staal to a three-year, $13.5 million deal.
An excellent move by Jim Rutherford. I wonder if any teams would've tried to lure Staal over and bite the bullet with the RFA compensation. Staal was one of the 10 best players in the league this season and in the playoffs came into his own even further, so to get him at only $4.5 million as far as the cap hit is tremendous.

Bringing it back to Ottawa, what effect, if any, will this have on the Jason Spezza contract? If Staal gets $4.5 mil, then where does Spezza sit? Surely he's not worth more than $4 mil.

Edmonton signs Dwayne Roloson to a three-year, $11 million deal.
I view this as purely optics on Kevin Lowe's part. The team is facing a ton of heat due to the Craig MacTavish contract fiasco and the Chris Pronger nonsense, and had to bring Roloson back to keep face with much of that fanbase, I believe. Roloson's 37-years-old and is coming off a knee injury. A three-year contract committment is a big roll of the dice. I suppose an argument could be made that they had to bring Roloson back and if this what it took, so be it, but for their sake, I sure hope Roloson has that much gas left in the tank.

Vancouver signs Willie Mitchell to a four-year, $14 million deal.
Dave Nonis is manning up BIG TIME this offseason. Agree with the Roberto Luongo deal or not, it took some balls, and while the contract seemed a little excessive given his lack of playoff experience, getting his name on a long-term deal was big. Yesterday, getting both the Sedins to three-year deals was massive, and at, comparatively speaking, pretty good contracts. And this one is a home run, I think. Getting Mitchell for $3 million less than what it would've cost to keep Jovanovski is a tremendous move and gives them a lot of room to manuveur. Pretty ironic that Mitchell will be wearing a 'Nucks uniform and Bertuzzi is out of town, but if I'm a fan of the team, I'm enthused about it.

Washington signs Brian Pothier to a four-year, $10 million deal.
It's official: NHL GMs have lost their friggin minds.

St. Louis signs Jay McKee
Well damn. I was hoping he was headed our way but once again we see a team that desperately needs help overpaying to get it. All the bad contracts today are coming from teams who are in a position where they have to overspend to get it. Even Toronto, the hockey mecca where guy are supposedly willing to cut off their arms to play, had to pay a little bit more than market value for what they wanted. Such is life, I guess. On this one, the Blues are getting a hell of a player, as we in Ottawa are well aware of, but even with his signing and the re-up of Dallas Drake, that team looks to have so many holes to fill the idea of them competiting for a playoff spot seems very silly.

Los Angeles signs Rob Blake to a two-year, $12 million deal.
When I heard he wasn't going back to Colorado, I pretty much assumed this would be the end result. Blake's at the point in his career where, it seems anyway, that winning has taken a back seat to being comfortable. L.A. was a franchise he helped build in the 90's and it's a good homecoming. What I wonder is, will Kings fans still boo him everytime he touches the puck, or is all forgiven now? Also, this answers my query about whether or not the Kings are rebuilding.

Happy Canada Day

2006-07-01T12:39:00.000-04:00

On this day, remember one thing:

2006-07-01T12:02:00.000-04:00

It's not about the biggest name, but rather, the right name.

I've seen some Sens fans express that the team needs to be in the hunt for the big names during this free agent shopping period. Names like Patrick Elias, Jason Arnott, Rob Blake, Marc Savard, and Mike Peca have all been championed by passionate fans who think Ottawa needs to make a big splash. While I would love to see each in a Sens uniform, it's about more than just stature.

Let's rewind to last summer. With all those high profile players signing big deals, the Nikolai Khabibulins, Paul Kariyas, Derian Hatchers, three that flew under the radar for the most part were Frantisek Kaberle, Ray Whitney and Cory Stillman in Carolina.

At the time, I said Jim Rutherford made some crafty moves, but even I couldn't expect them to be so significant.

Despite not being the kind of signings that garner front page coverage in any sports section, local or otherwise, or even a major disection post from your favorite hockey blogger, 11 months later, there can be no disputing they were huge signings.

That is what Ottawa, and every other team, needs. The right signing. The right fit.

They need to find their Cory Stillman.

Who that is, I can't say. Maybe a Jeff Halpern or Alyn McCauley, Geoff Sanderson or Steve Rucchin, Marc Chouinard or Mike Grier, Shean Donovan or Aaron Ward.

Don't get blinded by a sexy name and previous accomplishments. They're great, but at the end of the day, it's about who fits.

Muckler on Roenick: "We're going in a different direction."

2006-06-30T23:26:00.000-04:00

That was the GM's reponse today at the Wade Redden press conference (technically afterwards in the scrum) when asked about the possibility of J.R. coming to town.

Said he has a lot of respect for Roenick and he was a great player.

So we can put a fork in that rumor, and you Leaf fans can probably go ahead and pre-order those #97 jerseys.

Bye bye Zdeno

2006-06-30T13:33:00.000-04:00

Via TSN, we now know what was becoming obvious throughout the week: Zdeno Chara is done as an Ottawa Senator.

My response? Good.

Not that I'm glad he's gone, but at the price he and his agent were asking for, it made ZERO sense to bring him back. With no starting goalie and a need for second line scoring, spending over $7 million per season on an area that is already our strength would be insane.

Which is why I thought John Muckler would do it.

Apparently, the majority of you don't feel the same way I do (based on the little local sports talk radio I listen to and the posters at the Sens board over at the HF Forums), and I figured Muckler would buckle at the fans pressure to get him back and overpay to do it.

So John Muckler just earned some points with me. Still in my doghouse, and it'll take a trade for a 20-year-old Wayne Gretzky to get him out, but I like this move.

Now the question is, what do we do about the gaping hole this creates on our blue line?

Andrej Meszaros is ready to be a top four d-man (was down the stretch, pretty much) and I think Anton Volchenkov can be as well, meaning they could theoretically go with Chris Phillips, Wade Redden, Meszaros, & the A-Train as the big four with Christoph Schubert and either a cheaply signed free agent or Filip Novak at the back-end*

*all of this said under the assumption Brian Pothier isn't coming back, which, based on his request of a long-term deal at $2 mil, he won't be.

They could get by with that, but I'd prefer that wasn't the case.

So who's available at a reasonable ($3-$3.5 million) price?

Well, you have Jay McKee, Willie Mitchell, Ruslan Salei, Jaroslav Spacek, Dick Tarnstrom, Brendan Witt, Kim Johnsson & Pavel Kubina.

A couple of these are probably slightly out of the aforementioned price range (Spacek and Johnsson, and maybe Mitchell), but we do have options, is my point.

Can any of these guys do for us what Chara did (in the regular seasons)? No. In that sense, Chara is a once-in-a-generation player.

But most of the above can provide steady play and bring experience and savvy.

As for Big Z, my prediction, and I say this without even knowing where he'll land though I have my guesses, is that he'll see his standing in the league diminish.

Ottawa teams had have a tendency of making defencemen look better than they are. Think Jason York, Lance Pitlick, & Janne Laukkanen. Two of the three left two for big contracts and were never the same.

While Bryan Murray did get away from the defence-first system Jacques Martin employed, old habits die hard and the team as a whole was still pretty responsible defensively. The forwards had "BACKCHECK" drilled into their heads for years and so it wasn't going to disappear overnight. In turn, they made life a bit easier for their defenceman teammates.

This is not to suggest that Chara will go back to being the middle of the road defender he was on Long Island, known only for his size and not his play, but I do think his days as an elite rearguard may be over.

Havlat seems to be dunzo

2006-06-30T11:01:00.000-04:00

According to Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun the talks between the Sens and San Jose Sharks about Martin Havlat and goalie Vesa Toskala have heated back up after cooling off last night.

With the Redden thing wrapped up, don't be surprised if the deal happens very soon, as there are rumblings the deal is already completed, and that it may be larger than just those two players.

However, because San Jose is shopping both of their goalies, the deal could fall apart should something juicy for Evgeni Nabakov pop up.

Wow, I feel like Eklund. I need a shower.

Finally!

2006-06-29T16:12:00.000-04:00

TSN is reporting that the Senators and Wade Redden have come to terms on a new two-year contract worth $13 million. An official announcement is expected soon.

Three thoughts:

1) That's a lot of paper. If Redden is worth $6.5 mil, what will Chara get on the open market, as that seems to be where he's headed? While I believe Redden is a superior defenceman and more important to the success of the Sens, I seem to be in the minority on this as the general consensus throughout the NHL appears to be that Chara is the better of the two. So if that's the case, surely he's looking at $7 million.

2) Did Redden give them a discount of any sort? At $6.5 mil, I'd say no. It's funny because I thought, given how the team supported him during the difficult time when his mother was dying, he would. Not that he should have, so don't get it twisted, just that he would. Was it him saying "if all dollars are equal, I'll come back"?

3) Why only a two-year deal? Was that Redden's preference or the team's? Is that good or bad? I would've thought you'd want to lock him up for more years than that, as in four or five, so you don't have this to deal with for a while, but maybe a shorter contract is better. I'm still mulling over this one.

Either way, I'm just glad Wade Redden isn't going anywhere.

As a fan, he's one of those guys I look at as our own, and though Redden wasn't born here nor was he raised, I see him as an Ottawa guy. We've seen him develop from the clumsy and often frustrating rearguard to a premiere blueliner and it's been a joy to watch.

This is in contrast to Chara, who I view as a sort of outsider. He didn't start his career here in Ottawa, and while he certainly came into his own a Senator, he's still not a Sen through and through the way guys like Redden, Chris Phillips, Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher, and Chris Neil are. That's not his fault, as he didn't ask to be drafted by such a joke of an organization, but that's simply how I feel.

Perhaps my REDDEN>CHARA sentiment just comes down to that.

I do think it's about what they bring as players, but maybe subconsciously, I just didn't want to lose one of our guys.

Believe it or not, I'm very happy about this

2006-06-28T22:28:00.000-04:00

TSN is reporting that Bryan McCabe has accepted the Maple Leaf's contract of 5 years/$28.75 million.

Why am I happy? There was word JFJ was going to heavily target Zdeno Chara if he couldn't get McCabe locked up.

As much as I don't want Chara back in Ottawa at the price he's apparently asking for, chomping up that much of the payroll, the idea of him in Toronto and us having to face him at least eight times a season had me concerned.

So phewf.

J.R. north of the border?

2006-06-28T19:01:00.000-04:00

On a slow news day (I'm waiting for that Wade Redden signing, John), the latest on the Jeremy Roenick interests me.

Roenick had some intriguing things to say:

"It was a nightmare season from hell last year," Roenick said Wednesday from Los Angeles. "The embarrassment of the season I had last year is enormous. So I've totally re-arranged my summer and re-dedicated myself to the game of hockey.

"I'm working out and getting into the best shape possible that my body can get to. I want to make amends for a season lost. It was totally embarrassing...

I've always said I would like to play in Canada before my career is over," said the 36-year-old Boston native. "And it's one thing that I'm really anxious in doing. Don't be surprised if I end up on a Canadian team next week

That's something that's high on my list...

It's not going to take much to sign me," said Roenick. "I'm not looking for the $2.5-million to $3-million deals, I'd like to go for a deal for less money and get some bonuses, which I can do at my age. I'd like my play to do the talking, get paid as to how I'm going to perform."

How sincere is this? Was Roenick pandering to the Canadian media (it was a CP story after all) or does he have legitimate interest? And if so, where?

Toronto is always an attractive landing point for veterans, because they like the idea of playing in such a large hockey market (that is, until the first time they're reemed out by the media, at which point it becomes a detrament), but you have to think Roenick wants to win a Cup and the Leafs appear to be moving away from that.

Montreal has a lot of the same appeal, what with all the tradition, but it seems as if some free agents are scared of the whole French language thing (J.R. did play in the Q for a season though).

Calgary and Edmonton are both coming off terrific seasons but, apparently, it sucks living in Alberta. Does JR have a cunty wife who has him by the balls?

If quality of life would keep him out of Alberta, then perhaps Vancouver is the destination. It's a pretty awesome place to live, I hear, and the acquisition of probably the best goalie on the planet has to make them an attractive team to play on.

And what about Ottawa? We're still considered a favorite to win the Cup, or at least Las Vegas thinks so, but Ottawa has never been very good at luring veterans here. It was hoped Dominik Hasek's signing two summers ago would sent a message to the rest of the league, but besides that, most of our UFA action saw players leaving.

Roenick's no stranger to the area, having played for the then-Hull Olympiques for the aforementioned season he played in the QMJHL.

The bigger question may be, do we want him?

There can be no denying that we have a huge, gaping hole at center in terms of the second line. Try as they might to make him such, Bryan Smolinski is no longer fit for that role, if he ever was. Mike Fisher might be, but I like him more on the third line. Antoine Vermette's an extremely talented kid, but every time the coaching staff tried to give him an increased role over the spot he occupied on the fourth line, he failed miserably, including such an opportunity in the playoffs.

However, at age 36, does Roenick have what it takes still? He's saying the right things, and I'm sure he thinks them to be true, but for every Teemu Selanne in Anaheim last season, there was a Tony Amonte in Calgary.

Last summer, the question was how would these aged vets respond to the year off. Roenick was one of those question marks and the answer we got was a depressing one. He was not nearly the impact player he had been previously.

I think it would be foolish for the Sens to not at least talk to J.R., but at the end of the day, unless he has a time machine in his back pocket, it doesn't seem like a wise move. We tried the "I want a Cup bad so look past my age" veteran player last season. Didn't go so well.