(UPDATE 11:04 AM)- Update from Sportsnet's Ian Mendes. Spezza is out with a torn MCL and will miss 6-8 weeks. No surgery is required...
The Otawa Senators begin life without Jason Spezza tonight when they host Ryan Miller and the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Place.
The injury woes have hit the Sens on another front as it's been announced that Nick Foligno will also be out tonight. In his place, defenceman Chris Campoli.
That's right, Campoli will play as a forward tonight and will skate on a line with Hennessey and Shannon.
The rest of the forward lines...
Michalek-Winchester-Alfredsson
Regin-Fisher-Kovalev
Ruutu-Kelly-Cheechoo
Campoli-Hennessey-Shannon
Brian Elliott will make his 14th straight start in the Ottawa net. That run is expected to come to an end on Saturday when the Senators host the Wild. Clouston is expected to start Mike Brodeur for that one.
122 comments:
Congrats to Cowen - from what I saw he earned it and looks like he could be a #2 in 3-4 years.
Tough break for the sens- when it rains it pours. Campoli as a forward? Yikes!! What about Smith? Another shocking display of the absurd lack of forward depth in the farm system.
elliot better be very very good tonight. Buffalo seems to have changed their playing style from the past seasons to a more defensive oriented style. They don't score a lot of goals and they give up very very few.
its going to be interesting to see campoli on the wing. same for winchester up on the first line. My bet is Clouston will juggle the lines halfway through the game and at some point we will all see Regin and Kelly both take chances up there. I expect Kelly to get the nod for the major part of spezza's injury.
Wow nice work Murray did you think at all before adding Campoli as a foward. No one in bingo you could of called up ? we need a GM like Burke.
anon @ 11:01 a.m
campoli is playing as a forward because of cap issues probably.
Uhmm... how about Cody Bass? He could at least bring some energy that were missing since Neil's out
I just threw up alittle on Anon 11:01 comment, are you serious? Thats the first name that comes to mind as a good GM?
I wouldn't doubt if Campoli is demanding ice time one way or another, remember how he left the Islanders.
Hopefully Winchester steps up, I was looking at the UFA/RFA centers for 2010 that may become available if Murray were to go that route, and the only thing half decent was Cogliano, but doubt we have the pieces to get him.
anon @ 11:01 a.m
Campoli is playing forward because of the cap space. We only have about 550 000$!
CAMPOLI is our new SCHUBERT.
Hopefully he'll be able to at least hit the net with his shot.
Good luck tonight!
Isn't possible that one or two D have minor undisclosed injuries and that Campoli is the 7th D/forward in case he is needed as a D?
PL
i think clouston should put kelly up there instead of winchester. I dont know if you guys agree, but Kelly seems to have better speed than winnie to me and....worked well between heatley and alfie last time spezza was out.
We traded a first round pick for Campoli more or less, so we should at least give him a try and find a useful spot for him on the team.
This team is a joke now nice work Murray.
I hope we see Shannon get some top line minutes again as Clouston ends up shuffling the lines. The times he played up there he brought a lot of energy and a great forecheck, keeping the puck alive in the zone. Otherwise, that 4th line may see 5 minutes of ice time tonight. Not good when you are relying on a Winchester in a new role and Regin who has fallen off his game big time since earlier this year. 3rd line may see 18 minutes tonight!
They should put Picard up front and Campoli on D, at least he doesn't stare at people as they skate right by them.
I don't understand how Picard is in and Campoli is a healthy scratch. Someone enlighten me (not Canucnik).
I like Winnie up on the first line. His work on the boards should help. He doesn't have the shot, but has made nice passes. Think he is a better option than Kelly. Campoli on the wing?! Well we will see just how good/bad his offence is now. What is up with Foligno chirp? Small snag or bigger deal? He was really playing very well since his benching.
JC can you clarify whether the Sens are putting Spezza on the LTIR to get cap relief or not.
They only way they get the relief of his Salary off the cap is if he goes on the LTIR.
(can you update that on the blog instead of the comments, as I might miss it :D )
Dale
No word on Foligno yet but he too is having some tests done today.
Not sure if Spezza will go on long term IR or not. I haven't heard anything like that yet but we'll see what happens today.
I have faith. There will be a lot of line juggling tonight. Campoli-Hennessey-Shannon has got to be the worst line in the NHL. Can anyone think of a worse combo? I doubt they'll see much ice tonight. Good luck boys, you'll need it. GO SENS GO!!!
Murray should ask Burke for some help on how to build a team, I understand they are freinds.
campoli will be interesting on the wing. its might just get his offensive game going lol haha
absolutely don't agree with poster who said put shannon on the top line. first off, thats going to cost us faceoff. second, he is a power ranger on skates and the leafs game showed the physical disadvantage. no, no and no. clouston seems to have gotten over his mancruch on shannon, and thats the way it should be. he brings speed, but he doesnt bring forecheck lol. what forecheck when the opposing guy is twice as big as you.
Why bother starting Mike Brodeur. I like Winchester on the 1st line.
I hope they still pitch for Filatov. Hell a 1st and a 2nd rounder. I would do that. Pretend he's your 1st pick this year and throw in the SanJOsé 2nd. What are you really losing + Lee. Go Murray Go.
THe guy has 6 goals in 19 games. And the whole world saw how good he was at the world Juniors last year.
Just my opinion - we're getting blown out of the water tonight.
anyone else wonder what murray is doing? campoli as a forward? how about calling up the 4th leading scorer in the ahl martin st. pierre? better yet, how about making a trade for a forward since spezza will be out for 2 months? jesus...
i'm hoping murray has something else in the works and only did this because the game is tonight and something needed to be done
I never got why Shannon was giving so many opertunitys, yes he is fast but thats were it ends, can't forecheck can't carry the puck, it just seems he is scared to get hit. Oh and nice work on that Campoli trade Murray dah, we could of used that draft pick to make a real trade, when you gone.
I'm not saying this because of the injuries, more because the astonishing lack of depth and talent, but this team is at least 4 years away from being a contender right now. The sooner management admits this, the better off we'll be. I will personally keep going to see the sens through a rebuilding phase. In fact, I'd prefer it to this pathetic "get on a run in the playoffs crap". When was the last time one of those fluke teams won the cup? Not made the finals, WON. Anybody?
It's enough with the frigging flogging the horse. It's dead already. Everyone can see it but management. Move on, get a new one. We have some good pieces going forward. But not enough. Not nearly enough. And sooner or later it's going to get worse before it gets better. Let's make it now and get it over with. Enough hanging out in limbo. Rebuild.
I suspect that keeping Campoli in as a forward is because they expect Foligno back next game... that's the only thing that makes sense to me anyway.
Some guys need to step up tonight though. I am very hopeful for Winnie and Regin, those are the two I expect to see more ice-time and elevate their game.
Here's hoping for a good game against buffalo, they usually are nice games.
It's so crazy it just might work!
Why is everyone blaming Murray for putting Campoli as a forward? That's Clouston's decision. Murray already called up Hennessy for the fourth line. Another call up won't make much difference anyway. Might as well play Campoli and save the cap space and see what he can do up front.
I can see that if it only for one game, we just have so many 4th liners, on this team, I would call them more AHL players, they should try Ruutu he does have skill.
PG.
Tampa Bay - They sure as hell weren't supposed to win the cup but they found a way. Sure they finished higher up in the regular season but they were nowhere near contenders at the beginning of the year.
Carolina - Knocked off the all powerful Sabres. They were not expected to win the Cup but look what happened they won it.
Penguins - They were a mess last year and not even in the playoffs at the halfway point. They got on a good run. Got some good breaks. Detroit didn't show up for game 6-7 and they won.
So there you go that's 3 teams in the last 5 years that probably should not have won but did. The league has a ton of parity. Anyone can win the cup if they get into the playoffs. That's a fact.
The difference between getting a top 5 pick and a top 15 pick isn't that huge. Unless you get a Crosby or an Ovechkin your team more or less stays the same. Ask those teams that have been bottom feeders for the better part of a decade how many draft busts they've had. The reality is this team will not be starting a rebuild until Alfie is done. That's just how its going to be. Watch the team rally around this injury situation and make you eat your words. They did it once before. They were having a terrible start to that season. Oh yeah then ended up driving themselves all the way to the finals. Another team that wasn't expected to be there after the 25-30 game mark. Go figure.
Just heard this conversation between the coach and my good friend, Yoda:
Clouston: "I won't fail you. I'm not afraid."
Yoda: "You will be. You will be."
Should be interesting tonight, Senators fans...
I am guessing that Clouston will essentially use 3 lines tonight so Campoli, Hennessy and Shannon will see minimal time on the ice.
This entire Campoli in front thing is getting blown out of proportion. He not going to play 25 min as a F.
My prediction is that Campoli and Hennessy play less than 5 min. Shannon will play a bit more as he will presumably get some time on the PP.
PL
To all the idiots that are asking why campoli is in as a forward. Here are a few reasons.
1. SALARY CAP
2. Chris Neil is due back soon
3. With the team's luck another injury could hit the blue line.
So think before you spout shit.
I agree with PG, we need to rebuild but not with the current mamagment, Look at Toronto now we will never beat them again until we rebuild, murray is just not a leader, like burke
I cant believe the Murray hate for Campoli playing up front.
I think people will take any excuse to hate on him really. Maybe JUST MAYBE, foligno being out was a last minute thing, and the only extra skater they had was Campoli!?
Or maybe, they havent decided whether to put Spez on LTIR or not, and therefore couldnt bring up Cody Bass (-15 in bingo) or Z. Smith (again, having a terrible year)
In reality, this is a bandaid solution for this game only. Campoli, if he does one thing well, is rush the puck, so this actually might not be so bad.
Why does everyone just constantly dump on this team in this forum? The worst line in the NHL before you have even seen them play. Hmm
Guys.. Carkner is a RW and he`s on D and look how well that`s playing out! May as well try it with a guy with lots of offencive skills and brutal deffensive skills.
And to the rest of you who bash Murry all the time.. this is not EA NHL10 or whatever! You can`t just make a trade! Wow! seriously! It really grinds my gears that people who have no idea how the hockey world works write the stupidest comments on these boards! And for thoes of you how praise Burk, dont be a Sens fan, continue being a Leaf fan.. we`ll see who wins in the end.
I agree with MGD,
this is crazy enough to work. Gooooooooooo Sens!!!!
Winne with a gino and apple!!!
2-1 sens final
Spezza and Foligno out?
We are FUBAR!!!
Engin, I couldn't agree more,
also you can only have so many players on a team( not sure about injuries). Are we at are max?
A look at the Team Canada defence in 2010...
http://goldrush2010.blogspot.com/
This team is not a contender this year so might as well accept all the line experimenting as crazy as it might seem to you. This is a perfect opportunity for Murray and the coaching staff to assess what they have, how prospects are developing in actual game situations as opposed to training camp. I have no expectations this year and I don't see why folks are wanting BM's head, he's knows what he's doing, just be patient and try to appreciate the fact that the future looks bright (yes it does) and just chillax and try to enjoy the positives. In 2-3 years from now we will be praising Murray's work. All teams go through cycles and Sens are no different.
I will be at the game tonight and I can't wait to see Hennesy back, Winny on the first, Camps playing forward. I think Alfie will have a great game as Milan and Winny should make some room for him to work his magic. Have faith!!
GO SENS GO!!!!!!
Wow, all you people crapping on Murray after one leaf win over the sens have got to calm down. How short is your memory? Sens are leading the series. And just two weeks ago the leafs were considered a laughing stock - now Burke is a 'leader'? Spezza, Foligno, and Neil are out and somehow its Murray's fault that he has to put an offensive defenceman in a forward position and call up Hennessy from Bingo? As great as it is that we have the 4th leading AHL scorer in Bingo (defying all these arguments about the terrible job Murray has done on fwd depth) do you really think this guy can be plucked all of the sudden from Bingo, make it to the game on time, and do a better job than Campoli? Campoli knows the system. We're already paying him. But you'd rather burn up cap space on the gamble that an AHLer can outperform him tonight? For all anybody knows this will be a one-game call-up and Foligno will be back. Weird times inspire weirder opinions I guess.
Tim
We are slowly becoming an AHL team under cloutson/murray.
I posted that about Burke and no one hates the leafs more then I do, I think we all can see what Bruke is doing for the Leafs, and he had a lot less to work with then Murray did we had a top team in the NHL. wake up all of you.
methinks there are lots of leafy trolls here today
To Anon at 12:38 PM,
Trading away all future draft picks and over paying for slow footed D? A recipe for success for sure!
It was only a matter of time before these clowns found our Leaf-free sanctuary.
Guess I'll need to be a little more careful with the comments till they tire themselves out.
The Leafs are only winning because Kessel is hot right now.. once he cools down then the team will come back to reality and be medicore at best. Remember that Burk traded away his 2010 1st, 2011 first and some second round picks for Kessel!! that`s INSAINE! Sure he`s doing good now but give it a year and no one will be calling Burk a Leader, or a Genius or whatever.. Murray has to try to rebuild our AHL team also.. It`s not his fault that he doesn`t have great players comming out of the AHL right now, that was Mucklers doing. And as a fellow Senators fan said earlier, this is a Great time to try out some of our prospects, see who works, see what works and have a good Idea what we need come draft time, you know, the draft where Toronto will not have a 1st or 2nd round pick.
wow. cant believe the amount of crap spewing here about a decision which is purely cap based. and plus, give it a chance you boneheads, maybe campoli turns out to be a solid fourth line winger. he sure has the swingman offensive instincts, and he can take a shot for sure, isnt afraid to shoot. give it a chance you stupid clowns before you open your shitboxes and start spitting shit out.
and um...as for the leafs bandwagoners on this blog who are calling burke the messiah. yeah, um when its all said and done, boston will still pick in the top 5. watch it. beating backup goaltenders and teams in minislumps. yea right. if only. leafs make the playoffs? probably not in my lifetime :)
I would have started Karlesson as a forward - at least he can skate like the wind.
These next 8 weeks is going to be rough, but if we are in a playoff spot and the end of it then we will remain there the rest of the way. Now is not the time to call out our whole team, it's time to "Rev Up The Red" and kick the Sabres asses...
If at the trade deadline we are 7-8 points away from a playoff spot then I say we trade away Volchie and Phillips in order to rebuild. I would hate to see them go, but the return on them would be huge. I am not opposed to trading Alfie, but only to a true cup contender (except San Jose), so that he can wina cup. Let's hope however it will never come to that.
Annon 12:38,
Bahaha Burke has done a better job than Murray with a lot less???
the leafs are going through a hot streak and have jumped all the way into a tie for second last in the nhl! They are currently doing worse than last year, while the senators are much better than last year.
Furthermore, the sens have some solid prospects coming through the system and we have two future blue chip defenceman in karlsson and cowen. what do the leafs have? kadri is the only prospect with real game breaking potential and no draft picks coming up...
so no matter how you look at it, there is no way burke is doing a better job than murray
SC, I love how you go on the offence! Well done man. Your comments are always dripping with sarcasm... such a nice change from other bloggers who are usually too composed.
this is depressing
Boris,
I try to stay out of it for the most part but sometimes I just can't help myself.
to the people hating on BM/Clouston for putting Campoli forward you should hold out on the negative comments till you see the result, how about trying to support your team but it appears that most people just like to hear themselves talk and Regurgitate what they heard around the office waterbottle.
Go Sens Go!
To Anon at 12:38 PM,
Aren't the leafs like 29th in a 30 team league? And we should be more like them? is it me, or do leaf fans always seem like they way overvalue their players and team.
um....people who are saying burke is doing a better job.
um ever wonder who did all the hard groundwork before Burke just stepped into an already winning combo? yea, Bryan Murray, GM of the ottawa senators, EX-GM of THE ANAHEIM DUCKS. idiots, BM is the guy who picked Getzlaf at 19 overall and wait for it: Corey Perry at 28th overall.
Hey everyone and SC,
You know, I was pretty confused about making Campoli a forward, i wouldve expected Keller or St. Pierre to be called up.
However, it makes a lot of sense, just hear me out:
Campoli is an NHL caliber Offensive Defensemen. Even though he doesnt show it, you have to understand that this kid played on the ISLANDERS! Everyone sucked on that team.
Last year he had 13 points in 25 games with the sens, compared to his 17 points in 51 games with the Islanders before he was traded.
The guy is only 25 years old, I think he deserves the opportunity to rack some points up as a forward. You cant really blame him for sucking, he was with picard half the season.
I think it would do everyone good to see how he plays as a forward simply because if it works out, then not only does he get his ice-time but he also gets a chance to prove what hes really worth.
Lets hope Clouston knows what hes doing!
Go Sens Go!
-Carlos
Campoli gets a hat trick - book it
clouston does know what he is doing. unlike some boneheads over here who seem to have kidneys inside their helmets instead of an actual brain.
campoli can skate, he can shoot the puck and ofcourse he can make a pass too. what else can you ask from a 4th line forward in terms of skill?
Clouston even said himself that is infact LOOKING FORWARD to campoli playing on the wing. and this will be a better experiment than Schubert on the wing, since Campoli can ofcourse skate much faster. It should be good I personally think.
LOL, Leaf Trolls are everywhere man, they are like walware/spyware on the net.
Dude who ever you were talking to Yoda leave now and never return. You're weird.
To all the sky is falling skiddish guys take a breather, step back from the ledge and pour a decaf it's going to be OK.
To all the boys telling it like it is keep the faith lads. Sure there'll be an adjustment period but whining about injuries and demanding trades isn't going to help. The salary cap kiled the trade, you make your team in the off season and live with it right or wrong. We'll be somewhere between 6 and 10th spot and if we get in hopefully we make some noise if not we try it again next year.
The ledge jumpers are entertaining though. Awesome.
who cares about the leafs??...geeeezzz!!!
AND DON'T RESPOND TO THE TROLLS!!!
Let's keep this blog nice and red please.
I'll put all my money down that Campoli gets a hat-trick tonight.
As well, since I'll be at the game tonight, Chris Phillips will net another goal. It always happens.
"The ledge jumpers are entertaining though. Awesome."
-Anonymous @ 1:53
I couldnt agree more- I love reading the comments here, some of you post well thought out feedback. Others are flat at insane. Keep up the good work senschirp, you draw quite the mixed bag of fans here
I'm curious why we don't move Carkner up to forward and put Campoli on D if Carkner is a natural winger.
Wow campoli as a forward now i know the team is screwed up thanks bm
1. Campoli might play awesome on forward and it might only be for 1 game, lets all calm down.
2. Brian Murray is doing a much better job then Burke and deserves a lot of credit for helping rebuild this team.
3. That being said, Steve Yzerman will be the next GM of the Sens
BOOK IT!!!
Win or Lose always a Sens fan!!!
I'm curious why we don't move Carkner up to forward and put Campoli on D if Carkner is a natural winger.
my guess is he wants to keep the defence lines intact since everything else is in a shuffle
on top of that Campoli has double as much to prove on a brand new line with a castdown and callup
Not to mention CCC seems to always prefer to fall back on speed and mobility, which Carkner doesn't have much off
And lastly, I almost guarantee that the 6th D and 12th F will be juggled throughout the game
Why not call up Mr. X from bingo
Probably for Cap reasons
can't really fit another player on the roster
and some of our guys are just about ready to come back
The Coach for Bingo was on the Team1200 and mentioned that they were tying to find some players to put in the line up, so they are short players as well.
Anon 12:33 - "We are slowly becoming an AHL team under cloutson/murray."
Yessss...because it's totally Clouston/Murray's fault that about 1/3 of our forwards are all injured at the same time.
If you take Malkin, Crosby, Guerin and Staal out of Pittsburgh's line up they'll become an AHL team too.
People are stupid. :\
no I hate the leafs but like Burke he is a true leader, look what he did with the leafs so far and look what BM did to once a great team.
Campoli
Cheechoo
Kuba
Kovelav
Shannon
loseing
Heatley
Chara
Nice work Murray
Listen Mr. Burke. It's awesome that you visit my website but don't you have an NHL franchise to worry about?
ahaha 3:02, another misguided fan that thinks Murray lost Chara..... it was muckler. Nice Work
I keep reading that Dustin Brown is available (just websites, no credible sources), is there any truth in that? and wouldn't he look good on a line with Fish!!!!
I propose a Senschirp regulars fieldtrip to a popular Leafs blog, who's with me?
The injury to spezza may be a good thing. It will give him time to heal whatever was bothering him before. Hopefully Ottawa can keep in the playoff race for the next two months. Once spezza returns hopefully he finds his game and helps us return to the playoffs this year.
The defenseman and Elliot will have to step up soon, cause without spezza and foligno, we will be hard pressed to score goals. The sens are going to have to win low scoring games.
Did Muckler not loose Chara? And instead of looking at just the players that Murray brought in, look at what he got them foor, examples:
Campoly and Comrie for SJ 2009 1st and Mccamond
Leclair and CLB 2nd for Vermette!!
Cheechoo AND Michalik AND a SJ 2010 2nd pic (i think it`s 2010) for Heatley who did not want to play in Ottawa no more.. Murray had no other choice, he did not want Cheechoo, but it was take Cheechoo or nothing.. plus if he could of traded Heatley away for Crosby or Ovechkin or even Stall he would of done it.. duh..
Kuba and Picard for Mezzaros!!
Shannon for a dud.. does anyone know who it was?
Kovelev was a signing..
Murray signed Spezza, Alfi and Heatley to long term deals, with Volchenkov and Philips on D.. he gets great contracts out of the players..
Was it not Murray who brought Heatley in to beggin with? Heatley for Hossa... I`d do it any day.
The only 'bad' trade Murray has done (and once again I`m pretty sure it was Murray) was Havalat, but he is INJURY prone, everone knows it.. and did we not get Corvo out of it?
Oh.. the Corvo trade.. for Commodor and who again? Commodor had a awesome first game.. then did shit.. but Corvo wanted out.. so whatever.. it was worth a try, Commodor is what we needed.. finaly found it in Carkner.
Murray had nothing to do with getting Heatley, losing Chara or trading Havlat
man oh man, everyone is thinking murray did all these trades, havlat? Muckler? Heatley for Hossa? Muckler! Come on guys
Muckler was the one who trades Havlat and got absolutly nothing in return.
Right.. I wasnt sure if it was Muckler or Murray for Hossa and Havalat.. My mistake.
What are the chances that Yzerman would become Sens GM? He did grow up in nepean and stated he would like to become a GM...
Shannon was traded for Lawrence Nycholat who i believe isn't even the best hockey player in his own family.
when Murray traded for Commodore and Stillman most people were saying it was exactly what we needed. An agressive, tough stay at home dman and a veteran forward presence. We lost Corvo who had already requested a trade and cried if anybody mentioned the fact that he might not be the most defensively sound player in the world and Patrick Eaves who had one good year when even my grandmother could have scored goals for the Sens, but has been an underachiever.
I reckon that was just an OK trade that didn't work out. The problem with that trade was bringing Commodore and Stillman (both UFA's) into a dressing room that was going bad on Murray's watch - and that's the single criticism of Murray I have, and even then he sorted it by getting rid of Redden, Emery, McGrattan and Meszaros.
karma really is a bitch eh.
muckler traded hossa for heatley right after signing hossa. and look at what heatley did to the senators.....
Murray has done an excellent job. He has built up the farm team very well and it's been a long time since we had a GM who drafts as well as he does.
People just don't want to face reality. It's not realistic to expect your team to be top four in the conference every year.
We had our shot. Now we're on a down-cycle where we are going to be a middle of the pack team for the next 2-3 years. If we develop our prospects and young players well and carefully sign good UFA bargains we'll cycle back upwards again.
It's not like finishing first in your conference is any guarantee of winning the cup. Realistically anyone in the top six in either conference has a pretty good shot. It's about playing well as a team and everyone raising their game at the right time. One team every year has everything fall into place. That's just how it is.
most of you are all crazy : do you think Ottawa fans are going to wait 2-3 years for another team, every one exspet you lot will stop going to the games like I have the teaam will fold. this market is to small. if Murray goes I will start going to the games again. and I am not alone.
Murray didnt let Chara walk, Muckler was the GM then and he chose Redden. so before you start blaming Murray for losing Chara you should get your facts right. GO SENS!
Amazing how so many posters are living in the past !!
Get over it !!
What's done and gone, is over!
Who cares who did what !!
Today is where we are at, and I think our team looks as good as any team !
We did beat Pens on Nov 12th, and then beat Caps on Nov23rd !!
Move on already !!
Robert Cyr
Not only did Murray goose Redden, but he ate the last slice of pizza. OTOH, Murray will get us a hat trick tonight! LEDGER IT!
Murray's record is indefensible.
We have gone from the Finals, to swept by the Pens in the first round, to missing the playoffs, to being a bubble team this year.
Contrast that with the things he has promised us. When he took over, he made changes and said that we were a better team, not worse. We got swept in the first round.
Then he said that the locker room needed more character. He added his character. He said that we would finish top four in the conference. We missed the playoffs.
This year he said that we had more depth and were a better team. The jury is still out. I don't want to hear that we missed the playoffs because of Spezza's injury. We are suppose to have more depth, as per Murray.
Spezza missed many games in 2007, and we were fine. No excuses this time.
Murray's had a fair shot with this team. Many other owners would have fired him long ago. Let's see happens over the next little while.
JoeMan, your info is way off, it doesn't even make sense. You must be joking.
hey maybe campoli is a better forward and you know what i think he will be.
GO SENS GO!!!!!
It's the same old argument we have on this site once a week. It's so boring.
The Murray haters ignore the good things he has done in his career and in his time with this team and it's not fair.
The Muckler era left this team with a small window for success. They missed their shot and left the cupboard extremely bare in the process.
That's why the team's performance with Murray as GM has been sub par.
The good news is the Sens have been able to draft and develop some solid prospects both on defense (Karlsson, Cowen, Wiercioch) and in goal (Lehner).
But at least Muckler left us with memories of his extensive sweater collection ;)
Bondra for Laich...egad...its almost Milburyesque
How am I joking? I was wrong on the Hossa and Havalat trades as it was Muckler and not Murray who did thoes.. but take away the Havalat trade and Murray has only one "bad" deal..
You cant trade shit and get star players.. again.. it's not NHL 10 here.. you trade shit and hope the shit you get is a little better.. and if you ask me it IS better then what was dealt away.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, I dont shy away from the truth..
"Ottawa Senators traded Andrej Meszaros to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Filip Kuba, Alexander Picards and a 1st round selection in 2009." TSN
oh.. right.. i was wrong.. there was a 1st rounder in there..
"Ottawa Senators traded Antoine Vermette to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Pascal Leclaire and a 2nd round selection in 2009." TSN
"Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli to the Ottawa Senators for a 1st round draft pick and Dean McAmmond" Islesblogger.com
where am I joking? shall I go on? you probably think Burk is wonderwoman too don't you.
And I agree with Senschirp.. this is getting old.. always the same bull from "Sens fans". Campoly will be a foward tonight!! Shall be interesting to watch how it goes!
I didn't read all the comments, only half, so if I'm not the first to point this out then kudos to whoever did. Compoli playing forward isn't shocking considering he started as a forward in Long Island and played a lot of it there. He is a forward turned dman. Do some research people people you decide to rip Murray and Clouston.
JoeMan,
Clearly you're joking as you can't spell half the players names.
Anon at 6:32 PM,
Are you sure about that?
I was watching an interview with Campoli today where he said he hasn't played forward since he was like 5 years old.
The game that Spezza got hurt in he gave the puck away so many times I thought he should put the other teams jersey on. I hope his absence proves once and for all that we can have so much more for the money we are paying him. Please Bryan take a chance and do something good for this team. Move Spezza.
Move for who?
The people who rag on Spezza have to be people that don't watch any other teams play.
Guys that play the game like he does give the puck away. It's high risk, high reward.
I used to not like Spezza much, because he'd turn the puck over so much and cost us tons of goals. However, this season he has been very good at stealing the puck from the other teams' players, and has played much better D. Every player is going to make turnovers, so there's no use in complaining about them. I just wish he could play offense and defense at the same time- I'm sure he will figure that out soon enough haha
-- PS
Im guilty for ripping Spezza too. But hes really got a ton of hockey skill. Give him a trigger man and he'll be back to his old self. I watch all the Sens games here in TO as well as the laffs, sabres and habs. Im sure any of these teams would love to have Spezz on their roster. Give it some time folks he will come around. Murray will make things work....sometimes its a slow process when your molding your hockey team. We've been so spoiled having a dominant hockey team in the past that we are ready to burn the Bank down now. Be patient we will have our time again. Go Sens Go.
TOsensfan
Anon a 6:32 here. I am (was) 95% sure he played some forward on the Island, but I've been wrong before. Obviously he said that then I am wrong. Either way it makes sense so why the uproar?
Maybe I missed a post making the correction, but Mat Carkner is not a natural winger.
He's a natural defenceman, played his entire career as a defenceman and was drafted as one, until the Sens tried him on the wing in camp last year.
We was invited to camp this year as a winger, but the dearth of talent on the backend combined with a glut of fourth liners and a lack of toughness helped him earn the spot at D.
That, combined with the fact he's playing top 4 minutes on D and too valuable on the PK is why he's not being asked to move up (at least not yet).
- Jalen
hey SC, if the spezza haters on your comments section had their way, we would have John Madden or Bobby Holik or Sami Pahlsson centering the top line of the ottawa senators.
the spezza haters need a good strong head shake. he is currently the only elite level playmaker we have on our team who also happens to be only 25. fisher is going great, but when spezza is on his offensive game, fisher can't come close. plus fisher hits 30 next year. even if we do trade him, who do we have who can replace him? do we have another top-end centreman in the ranks? are there a lot of top centremen available in the league who are also young? every team covets a top centreman, just go ask Mtl or Toronto or Calgary about how they feel not having that guy who you know can bring something special, win faceoffs, be a solid offensive threat on his own and make his linemates dangerous. sure spezza has slumped, but you wont mistake stajan, plekanec, gomez and langkow for elite centremen.
wingers you can replace. there is tons available and its not so hard to shoot the puck. playmaking centremen, no you can't. look around the league and the teams who have them covet them, baby them and try to keep them for lifetime. and so should the senators. because we only have one. we are not like detroit or the pens with two, three guys down the middle.
plus. as everyone has already seen, top wingers only go where top centremen are. because they know their chances of winning and improving their personal records are only good with a good top centreman. otherwise what was stopping Heatley from going to the oilers or elsewhere. so if we trade away spezza, we automatically become a less attractive spot for top UFA goal scoring wingers.
anyone know of a stream for tonights game?
lol I did not notice that the headlines that i copied and pasted from had spelling mistakes in the players names! haha nice..
But spelling is also not my strenght..
It's jokes that you write that I'm joking when you're proven wrong. Jokes I tell ya.
And I fully agree with hq. Trading Spezza would be of absolutely no advantage to us. Spezza is so awesome I actualy asked for a Spezza jersey for Christmas.. hahaha
Chirp -
You should set up an in-game chatroom much like you do when you cover games with in-game blogs. Those are excellent!
Hey Sc,
save your breath buddy, these people will continue to hound this website people theyre ignorant and they have no idea what has happened in our past. They just think it was all Murray, and their precious Burke is their messiah.
Dont bother with them. lets concentrate on the game tonight and hope the senators pull out a W for Spezza, Neil and Donovan tonight!
Go Sens Go!!!
-Carlos
campoli looks like a natural foward out there.
Chirp, I miss the game blogging!!!
Im doing a live blog right now folks!
Cmon over!
http://liveblogs.thescore.com/Event/NHL_-_Sabres_vs_Senators
Just quickly scoping through all the posts I have two things to say.
1. Chara was not resigned because MUCKLER chose Redden over him, not Murray.
2. If its not been said yet I'm saying it now. The reason Campoli is playing forward is because it was too late to call up a player from Binghamton by the time Ottawa learned Foligno would be out. Some of you might remember Montreal got a huge fine because they used an ineligible player because the NHL was notified too late.
Also, the baby Sens are currently in Norfolk Virginia getting ready for a game... the travel to get back to Ottawa in time might not have been doable.
Carlos: You forget that SC has to filter through all these garbage comments everyday.
Seriously SC, I sympathise with you... I go nuts seeing idiot drivers on the road everyday. Is there such a thing as netrage?
Go Sens!
did we just lose volchie?
BeJamin
Because you say "that's a fact" does not make it one. The Canes finished with 112 points the year they one the cup. Certainly not a fringe team eking it out in the finals. But their oponent was. That's why they lost. I can't believe you brought up last years Pens as a darkhorse. Are you kidding? They went to the finals with a young team the year before and were a pre-season favourite. The Lightning won the east the year they won the cup. Not exactly a dark horse.
Five of the current six division leaders are teams that have rebuilt recently. Fairly compelling evidence.
There is parity in the nhl in the post-lockout era. All those middle of the pack teams remain there for a long time. But the teams willing to suck it up and well... suck for a while eventually rise to the top.
Did Volchenkov not return?
Great crowd tonight! Great game! GO SENS!
BTW - don't forget Holy Molie Chris Campoli is the guy that scored TWO goals in the same play!
Campoli had some serious jump in his game tonight. Good on him!
If he's working up front, may as well keep him there. Although I was watching the Buffalo feed on TSN2, Josh Hennessey was virtually invisible past the mid-way mark of the 1st. Lots of penalties surely played a factor.
Regin displayed some nice moves but couldn't finish off his plays. Miller was huge for Buffalo.
Fun game to watch. I hope Clouston keeps the lines this way (unless he calls up Smith from the AHL to play instead of Campoli) to see if this was a blip or there's actually some potential with this lineup.
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