(UPDATE 9:33 PM)- Sorry for the delay in getting this up but the word is Brian Lee's extension is one way deal for 2 years at a total of $1.75 mil.
I was wondering why my Blackberry kept going off during that meeting. Thanks to all of you who gave me the heads up on this one.
According to Bruce Garrioch , the Senators have signed defenceman Brian Lee to a two year contract.
No financial details yet but it sure is interesting to see Murray extend both Ryan Shannon and Brian Lee before the season is out. Lee has had an up and down relationship with the organization this season, so this deal is kind of surprising.
Here is the link to the TSN Story accompanied by a picture of Erik Karlsson. Nice...
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=313056
82 comments:
one way or two way? Anyone know?
Funny, i.e. the picture mix-up. As for Lee, I remain in the prove it to me camp, but he's young and still developing - makes no sense to give up on him. Strategically, good move from a future trade perspective.
You have got to be kidding me?? is this an early April Fools Day prank? You really had me going there Chirp!
Probably one of the worst signings/decisions BM has made..
How can you reward a guy who has consistently sucked the big one with a 2 year deal?? Whoever Lee's agent is, he is one hell of a negotiator!
Am I the only one who think he should be given a chance at the NHL level before being traded.
I remember 2 year ago in the playoff again Pittsburgh he was one of our best D....
Stef...
Senschirp thanks for the update. Does the Lee signing indicate to you, that Bryan Murray knows that the A-Train will be signing elsewhere on July 1st? Thank you
If he's taking a pay cut on his NHL pay and it's still a two-way contract then I'm ok with this. I still hope we're able to package him up in the offseason with Kuba and maybe get a real top 4 d-man to play with Karlsson.
Chris K do you want to lose Brian Lee for nothing? otherwise just sign him to a 2 way contract
Chris, I am sorry, but I must disagree with you though. Even though Lee is not an outstanding defenseman, he is reliable. I'm hoping he will develop quicker than he has so far. I am curious to see if it is a two way contract though. If not then our blueline just got that much more busier with prospects hoping to make the cut next year. Cowen, I'm thinking of you...
I like the signing. You don't give up on a 22 y-old defensemen.
There aren't that many 22 y-o stand-out D. Out of almost 300 D in the NHL, only 21 are younger than Lee (with at least 10 games played).
And at 24, he will still be an RFA.
PL
Great signing by Murray.
Lee is young and still developing. He's not perfect, but he's an NHL'er. You need cheap guys to fill out the roster.
I'm not optimistic that Cowen will jump right in and grab an NHL spot. It could happen, but the percentages are against it. He'll probably be like most prospects, and shuffle between Bingo and the big club.
Great signing by Murray.
Lee is young and still developing. He's not perfect, but he's an NHL'er. You need cheap guys to fill out the roster.
I'm not optimistic that Cowen will jump right in and grab an NHL spot. It could happen, but the percentages are against it. He'll probably be like most prospects, and shuffle between Bingo and the big club.
Great signing by Murray.
Lee is young and still developing. He's not perfect, but he's an NHL'er. You need cheap guys to fill out the roster.
I'm not optimistic that Cowen will jump right in and grab an NHL spot. It could happen, but the percentages are against it. He'll probably be like most prospects, and shuffle between Bingo and the big club.
I don't think it's a bad signing. I would assume he has signed for around 800k/year because he has not proven much in the last 3 years. I also hope he has signed a 2 way deal but I doubt it since he wanted to play more often with the big club.
Maybe the team will stop screwing him around. How's a player supposed to develop any confidence when the team jerks him around up and down from the AHL? Every time Lee has been in the NHL he's played well, and he deserves a chance to prove himself without the fear of being sent down when he makes a mistake.
They need to get him off the left side though. I'm not sure why they have him there.
Can't go wrong with something like this. D-men usually peak in the late 20's. Furthermore, you don't want to lose a guy like this for nothing. He could have great potential playing on our blue line- or someone elses. Either way, we can always send him off to another team.
I just see Lee cause a lot more harm than good. I will always expect a young Dman to make mistakes, but for some reason, his seem to be way more noticable. I understand keeping him around the organization, specifically Bingo, to let him grow and mature, but I dont know what he has done to prove he deserves a 2 yr deal? Now if this is a two-way deal, it makes a little more sense.
I dont see Lee as reliable at all, I see him as a Redden'esque defenceman.. Lots of giveaways, and not strong or confident with the puck..
I really hope Im wrong with this kid though, and he ends up being a key player on our team.. He is with us for 2 more years, so I'll be cheering just as hard for him..
Hope it's nowhere over $700k
Interesting. To me this could be for two reasons. BM likes Lee's potential and thinks he can play for the senators full time next year (volch gone), or this makes him easier to get a good return in a trade. I hope things work out with Lee, he had such great potential. In two or three years time we could have a very solid core of defensemen if all goes to plan.
Phillips-Volch
Karlsson-Cowen
Wierchioch-Lee
You know what better to not do like Bob Gainey. Better to lock up your guys and then trade him. If he signed cheap for 2 years it becomes attractive to other teams. No prob here. Personnally he's been a flop. But he'll be gone next year.
Looks like Bryan Murray developed some much-needed maturity and saw that Lee was, indeed, a blue-chip prospect.
Good decision by Murray.
Like the Shannon signing (assuming the money is reasonable here too) it's a no-brainer. I always felt he was in Bingo more due to his 2-way contract than Picard or Campoli being head-and-shoulders better. As many have stated, no point in giving up on him. We either have a nice tradable asset or a cheap young D prospect. Cowen and Weircoch are not going to be full-time NHLers next year. Karlsson barely is and he's more of a blue-chip prospect than the other two and took A LOT of lumps this season. We'll be happy to have some depth at D.
Kuba might be on his way out this summer though (if A-train isn't).
Hey Murray, two words. SIGN VOL-f'in-CHENKOV!
Bad move...
Phillips-Volchenkov
Kuba-Karlsson
Sutton-Carkner
That's the lineup for next year, until Cowen and Wiercoch can crack the lineup...
Chris k you have to be kidding me. Worst signing ever why? Ya he's not the most impressive dman but its worth giving him a chance and try to develop him in with karlsoon and cowen. I think your to opinionated with out really thinking about what BM did here.
Anyway you fell off the sens wagon and jumped on the habs one .. Enjoy your new buds and singing ole ole. Enjoy your poutine.
Maybe he signed him to trade him.
According to some chat on the net, the contract is a one way....
So either Lee will get his chance or get traded.
Stef...
Never really saw Lee as being as bad as most thought.
I think he and karlsson will come along nicely
Lee, another smallish, afraid to hit type of defense. Exactly what we dont need.
WHAT?!??!!? He was supposed to be traded to Minnesota (his hometown) at some point!!
@ 2:37
Relax buddy he's 22 years old, give him a friggin' chance. No he wont be as good as Karlsson and Cowen but he can still be a decent top 4 D. Defenceman always take more time to develop and sometimes ever longer for certain player. It's a GOOD signing for Murray, Lee is young and still has great upside. Give me a break.
Keep Lee and Sutton, trade Kuba, let Campoli walk. Re-sign Volchie too.
There, problem solved.
Pairings:
Philips-Volchenkov
Sutton-Karlson
Carkner-Lee
Wieroch and Cowan cut their teeth in Bingo.
BOOM. Good defence.
Does this mean Volchenkov is a goner Chirp?
Yeah, that's a picture of Karlsson, NOT Lee. The Toronto Sports Network strikes again!!!
1 way, 875,000? That can't be right. I hope it's wrong by 200K.
Boo. :(
good signing, lee is not as bad as what most ppl think.
Anyone of you would of been pissed off too if you were better than 3 of the defensmen on the big club but since you had a 2-way got sent down....
1.2 mil ---> 50k...OUCH
Anyways its a great signing especially if Volchenkov is asking for too much, 4.0 and over let him walk and resign sutton.(please dont get me wrong i like anton)
Philips-Karlsson
Sutton-Kuba
Carkner-Lee/Campoli
I think cowen has another year of WHL ahead of him.
You have to give him time to play in NHL -- with a partner that he can get chemistry with. He was playing pretty good at the first of the year -- before they sent him down to Bingo. My guess is Campoli is gone this year.. so they need to have someone to play with Carkner. Lee has played what 3 or 4 games since coming up... you don't put him with Carkner and expect instantly chemistry.
Give him the same opportunity you gave to Karlsson -- yeah I know Karlsson is the better player.
Bingo now has NO depth in D there. There might be some prospects coming next year -- Cowan for sure -- Weircoch?? not sure - does he have another year at university. Who else is available.
They are saying it's for 875K -- not too bad
right on another D that cant hit , good job murray!!!
at zopust
sutton is a ufa this year and probably won't be resigning with ottawa. i think this is more of a goodbye campoli hello brian lee as campoli is a rfa this year and if we have any hope in resigning volchie we were going to have to let campoli or lee go and its much better to hold on to the younger player
Personally I think this signing was made so that he could be traded later on. (But either way it's a good move in my book)
If I had to guess, I would say that Kuba is on his way out this summer, and hopefully replaced with Milan's brother.
I'm pretty sure we could fetch a pretty good deal for Kuba+Lee.
Wow. I can't believe how much people have freaked out without even knowing the terms of the deal.
These same people were all over Murray for trading draft picks for rental players that will make us better for the playoffs but now instead of letting a first rounder walk, we give ourselves the option of giving him a shot on the team OR getting some value for him in a trade, they bash a (probably modest) signing?
If he stays with the club he will be a decent contributor for the money, otherwise we will get a (2nd round?) draft pick for him this summer so relax and think before you jump all over these intelligent, logical decisions,
Every one of you bashing Murray would make terrific GM's in the NHL some day.
Lee isnt small..... hejust needs to add muscle lol
He should mature into a decent top 4 defensmen. He has the size, skating ablility, first pass and hockey iq. Just needs to get stronger
-HSF
Murray's great! Seriously. He signs UFAs amd RFAs early to deals, which just makes them more attractive to trade later, or you have them cheap if they develop as you would like. Same with Sutton and Cullen. He trades for them early, gets what he wants, no great overpayment like might happen if he got desperate the day of the trade deadline. Hey, and if he wants those two second round pics back, he can just trade Shannon and Lee for them! Very slowly and cautiously he is building the team up well.
Tim
I didn't realise this but Lee is listed as 6'3 and 206 (senators.nhl.com). Umm he sure doesnt play like it. He weighs in at more than both Ruutu and Winchester, guys you can't really accuse of getting pushed around. Also Fisher is listed at 209lbs. Lee three pounds shy of fisher?? I feel like they are being generous with his size but still. Lee has also not put up any points since his university days (50pts). He better break out soon cause he has the pedigree.
Anyone making lineup projections without Sutton on the Sens blue line hasn't seen him play.
He's our first d-man with a mean streak since Chara took off. He's the very definition of a Bryan Murray defenseman. He's big, likes to hit, likes to block shots and he's just good enough to make a quality first pass on the break-out.
Hell, he's the definition of anyone's defensive defenseman.
Lee is 6'2 200 lbs. That's not so small....maybe he could use 10 more lbs.
gotta love TSN, either mixing up pictures cuz they don't care about Ottawa, or subtly bashing them with "clever" headlines.
good job murray.keep wasting money on hacks.... no money will be left for Volchy or any other potential ufa's this summer on July 1st
I wish really melnyk fired this windbag!
He likes the team to be mediocre.
Brian Lee is 6'1.5"; 198 lbs and he is INSURANCE! Ya just cannot see him on the bench between the two NHL Defencemen Sutton and Carkner!
seanO - you have to take those stats with a grain of salt. 6'2" in the NHL actually means 6'0". How do I know? I've run into a number of NHL players over the years and have found that stats are usually exagerated. After seeing "BIG" Chris Philips in person, both myself and the people I was with noticed that at 6'3" and 217 lbs, he's noticeably smaller than I am at an actual 6'3" and 220 lbs. I also noticed that those stats were exagerated when I was waiting for a table at a restaurant and most of the Colorado Avalanche walked by me as they were leaving. On the other hand, there is no doubt about Chara's size.
seanO - NHL height and weight are embellished. I've seen Chris Philips in person and being 6'3' and 220lbs myself, both I and the people who were with me thought that he was noticeably smaller. Same goes for a number of other players - including most Avalanche players that walked by me on their way out while I was waiting for a table at a restaurant downtown.
No denying Chara's size though - that guy is a giant.
Further to what some folks were saying, I can't believe that ANYONE is freaking out about this.
1) He's earned a one-way contract. He's done his time on the iron horse, it's time for Lee to put up or ship out.
2) He's being paid a small NHL salary. If he comes out next year and plays 82 games, then he's worth every penny at 875k per season.
3) He's easier to trade if he's signed for a couple of years at a reasonable salary. That's what he is. If Murray doesn't think that Lee will crack the top 6, then he'll be able to move him with that contract.
How can anyone think this is a bad signing? It's a DEPTH signing of a prospect who is ready for the NHL, nothing more.
Interesting signing. My guess is he's being locked up cheap for a trade.
In order not to let him walk for nothing, BM would have had to extend him a qualifying offer which I presume (maybe somebody knows this for sure) would have included the bonus and therefore put his cap hit at the 1.2 million mark. This locks him up at less than 900K.
And for those badmouthing Campoli AGAIN, I would keep Campoli ahead of Lee. Campoli actually does throw some hits, he can shoot the puck harder and more accurately. He also goes to the net. I personally hope Campoli is resigned.
Yep, I agree with some here.
Now when the decision comes down to Lee or Campoli, you can base it off if Lee can fetch that 2nd draft pick back or not. If nobody wants to trade anyhting good for Lee after the season then we gotta let Camps walk and hang on to Lee. If Lee goes in a good trade then Camps gets the same contract. Its really safe. I like it alot. Smart.
kinda caught me off gaurd at first.
Then this Sutton thing is a no brainer. Surely, no matter what happens Sutton will sign for the same contract or less.
Then the Chanks/Kuba thing is just like the Lee/Campoli thing. If Chanks gets signed. Kuba will be moved in the summer. If Chanks can't be signed. Then Kuba stays and Sutton fills Chanks role.
Carkner has been slow as hell since the Olympic Break. But he will get it going again. When you are all looking at our Defense next year. Just remember Carks can play Forward. Probably wants to play Forward.
So if a young gun can make the team next year. You don't really have to loose a D man to fit him in. If you need space you find it by letting Carkner play some forward minutes.
BM is great. So Safe. Covering all angles all the time.
I don't get these BM haters.
Sutter was the up there as one of the best GM's in the league the last couple years. Now he is a nut job with his career almost over. Sure BM has made some mistakes but its going to happen. At least he hasn't tried to impress all you haters with some big splash trade that screwed our team over for years and lost 1st round picks over it all....
And don't say Cheechoo. You're ignorant if you think BM could have gotten Michalek without taking Chew.
Now lets win some dam games!
Teriible!
This will be the D in the playoffs boys
PHIL-Volch
Kuba-Karlsson
Sutton-Camps
Thats it thats all!
Cark will have to sit.
Hey Black Terror @ 10:49
You think Murray thought the same thing with Schubert's contract....But we ended up eating half that one on re-entry waivers.
I remember fans like you saying that was a great contract too when first signed.
As I mentioned above Murray loves mediocrity and obviously so do most of you since we have 4 Brian Lee's on this team already on D.
Who is "Chanks"? Did we sign another D-man? And who is "Chew" for that matter?
All kidding aside Harry Pubes, what makes you think Carkner wants to play forward? He's playing heavy minutes including killing penalties at D. The guys he fights typically get 2-3 shifts on the fourth line. I'm sure he'd be *willing* to play forward if it would help the team, but I'm sure he'd rather play defense. I know he came to camp as a forward but that's only because at the time his only shot to make the team was as an enforcer - then they realized he was a pretty responsible defenseman.
Great signing. He's got lots of potential to be a top 4 d. The writing is officially on the wall for A-Train. Expect A-Train to walk and Kuba to be trade bait, Sutton to re-sign.
pg
If this means $875,000 per season, it's an absolute steal. He's as good as Campoli now, both offense and defense, and still has a huge potential to improve. I have to think with Campoli, what you see now is what you're going get. If Lee's attitude and personal life are in line, I think he absolutely develops into a top 4
How has Lee done anything that deserves more then the league minimum and a one-way contract?? Doesn't make sense to me.
I like the signing of Lee, and I really not a big fan of Murray's I think he will be OK this time around, Carkner is not playing well I guess this is why he never played in Montreal.
I think it is a great cap signing. If Campoli, Sutton and Volchenkov all leave, which could happen, Murray looks like a genius. I believe that after next year, Kovalev and Cheechoo will be gone as RFA's and this will leave us a lot of cap room. At the same time Weiroch (sp) and Cowen will likely be ready to join the team at much lower costs as they will likely replace one of the more expensive defencemen. This should leave us in great shape.
I have the feeling that Volchenkov's agent is looking for at least $5m per for 4 years and that is too much in my view. Remember that if Volchenkov does not sign we might be able to take on one of the top five players from Montreal, Chicago or Philly with their horrendous cap problems next year.
$875,000 per season....
ummm.. don't understand this one!!!
i'm sure there's a plan....
Id sens kuba for picks , and resign SUTTON to show cowen the ropes!!!!
and Harry Pubes, quit saying Chanks
I don't understand why people say we couldn't have gotten Michalek without taking Cheechoo as well. Why did we want Michalek in the first place? The guy is an inconsistent, garbage player.
you really think we have a chance at the cup with bettman having every ref in his pocket come playoff time???? how many times are we going to forget the fact: PLAYOFFS ARE RIGGED < AND BETTMAN IS ANTI-CANADIAN - so good luck with that
Wonderful!
Wow... same old typical sens haters out there. I'm not the biggest fan of Lee but to bring him in for two years at about 700-800K/yr is a great signing. What if he turns into a Karlsson next year? all you haters will be eating your words cause he's making peanuts. Not that I think he will, but its a great risk vs reward signing (he could still develop a ton). Plus if it doesn't work out then there would be tons of teams looking to take a risk on him for the amount of money he is making. Sometimes the haters fail to see the whole picture.
Good signing Murray, keep it up.
Decent, cheap 6th D-Man ... we cant have all our defensmen around 3 mill. That would be great but it just can't happen. Most teams have shitty washed up geezers playing that role, just be happy we have a young guy with potential.
Hope Phillip Too Slow In The Head Kuba is gone in the summer!
Decent, cheap 6th D-Man ... we cant have all our defensmen around 3 mill. That would be great but it just can't happen. Most teams have shitty washed up geezers playing that role, just be happy we have a young guy with potential.
Hope Phillip Too Slow In The Head Kuba is gone in the summer!
Good to see Lee finally get his one-way shot. I think honestly though based on his most recent call-up his game has fallen off a little bit. Hopefully staying at the NHL level from now on will help him get things together and continue his development to becoming a good solid NHL blueliner.
He has the capability but he's got to find that work ethic because he's got a lot to work on. Especially in terms of putting some real size on that 6'3 frame of his.
who the hell is Chanks?
I also think Murray signed Lee to trade him in the offseason. I just cannot imagine our D would be made up of rookies next year if Wierorch and Cowen join the team.
I agree with Benjamin, I would be willing to trade Kuba+Lee for Michalek. Kuba is not an nhler, I'm sure he would be a great fit in the KHL where they don't have to play physical to win games.
I suppose that with Cheechoo's money we could resign Sutton but I'm not sure. I like his style and if Volchenkov is as greedy as he seems to be I would keep Sutton.
I don't think keeping Campoli and Lee in the lineup next year would be smart. One of them has to go and if both could leave I'd be happier.
Go Sens Go!
"BM is great. So Safe. Covering all angles all the time.
I don't get these BM haters."
Clearly you don't put much stock into post-season success.
Under Murray
2008: Eliminated in 4 games
2009: Missed Playoffs
2010: ? Probably not a Cup finalist either.
He also grossly mismanaged players off the ice. Emery was given too much rope, the players in general were given too much rope, it took him THREE coach hires to get it right, he's overly fond of 30+ grinders and bottom pairing "D" and relatives/local guys.
Murray is great at drafting, but he's mediocre at cap management and trades and signings. Kovalev was paid too much as well...and we never should had to take Cheechoo without a 1st round thrown in.
Jury is still out on Murray, but personally...unless I see a Cup finals or a serious youth movement within the team, not impressed.
I like the Lee signing. It's for under 1M a year on the cap. As for Sutton -- he is 35 yrs old -- so if he wants to resign in Ottawa -- I assume it will be cheaper than his current contract due to his age -- and he may want to finish his career in Ottawa -- especially if we can get on a long run in the playoffs. Remember he has never played on a team like Ottawa -- mostly played for the bottom rung teams. Would like to see him stay.
I think Sens will also be able to sign Volchy. They need to get creative with the cap hit -- while giving Volchy a fair deal.
I agree that Cowan & Wiercoch will not make the NHL next year. Both would be better with a year in Bingo to get used to the speed in the pro ranks... don't want to rush them. At least with them coming -- there is some depth on D -- which is something Bingo does not have right now.
wow alot of haters on that tsn link under the comment section.
As probably the only person in the world with a Lee jersey, I'm happy.
"Anonymous said...
wow alot of haters on that tsn link under the comment section."
Yea cause its the Toronto Sports Network. Nothing more, nothing less. TSN has become an embarrasment to impartial journalism simply catering to their Toronto audience. Anyone with any interest in their own team finds their teams best bloggers and goes to their websites.
@ Anon 10:56 who said :"you really think we have a chance at the cup with bettman having every ref in his pocket come playoff time???? how many times are we going to forget the fact: PLAYOFFS ARE RIGGED < AND BETTMAN IS ANTI-CANADIAN - so good luck with that"
Canadian clubs have appeared in 3 of the last 5 SC Finals. So out of a potential 10 Clubs to make it, 30 % have been Canadian. There are 6 Canadian clubs in a 30-team league which represents 20%. Statistically, we are over-represented in the finals and what you are saying make no sense. Keep you conspiracy theories for the 9/11 blogs.
Anon 2:19
Why else do you think the Sens had trouble after the Cup run...
I'll tell you -- NO prospects to fill the holes of the departing players. That contributed to the downward spire -- along with bad coaching.
Why no prospects? -- because Muckler is his wisdom said win at all cost -- meaning cost of draft picks and prospects.
That's why Melnyk did what he did when he let him go. He saw what Muckler did to the farm system in Bingo -- there were no prospects left. Prospects that were brought in by the GM's before Muckler. He comes in and cleans house... That's no way to run a hockey team -- see Pittsburgh, Wash, LA -- they kept their young prospects and draft picks.. that's why they are doing well now.
Do you think, Tim Gleason, Brooks Laich, etc would look good in a Sens uniform now?
Murray has not been perfect I will admit to that. A few deadline deals that did not work out as intended... but nothing is certain in deadline deals is it? He made a mistake on Paddock & Hartsburg -- but all signs indicated that they would be able to do the job -- again -- do you run your life by a crystal ball -- so you see things in certainty in the future?
Murray has drafted well. The prospects are a few years away from Bingo or NHL as that takes time as well.
I like the Lee signing. He was given the CBA minimum raise for an RFA. Sure he has made mistakes -- he's 22 yrs old for pete's sake. He's not Drew Doughty -- nor will he be. Sens hope he will be around a 4th or 5th D if given the chance.
Don't we all deserve second chances?
Anon 2:19
Why else do you think the Sens had trouble after the Cup run...
I'll tell you -- NO prospects to fill the holes of the departing players. That contributed to the downward spire -- along with bad coaching.
Why no prospects? -- because Muckler is his wisdom said win at all cost -- meaning cost of draft picks and prospects.
That's why Melnyk did what he did when he let him go. He saw what Muckler did to the farm system in Bingo -- there were no prospects left. Prospects that were brought in by the GM's before Muckler. He comes in and cleans house... That's no way to run a hockey team -- see Pittsburgh, Wash, LA -- they kept their young prospects and draft picks.. that's why they are doing well now.
Do you think, Tim Gleason, Brooks Laich, etc would look good in a Sens uniform now?
Murray has not been perfect I will admit to that. A few deadline deals that did not work out as intended... but nothing is certain in deadline deals is it? He made a mistake on Paddock & Hartsburg -- but all signs indicated that they would be able to do the job -- again -- do you run your life by a crystal ball -- so you see things in certainty in the future?
Murray has drafted well. The prospects are a few years away from Bingo or NHL as that takes time as well.
I like the Lee signing. He was given the CBA minimum raise for an RFA. Sure he has made mistakes -- he's 22 yrs old for pete's sake. He's not Drew Doughty -- nor will he be. Sens hope he will be around a 4th or 5th D if given the chance.
Don't we all deserve second chances?
Post a Comment