Murray has done a nice job with this club during the rebuild. He was able to move out some bodies, bring in some draft picks and a couple young guys, and secure a number one goaltender for the next four years.
The rebuild is obviously far from complete but it is in good hands with Bryan Murray.
In other Sens news this morning, the club is expected to sign Swedish forward Andre Petersson to a three year entry level deal. Petersson has battled back injuries this season but is finally healthy. Great news for him and the Sens organization.
Also, Jason Spezza has accepted an invitation to play for Canada at the upcoming World Championships in Slovakia
I'm a little bit surprised but happy that Murray is sticking around and that this was dealt with early on.
Dude what are you on about? Murray is clearly taking this team in the right direction with the rebuild. outside of some bad FA signings, he's been doing this team a service, and most of the Murray haters have changed their tune. 3 years isn't unreasonable at all considering that's how long it's probably gonna take to rebuild this team into some sort of contender again, after that we can get a new GM to add the FA pieces we need to make a solid run. Good job Melnyk!
If you look at the entire body of work, this was absolutely the right move. The rebuild is going really well, he's managed to get the core in place, and he has added a great goalie.
We can all question the poor decisions on two UFA's, and maybe on one or two trades, and certainly the coaching decisions, but nothing more than that.
Everyone makes mistakes, but the overall body of work is quite solid, so I'm feeling like this was the right move.
But couldn't Melnyk wait a half hour before having his press conference?
Interesting that Eug didn't want to answer questions about it though...
Im sorry, are you basing this opinion on his signing of Kovalev or Gonchar? You know, because those are the only two aging players he ever signed.
And if Teemu Selanne is in our top 6 next year, I'll be very f***ing happy. Shows how much you follow hockey.
WOOOO MURRAY! My continuous defense of him is now vindicated.
Haters gon hate.
I hate when people say this. Are you Melnyks assistant?? How do you know this?? That being said I fully support the signing.
If had come down to BM or Pierre, I would have went with BM in a heartbeat.... in fact, I probably would have went with neighbour's kid over Pierre. Curious to see if anyone ever gives him a chance as a GM.
I think I probably would have preferred going with someone new on a 4 year deal but I am not totally upset with this move, especially given that Murray signed for 3 years and has shown some skill elsewhere in building a team. I seriously hope that Clouston does not return.
cheers
It's also inexcusable that this announcement was made on the day Adam Foote is set to announce his retirement.
ur an idiot the signing of kovy was a bust i still think that gonchar can bring something to the team so what your saying makes no sense
Also grats on Spezza to represent Canada. I will actually watch this year.
Let's hope that Melnyk will stop meddling and that way we'll have no more Kovalev or Gonchar signings. I know he's mentioned that he'd like to sign a scoring winger this offseason but if he doesn't get the guy he wants I'd rather he just wait until next season.
Why?
Only positive out of that would be their confidence going through the roof! I don't much like or care for Pierre and GLAD that Murray is staying on board to complete his vision of the rebuild.
Quoting thecupisours:
On Selanne, he may be old but can still fly and produce. Over a point a game at his age is pretty amazing.
Good signing for the Sens, just as long as Murray and Melnyk show patience and execute this rebuild the proper way (not the TML way) I will be a very happy fan.
Murray's first task: find a qualified head coach. If Dave Cameron is that guy, I hope it's because Murray believes he could be a great NHL, and not because Melnyk thinks he has deserved it. We have to get that coaching position filled in by the draft at the latest.
How is UFA picking a crapshoot? What are pro-scouts for?? When you sign a UFA, especially a long time vet., you know EXACTLY the type of player and character you're bringing into the organization!
As for Clouston. It's time to bring in a top end coach at the same term as Murray to really push the team in the right direction.
You sir, are an idiot....Also, Selanne is killing it right now so that was just a dumb example...
Oh and peace to CC
this kid bleeds senators and is going to be a heart and soul guy for us for years. I really thought he started to play some great hockey towards the end of the year.
and we'll be fine.
I don't agree with this. Just to be clear, I'm not bashing Murray and I'm happy he was extended to see the rebuild through. Personally, I was furious with both those signings and I can't think of anyone I know that thought these were good pick-ups. I've never liked either player. In fact, I used to tell me buddy who's a Habs fan that if Kovalev ever played for the Sens I would instantly stop cheering for them. Of course when I said this I never in a million years thought we'd sign him.
As for Gonchar, did anything watch him in that playoffs last season?! Horrendous. I'm hoping that Murray can find a way to get that plug out off the team.
I think that a lot of his UFA mistakes were related to rushing to win in the years after making it to the cup finals. I hope that they settle down and make better long term decisions now that they are in rebuild mode.
My biggest problem with Murray is the way that he handled Spezza at the end of last season. That mess was all his fault, and we almost lost Spezza. He also could have handled the Heatley issue a lot better.
For the record, in my opinion Murray has made some very weak trades, most notably the disaster Heatley deal, so I'd like to see improvements in that area, but I'm very happy with the rebuild so far.
GO SENS GO!
Luke Richardson played well for us in his limited role and is now a good assistant coach for us
I'm not too upset at Randy Robitaille's one year contract during which, by the way, he gave us 29 points in 68 games as a third liner.
Leclaire was either 26 or 27 when we TRADED for him, which is young for a starting Goalie with only one serious injury in his history at the time
Cheechoo wasn't a signing, he was forced on us during the heatley fiasco.
How are those examples relevant to your argument at ALL?
*facepalm*
WTF does that have to do with anything????
UFA signings are always crap shoots. You never know how exactly a player will fit into your organization. They have to learn a new system, find chemistry with new players, and look to be equally successful with perhaps lesser linemates and PP time than they had previously. The only time the UFA market is less of a gamble would be when you acquire a true star player like a Kovulchuk. That type of player is always going to figure it out and produce.
We seem to have the right tools to be very competitive starting next year. I can't wait to see Rundblad, Cowen with Karlsson, Carkner, Gonchar and Phillips. Kuba is definitely a goner.
Anderson is simply incredible.
The offense seems rejuvenated. Spezza is BACK!!! Michalek, Butler, Greening, Condra and Da Costa all play a very inspired game and they seem to all be very solid. Neil is showing his leadership. We are definitely on the right track. I just hope the new coach will keep that rythm.
yay
It is only 2:22pm, but I am very confident this is the stupidest thing I will read today.
You can't say UFA signings are a crapshoot. Of course in some cases, for whatever reason some players don't work out in certain situations, but you're pro scouts are there to make sure you're going after guys that can fit into the organization and so that you know what you're getting in a player when you acquire him.
In the case of Gonchar and Kovalev, we knew exactly the types of players we were getting. Those were not crapshoot signings my friend, they were just plain crap.
What do you guys think? I think Richards will end up in Toronto.
Parise is possible and teams may be turned off by Hossa's contract.
I think the most important thing about this signing is that Murray is finally assured a reasonable period of time GMing. GMing a team takes time, so booting him out the door after this year would have been premature.
It would be like booting a president out a year into his term.
This was a good, fair deal. The onus is now on Murray to perform. By the time this new contract is done, he will not have any old excuses (ie Muckler), so we'll really be able to judge how has has done..
Point well-taken, but to be fair, the Kovalev signing could have been much different. He could have racked up 25-30goals, a bunch from his fav spot on the PP - I think Kovalev WAS a crapshoot. Gonchar; not so much, but Kovalev might even be the DEFINITION of a crapshoot... still, I enjoyed the quote
;D
Murray should focus on the draft and the draft only (Coaching of course but I have a feeling they know who they want ) ..If Murray can some how move up or move a 9mm (explain) and nashville's 1st too get another in the top 10 id be REALLY excited for the future with pieces we can add and what we already have ..
Don't get me wrong, I love the guy's play and attitude and he's helped us more than any other position, but we still have 4 years of him. He had a bad year in COL and could have another one. I hope it works out, but it seems like most fans assume he will continue to astonish for 4 years.
I'm not against the signing, I'm just saying he's not Patrick Roy... yet!
I'm with you on that one. I think people are just overly excited, including myself, because we haven't seen goaltending like this since the dominator. I'm excited to see how Anderson plays when the games are more meaningful.
I have high hopes for him myself. I don't think we've ever really had a goaltender who covers the net as well as Anderson does. Elliott, Leclaire, Gerber, and although he was a big guy, even Emery looked small in the net.
It's also refreshing to see a goalie who handles the puck with as much confidence as he does.
But yes, cautious optimism is key, not just with Anderson, but the whole team in general.
I am not totally against the Murray extension and would rather he have a 3 year deal than a 1 year deal so he has time to execute his vision. In general, I think teams do better when they stick with GMs and give them plenty of time but I really want to see how the Anderson thing plays out before I give Murray kudos for the trade and signing. On Anderson, I have 3 concerns I will outline in my next posts as my comment is too long!
That guy who keeps stealing your name is an assclown of epic proportions but at least he never suggested Spezza would be on the Canadian olympic team in 2014. I'm not sure which of you is more out to lunch.
2) When the Anderson trade first went down Mike Eastwood noted that coming into Ottawa there was no pressure at all given our record and the way goalies had played. For me the question is what happens next year when the pressure is back? Do we see the Sens version of Anderson or the guy Colorado traded for virtually a bag of pucks I am not saying this will happen, but lets see how this all plays out.
3) We do need someone steady in net for the young kids but I realistically think we are 2 probably 3 seasons from playoff contention and 4-5 seasons from being an elite team. Will Anderson be a quality number 1 goalie for us at time? Will we be looking for a goalie if Lehner does not pan out?
Again, not knocking Murray on this one but I am not ready to give a pat on the back either.
Locke voted AHL MVP
April 8, 2011
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. … The American Hockey League announced today that center Corey Locke of the Binghamton Senators has been named the winner of the Les Cunningham Award as the AHL’s most valuable player for the 2010-11 season, as voted by coaches, players and members of the media in each of the league’s 30 cities.
It truly is a shame that the guy can't translate that success to the NHL.
The only slight possibility out of those is Parise. I don't think Murray will do an offer sheet. He'll do that via trade.
Based on what???
You all make it sound like we traded Gretzky for a pail of pucks.
Mike Fisher was, and always will be the most over-rated player we've ever had, so trading him for a 1st sure doesn't set us back very much.
Chris Kelly was supposed to be a penalty killer supreme? Then how come we were always average, at best, at PK?
Trading Kovalev and Ruutu sure can't be what drives this nonsense? I just don't get it. At the most, we took a baby step backwards, but we are not "starting from scratch" like alot of you seem to think.
Dude you are way out to lunch, why the hell would ANY SENS fan be happy about signing a lethargic russian named Kovalev, especially when he still bled Blue Blanc Rouge! This signing had nothing to do with Murray as he was brought here on the wish our our owner the "Euge".
Gonchar I was ok with as we desperately needed a PMD and QB on the PP, it didnt work out, its not the first time a FA signing goes south.
Year 2: 2 or 3 of the players from the year before make the team, opportunity for UFA signings
Year 3: Players drafted from Year 1 should be competing for a roster spot. Open season with UFA signings.
2-3 years sounds about right to me, I think we make playoffs next season, but we are far from a contender.
I agree with you. What have we "lost" since we had higher hopes at the beginning of the season? Kelly and Fisher? Look at the youth coming up, and the sudden confidence we have in net! If anything we all hope, and for Alfie's sake and not just the organization, that he can come back and contribute at a high level again next year.
Either way, with all this in mind, depending how the draft goes, how July 1st goes, if we can move Gonch OR Kuba.. these sort of factors, next year has the potential to be a huge bounce back year. But there are still a lot of "ifs".
Tookie I never said anything about Kovalev being Murray's doing, he was just a UFA signing I was referring to. They're both complete duds for our organization, so I don't even know what you're saying I'm out to lunch for? I said myself that I don't know one person who liked the Kovalev signing, so we agree on that too?
What the hell was your point bro haha
From one Sensible sens fan to another.
Remember that successful teams are built through the draft and with wise scouting (ie. Pittsburgh, Washington, Detroit, Chicago & New Jersey). When Murray replaced Muckler as GM, the cupboard was left completely empty. Murray was left in a weird place where he had a very competitive team with barely any future prospects coming down the pipeline. I think what happened to the team in the last few years would have happened to any GM. It's a cause and effect thing.
Murray is just now able to start putting his stamp on the team and I'm excited about the future!
All it would take is an injury or two. Right now, I'd rank canadian centermen:
Crosby
Getzlaf
Stamkos (will probably shift to wing for olympics)
Staal
Toews
M Richards
Spezza
B Richards
Tavares
Duchene
Especially the way Spezza has really started to show he can be an all-around player.
Now all that depends on how guys like Duchene and Tavares improve by 2014, Spezza might end up lower on that list and then its totally out of the question.
As for the people talking about B Richards, Parise, etc, just shutup already. Never gonna happen.
Next year should be very interesting bro. On one hand I can see us making the playoffs also. On the other hand some other teams in the conference will likely be more competitive next year as well, including the Devils, those arseholes down the 401, not to mention what other teams make tweaks over the summer.
Should be interesting next season and beyond. I am very much looking forward to it!
ok, but your "plan" around the draft, and the resulting players would still have applied whether they made those trades or not, no?
Or do you honestly think they would be a better team, and in a better position, if they hadn't made the trades?
I still don't get it..
Sometimes Tookie jumps the gun too fast in replies to a particular post !!
He and the Tyrant are too quick to reply without seeing the big picture !
Sometimes they simply do not respond to my post !!
I have no argument with your ranking of the top centres in the league. My point is that on the last Olympic team all the centres except Thornton were younger than Spezza. With Tavares, Duchene, Stamkos and God knows who else not having peaked yet I just don't see much liklihood of an over age 30 Spezza being a factor in 2014. It should be a hell of a team though.
I for one would not be looking for any big contracts for the team, players that get the big dollars do not have to prove anything, I would take a young prospect that will do whatever it takes to make a name for himself and a paycheck all day long.
I also would not be shocked to see Dacosta thrown in for a better draft pick ours or nashville.
The Draft is going to be exciting.
Spezza playing for Canada Awesome.
the trades gave us more picks, which gives us better odds of those players turning into NHL studs. Its just like if you buy 60 lotto tickets instead of 1, your odds are gonna increase.
What are you saying? My original point was that I disagree with everyone who thinks these trades sent the team backwards.
You apparently disagreed, but are now pointing out that the draft picks we aquired are a good thing?
I agree, so that is why I think the trades actually made us a better team moving forward...
It's a terrible day because the individual who oversaw the shockingly rapid decline of this hockey club has been rewarded on the basis of a short term, unsustainable, burst of competence.
It's inexcusable because there is no reason this needs to be done today, and they could have left the day open to reflect on Foote's career - it should have been his day.
Guy Carbonneau!
Quoting Da lil Guy:
Did I miss the memo about retiring NHL players getting their own day dedicated in the news? How dare Foote retire on the day we find out Ralph Klein has severe dementia!
You have to be joking.. NO thank you.
What does this have to do with Foote? Teams make announcements all the time. Maybe this was only when Melnyk was available.. we don't know that.
I am betting Dave Cameron but hoping I am wrong. I personally would like an experienced hand after the relatively inexperience head NHL coaches we had since the run to the finals. On the other hand, Bryan Murray probably knows alot more about this than I do.
We do know it's the only day Foote will retire. I think a guy who won an Olympic gold medal for Canada ought to be the biggest hockey story on the day he ends his 20 year NHL career. You don't have to agree with me.
It surprises me, because while I have my doubts about Melnyk's hockey judgment I have always had great respect for the class he's shown as an owner.
I doubt that Adam Foote cares one way or the other but I agree with the rest of your post. For four years Murray and Melnyk thought this team would make some noise in the playoffs and the end result was a grand total of two playoff games won even after trading away a first round and two second round picks. Why reward that?
Agreed.
Based on his stats he just looks like a warm body for Bingo.
I concede I was not thinking about the depth chart and it looks tough to crack at the very least.
However, my post said 50/50 at best, if I remember correctly and it was more about Spezza's improvement. I didn't think a few years ago that we'd see Spezza on the PK now. He could easily still be in his prime at the next Olympics, given his age.
I guess all I'm saying is that with his ongoing maturation, he improved all sorts of aspects of his game. If he can phase out the giveaways and continue his improvement, he'd force consideration for the Olympic roster.
Especially true if another star C has a bad year or if, as you pointed out, there are injuries.
I'd call it optimistic, not crazy or "out to lunch"
Couldn't agree more; was very refreshing/exci ting to hear.
Wouldn't want Carbonneau either, but someone from that 1992 Habs cup winning squad I could stomach is Kirk Muller.
Long NHL career, but not too old. He was exceptional at BOTH ends of the ice and has been an assistant for a while now, hasn't he? One of those heart and soul guys - there's a reason the moniker Captain Kirk stuck.
Unless you ARE Adam Foote, this argument is surreal.
There's more than enough room to acknowledge the retirement of a shut-down d-man AND the 3 year extension of a general manager.
Take a deep breath. It's just hockey.
The NCAA players that make to the NHL were usually dominating players at least in their senior years. Cannone wasn't.
That said I am not a scout, so what do I know?
Wow.....I thought the guy clamoring on about getting Parise was the most retarded comment of the day, but this takes the cake...
buy lotto tickets
BM has to find the right coach now....maybe Kirk Muller?
Can you honestly tell me another GM, that's willing to come to Ottawa, that could rebuild the team better than Murray?? Murray took over the Muckler mess and did what he could after being sacked by Heatley, I think he actually deserves to have a clean slate and to start re-building his way, he was handed a shit sandwich and you can't deny that.
After the 3 years is up, then the book will be out on Murray, because the last 3-4 years have been a direct result of the Muckler mess, and the Kovalev siging most likely was influenced by Melnyk. Stop hatin' HATER! haha
You did say 50/50 it's true but I couldn't resist comparing your level of sanity to the nutjob who keeps stealing your name.
When Murray took over Sens young players were, I believe, Regin, Foligno, Lee, Greening & Condra. That's after 6 draft years of Muckler. I may have missed a couple I can't remember. But there should have been a lot more young players after that many drafts.
This will probably be Murray's last contract, expires in 3 yrs same as Steve Yzerman's contract, I believe. Now that would be a great replacement.
Hoping for an experienced coachnot Cameron. I would rather see Kleinindorst coming up than Cameron.
Jim Nill would be my dream GM but apparently the Red Wings pay him enough so that he won't be tempted by offers from other teams. Pity.
Brian Lee I believe is the only player that was drafted my Muckler left in the system. Muckler left us squat.
Thanks Phil, appreciate your input. His numbers didn't excite me much so I thought I would ask. I wonder if the team will comment at all on why they signed him over some other collegiates.
whether it's Murray or another GM, the next 3 year WILL be painful! Patience is a virtue and this is time to build. It will take some time! Personally, I welcome the change; No expectations other than seing our prospects develop.
Muckler left us with nothing to build around yet Murray managed to draft well and rebuild Bingo.
As a rebuilding team, we won't see Murray sign high end contracts on July 1st or even get aging players at trade deadline. Because of this, we'll get to see another side of Murray and I'm a firm believer that he'll do very well.
What the fuck are you talking about?
Nick Foligno
Eric Gryba
Erik Condra
Colin Greening
Peter Regin
Brian Lee
Roman Wick
Kaspars Daugavins
Cody Bass
What Muckler did is have the misfortune of guiding this team during our most successful period in team history, including our only Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Ya, no wonder his draft picks weren't all franchise players.
Wake up.
What the fuck are you talking about?
Nick Foligno
Eric Gryba
Erik Condra
Colin Greening
Peter Regin
Brian Lee
Roman Wick
Kaspars Daugavins
Cody Bass
What Muckler did is have the misfortune of guiding this team during our most successful period in team history, including our only Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Ya, no wonder his draft picks weren't all franchise players.
Good post Spartan......on e of many lately. I particularly enjoyed your spirited defense of Zack Smith. I'm sick of people dumping on Muckler four years after he left. Well done.
murray is the one that got them getzlaf (captain) and perry (50 Goal scorer) ? how did he screw them lol he was there gm when they won in 2007 ? u make no sense murray had no choice in the heatley deal
we have had no goalie since emery lol think before you talk BM is the best man for this rebuild and im happy they gave him the opportunity to bring us back as for CC see ya later
And Clouston is the one that's going to get the fall for this shit. A talented coach who has been great with the young players and he's gonna be the one hung out to dry. What a joke.
What the fuck are you talking about?
Nick Foligno
Eric Gryba
Erik Condra
Colin Greening
Peter Regin
Brian Lee
Roman Wick
Kaspars Daugavins
Cody Bass
What Muckler did is have the misfortune of guiding this team during our most successful period in team history, including our only Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Ya, no wonder his draft picks weren't all franchise players.
Ummm...although I agree that alot of these players look like decent NHLers, you do realize that all the players you mentioned have a total of 29 goals this season or a wopping 3.2 goals per player. Also none of these players were drafted in the first 3 years of his tenure (hmmm about the same time Bryan Murray joined the club). Just saying....
This comment is so far off base.
Why are people complaining about a 3 year contract? Its not like GMs count against the salary cap. He can be fired/bought out before 3 years at no detriment to anything but to Eugene's deep pockets. That being said, I am very happy Murray is back for 3 more years.
Cloutson sucks. BTW he doesn't work well with the kids, condra, greening,karlso n and butler have all had 2 goals in a game and he failed to give them the ice time to get the hatty. Lehner sat almost 20 games while he watched elliot stink up the place. Da costa getting low minutes and playing with guys that won't help his play. How exactly has cloutson been good for our youth?
Chirp may think this comment is off base but it's seems to be the consensus opinion outside of Ottawa. I find it to be a perfectly reasonable assessment of the situation.
Until recently, Greening & Condra wouldn't have been considered great draft picks. It's funny how Mucks' 5th-7th rounders are suddenly appearing.
If you look at players drafted in and around Mucks' picks. We could have had some crazy talent in our lineup right now. A few examples are choosing 3rd rounders Regin (87th) and Glass (89th) over Edler (91st) and Franzen (97th). Also, Lee over Staal? I could go on...
Butler,condra and locke have played half their games on the 3rd/4th line. Cowen had limited ice time during pre-season in a year he could've made the jump. The kovalev demotion fiasco and his man crushes are bad for this team.
his system is mediocre and our offensive puck turnovers lead to no puck pressure and the other team just walks down the red carpet into our zone every time. I'm glad murray answered our goaltending issues as far as a starter goes and i hope if dave cameron is apart of this organization he starts as an assistant to a credible nhl coach.
My only beef with Murray is his coaching choices, he has to stop hiring guys he can control like a puppet I think that causes the coach to have less credibility with the players!
We'll se how hard you're laughing when the team fails to develop the way we'd all hoped it would.
They were in college for 4 years... genius.
Thank you, you too.
The Sens went to the Cup final with ONE line & a decent goalie. Once that top line was stopped Sens were finished.
Murray took over a team at the top of the Salary Cap. He had to sign Alfie, Fisher, Kelly, Spezza, Heatley with no cap room.
He had to let players walk. He then goes to Bingo for their replacments NOTHING there.
He tried to keep this team competitive while signing free agents which I admit were some of his bad moves.
He has already re-built the defense -- with two POTENTIAL future great D set to join the club next season. Two more should join after next season. Ben Blood one big mean SOB & Jeff Costello (I believe).
The year after the Cup final they lost in 4 games to Pitts.
But what was not mentioned they went into that playoff round with Alfie, Kelly & Fisher. I think that is 3 pretty decent players out of their lineup.
They missed the playoffs the next season.
Last season they lost in 6 games. I think they had a great run considering they were without Michalek, Kovalev, Kuba. Alfie & Campoli were playing with sports hernias. Volchy was playing injured. Phillips was playing with 2 bad feet which required surgery in the offseason. So when your shutdown D are playing injured against Malkin & Crosby you don't have much of a chance. They gave it a good run taking them to 6 games..
Injuries should not be an excuse for not winning.. but it's a reality it affects the way the club plays.
FYI, Jeff Costello is a forward.
Muckler's management team was not the best at drafting.
He screwed Hossa. Let Chara walk. Got absolutely nothing for Havlat -- yet people complain on the return for Heatley.
Traded Brooks Laich for Peter Bondra. Traded Tim Gleason for Brian Smolinski.
I think if you look through Muckler's trading history.. he probably traded more draft picks away than Murray has.
I'm not 100% positive on that remark, however.
I know he left practically nothing in Binghamton.
Without 6 yrs of proper young player development on your AHL team that hurts your organization without the regular flow of young talent to your NHL team -- which results in the need for free agents.. which as we have seen does not work out too well.
Ask some of the Bingo Sens fans to see how much they thought of their team during the Muckler years.
And to mention the players we did not draft!
the choices muckler made drafting was poor.
and chirp the 1000 letter limit sucks!!!!.
Thanks.. but there is another good young D coming.. Michael Sdao.. I think another big physical D.
Well statistically, all things being equal, we only have a 33% of winning the Stanley Cup in the next 10 years so you will most likely be right...unless of course we had Steve Yzerman, Jim Nill or the Detroit Red Wings equipment manager. They would win the cup within 3 years.
I understand they were in college, which makes them genius' as well. Thanks for pointing out the obvious, though.
What I meant was that they certainly weren't on anyones radar as top prospects this year. They were first year ahl guys that suddenly flourished, to the organizations delight.
Still my point is that overall, Mucks' drafting for years now has been considered suspect.
Erik Karlsson- 15th overall, All-Star defenceman
Patrick Wiercioch-42nd overall, NCAA standout, big as hell, needs muscle and could be dominant PMD, Has picked up his game in the first year pro
Zack SMith- 79th overall, Been on team most of year, potential 3rd line center material
Andre Petterson- 109th overall, Back issues but still Top six potential, Leading scorer in (2009?) WJC
Derek Grant- 119th overall, big body, NCAA point getter
Mark Borowiecki- 139th overall- NCAA crasher, big body, potential top four defenceman for Binghamton next year in his first pro season
Of the group of 7, six ELC's signed, one all star, three players already played for the team, ALl six have a future with the club
Bring it on, haters.
Your comments are always negative and unjustified.
Sorry chirp, the whiskey and end to the season hit me tonight.
Ease up there Pollyanna. Some people actually realize this team has won nothing but I suppose it was completely unfair to bring up Bryan Murrays' record of failure. You're right though....this site would be so much better if we we all just agreed the Sens are the greatest team in the league and will win every Stanley Cup for the next 20 years.
"We'll see how hard you're laughing when the team fails to develop the way we'd all hoped it would."
I would throw a red back down that you're the typical fan who wants to hire Dave Cameron.
I can't respect the cynic these days, because as a SENS fan, it gets you no where.
Our TEAM is the best it's been in 5 years in terms of youth and prospects. For you to say that, it screams everything I hate in out fickle fan base.
I'm true through and through, what say you Meadowdog?
Seems like you were one of the last guys we let on the bandwagon back in '07
It's the right move to get rid of Clouston - I hardly think there's a choice to make, but it WOULD suck to never have full practices, never have your #1 goalie (DO have shit backup) and have guys coming off major surgeries. Again, not saying he's good, but lack of coaching talent was SURELY compounded by circumstance.
The more I think about Kirk Muller, the more he seems like the type of coach that would be an obvious choice just waiting for someone to give him a shot. Eugene, are you reading this?
Bear with me, I need a new obsession now that the underated Kelly is gone.
ya cause gonchar sucked last year?????
Clouston's system seems to be one of constant pressure and speed and certainly players like Kovalev did not fit that system.
My worry is this: If a new coach comes in and changes the system, can the team respond in the same manner as they did down the stretch? I certainly hope so. That being said, I would not be too upset if Clousten was extended one year to see what he can do with a team that actually wants to skate.
Thoughts?
really? do your homework. Murray drafted those guys in a draft class where you couldn't go wrong. If he didn't draft those guys, he could have gotten kesler, mike richards, shea weber, patrice bergeron, or brent burns. How the hell could he go wrong? Second, murray wasn't the GM when they won. Want to know why? Because he was coaching the Ottawa team that they beat, you idiot. Get your facts straight