Here is this week's winner. This "Chirp of the Week" comes from GMC and compares this year's edition of the Ottawa Senators with the team that went to the Finals back in 2007.
Interesting way of looking at things...
Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson vs Michalek-Spezza-Alfredsson
Alfredsson isn’t the same force, but he’ still an elite ageless wonder. Spezza’s game seemed to decline until fairly recently, when he finally realized he could shoot the puck. Michalek is a downgrade in terms of goalscoring from Heatley, but brings better defense, speed and grit. Though less offensively dominant, I like the current incarnation a bit better, especially for play-off hockey (Though hopefully Michalek isn’t doubly cursed come play-off time. After all he is a former Shark. Scary.)
Cullen-Fisher-Kovalev vs Schaefer-Fisher-Comrie
Certainly a HUGE upgrade. Fisher is having his best year, Cullen is so much better in all areas than Schaefer, and Kovalev, when he wants, can do things Mike Comrie can only dream of. Again, 2010 wins it, though much more emphatically.
Foligno-Regin-Shannon vs Schubert-McAmmond-Eaves(Saprykin)
Ok, I realize I’m comparing 2010’s third line with 2007’s 4th. That’s because 2007’s 4th and 2010’s third are almost identical. Got that?
Anyway, another major upgrade. Regin lacks McAmmonds veteran status, but he often plays with veteran poise. He can do it all, and I believe that at least in terms of offensive and defensive play, he’s the next Alfie. Foligno brings more to the table than Schubert, though he sacrifices some grit. Shannon and Eaves are almost a crap shoot really. Still, once again a major win for 2010.
Ruutu-Kelly-Neil vs Vermette-Kelly-Neil
Less offense and versatility, more grit. More scoring on every other line makes up for the former. The latter is essential com play-off time. And 2010 sweeps the forward ranks.
Phillips-Volchenkov vs Phillips-Volchenkov
Phillips just seems to get better with age. His poise in his own end, and his improvements at moving the puck, make him probably the most underrated defensive defenseman in the league. Volchenkov is a beast, and everyone knows it. Obviously a draw, though i might lean towards 2010 as added experience could help out. (Note: I still believe they should be separated, putting Karlsson with Phillips and Kuba with Volchenkov, therefore spreading out the offense and defense and balancing the pairings.)
Kuba-Karlsson vs Redden-Meszaros
Kuba isn’t really a downgrade from post 2006 Redden. just MUCH cheaper. otherwise your getting the same. 30-40 point offensive minded defenseman who gets overpowered in his own zone. like-wise Karlsson and Meszaros look very similar, but I’ll give the edge to Karlsson, as despite his size, he doesn’t shy away from contact.
Sutton-Carkner vs Preissing-Corvo
So much different…gritty defense instead of steady offense. The lack of the latter was part of the 07 teams downfall…could this be this years Scuderi-Gill? I certainly hope so. If this pairing requires some mobility or offense, Campoli could step in. I’m going to call this a draw.
Elliot vs Emery
Oh how very similar these two are. Both came in as rookies and helped salvage a season, then watched as management brought in a unproven starter who was supposedly better. Then both won the number one job when the new starter faltered. But since Elliot isn’t a headcase, I’ll give him the advantage.
LeClaire vs Gerber
Both can let in agonizing softies. LeClaire has more upside, but is about as fragile as a glass Sami Salo figurine. Draw
So, if you count a win as 2 points, a draw as 1, and a loss as 0, 2010 wins hands-down. 2010: 12 2007: 3
I think we have a very good chance of coming out of the East this year.
Washington has the same problems as the Russian national team: no defense or goaltending. New Jersey is about our equal, but we could beat them in a 7 game series. We always have Buffalo’s number. Pittsburgh should be exhausted after two long play-off runs. Philadelphia has two back-up goaltenders.
If we can exploits these flaws, we could make it to our second Finals.
GelatinousMutantCoconut
59 comments:
Yeah whoever this guy is he loses all credibility when he suggests A-Train and Phillips should be split up. Let's just split up 7+ years of excellent chemistry because that makes total sense... NOT.
Not to mention the imagination it must take to think our first line is better now than it was then. I'm sorry but those three guys were dominant in the NHL that year and Alfie was having by far his best season and best playoffs ever. They were capable of making other teams look silly not just in the regular season but all through the playoff run. The 2007 first line was better and it's not even close. That being said the Heatley trade has given us scoring balance and depth. Something we have in fact improved. We depend much less on our 1st line now so they don't need to be nearly as dominant as they were in 2007 for us to have a shot.
Now lets compare our team to the 1977 team ... man I really dont understand why people even waste their time with this comparison. It's a totally different team, we have a new general manager and have gone in a totally different direction, SIZE AND GRIT. Its like comparing a forward with a goalie and asking "who is better?" Plus the whole dynamic of the Eastern Conference has changed. Not saying the starts can't align, but comparing the teams give no indication of anything. Any team can win and any team can be beaten in playoff hockey. Has nothing to do with whether we are better than the 2007 senators or not.
Great job. I'd just like to see this team healthy on Tuesday and really have a statement game against a weak opponent. Very important road trip to get back on track.
Nice write-up but until this current team wins two games in a Cup finals, it's an inferior team in a largely better and younger conference.
Two Cup final wins would exceed te 2007 team's performance. Anything less is an underachievement.
Losing in the first or second round would be a disgrace.
Great analysis by GMC! I miss 2007 but I have a feeling this team can go all the way!!!
Personnaly, I find you're exaggerating how good this team is just a little bit. I like our chances in the playoffs, especially in getting through the first round, but to say this team is much better than the 07 team is quite frankly a little ridiculous:
1) The 07 team didn't have the 30th ranked powerplay in the league.
2) Alfy was 3 years younger, and there's been a considerable, though obviously not total, drop off in his play (he's still solid, just not exceptional)
3) To say our first line this season is better than the 07 line is absolutely ridiculous. The 07 line was much stronger and, more significantly, much more consistent.
Our chances to come out of the east this season will probably rest on one thing, as it usually does, whether or the not the team peaks at the right time.
Great way to look at things!
While I agree with most of what you said I have a couple reservations.
1) phillips volchenkov are nowhere near as dominant this year as they were in 07. That year, they literally shut down everyone. This year they have been good, but nowhere close to 07.
2) Our current first line is also nowhere near as good as 07. Spezza and Heatley had unreal chemistry that just isnt being brought with michalek. also, alfie is clearly showing the effects of age now and while still an excellent player, cant completely take over the game to the same extent.
I would argue that we are nowhere near as strong as the 07 team strictly based on the difference of the first lines. In 07 that line tore up the league, and now, the line will probably end up producing 110 points less over the season.
I think that loss of first line scoring greatly outweighs the added depth we have.
nice confidence in our team guys , right on!!!
the one thing that makes us better-ANDY SUTTON!!!
No use comparing teams with an entirely different coach. And Leclaire wins over Gerber, while (Past)Redden + Meszaros win over Kuba and Karlsson. Obviously once Karlsson's 22 that'll change completely.
hey chirp how do these folks go about sending in a weekly rant???
karlsson is going to be the best offensive defenceman this team has ever had....FUCK MEZSAROS!!!
Just send them to the site email at sensrumours@hotmail.com
I have been saying the same thng as this guys chirp of the week. Just wait till we get healthy again it wont matter who we face in the playoffs out of all the eastern teams we will give them a good run.
Roger, peaking at the right time is important, but goaltending is our usual downfall. While we have more defenders, we lack the offensive dmen we once had. This is why I hope Campoli is put in over Carkner when he's healthy. Also, Fish and Kovalev need to get back in a groove. I truly believe Kovalev will come alive and want it more in playoffs. I hope Kuba and Karlsson gain chemistry together and Sutton plays with Campoli.
So guys, Elliott or Leclaire in playoffs?!
You definitely have too much Sens bias.
1) Regin the next Alfie?
2) Leclaire equal to Gerber?
3) Heatley < Michalek in playoffs?
4) Preissing Corvo = Sutton Carkner?
Also you change your pairings depending on the team and the flow of the game, so I think what you mean is you want to see Ottawa play as with more potential offense from the backend. Good idea, depending on the team and how good their top players are playing.
You can be optimistic, but try not to stray too far from being realistic. NJ is a better team, Buffalo is beatable but can steal it with hot goaltending and Pittsburgh won't be "exhausted" from physical activity that took place 300 and 600 days ago. Also Washington is just a better team straight up, I think its very hard to argue otherwise.
Ottawa could probably make 2nd round of the playoffs, but have the odds against them if they want to make it out of the east.
Lastly Leclaire is a really good goalie. Give him the opportunity to show he's a number one goalie. See Chirp of the Week archive about Leclaire-Gerber, he sums it up pretty well.
Being the underdogs in the playoffs however always makes for an interesting run.
I'm sorry, but it's insane to try to compare this team to the 06 team. The 2006 team was better in many places. Heatley-Spezza-Alfie is better than Michalek-Spezza-Alfie, Philchenkov was more effective in 06 and are you seriously going to say that Elliott is better than Emery because he isn't a headcase? Something that didn't occur until 2007? Emery in 06 is miles ahead of Elliott now.
You can't honestly say that this team is better than the 2006-2007 Senators without coming off as a fool. The 06-07 Senators are miles ahead of the team he have assembled now. As much as I'd like us to be, we aren't a team that could go all the way this year. We haven't shown the consistency that we showed in 2006 in a long time. When we do, maybe we'll be ready for another cup run, but I don't see it for atleast another year.
The 2007 Sens -- had ONE scoring line.. which was neutralized by Anaheim. This season's Sens have 3 lines that can score -- so more balanced. We don't have the scoring threat of douchebag (Heatley) but a better all-around player in Michalek -- who does have a good shot himself. He may not have the chemistry with Spezza that Heatley had... but in a tight-checking, hard-hitting playoff game -- I'll take Michalek -- thanks.
How far do the Sens get in the playoffs? I'm hoping for a long run. I just want a healthy team that can shut down the opposing teams -- like they did against Chicago (4-1). That is the type of team that can make a long run in the playoffs.
Anon at 3:49 PM,
You mean like the consistency they showed during the winning streak before the break.
Just because they haven't shown it the last few games doesn't mean they haven't at any point.
This looks awfully familiar...
I think I read the exact same post on another blog.
the team is more balanced in term of scoring and added more grit then the 07's....however elliot is not better then emery....you cant say he is better because of his attitude that is just retarded.... however leclaire is or as equal as emery in terms of potential upside and being a number 1 goalie......i called it at the begginning of the season and during the losing streak, that this team will rebound and make it to the finals once again!!!!!!!!!!!! this time the cup will be coming back home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! if you thought when canada won the gold was crazyyy time, when sens win the cup, il have a few tears lol been waiting for 10 yrs... and il be partying for a week straight
Yep he did mention that he had posted it on another site and though it would make a good C.O.T.W.
I agreed.
Andrew Ladd is NOOOOO Ryan Kessler
One glaring omission from this piece.... no mention of Mike Brodeur and how he will be getting his big shot in the NHL shortly.
Although I am also optimistic about this year, GMC has officially lost his mind.
To suggest that because washington has so-so goalies and bad defence and therefore we can beat them is crazy!!!!!!! Our goalies are no better and their offence could still tear us apart!
And for us being same as NJ? Again, thats a little bit of a pipe dream right now for a team losing 3 straight to much inferior teams.
Heres to hoping that this chirp of the week is true though!!!
Propaganda. Again.
The 2007 team was a Cup contender from the get go. There's no comparison. It's not even close.
The 2007 team was one of the top ranked offences in the league, with a stingy defence to boot. Our goal differential was the highest in the league; always one of the signs of a dominant and elite team.
This year our offence is tenth and our defence is ranked 22nd overall. In fact, we have allowed more goals than we have scored. That's a worrying signal given our decent record.
We are lucky to have the record we have.
Man I wish Sens traded for Ladd...
Will there be any more prospects updates ?
I always liked them.
Here is the one from March 1. Should be another one coming out tomorrow.
http://senators.nhl.com/fr/v2/ext/PDFs/Prospect_Update-030110.pdf
Here is the one from March 1. Should be another one coming out tomorrow.
http://senators.nhl.com/fr/v2/ext/PDFs/Prospect_Update-030110.pdf
We're NOT making the Finals. Pittsburgh and New Jersey are far better teams.
anon @2:38
so apparently for this team not to under achievement we have to get to game 6 of the stanley cup finals. please tell me what colour the sky is in your world and how much are the tickets to get there.
this team was not predicted by the media, by the fans, by neraly everyone on every hockey talk show and forum to be a lock to make the playoffs.
didn't TSN have us below the leafs? and now apparently the team is underachieving unless it gets two games from winning everything - wake up and take your head from whatever orifice it is currently residing.
this team, so far has OVER ACHIEVED based on everything that has been written about it.
Two months ago this forum was full of people saying we should tank to try and get Hall or Seguin. Murray should have been sacked, so should Clouston. Spezza should of been traded - to anywhere.
Murray took a team that was a complete mess in the post season, made some good moves, made some OK ones, missed a step here or there and then handed it over to a coach preparing for his first ever full NHL season and he coached the shit out of this team and has done a brilliant job.
Now just because we don't suck we are meant to be conference champions? Sorry I don't buy it. If this team gets into the playoffs we will have done well, if we win a round or even two we will have done exceptionally well. Only one team can win the Stanley Cup, that's the basic truth of the NHL but that doesn't make the other 29 teams failures, there are degrees of both success and failure.
Regardless of how this team ends up this year it has been a successful season. Next year is when the pressure is really on them.
The one thing that scares me about this ottawa team is that we've had problems winning against teams that are worse than us.. its hard to tell how well ottawa will do because the playoffs can be so crazy... however if we play like we did during the winning streak and leclaire plays like he did yesterday we'll have a good run..
ENOUGH WITH THE ANDREW LADD POSTS... FUCK!!
to be honest, that was the most biased comparison ive seen in my life, unfortunately. how in the world can you compare elliot and emery?!?! emery was one of the best goalies in the NHL at his time. And the 2nd line Defense, thats kinda ridiculous. kuba is completely terrible defensively, and karlsson is amazing. but redden and mezaros combination is much better the kuba-karlsson, because their much more even, and much more defensive. But all this is just my opinion...
I'd give the edge to preissing-Corvo...
Much better in offense, puck moving, power play, point shot...
And no matter what happened over the summer, losing Dany Heatley hurt us.. we lost 1 of a handfull of 50 goal scorers in the league... shitty!!!
and no matter how much of a head case Emery was, he lead us to a stanley cup final.....
I'd give the edge to preissing-Corvo...
Much better in offense, puck moving, power play, point shot...
And no matter what happened over the summer, losing Dany Heatley hurt us.. we lost 1 of a handfull of 50 goal scorers in the league... shitty!!!
and no matter how much of a head case Emery was, he lead us to a stanley cup final.....
Like everybody else here I disagree on the top-lie assessment. BUT, I'd rather have 2010 Spezza, and I understand that Mich is a more all-around player than Heatley. So it's not as lopsided as it might seem to some - but still 2007 wins. Oddly, I think Philchenkov 2007 and Philchenkov 2010 TIE! If they get in a groove they will play just as well as they did. The other D is so different that there is almost no point in comparing. BUT - I wish Sutton and Carkner had been on the team in 2007, I'll say that. Finally - you gotta like the goaltending better this year. Emery got hot - it was the only time of his carreer. Both Leclaire and Elliot have that potential. Gerber sucks. But what about coaching? I think that gives 2010 the edge. Oh, and what about the quality of all the other teams in the league? Damn, that might be the problem. They're better.
Tim
um , i wouldnt , priessing and corvo , and redden AND mezsaros all got man handled in the finals there bud , remember we choked?????it happens , but if were are going to meet up with a seriously physical team , i LOVE our defence this year , mezsaros was fat and lazy , would rather trip then hit , same thing with redden , well skinny and lazy (nose candy perhaps), infact i think redden started falling off that year , correct me if im wrong but he was making bonehead moves all the time , same goes for tiny joe queervo , i mean this year the only small guy we have is karlsson and campoli , the rest are pretty big mean defencemen , minus kuba but this has not been our idenity like EVER , yes we had chara the year before , but we let him walk and got a bunch of small dudes....love when you get the odd idiot that seems to think chara was there for our run
yes our first line this year CANNOT compare to the wonderfull pizza line we once had , but our other 3 lines back then couldnt even buy a goal!!! do you guys forget all of this ? cuz i sure as hell dont!! this has been the first year EVER where everyone is scoring goals,..... weve all pointed out that our 2nd and third lines this year (when healthy)could be first on other less fortunate clubs, your all just talkin shitty because we are loosing right now , GET YOUR HEAD OUT OF YOUR ASS
emery one of the best goalies??? ya at getting suspended , taking us to the finals??? barely buddy , the first three rounds he pretty much didnt have to do anything as 75% of all those games were in the opponents end, im sorry but i love when retards say this , because its the other way around WE LED HIM TO THE FINALS , and the first team that we met that could actually compete , he fucking CHOKED!!! remember him scoring on himself in the finals??? i sure as hell do , TWICE , emery didnt have to do SHIT those first 3 rounds.....now is elliott better?? cant answer that untill i see him in the playoffs, the one thing that makes him better so far , is his ability to keep it together , in a city where 80 % of the fans have no confidence and trash you , you add in that hes been tossed into the fire not only this year but last , hes had ups and downs but has came out on top , while keeping his head on straight????? elliott is THE MAN so far.....emerys powdering his nose laughing right now "injured"
for all the murray bashers too , that man has done nothing but clean this team up , gotten rid of the partiers for ppl that want to play hockey ....
the one thing that gets to me about this team isnt the team at all , its all you WHINERS!!!!
SUPPORT YOUR CITY, SUPPORT YOUR TEAM
GO SENS GOOOO
SENS4LIFE
Just wish we had Andrew Ladd... :(
A Healthy Scratch Donovan is also an upgrade over a healthy scratch McGratton
Anon 5:20pm NJ? What exactly has NJ done lately except suck balls? Brodeur is done. They have a couple good forwards and after that a very average team. Pens & Caps are a step ahead of everyone else with their star power. Sens will certainly have a shot although obviously they aren't the favorite.
is it just me or did Matt Carkner lose his game? and not just the last game but perhaps the last six he did not play well, as we are getting closer to the playoffs the skill lavel is getting higher and I dont think he can compete, I would hope they will give Brain Lee a real shot this playoffs and send Carkner to bingo.
the sens this year are definitely a better team overall - but have they improved more than other teams in the conference did? definitely not. pittsburgh, washington, new jersey are all a hell of a lot better than they were back then.
Andrew Ladd has a beer and cheets on Caster Semenya
When will the organization give Mike Brodeur a chance?
Personally, I believe this sens team is capable of making a run. I wont say going to the finals because ive been heart broken so many times by this team but, if they play cloustons style which is grind grind grind goal I think they can go far. The playoffs are all about grinding, taking advantage of turn overs, lucky goals, overtime winners. With this group of players it is possible. With some solid goaltending from either leclaire or elliot either or work for me honestly, and they follow cloustons system third round atleast is not out of the picture.
and Anon at 10:50 pm, brian lee really? have you actually watched him play? he has been completely horrendous. Randomly falling down, not using his body, giving the puck away. Honestly I would take picard over brian lee, atleast picard was capable of shooting the puck on the powerplay, love brian lees weak wrist shot straight into the goalies chest just makes my heart swell with joy. Carkner is a force in the back end players look at him and scream, he is good when with a good partner. Brian lee, is not that partner.
Start Leclaire next game Clouston!
For the first time this year he has earned a start!
how dare you say that mezaros and karlsson are the same player. i agreed with most of what you were saying up until you said that ruutu makes the line hes on better as compared to vermette. and then you went and said mezaros and karlsson are the same?!?!?
just... no haha no you are so very wrong
waiting for the "I told you so" from Andrew Ladd Man today after the Living Legend scored at hatty last night.
you mean Fisher HAD his best year, Once all the hype of him and carrie died down, he stopped the show
07= 8 game win streak , this year 11.....all ytou haters can fuck off
andrew ladd got a hat trick and still lost.....
Surprised this got featured, it's quite literally absurd. Our first line now is better than it was then? Smarten up. That was the best line in hockey that year. This top line isn't even close.
pg
Anon @8:33 pm
"yes our first line this year CANNOT compare to the wonderfull pizza line we once had , but our other 3 lines back then couldnt even buy a goal!!! do you guys forget all of this ? cuz i sure as hell dont!"
This is factually incorrect. If "our other 3 lines back then couldnt even buy a goal!!!" then how did Oleg Saprykin score? Didn't Fisher also score? We also had depth scoring from the blueline.
"for all the murray bashers too , that man has done nothing but clean this team up , gotten rid of the partiers for ppl that want to play hockey ...."
Funny thing is, Anon...teams can win with partiers and disreputable characters. History is rife with teams that aren't angels but get it done. Patrick Roy was a jerk, Brodeur gets arrogant, Claude Lemieux and Chris Chelios aren't choirboys. You need that mix of guys that are just pricks and choirboys like Fisher to get it done. Our team right now is "nice" and I don't know if "nice" can win.
"the one thing that gets to me about this team isnt the team at all , its all you WHINERS!!!!"
Sorry, I'll sign up at the Gord Wilson School of Communication and do nothing but blow roses up the Senators organization all day long.
Expect "whiners", as you call it, as long as this team does not deliver a Cup. When that happens, expect little to no praise for the accomplishment. That's how a lot of us roll in Ottawa, we love to nitpick, to belittle, to tear down and we are sparse with praise and proud of it!
GO SENS!!!!
I agree with most things but what people have to realize is that when Kuba and Campoli comeback - Carkner will be the odd man out.
Campoli some people forget was the reason we finished off well last year. He helped get the puck out of a slow defensive zone last year.
He's a good player and gives us a 2nd guy who can move the puck out quickly. + he pinches really well. Karlsson and him are like cats.
Well I applaud his optimism but like a lot of other have pointed out there are a lot of areas where this team is weaker than the 2007 squad, it's certainly not close to a landslide victory like the writer makes it out to be.
Unlike a lot of others here I actually prefer the Sutton Carkner (or Campoli in there) pairing than Preissing and Corvo. Corvo was decent, Preissing I thought was dead weight in the playoffs. But the two new guys will provide an additional physical element that over a 7 game series could prove to be a momentum changer. There are some teams in the East that are still pretty green when it comes to playoff experiences, so showing up the first couple of games with a lot of big clean hits could get guys hearing footsteps. There's a lot of solid hitters on this team and the physical element gets magnified in the playoffs.
This team is pretty unlikely to match the 2007 performance, I would love it if they did but this team's ceiling is likely the 2nd round with a lucky streak potentially getting us into the Conference finals.
These comparisons don't really matter. It is nice to look at to see where we have improved but the only thing that counts is how the current team stacks up against its current opponents in the NHL. The goal is not to be better than a previous years team, it is to be better than all the current opposing teams and WIN THE CUP.
Post a Comment