I'm currently sitting at the hotel computer here in downtown New York, trying to make good use of my free 30 minutes and get a game day post up for the loyal readers back home.
Hard to explain the sense of excitement, nerves and fear I'm experiencing right now. In a little over six hours I'll be walking in the doors of MSG in my Sens jersey to watch the biggest game of the season. Still not sure it has all sunk in. This morning, I strolled through the city, sporting my Sens jacket and really didn't get noticed by anyone.
At one point, a guy in a Rangers hat stood beside me at a cross walk. We exchanged a quick and mean spirited glance and both went on our way. I expect to draw a little more attention tonight.
The Sens were on the ice for their pregame skate but were without Jason Spezza, Matt Carkner and Zenon Konopka. MacLean spoke to the media afterwards and suggested that all three will be available for tonight's game. There were also indications from the morning skate that Jakob Silfverberg will play his second straight playoff game.
As has been the case all series, we'll have to wait till game time to know for sure.
Here is how the Sens are expected to line up but keep in mind, there could be changes before puck drop.
Michalek-Spezza-Silfverberg
Foligno-Turris-Alfredsson
Greening-Smith-Neil
Konopka-O'Brien-Condra
Kuba-Karlsson
Phillips-Carkner
Cowen-Gonchar
Game time is scheduled for just after 7:00 PM with all the action available on CBC. I'll do my best to update my Twitter account over the course of the afternoon and evening to let you know about my experience.
Enjoy this game everyone. Really can't beat the excitement of a Game Seven!
GO SENS GO!
Get over yourself CUNT!
Thank you Alfie, you served your years well with us. I hope you give it one more season just to give our young guys some confidence.
Thank you Anderson for giving us everything you've got.
Thank you the Ottawa Senators!
Zippy, you know jackshit
we would not be here without Michelek... dumb dumb
Yes he sucked in the playoffs, had a terrible run, but without him we would not have made it here.
It is easy to shit on the ones that struggled, but mark my words, this is the first step to a Stanley Cup champion team... but what would you know about that... you probably cheer for a team that hasn't won in over 45 years!
At the very least, I'm content that the Rangers will be ousted very soon because the way they played in this series is completely unsustainable in the rest of the playoffs.
That being said, would love to see Gonchar and Michalek moved.
Also, Silfverberg is gushing with potential you can just see it.
Until tonight
@ Mike L,
Very well said !!
This team gave it all they had, for a good 2 minutes near the end of 3rd period, but Michalek missed a few chances as well as Smith 's open net when puck bounced over his stick.
Thanks for a great season !!
They have the goalie, the all star defenseman another one developing with the team now. A number one center a great two way winger in Michalek (Even though Zippy dippy will bad mouth him to no end for next million years and many more are down on him.
Silfverberg looked far better and should be ready to and be great with Spezza. All in all how can anyone aside from a troll be disappointed in what this team accomplished this year. They did great this year and it's only going to get better from here folks. Congratuations on giving your fans a fun an exciting ride boys see most you back for bigger and better things next year.
This team, and Lord knows I love them, is the worst defensive team in hockey. We have a ton of cap space to play with in the off season. Would love to see a top 4 defenceman or two added to the blueline.
And fuck Michalek.
Its been said hundreds of times this series that the onus is still on player development. That's why Cowen was playing big minutes, that's why Silfverberg was in the lineup.
Hate to call you on this but 35% of our team are rookies! With the way that Cowen played this year, he belonged out there! It's a rebuild year which means that you have a bunch of young guys out there learning how to play under pressure. I completely approve of our managements decision to call up the kids and give them NHL Playoff exposure. Did you see the 3rd period that Silferberg had!?!? The kid is a gamer and there is no telling what this playoff experience did for him moving forward!
Can't wait to watch this young team next year!
GO SENS GO!!!
Quoting miguel:
No bashing the refs? Whoa, you finally got over it , eh?
Good season Miguel, it was fun pushing your buttons man, I will wear this name proudly until the draft and then change it back to Tookie if thats ok with you?
Meant get Parise.
It has less to do with being a rookie, and flat out struggling. Cowen was struggling. We do have a lot of rookies, but none that were as nervous and mistaken plagued as Cowen.
He is going to be a boss on the blueline in the future. I'm not blaming him. I'm blaming the decision to put him out there in a situation where he wasn't having any success and looked out of place, that led to mistakes that ultimately proved to be the difference maker in the game. That's it man, chill. I'm not shitting on Cowen.
Good night love reading the comments - Sorry negative about SPEZZA but he really isn't CLUTCH at all!
ALFIE love ya!
100% Agreed about Spezza. Time to get Parise
Wow Vortes, so very true, and very well put.
Me too!
Love this team
Until tonightQuoting ZipZapRap:
Post your address fool
Dude the guy has a new born at home, i doubt he's getting much sleep... give it a rest
Yes cannot blame the refs tonight pal, and it has been great bantering with you... but the wager was for a year, No? :0
Glad you were man enough to keep your end of the bargain, but maybe we should leave it to the rest of the posters on when you should go back to the infamaous Tookie :)
He had stretches of inconsistency but I would love him as a solid 2nd liner
Exactly -- as McLean said.. it's all building blocks.. so he puts the kids out there to play and learn... Sure they make mistakes but they will be better for it... Gets them the experience for down the road. They have been through one tough series against the #1 seed in the East and they took them to 7 games... They let the Rangers know they were in the series...
Agree need some help on D. Kuba will be gone... and probably Gilroy... so who out there can Murray bring in for next season?
All the questions last off season were answered. Anderson was a revelation. Big Rig was a stud. Alfie still has it. Spezza is one of the best players in the league. And Erik Karlsson is a Norris worthy defencemen. And the Bingo kids, all of which are playing in their first season in the NHL, pitched in.
All these guys came from a team that many picked to be last in the league.
I am immensely proud. And to be honest, when we clinched, I told my buddy I honestly didn't care if we made the playoffs and got swept. Everything after that Islanders clinching win was gravy.
Still pissed we lost tonight, but it is what it is.
Thank you Ottawa Senators.
+1 for the sarcasm!
this is such a huge building block for the future! I loved watching these senators all year long! the cardiac kids definitely exceeded my expectations by miles.
talking about stars that didn't deliver i will rise to their defense in saying that they were up against one of the best shotblocking and checking teams in the league. karlson, spezza, michalek were hounded all series long by tenacious checking.
I dislike throwing players under the bus when they don't live up to expectation in just a handful of games.
I am excited to see what the team looks like next year!!!
SENS RULE!
Good on you Tookie, I didn't used to appreciate your comments but you've really grown on my the last few months!
What an excuse.
Do you know how long St. Louis has been building that team? Years and years... not one year... like the Sens.. get over it.
Reflecting, can it be possible that it was Karlsson who made Kuba look good?
Karlsson speed is what gave Kuba more time, and tonight we seen how bad and slow he can really be.
The only regret I have of this year is that I would have rather seen Kuba go at the trade deadline, and keep Lee, he would have been better than bothe Gilroy and Kuba
Good riddens Kuba,
What a team. They just don't know how to go down without a fight.
However, this season has been amazing. Apart from 2006, I don't remember the last time this Sens team has kept me on my toes this much. I've been extremely entertained and I'm looking forward to the future. Our prospects will bring a breath of fresh air next year and we'll hopefully be even better.
Special mention to Anderson, who has been outstanding and exceeded all expectations this season. Hopefully, he stays strong over the next few years, and we may just have found our franchise goaltender.
Finally, I feel bad for Alfie. I sincerely hope he's coming back next year - because this is probably the limit for him. Amazing player, amazing community guy.
Go Sens Go. Always.
cheered me right up
looking forward to next year
go sens go
He's going to be more of a "boss on the blueline in the future" because of the experience he just gained!
-1 for being an in knowledgeable fucktard
Yes it's not like Gaborik or Dubinsky or even for the most part Richards excelled in this series either... The difference was the Rangers D and goalie.. that's it...
Michalek
Foligno
Gonchar
Butler
Condra
Smith
Phillips
Turris
Konopka
winchester
Regin
Greening
Kuba
Gilroy
Cowen
O'brien
Stone
Daugavins
Who is next.. the aging Marty Brodeur??
What a sad bunch of duds
All Bark No Bite
wouldn't mind to see any one of these guys go
Time to find a sniper for spezza or bust
No more revolving door of duds
Karlsson - 21
Foligno - 24
Smith - 24
Turris - 22
Stone - 19
Silfverberg - 21
Daug - 23
All gained valuable playoff experience. They almost upset the #1 seed in the first year of the rebuild.
They now get the 15th puck in this years draft. Highest amount any playoff team.
I give the first year of the rebuild an 'A'
Bizarro Sens.
They win when they could have taken the easy way out. This team has alot of heart and has the talent coming.
Your rage and tears are delicious
However this loss reminded me of the game seven loss the sens had against the devils way back in 2003, which was also a very hard fought series, where the sens played well all the way till the end.
I'd call this loss bittersweet for me I guess. I questioned Macleans decision in dressing Silfverberg, but atleast the guy figured out the NHL near the end of the third period. He was the catalyst of the greatest Senators cycle play of the year, it's too bad the sens were to soft in their shots towards the net.
I'v got to say that Smith's play has regressed so much since all star break that he can't even put a puck into an empty net anymore, quite disappointing, compared to the promise he showed in the beginning of the year.
Yur dick and brain are smaller than ur leafs season
Hard to be upset about going to game 7 of round one when noone expected us to be out of the leagues basement...then when we proved them all wrong by making the playoffs we would be swept in 4.
To hell with the critics/"fans" that was one hell of a season and personally I can not wait for next season.
So much to look forward too...so many young guys, cap space....Guess I am now pulling for Nashville/LA.
I literally threw up in my mouth reading this comment! Did you just call half of our young up and coming prospects duds? Now, I normally try to ignore your comments but this one is just utterly and obviously senseless, illogical, untrue; contrary to all reason or common sense; laughably foolish and completely ludicrous!
Hahahaha keep raging! Love the inferiority complex
Man... Devil v Panthers
Quoting GreeningTheMonster:
In two to three seasons, he'll be an absolute SENSCHIRP READER wrecking ball
Aside from the Leafs who can't, of course.
That one's a gimme.
I could not agree more! theres just so much going on for this team! so much potential! i love it!
I was thinking about this year in general and thinking of the actual negatives. here's the meager list of bad things i can come up with:
-handful of injuries to prospects ie pageau, puempel, silvferburg etc (all have completely recovered i believe)
-regin's nhl career is pretty much over by the looks of it
-filatov didn't turn out to be a steal
-(this is my gut feeling not actual fact)alfie's head injuries may incourage him to retire this year and avoid risk of further damage
-...... that's about all i can come up with
STOP BEING SO NEGATIVE!!!
However, on a more pessimistic note, one seriously has to question the leadership qualities of one Jason Spezza. Call me crazy but the guy they should give the C to is Neil. He brings it each and every shift and has that look in his eye. I'm probably all alone on this, but oh well.
Anyway, now that the season is over it's seriously time to start talking about the off season, and who we are targeting. I hope to God we can sign Parise and Suter or even one of them. We have the money and our franchise is definitely promising.
Thanks for the great talk everyone, coming here and reading this website has given me such joy and entertainment. It's truly a great feeling to talk with people who care about this team as much as I do.
GO SENS GO
sry but with the talent we have coming in and on any other contending team Foligno is a 3rd liner at best. he's not worth more than 1.5 mil/per.
he makes too many wrong choices to play the game smart, i'm surprised he hasn't been benched.
Kessel or Hamilonn and Seguin?
Mika Ahmadinejad and Rundblad?
You sir, are an idiot.
Good season all around, lots to build on. It will be interesting to see what shape the team takes this off-season.
P.S. Sens will be picking 15th overall at the draft.
This is true. But like any problem, this can be easily fixed.
I know it's too soon. And I know Murray probably won't do it given the season he had, but I ponder at what a Michalek trade return would get us. I personally would rather see someone with more consistency.
I think the forwards are going to be okay... and the goaltending is set.
They need to bring in D for next season....
If the next CBA allows that one buyout that doesn't go on the cap.. do they buyout Gonchar?
It's going to be an interesting offseason.. for sure..
They have good chance of getting back in the playoffs if they get 5 more wins next year.. they would be over 100 pts and in the playoffs for a 2nd straight year...
Every year they should get better.. The experience they got in these 7 games will only help them.
Alfie, please come back...
Who the fuck is Mika Ahmadinejad?
ok picasso... lol
that's funny though.
Seguin and Hamilton versus Kessel - versus if you look at the Sens ROI for thier draft picks, Zibanejad and the Turris trade (Rundblad and a 2nd)...
I'm happy with what we've got.
Says the fish hook "I got one, I got one"
Zibanejad is half Iranian... Ahmadinejad is the Iranian dictator.
It's actually in pretty poor taste for a Sens fan
Tons of cap space to improve the D. I hope we push hard for Suter and Carle.
Great fun season - best one in a long time!
Go Sens Go
Leafs Suck
Lol that's for damn sure. At least we weren't embarrassed like that hapless organization. No public statements of "sorry" in the newspaper for the Sens. Only "thank-yous".
But will say one (longish) thing:
A part of me sort of hopes Alfie decides to retire. Not that I don't love to watch him play. Not that he still doesn't have a ton of skill and a lot to offer. Not that I won't be a little heartbroken when he does eventually retire and won't miss him every game after.
But I think this team is in a place where they sort of need to move on now (and no way in HELL do I want Alfie playing elsewhere). I think now is the time for that painful separation, the sadness of it and then Spezza stepping up as captain and the team moving on. Alfie can go out having played a great game after an amazing season.
If you think in terms of rebuild, losing Alfie (whenever it happens) will set us back a bit as a team - he's a HUGE loss. But if that happens this summer we're still on our upswing of the rebuild and we seem to have plenty of hungry young guys ready to try and eat those minutes. If it happens next summer we might be closer to "rebuilt" and then we're suddenly looking to replace a top forward again.
It wouldn't be devastating and maybe this is some sort of weird coping thing where I'm focusing on this instead of the season being over ... but I just think we have to go through this at some point - and the sooner it happens, the sooner we all recover.
Of course, whatever he decides I will COMPLETELY support his decision and will know without a doubt he made the decision with careful consideration of the team, his family and the fans/city.
Praise Alfie.
The team has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of and pushed the #1 seed to the brink. They were one game away from round two. The fans whining about the scoring in this series aren't real fans. I get that the team could have been a bit more effective on the power-play. However realistically the Rangers are an excellent defensive clinic. This is how they won games all year. They win by one or they lose by one. They play a low chance game and rarely give up any second chances. They have the best goaltender in the NHL. The Sens performed admirably and it didn't happen. Half of everything is luck. I'm sure if Ottawa got a couple more bounces in game 6 or 7 you'd all be singing their praises. In the end that's all hockey really comes down to. Fans get high and low when in a close game it's 50/50 who will get the break first. The Sens didn't get it this time and that's okay.
I encourage everyone with twitter to post this tweet. Lets see if we can get a nice group to welcome the boys home after one heck of a season.
Heck of a season for the #Sens. Fans should greet them at the airport with a much deserved warm welcome and applause. #WelcomeTheSensHome
Go Sens Go!
He still has plent to offer is still proving to be our best player even now at 40!
We are within striking distance of a cup, and want him to lead the charge.
You are still to good an valuable to retire Alfie, please stay on for a couple more years, and finish what has been started,
Good night all, this is the beginning of a great few years... and like a poster so well said,
No Sorry's here only Thank yous for a great season
Sorry is for losers :)
first off, WOW, what a season, not only was it a heckuva ride for all us sens fans, it got fans of other teams wired and glued too. also, man the only feeling more sucky about this loss is the slight possibility alfie might not be back. im excited for next year and anderson is the real deal.
i hope in this amazing start on the trip back to regular contender status, they ask all senators to shoot more and that when they shoot, they make sure they hit the net/goalie. other than that, if they can buckle down those small costly mistakes, man.
honestly, everyone agrees that the rangers were not the better team. i was super shocked to see Don Cherry's reaction, don't know if other people noticed but it seemed like he was shaken up a little bit and was genuinely sad to see the sens lose.
my only complaint from this series is that....WE HAD IT!!! and we blew it. yes in the big picture it adds to the learning curve of the players, the coaching staff and the organization, but STILL, we had the rangers done. on the first goal, nicky has to know better, cowen is a rookie so he made a rookie mistake, but nicky is not a rookie on the team anymore, has to make a better play. that is the second soft play he made this series and it cost us.
the area of improvement is obvious for the sens: defense. i think gilroy was completely useless, kuba was both good and bad for the sens this series. i was pleased with gonchar's play. im excited to see what gryba, borocop & wiercioch.
and yes, not happy with MacLean's decision to sit Stone when he clicked with spezza right away. i was shocked, the guy helps you get the game winner. all in all great great season by the senators and great push in this series. one small mistake by nicky was the difference. this group is going to come back hungrier and better! and PLAY STONE!!
Future is Very bright
Our time is coming
Who do you think sets michaelek up? Spezza. Give him a finisher or two and he'll be back to >1 ppg in the playoffs, and the powerplay wont suck balls.
Plus I gotta wait like 5 months 'til the Sens play again!! WTF.
just let it soak in...it totally sucks but...just take it in and then after that..take some time and enjoy the fact that this...once called 28th-30th place team...took the 1st seeded team to game 7 and came ever so close to beating them
Shut up and change suits and go with the whiners if your not happy .
we did way good .
LOVE ALFIE
Well it was a heck of a season that no one expected .
Hoping the captain comes back for 1 more year but I am so sad the hockey season is over. I couldn't care less about the remaining teams and baseball sucks.
See you draft day.
It saddens me to think that that may have been Alfie's last game. He looks and sounds exhausted, I just don't think he has it in him to tough out another long season. I sure hope he comes back.
If Alfie retires, who is the next captain? I'm not convinced that Spezza is capable of leading this team. I'm not convinced anyone on this team can take over as captain right now.
Alfie: best player on ice
Michalek: Best game of the series, was everywhere, just couldn't bury. No complaints about hsi game at all tonight, even though he couldn't bury
Spezza: wayyyy to quiet for a game 7
Karlsson: PLayed awesome, thats the Karlsson we know
Cowen: Struggled, but is 20
Gonchar: I think was our best dman tonight, and perhaps all series....hones tly, the guy came up big this series..steady
Kuba: Needs to learn how to clear the effing puck
Smith: really needs to stop trying to stickhandle with the puck 8 feet in front of him. he always turns it over cause he stickhandles so far from his body. annoying as hell
Turris: I'm super pumped for this guy for years to come
All positives for the most, still stings tho
Finally, when we lose in 7 games, and you (zipzaprap) want to pin the entire series on what penalty by Michalek to say he cost us the series, fuck off. team effort, and if we lost a 7 game series in that 2 minute call then clearly you don't know hockey.
Here is hoping Murray stays the course and doesn't do any dumb singings(Kovale v etc). Draft accordingly...o h and as much as I am not convinced one more season for Alfie.
Although if he returns I think it really increases the chances of us doing a move or moves that is counter rebuild...and on the surface I am against it...but if it gives Alfie one more deep run(cup??) then frankly imo extend the rebuild one season longer and give the man his shot! Oh and I RAISE ALFIE TO THE RAFTERS THE DAY HE CALLS IT A CAREER
Quoting Alcatraz:
Add Silfverburg really demonstrating what a full off season/training camp will do for him...He is going to be an absolute stud~
I know we're going to hear from Tookie, but I agree. I have never really seen Spezza as Captain material. He just doesn't strike me as a leader. He is, by far, our best forward, but that's as far as it goes.
I think, however, that there's been too much talk already, assuming that he will be the next captain. that if they were to name someone else, he would not react well. I think he assumes he is the next one, for sure.
I have always maintained that, sometimes, stats lie...I know Tookie will point to the fact that Spezza led the ream in points in thse playoffs, but I don't think anyone can say that Spezza played well, or like a leader, in these playoffs.
The obvious choice is Phillips, for his remaining years, after that I dont see anyone ELSE but Spezza getting it. And many people lead differently, you dont know if Phillips or Spezza or Neil can be a good or bad Captain.
Phillips would be for his defensive prowess...
Spezza would be for his point producing.
Neil would be for his heart and soul.
I honestly think that if Alfie retires the best suited person right now to be captain(and I do not think he would be upset knowing it was sorta a interim leader) is none other than the heart and soul of this team
Chris Neil
Sure his penalty hurt us in game 6. But its an sset to have a player like that play with absolutely no fear on the top 2/3 lines. HE will probably become a 3rd liner next year with silf and zib coming in, but we have seen what happens when we have all skilled soft players in top 6. Foligno stays and learns when to pick his spots
I still remember that game vs Vancouver where he was just causing havoc all over the place. that edge is important
I think we should keep Gonchar. Clearly he has a positive impact on our team and is a great leader. He was great in the playoffs, and with 1 year left on his contract he can be a real asset moving forward. Should we stumble next year at all (bubble between 6-10th place team is so small) that he would be great to move at deadline.
Butler/daug/konopka/gilroy/kuba won't be back next year IMO
What game were you watching? really? he was still very hesitant and not once brough the puck up from our own zone. Spezza gave him a few nice passes and instead of shooting he tries to deke 3 guys and then gets popped!
He was directly responsible for the Dan Girardi goal.
Did not produce offensively......again...
Donot get me wrong, Karlsson is the BEST in the league and will be for a long time but the Rangers chewed him up and spit him out.
1pt in 7 games, playing all those minutes and all those PP minutes and come away with nothing is pretty bad.
Maybe the effort was there but the results werent and we all know results is what counts.
In the dressing room, players know who the leaders are regardless of what letter they wear.
On the ice, technically speaking, only captains are allowed to "talk" with refs at the box. You really think refs will give Neil a second of their time? His complaining would bounce right off. Not to say he wouldn't be a great leader for Ottawa, but there is a reason most goons/grinders don't become captains.
Phillips would be a good Captain choice also, mind you I think in terms of a re-build we need to give the C to soemoen who will be around for a while, and really take this team under his wing
Spezza is the clear and obvious choice for the C. Alfie has said so, he is vocal and is media savy. He is not afraid to answer any toll, and knows how to take a licking.
Aside from these guys the only other person I would consider is Cowen in about 5 years lol
On to speculate who gets resigned and not.
My vote is Tookie maned up and took on the name as per bet for the season and playoffs, I see no problem with him taking back his name for the draft.
Really the bet was between the two of you but you asked for posters thoughts.
I don't remember if you guys decided terms, I only remember the name change if we went to playoffs.
Proud of my team.
They get to golf and enjoy the summer now, well deserved rest.
Stoked for next season and even the off season and Draft.
Yes he was responsible for one goal, but Karlsson created a lot of chances. One thing I noticed with him, is he feeds off movement in the offensive zone.
I'm not sure if its because the rags collapsed so much, but for the first 45 minutes of the game once we entered the OZ our forwards would stand waiting for passes. No movement. Karlsson can read lanes and movement probably better than anyone in the league. When he got the puck he didn't do much or didn't shoot cause you could see him trying to read the play....and nothing was created!!
All he needs is a streaking greening through the box, or michalek cutting through the crease for a one timer. You could see him looking, but he had 4 guys standing still
I also thought Gonchar was our good in this series, but Phillips looked like his old self. Really proud of the way the Big Rig played in the second half of the season and in the playoffs.
I thought Karlsson played decent in the 7 games, but he has a lot to learn about playoff hockey and keeping things simple at times.
So it's pretty obvious that Karlsson, Cowen, Gonchar, and Phillips will all be back next season, and I think we can pencil in Borowiecki as well, and I'd like to see Carkner stay around as the 7th defenceman. So who fills the remaining spot on defence?
Two things this team needs are a punishing defenseman that can play at both ends of the rink and a strong skating power forward.
I think the clip they showed last night on CBC shows exactly who the best dman in the game is.
Torts has one game plan for when Karlsson is on the ice, and a complete other one for the rest of the team. It didn't matter if Spezza Alfie Smith Konopka was on the ice, he played a specific style.
But what he did do was:
When Karlsson on ice: hang back at centre, have all 5 guys in the neutral zone waiting
When any other dman on the ice: forecheck, forecheck, forechceck
I honestly can't think of a team doing that to another single player before. thats how much Karlsson impacts the game. heads and shoulders the best dman in the game.
I agree with you for the most part. I don't think that there's another defenseman in the league that opposing teams have to "gameplan" around as much as Karlsson, and I don't think there's another defenseman in the league that means more to their teams success than Karlsson, but I think Weber wins it this year for demonstrating the best all-round ability in the position.
I don't think Karlsson wins it this year, but he will win multiple Norris' over the course of his career.
We need to get Codi Ceci! or Koekkoek!!
Make it happen!
Thanks for the comments and your vote Flo, and I completely agree that Tooks maned up and did change his name, if we made the playoffs, as per the wager.
The wager was, however, to change the name for the next year, but as many have stated, Tooks did not cower, or try to hid, or even worse, come on here as someone else, and owned up to it. So if most the posters agree, I am ok with him changing his name back to the infamous Tookie,at the START of new season... Tooks is this a fair compromise?
ok well said Alfie :),
that is two votes to let him change back after the draft,
one for the start of next seasson,
and 0 for the whole year.
I will keep track
Ceci would be awesome but he'll go in the top 10 for sure. Koekkoek on the other hand is ranked 23rd among North American skaters.
I dont think we should resign Kuba, Foligno, Konopka, Regin, Daugavins, Filatov, Lessard, McKenna, Parrish, Gilroy, Winchester, Auld.
I do think we should resign Karlsson, Carkner, O'Brien, Da Costa*, Gryba*, Locke*, Schira*, Cannone*, Klinkhammer*.
I also strongly recommend that we go after a top tier UFA, Parise, Semin, Suter.
*2 way deals.
actual fact: went to game 7 where a sens could of taken it just as much as rangers. very close tight fought series.
zap said: michalek is a piece of shit.
actual fact: michalek is a +3 player (highest on the team), has 3rd on team with most shot on goal, tied in points with alfie, and more points than karlsson.
I am not implying that Michalek was a shining star (the rangers defense/goalten ding shut down pretty much everyone of our players), but by his logic if we trade every player that did worse than michalek & foligno...who are we left with? spezza??? someone has been playing too much nhl 12 gm mode if he wants a roster of:
Sedin/crosby/perry
ovechkin/stamkos/nash
Lucic/malkin/kane
it's called a salary cap chump...on a team who has been rebuilding for 1 year. they did pretty damn good.
you might want to step down a rung on your "expert" ladder, predicting that rangers sweep sens is being as much of an expert than the tsn crew...
good season sens, you have me excited for the next. Silfverberg looked A LOT BETTER in his second game than he did in his first game. lots of prospects looking promising
I'd like to see us hang on to Konopka. He doesn't even have to play very often. He's just a great team guy and the players love him. He's worked his ass off and I think he deserves to stick around. There's no chance we'll be spending to the cap next season so it wouldn't hurt to keep him around as an extra.
I'm on the fence with Foligno. Some games he's great and other nights he's just damn terrible. If we didn't have so many prospects on their way then I'd say keep Foligno, but he may be expendable.
The biggest disappointment to me has to be Zack Smith. He got off to such a promising start, and was absolutely invisible in the second half of the season and in the playoffs. Not sure he has a guaranteed roster spot going into next season.
Hopefully Suter paired with Karlson and Parise on Spezza's wing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Yeah I don't know what the answer is. I like Foligno and all, but we have to make room for guys coming up. We have to choose between Foligno, Smith, O'Brien, Condra, Greening, Winchester.
Out of those 6 guys I'd personally keep Foligno, O'Brien, and Greening, but Smith and Condra are still under contract for another year.
Smith still has a year left on his 1 way deal. He aint going nowhere and to be honest, his numbers are damn good for a 3rd line centre!
The base we have now is extremely solid, with many positives.
But to reflect, we do have a couple of glaring problems.
Kuba, for all of his redemption during the year, proved to be too slow, too soft, and in a physcal 7 game playoff, proved that it was Karlsson carrying him all year, and not the other way around.
Put anyone with a potentil Norris candidate and they will be made to look better.
Thanks for you time here Mr. Kuba, time to move and good riddens.
Only regret, should have been him moved at the deadline for Gilroy and not Lee, still feel that Lee could have been better than both Kuba or Gilroy.
Bye Bye Gilroy, bad trade, but compared to all the good ones we have made is very minor.
Gonchar, did redeem himself somewhat during he playoffs, and although pricey at 6 mil, not much we can do, but hope he has one more good year.
Spezza needs some help, he cannot do it alone, MM9 did not have a great playoff, and we do not have enough top 6 to spread out.
Greening is in his first year, but is not creative enough to play top 6, and we kept throwing anyone in there in hopes Spezza can carry them, there is only so much one man can do.
So we need some on the top 6, we have about 11 solid players to play on the bottom 6, with more to come.
So we will probably move a few before the draft to help us move up.
Secondly, we need one D-man who likes to take a hit to make a play,
Other than that, I say the future is ours!
I would like to wager anyone (Tooks) that we WILL make the playoffs next year... Loser changes there name to "I dont know anything about hockey"
Anyone?
Smith put up most of those numbers at the beginning of the season. He was no where to be found in 2012. I'd prefer us fill the 3rd line center spot in free agency. Chris Kelly anyone??
Since when was 26 points damn good for a 3rd line center tookie????
Thanks Sens for a(mostly) fun year. Next year should be even more "fun".
26 points on our third line with a lot of rotation/player s that at the start of the season were considered fairly large question marks isn't bad. I would say in general 90 points 1st line is good, 60-70 second line is good anymore is a bonus, 30ish for a third line is pretty solid.
I am also sorta torn on Smith...glad we have another season to evaluate him because I suspect 80%(total guess without much research just going by memory)of his points came in the first half.
Extremely tasteless considering Mika and his family are devote Christians and is father had to flee for his life from Iranian dictatorship.
Everyone needs to remain calm. We have talented players coming through our system, this year was an unexpected turn of events, so you can't look at the product we had on the ice as our be all end all. Sure, Greening was on the top line, but we didn't have anyone else to position in that slot with Spezza and Michalek. Maybe Butler, but even then it's a toss up. And we all know BM wanted Silfverberg to be here this year, if he was he most likely would have filled it.
Next year we'll have Silf, possibly Stone and Zibby with a few ups and downs between the big club and bingo. That's an addition of 3 players to our current roster, not including any possible free agent signings or draft trades that BM could consider worthy as part of the rebuild. And we'll be in the same situation we were in this year, when it comes to expectations. Mind you, the powers that be will no doubt slot us a little higher because of what we accomplished this year.
All in all, it's a rebuild and I'm just looking forward to see what D Ottawa selects with it's 1st overall. Or will BM make a move of sorts to climb the draft and go for someone a little higher up.
rangers primary purpose in all games was to prevent the senators from scoring, thats their system. the senators primary purpose - to score. the rangers won by outwaiting ottawa to the first mistake. rangers shot blocking got to ottawa's head near the end of the series. you could see ottawa make more passing plays on occasions where a hard shot at the net was obviously available. multiple examples of this last night. second goal was the result of a ottawa fancy passing play gone bad. Karlsson got his noggin knocked in a fancy passing play too. i think sens need to replace Kuba with a hard shooting d-man.
excited to see guys like Wiercioch, Borocop and Gryba and eventually Ben Blood to see what they can bring different. and yes I also agree that Kuba should not be resigned.
Moving onto players. I thought Spezza had just an ok series. Both team's superstars were so-so. He probably still gets ripped for his giveaways and turnovers, and deservedly so because in the end they cost us. I think he just needs to play to his better strengths and shooting hard is one of them. Gonchar was a good surprise and so was Phillips. Really impressed by the two vets on the back end. Cowen i think was beastmode with only one stupid error which cost the staal goal. The rest of the group was great. ABSOLUTELY LOVED Anderson's play too.
Lastly I want to get to Nick Foligno. Nick has a lot of positives in his play. He battles hard, but I as a fan have lost the patience for his momentum destroying anti-heroics, where he makes bad turnovers or takes stupid penalties. By my count, foligno's bonehead moves cost us three goals. Game 1 turnover behind the net-goal. Game 6 bonehead penalty-goal. Game-7 bonehead move in neutral zone-momentum destroying goal. I think Nick deserves to be on the team, but he defintiely is not deserving of a 2nd line role with that kind of bonehead play.
The only two players I have a gripe with this series is Foligno and Kuba.
and yes I have an issue with Maclean sitting Stone for the last two games.
Spezza
Brassard
Turris
Smith down the middle - flip-flop Turris-Brassard if you want (who cares).
Guaranteed we'd still be playing.
Sign Semin & Pancake Penner July 1st.
Kuba: revelation year- but I can't help but think that maybe it was Karl that "made him look better than he actually is". To be honest, I would really like to see someone else on the blueline who is more of a solid, well rounded defenceman, and one who knows how to clear the damn puck. I wouldn't mind I guess if he resigned for dirt cheap, but if not, honestly let him walk. Time to move on from him.
Parise- No. This is still a rebuild. There is nothing wrong with our offence. They answered the question a year ago as to where the goals would come from. Mac has done an excellent job fixing this.
Michalek- Lord knows how impressed I was during the regular season with him. But he is the most inconsistent player on the roster. He did score 35, don't get me wrong. But at least 5 of those were empty net goals, including that own goal from Clarke McArthur [see what I did there :) ] I don't think we should trade him, because I don't think Murray will. But I do think that the first line isn't quite there yet. Milo just doesn't do enough.
Greening- a player with untapped potential. I honestly think he can be a 20 goal scorer. He is a rookie, and will be even better next season. I liked what he did this year.
Guys who should walk: Winch [successfully replaced by Obrien, good to see our former 1st round pick finally materialize], Regin [unfortunately] , Konopka, Gilroy. I am a fan of Matt Carkner and would like to see him back, even if it's as our 7th D.
Targets: Suter, Carle, Wideman. These guys, especially the first two, can add a great deal of stability on the blueline, because God knows we need it. BoroCop is expected to make a push for a spot, too.
Bottom line is this team is going to be even better next season.
I really hope this was sarcastic. If not, give your head a shake please. Get over it...Spezza is going nowhere.
I think getting Jordan Staal would be easier. No thanks for Semin and Penner. We have plenty of offense coming in. But I would try to make a 3 teams trade that would imply to get rid of Spezza to replace him for Jordan Staal.
Carolina will never let Eric go. The Pens have to decide to keep two of the top 3 centers, they will not be able to afford it.
Jordan can easily replace Spezza and he is a complete player.
Get spezza some top line talent....don't trade him christ....I hope it isn't another retarded off season like this
This team can hold it's head up high, and look forward to an even better team next season.
NO WAY WE TRADE JASON SPEZZA !!
Have sincerely enjoyed reading and posting on Senschirp,
during past season, and will be signing - off now, till start of Training Camp come September.
Have a great summer everyone !!
Rockin Robert
um last i checked pittsburgh with all its top line talent was getting scored on at will by the philadelphia flyers with not much to show for themselves. how about that game 6 beatdown to make a statement by the flyers.
the solution for this team can't be simpler: just play the system Maclean coaches for a full 60 minutes and play it true and honest and good things will happen.
All spezza needs to do is shoot the puck more. I think the sens really took the ranger's shot blocking way too seriously in this series and started passing the puck way too much. The fix is simple and easy: Shoot shamelessly, relentlessly, unapologeticall y and fearlessly and SHOOT ACCURATELY. AND SHOOT HARD. Ottawa needs a Johnny Boychuk kind of shooter on the back end who shoots hard and loves to shoot.
And tell foligno to stop being a bonehead at the wrong times.
if foligno doesnt make that bonehead neutral zone play in game 7, all of us are probably cheering to make spezza mayor right now.
i think next season, with silfverberg, zibanejad and stone available, it should be easier and simpler line combos. I expect Michalek to be put with turris because they have natural chemistry. Foligno is a third liner whose ice time needs to be limited to prevent him from letting his bad habits cost the team, otherwise he is a valuable cog on the team.
Rangers feasted on the Sens' mistakes and did a great job at it.
The biggest let down for me in the playoffs was Michalek. He was depended upon to score, and didn't.
I don't see kuba coming back. Konopka is worth holding on to. He came ready to play.
Assuming alfie comes back, our top 6 looks promising. I would focus on a top tier dman signing.
As a fan I reserve the right to harp on his mistakes, but, at the same time, I want him on my team any day.
1 T150 -- DenisVial 101
2 T298 -- Misaow 98
T3 T356 -- Kratos71 97
T3 T356 -- Bradweiser 97
5 T453 -- tcharger 96
T6 T555 -- nyjets1967 95
T6 T555 -- Bluenose 95
T8 T667 -- Glencho10 94
T8 T667 -- Eagle8 94
T8 T667 -- RUSHRLZ 94
T8 T667 -- -zs 94
T12 T793 -- A11fie 93
T12 T793 -- PaskySensFan 93
T12 T793 -- EH_Matt 93
T15 T941 -- animal_allen 92
T15 T941 -- NorCalSens 92
T15 T941 -- WeAreSensFans 92
T18 T1091 -- drebellz 91
T18 T1091 -- Ksingh96 91
20 T1253 -- yuhaylonen 90
T21 T1420 -- Hax 89
T21 T1420 -- SensSaint 89
T23 T1825 -- jsray 87
T23 T1825 -- DajaSens 87
T23 T1825 -- Patrick2point0 87
T26 T2039 -- gtrplayer1968 86
T26 T2039 -- DonnyG33 86
T26 T2039 -- RITAM 86
T26 T2039 -- sens23 86
T26 T2039 -- zap93 86
Just did the first 3 pages...Don't forget to get your round two picks in by today!!!
These are the matchups for anyone who is too lazy ahaha
west
LA(8)
STL(2)
PNX(3)
NSh(4)
LA(8) VS STL(2)
PNX(3) VS NSH(4)
EAST
NYR(1)
WSH(7)
NJD(6)
PHI(5)
NYR(1) VS WSH(7)
PHI(5) VS NJD(6)
I've got $33,922 left...still not 100% sure I will be leaving my team as is...My goalie situation is causing me the most headaches.
Seriously...lets trade Spezza, force Alfie to retire...Hell who needs top end talent.
are you forgetting his goal in Game 4??? if he doesnt finish on that pass by carkner, sens probably lose a second home game and never make it close.
Cowen you can excuse right away because he is a first year rookie and even at that he has been simply amazing for the sens and is the most underrated prospect on the sens system...noone talks about him, but his minutes are premium for the sens already. big guy, skates, hits he is a gold pick and a steal at 10th overall.
have a much harder time excusing spezza and foligno. Spezza was lazy on the backcheck on Girardi and thats disgusting because Girardi is not a skating guy, he is a shot blocking tank. Spezza is not a rookie so clearly there is just no excuse. but he shouldnt be traded for that, he should just be ripped into by the coach. ditto for foligno on the staal goal and also the richards goal in Game 1. Foligno should know better, he has been around the team long enough to know.
in the end, the above just highlights how far this team has come from a 30th overall prediction just 8 months ago. because those are small minor mistakes against a level of compete and no-quit shown by this team unlike never before. this is a sens team that people are having a hard time not rooting for. people are actually enjoying rooting for the sens. when was the last sens team that garnered that kind of attention? the loss actually feels like a genuine stepping stone.
so people need to cut the spezza trade bullshit. he isnt going anywhere.
That was one goal.
Which is 1 more than Gaborik and 1 less than Richards
Point?
Both teams top end talent were marginalized, and it came down to secondary scoring.
Our secondary scoring all year has come from the point. The rangers got two goals last night from d-men.
We needed to find a way to score from other sources..we didn't
Stop blaming Michalek-Spezza etc.. TEam effort, and we missed out by 1 goal. Great game, great series, great season
Actually Gaborik had 1 as well. I'm not going to sit here and compare Michalek to the Rangers and say "oh, well they weren't that good too". That's bullshit. Anyone with eyes can see that Michalek wasn't good enough, and wasn't the player we needed him to be. He took a momentum killing penalty in game 6, and despite many chances in game 7, couldn't bury one. I'm not discounting the Sens' effort as a team. I'm just saying that for ME, Milo was a huge disappointment.
He had one goal and one assist in the entire playoffs, and for a guy who is playing on the first line besides one of the best players in the league, gets tons of icetime and is heavily counted on by Paul Maclean, that is not good enough. And you know what, I'm sure if you had the chance to ask him, he'd say the same thing.
/rant.
So proud of this team this season. Sure there were ups & downs but we all knew that going into the season.
In our wildest dreams, at the beginning of the season, we would not have seen this young team take the # 1 seed in the East to the final seconds of a game 7 in the 1st round of the playoffs.
I'm disappointed but it's not the same as the disappointment & frustration of season's past. This team was expected to be nothing, at the bottom of the league, yet they proved a lot of people wrong.
They have a true comradarie (sp?). They play hard. There is a nice mixture of skill & toughness on this team that is needed for playoff hockey.
They will get better. As McLean said, a little bit better every game. They still have learning to do but they have learned alot the last 7 games, which will only serve to help them in the future.
Kuba is gone. This is still a re-build & I don't believe Murray will sign a 35 yr old defenseman.
Do you think, if he becomes a free agent, that the Sens would stand a chance at getting someone like Suter & would Melnyk spend to the cap after how close this team came to getting into the 2nd round of the playoffs?
Do they stand a chance at Parise? With the rumours of financial trouble in NJ can they afford to sign him?
I don't think the Sens will pick 15th. I think Murray is going to use some of the excess forwards the Sens have to move up in the draft. There is about 2 - 3 more young players coming into the lineup next season so they need to unload some. I really think that Konopka is re-signed. We can't make light of the great work he did during this playoff series. He is a great figure in the 'room' & it won't cost them much.
Marc Staal had a very good series. John Muckler you were an idiot.
Go Nashville. Go Fisher.
Finn, Ceci, Koekkoekk, Maatta, Pouliot?
Spezza isn't the problem. I'm done defending him, because it's not needed. We have some area's we are building on, but I can assure you that any team in the NHL would gladly take Spezza if he was ever offered and that's saying something.
Now I don't mind talking trade scenarios or free agent signings, it's fun and part of the sport. If you have ideas or thoughts, make them realistic and stop pissing people off.
Sorry, been a busy day and that just irked me!!
No Biggie. Dissappointing- sure. But, what a Season!! I am so excited for the next 5 years at least, and as fan I am so excited to be back in contention!!!
KJ
Double standard much.
You can blame alot of things for Ottawa's loss but for me it was our top players (Karlsson, MM9) not producing, plain and simple. Great season, horrible playoff performances.
The draft will be to get better depth at D and possibly another Goalie, as for UFA, you HAVE to get Spezza some help on the wing...HUGE MUST!
I'd love to see BM try for Ceci and I think he's one of those character guy they'd be interested in, but the scouts say he's going within the top 10 now if I remember right. Hard to say though, BM could make a move to get a better pick, if they feel they need it, but if they do that is Ceci the guy they are after?
We do have an abundance of forwards in our depth chart, more than they probably expected would excel at the level they have this year. Odds are not all of them will get a spot in the near future. So the question is, do they start using those players they feel may be the odd man out for future draft picks, or try trading picks those players and future picks for current players who have shown something?
Def Ceci if he is still available, doubt it (maybe move up to get him tho, worth it).
Koekkoekk would be my 2nd choice.
You guys should remember there was a time when Kuba was injured early in the season, and Cowen was playing big minutes with Karlsson and totally thrived. He actually had a four point night against the Penguins in one game.
I agree Spezz needs help on the wing. He needs a consistent legit threat who, even when Spezz himself has an off game from carrying the team the whole time, can bring him up. I just don't see that in Michalek. Hopefully Big Z can give us more than Milo did. 35 goals was nice, but they seemed to have come in bunches. One night Milo's there, the next week you don't even notice him.
i think we all want Ceci but his stock has skyrocketed and I don't see him at 15. To be honest, I really don't want to see another puck-moving offensive defenceman drafted [although I wouldn't be bummed]. What we need is a big, steady, two-way, SAFE defenceman who is good in the d-zone and can play GOOD OVERALL D. Someone else who can add what Cowen is projected to bring. That is the Sens' number one biggest problem and would like to see someone like that drafted.
Unfortunately, there seem to be very few of these. A lot of the D are O-guys.
for
1st round pick 2012 and Sam Gagner.
Draft Yakupov...
Sign 2 of Semin, Parise, Suter...
We win the Cup from 2014 until 2022, BOOK IT!
Parise Spezza Semin
Silfverberg Turris Alfie
Greening Smith Zibanejad
Condra O'Brien Neil
Phillips Karlsson
Gonchar Cowen
Carkner Borowiecky
Anderson
Lehner
LOL! Woohooo Tookies back!
London knights have a history of producing amazing prospects. Offensively he had a decent season, but his numbers are awesome currently in the playoffs.
The two things the Rangers did was to shutdown both Karlsson & Spezza to stop the Sens offense.. and they did that very well.. They basically got no room...
The only knock I have on Spezza for this series is his lack of shooting the puck instead of passing.. but then again, the Rangers D did not give a lot of shooting lanes.
Instead of trying to trade the #1 centre.. point a game player in the regular season (4th overall if I believe) and nearly point a game in the playoffs overall... how about we figure how to get him help....
I agree with whoever said it.. but Chirp... please delete any trade Spezza posts.
That doesn't take into account the European Skaters.. and how many will go above the top 5...
And Tookie.. trading Cowen is not on the agenda... Michalek will stay until his contract is up...
Question is.. would they trade Bishop to move up in the draft?
6'2" 200lbs is hardly big...that beingbsaid he does look pretty good...and I wouldn't move Bishop
I live in London and watch the Knights on a regular basis.
Olli Maatta is as safe of a young defenceman as you can draft. He not "big", but is not small nor gets pushed around either. Let me tell you, that there are very few defencemen I've seen who have the poise, patience, and confidence that Olli has. He makes everything look so easy and effortless. He makes very few mistakes and keeps his head up. A safe, high reward kid who is every coaches dream. The lack of scoring doesn't do justice to his offensive ability. He can quarterback the powerplay, and dish the puck effectively. The reason why I think his numbers aren't as prolific as the other draft eligible defencemen is because this is his very first season playing North American hockey. What I love about Olli is that HE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IT. He is solid, all rounded, and smart. I think with another year here in London his numbers will be off the charts. He is having a fantastic playoffs at the moment for us and has put up points. He's shown signs of having an underrated booming shot as well. Don't get the wrong impression from me because I'm from London and I sound like a homer lol. I'm just giving you my honest opinion of the kid. He is a great, all rounded young defenceman who plays in all situations, projects to be an excellent NHL defenceman, and the fans here absolutely love him. What I like about him is his poise. He is a good, SAFE pick. He isn't overly physical, but likes to use his positioning instead to break up offensive chances a la Lidstrom.
If I were to think of someone to compare him to, think along the lines of Mark Streit or a more offensive Zbynek Michalek
Trading Bishop or Lehner is pretty much on the table I think. The grabbed Bishop expressly because they know he has value and to put some pressure on Lehner. I would expect that they'd be willing to part with one or the other if the price was right (I hope they keep Lehner - I just think he has much more upside).
Trading Bishop to be able to draft a potential stud defenceman would be smart IMO.
You have Cowen twice (traded and in the top 4) so yeah, Tookie's back alright.
Sorry, I just thought that compared to the other defencemen in the draft projected to go in the first round he actually has a bigger frame then most of them.
Just to clear that up.
Man, I have to agree. I can't take his give aways anymore... and anyone who defends Spezza was not watching the same game(s). He was a 7th player for the Rangers most games. He scored one legit goal in 7 games. Let's see if edmonton would anti-up for our first and Spezza for their first, Gagne and one of their top end prospects M.-P. or Linus Omark ?
Lol you observations coincide with eliteprospects. com's scouting report on him. So you must be seeing the right things from. I just think that if not Ceci, I think this guy would be a safe pick.
Lock up Karlsson for 100 years at $6M.
Sign Parise for $8M, sign Suter for $6M.
Parise ($8.000m) / Spezza ($7.000m) / Alfredsson ($4.875m)
Michalek ($4.333m) / Turris ($1.400m) / Silfverberg ($0.900m)
Foligno ($1.500m) / Zibanejad ($1.775m) / Neil ($2.000m)
Greening ($0.817m) / Smith ($0.700m) / Condra ($0.625m)
O'Brien ($1.000m)
Butler ($1.050m)
Suter ($6.000m) / Karlsson ($6.000m)
Cowen ($1.265m) / Gonchar ($5.500m)
Phillips ($3.083m) / Borowiecki ($0.610m)
Carkner ($0.750m)
Anderson ($3.188m)
Bishop ($0.650m)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,020,833; BONUSES: $1,275,000
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $1,279,167
Now that's even with over-paying somewhat for the top guys - can probably be done cheaper even.
In my honest opinion, he is 110% what the Sens need. A good, steady, all rounded guy who is going to be a staple for years and years in the NHL [that's what I see from him]. Olli is having a fantastic post-season right now which may see his stock rise, but it is still quite possible that he sticks around 15-20 which is where he is projected.
If the Sens do draft Olli, we are all in for a real treat. He is playing his first year of OHL hockey and in my opinion is closer to the NHL than many think.
I'm also still not certain why everyone is so convinced that a d is our main target.
Your an idiot. I watched the same game, and he was trying to make something happen against a tight checking team. You obviously have never played the game.
Call it give aways, sure. be negative- your perogative.
Give your head a shake!!! We are not giving away an 84 point (point a game) #1 center. It was all Spezza in game 5 if you don't recall. His overall career playoff performance is almost a point per game.
Oh, and btw, any give away Spezza made last night, did not count against us.
He also lead our team in points with 5pts during this playoff series.
KJ
Couldn't have said it better KJ...everyone just chill. Spezza is ours and any team would be lucky to have him on their top unit.
Bring on training camp!
anyone else posting??
FORWARDS
Briere, Daniel
McDonald, Andy
Berglund, Patrik
Brown, Dustin
Jagr, Jaromir
Giroux, Claude
Kovalchuk, Ilya
Couturier, Sean
Radulov, Alexander
Bourque, Gabriel
Hartnell, Scott
Voracek, Jakub
DEFENCE
Carle, Matt
Colaiacovo, Carlo
Stralman, Anton
Klein, Kevin
Yandle, Keith
Weber, Shea
GOALIES
Elliott, Brian
Rinne, Pekka
Really Hope Elliott keeps it up, was really torn between hi, and Quick
in a year when spezza scores 84 points, has MM9 on wing to score 35 goals and also in a year where spezza plays one of the main roles in helping this team make the post-season, people here are saying trade spezza? right. when ottawa fares just as good or better than some other teams in the post season with what some might say better top line centreman (crosby, malkin, staal, datsyuk, zetterberg, thornton, couture, toews, h.sedin, kesler, bergeron, kerjci, seguin)....peop le want to trade ottawa's own top line centreman? so i assume all those teams should trade all their centremen too?
alot of the fans on this forum, i am noticing are just stupid and have a hard time appreciating what this team actually accomplished this year and are still asking for blowing the team up. People here are just ridiculous, asking to trade Cowen? the guy with the most hits in that series, AND HE IS ONLY 20 YRS OLD? IT WAS COWEN'S GAME 2 OT SHOT THAT GAVE OTTAWA THE CHANCE TO BRING NYR TO THE BRINK IN THE FIRST PLACE. IT WAS MILAN MICHALEK'S GAME 4 goal WHEN 2-0 DOWN THAT GAVE OTTAWA THE SECOND LIFE. IT WAS SPEZZA'S 2 GOALS IN NYC THAT SCARED THE SHIT OUT OF THE RANGERS.
here is what really needs to be done, the senators need to trade fan-bases, because if this is the kind of fans we have here who ask to trade their top centreman after the kind of performance we got from this team, then its a shame, its a shame, real real shame.
JUST ASK TEAMS LIKE THE LEAFS. THEY WOULD AGREE TO DO ANYTHING, LITERALLY ANYTHING IF WE EVEN DANGLED SPEZZA TO THEM. THATS HOW VALUABLE HE IS. THE GUY IS THE SENS FRANCHISE AFTER ALFIE. WITHOUT HIM, THIS TEAM GOES DOWN.
WE GAVE THE RANGERS EVERYTHING and LETS NOT FORGET, TO A MAN EVERYONE IN THE HOCKEY WORLD KNOWS THAT THE BETTER TEAM (OTT) LOST TO THE BETTER GOALTENDER.
Neat!
I don't see him as a leader - he can't be the number one guy. If Alfie retires this guy will be a trainwreck.
Where there was smoke there was fire the last 2 summers - i'm sure managaement was looking to trade him - they couldn't get what they felt was just value. Not his no trade has locked in - Will they approach him. I think for the better of this team and especially after an 80 point season the SENS should look at seeing if he would wave his no trade clause.
I would approach the Oilers and offer Spezza for
The first overall pick and Magnus Paajarvi.
There can be some extra bodies thrown in on both sides if need be.
We would be extremely young but very fast and exciting minus the TURNOVERS(using my DR EVIL VOICE).
Michalek-Turris-Yakupov
Paajarvi-Zibanejad-Silfverberg
Alfie-DaCosta-Stone
Greening-Smith-Neil
Alfie plays one more year or not up to him.
Then following year Noesen invades the lineup - he's a STUD!
You wanted a scenario instead of just a trade Spezza well there you go. With money saved you could add Prise and Suter as well.
Thanks for the season SENS!
Spezza got a lot of undeserved criticism in my opinion. He's had to face the Rangers top defensive unit, along with a Rangers forward group that we're very capable of playing two-way hockey, all this with Milo, who he never really gelled with (I know Milo got 35 goals this year, mostly with Spezza as his center).
As for Michalek, its hard to read all the flak he is getting. He did score 35 goals, was responsible defensively and was finally healthy all year long. To say he should be traded, is definitely a stretch, considering the fact he'd be the best player involved in any deal we would make.
Anywho, this was my first time posting on here, I've been reading this site for a couple years now, a lot of knowledgeable people and very passionate fans!
Go Sens Go (next year!)
Captain Basem
Edmonton would NEVER make that trade !
Spezza would never wave his no-trade contract to go to Edmonton.