First up of course is the World Championships being co-hosted by Sweden and Finland this season. While there are no Sens playing for Team Canada, after Jason Spezza was surprisingly turned down, there are still six Senators that will be playing in the tournament.
Stephane Da Costa will represent France, Kaspars Daugavins will play for Latvia, Milan Michalek will join the Czechs and Daniel Alfredsson, Erik Karlsson and Jakob Silfverberg will all wear the yellow and blue for Team Sweden. While obviously you still want to cheer on the Canadian contingent, it will be hard to not root for the Swedish team in this tourny.
While Alfredsson's plans for next season remain in limbo, his decision to join Sweden at the World's is an interesting one. Alfie indicated that playing in the tournament has no impact on his future but to me it seems like a guy looking to go out on a high note.
We'll have to wait and see.
As a handful of Sens players get set to represent their countries, Senators Head Coach Paul MacLean has been nominated as one of three finalists for the Jack Adams awarded to Coach of the year. MacLean was able to completely overhaul the culture and attitude in the locker room in just one season and earn a playoff spot in a season where all the experts ruled the Senators out before the season opener.
A well deserved nomination for Coach MacLean.
MacLean joins Erik Karlsson (Norris Trophy) and Daniel Alfredsson (Bill Masterton Trophy) as Ottawa Senators nominated for major NHL Awards. The winner will be announced on June 20 in Las Vegas.
- While the start of free agency is still a couple months away, recent comments by Bryan Murray seem to indicate it could be a busy off season for the Sens. Murray would like to add another scoring winger and a shutdown type defenceman this off season. A little early to be kick starting the rumour mill but I keep hearing the Senators intend to make a pitch for Zach Parise, should he hit the market this off season.
- Some change is expected for the Senators this off season but it sounds like there are significant changes ahead for SensChirp. Over the last week, I've learned that the current web designer will be moving on and the current ad provider, theScore, will not be renewing our agreement. Going to take a couple days to decide the best move forward but I am always open to reader suggestions. If you have an idea or proposal you'd like to discuss, feel free to leave a comment below or contact me directly at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_IIHF_World_Championship_rosters
And Canada's schedule in Group A is here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_IIHF_World_Championship#Group_A
How about a little competition to guess the term and value of EK65's new contract?
Any realistic idea how many teams will want in on Parise??? 30 lol
29... He's too young and too good for Toronto. They will want him in 5-6 years time.
I would say our first focus will be the draft...Murray may sign contracts before that, but with RFA's...he's not rushed...so let's go to the UFA's, which I believe the focus will be what to do with Kuba, sign him to another deal or use that cap space some where that it can be used to better the team?
As for draft...am assuming we fit somewhere in the 17 to 20 range, so where do we focus for this pick...Subban the goalie will be available there, but we have 3 goalies in the system already...I say they look at the best player available scenario in terms of D or F..but not sure what Murray/Dorion's focus is this off season.
We draft 15th... as we had the lowest pts of the teams eliminated in the first round.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_NHL_Entry_Draft
I still am ok with drafting another highend goalie...imho you can't have too much depth in that position. Especially in our city haha.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011%E2%80%9312_Ottawa_Senators_season
Agreed. Unfortunately this time around the changes are out of my control.
Signing Gonchar to a 3-yr, 15.5M contract wasn't a big splash? Not saying it was a good signing, but I'd consider it a splaaaaaaaaaaaa aaash!!! Kovalev, too.
I think the more accurate comment would be that Ottawa has had little success with UFA signings...
If not, look to sponsors, and you control your own ad space, sell them yourself, and when you get your new webdesigner, they can just place them in the background. You obviously start with Wisers for support haha
As for upcoming: I would love to have Murray target David Jones (20g, 17a on colorado this year) I think he would be a great addition to our 2nd/3rd line. And then Parenteau woudl be the 25 goal scorer we are looking at.
On defense, Jackman is a name being tossed around, but if lots of teams are chasing Suter, maybe we can sweep in and steal Wideman from Washington (great 2 way dman who can play PP/PK, essentially replace Kuba)
As for the draft, I would like Murray to trade down if his man is not there. after the top 10 the pool becomes diluted, and essentially anyone you want at 15 could easily be there at 20 or even 25, so if a team is willing to do a late 1st and late 2nd for our pick, jump at it as we have great prospects as is, and the mroe assets the better, especially in 2 years time when we start contending and could use that extra piece via trade
agreed...gerber ...kovalev...go nchar...auld haha
Anyone else surprised that Spezza was turned down to join Team Canada after the yr he hadÉ My guess is that he has too many deficiencies in his game that would be a detriment to their team. What do all of the Spezza supporters who think he is one of the best centers in the NHL have to say now that their boy was turned down?
UfAs - would love to see Murray sign Wideman & Jackman as a tandem & not re-sign Kuba & Gilroy. That would solidify our defence. At Forward it will be interesting to see who Murray targets, Parise IMO will be a long shot & Semin may be more trouble than he is worth. I would like to see a big tough forward who also has some skill like Penner but maybe Murray can make a deal at the draft for a good young player like a Chris Stewart or Dustin Brown, if he becomes available.
2012 NHL Entry Draft - Ceci, Faska, Wilson, Hertl, Lindholm, Gaunce could all be available to us, hell Grigorenko & Girgensons could fall to us, anything is possible. Take the best player available.
You should remember that Karlsson was picked 15th and we traded our first round pick (16th in 2010) to St-Louis to get Runblad that got us our number 2 centre in Kyle Turris. I trust Murray and Dorion to get the most from it.
True
But the draft pool is much weaker this year. Same thing can be said that we got Noesen in the 20's and same with Havlat etc.
Steals can be done anywhere
(this is an opportunity for some of you to express how smart you are by saying you knew all along that LA would run over STL, you just forgot to post it... and to say it is obvious that LA would beat STL since they finished higher in the standings in 2010-2011, making them the better team).
I'm not surprised at them being up 2-0. Quick is unreal
I am surprised at how easy it has looked
To take the best player available is easy to say but not so simple in the reality. Currently, the Sens looks pretty bad for not drafting Couturier but we will see 3 years from now how Zibby developpes.
I'm sure Habs fans are pretty frustrated to see how Giroux has become one of the best in the league and Habs management decided to take David Fischer in 2007 instead of him. Giroux mentioned he had many talks with Habs org and said he was convinced they would draft him.
Let's hope Zibby becomes a superstar for us.
Agreed... and agreed. Still, I given what I saw in the STL/SAN series, I didn't think LA had a chance... wow!
Also, Wow! to PHO 2-0 over NSH...
Oops
First of all, Spezza being snubbed, was a real shock to me. He was in the top 10 in NHL scoring, and could really stand out with some big time players on his wing. Anyone know of the reasoning for him not being there?
Secondly, sometimes I wonder if Murray would just wish that Melnyk would keep some info out of the public.
Does everyone have to know that Karlsson will have to take a Haricut ( which he has done by the way) to stay in Ottawa.
If you are Burke, he would make many a Laffs fan extremely happy if he were to offer him, and try to take him away from us.
For Burke and TO it would be a win win, either they get him, or force us to pay higher to keep him. Brutal strategy from the Sens camp if you ask me,
Thoughts?
On the other hand, Phoenix would probably wins our division easily for the next few years until we become a contender again.
Adding him to our 1st line and then Silfverberg, Zibanejad, and maybe even Stone would in my opinion fix our biggest hole...and that was "pure offensive skill". I am also looking for Turris to have his breakout year. I really think he can out up 60-70 points next year. We would have 2 lines that could consistently create quality chances. We've also already proven we have a pretty effective group on the bottom 6.
On defence I would like to see Kuba back for either a 1 or 2 year contract(he could leave when Phillips does too) UNLESS...we go after Suter or if Webber asks for a trade because I guarantee if Suter leaves, there is no way Webber signs a long term contract with Nash. He will either ask to be traded or sign another arbitrary awarded 1 year contract and then become a UFA the year after. So I really think Murray is waiting to see how that situation plays out before he offers anything to Kuba. Or at least I hope that's the case.. Ha
Draft..well I think were just gonna draft the best player available which will most likely be a defenceman. However I really feel as though if we were able to move up maybe 3 or 4 spots we'd have a really good player that could probably step in, in about a year (maybe Ceci).
And as for the cite; I like the idea of becoming the Sens official fan blog site. You already have a good name and probably the vast majority of serious Sens fans visiting the site. The team itself is always looking for new ways of reaching the fans through social media so I think they would probably like the idea. You'd end up with a bunch of Sens ads and maybe Bell and some other of their sponsors.
Agreed, which is why Murray should only be going for the big guns. If you can't get Suter and/or Parise, then leave it alone. Murray has gotten himself (other GM's have as well) when he tries to do a make up signing (i.e. Kovalev).
yeah ok maybe wrong choice of words...but what Murray does has usually been sign the aging guys or had to do a knee jerk reaction signing (Kovalev), not saying Gonchar wasn't effective this year, but Gonchar from 5 years ago would have been better, or in the case of Kovalev, would have liked to spend the money in Cammalleri instead (hind sight is always 20/20 mind you)...I just have seen Murray chase the big stud when it comes to UFA, maybe due to financial restrictions or failure to compete with the other bigger markets in terms of luring players here. Just my 2 cents that may be worth nothing lol.
Actually, I had LA winning this in 5... I still think they're one of the top teams in the West, despite their seeding. This is a team that was waiting to explode. They're real talented, and have a great core.
Counting down the days to the draft... Going to be a fast summer I think :)
True I am not a scout, but I tend to believe what scouting agencies tell me. And that is what they are saying
obivously we wont know till 4 years from now, but historically they are seen as accurate in terms of depth of a draft. Look at the past 5 years and make judgement off of them. Every draft will have steals, no doubt, but in terms of playing the odds which is what a draft is, I'll play the more certain odds, which is believeing what the experts in te field are telling me (thats the scouting service bureaus fyi)
Well we all liked that idea but I'm sure few predator fans will like hearing the latest that Kostitsen and Radulov are being suspended one game for violating team rules..ouch...e specially when your down 2-0..double ouch
I agree with that, but if you read the 400 posts during those days, it was a common thought. Maybe its not the best idea to insert a tired silfverberg etc. Not saying I think it was bad.
Why would this be surprising? Besides a subpar playoff performance, its clear that Team Canada is putting its stock on its youth prospects.
Still though, you had to feel bad for Spez in the end of year interview. The guy still had a terrific season but everyone was hounding him for his playoff performance.
Wouldn't be surprised if eventually, he would get fed up with Ottawa and would request a trade..
Get on and vote for our boy.
i liked the magic that silfverberg brought in the 3rd period of game 7, i was hoping he got more shifts...
its too bad, we needed practices to include line rushes to get everyone on the same page, and with that is my only beef with spezza when he decided to talk with media rather then practice with a new linemate.
this year was a learning curve and our boys performed beyond expectations.
Nevermind that Radulov is their leading points guy and A Kostitsyn is their 2nd in the playoffs. Wow. Makes you wonder what they did!
I have A-Rad in the pool (as I'm sure many people do).
Parise ($7.500m) / Spezza ($7.000m) /Silfverberg ($0.900m)
Michalek ($4.333m) /Turris ($1.400m) /Alfredsson ($4.875m)
Noesen ($1.138m) /Foligno ($2.450m) /Stone ($0.900m)
Greening ($0.817m) /Smith ($0.700m) /Neil ($2.000m)
Condra ($0.625m) /Konopka ($0.700m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Kuba ($3.000m) /Karlsson ($6.751m)
Cowen ($1.265m) / Gonchar ($5.500m)
Borowiecki ($0.610m) /Phillips ($3.083m)
Carkner ($0.700m) /
GOALTENDERS
Anderson ($3.188m)
Bishop ($0.650m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $60,084,083; BONUSES: $907,500
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $4,215,917
Were not getting Parise as much as it sucks
Also we are not starting Noesen Stone and Silferberg next year. 1/3
There is a reason Maclean went with Silferberg over stone in game 7. Stone will spend next year in bingo. Noesen is a year away at least
The only time we can actually even have the slightest of ideas for what is going on is August/Sept, and even then surprises happen in camp.
Oh well, until the draft hockey is all but dead to me.
@darthsens thanks for the heads up wit Spezza and TSN Play of the year. Go vote everyone, it's dead simple!
As did I!
Melnyk said that he wants Karlsson to be reasonable on his contract demands and that he is HOPEFUL they can sign him. He also said he will not go toe-to-toe with the big market teams and spend to the cap...
So there will be no Parise, no Suter, no Nash.. no 'big name' player in Ottawa at all from the UFA's.
Melnyk wants to win.. but it's obvious he does not want to spend. If he can't then maybe he should consider selling part or all of the team.. provided it stays in Ottawa that is. He should also keep his mouth shut.
What has happened to Penner? He is playing very good hockey right now... Where has that been all season. If he can continue to do that.. then maybe it might be worthwhile to take a shot at him.. but under the 4M he makes now.
Do you not think that the Sens should have signed Karlsson in January.. they would have saved themselves a pile of cash.
There will be no offer sheet as Murray will qualify Karlsson to avoid that happening.
Melnyk's comments do concern me... but he has to learn to keep his mouth shut.
What evidence? Don't make baseless claims like that without providing the links to the evidence. You are just as bad as the nice folks you are dumping all over.
Will Murray use his pick or trade it like he did with St. Louis for Rundblad to get a more ready defenseman?
Does he combine the 1st round pick with a current forward asset to move up in the draft?
What is really pissing me off now is that TSN will not be showing round robin games involving Sweden, Russia or the Czech Republic... We see Canada (of course), USA & Slovakia -- France and other lowly teams.. that's about it... I really hope there is a stream that we can get to see those games we miss. We will only see Sweden if they make it to the quarterfinals.. . that just sucks...
My point which you are clearly ignoring is that if everyone is saying its a weak draft etc (including NHL teams) then Murray should capitalize on this. If Murray can trade down a few spots while picking up additional assets (which like you said can't be known until 4 years from now) why the hell not??
I'm not saying Murray should trade out of the draft because its weak. I'm saying trade down because anyone who can be picked at 15 can be picked at 20 or 25. Which is a valid statement, and if you want proof wait until June, when you see TSN top guys sliding, and no names being called.
Want proof NHl teams are saying its a weak drfat? Paul Gaustad went for a 1st rounder. Teams were giving away 2nd rounders in trades this year. The value isn't there
Which sure in 4 years from now may look foolish as you sya, but in terms of a trade market you deal with the now. And the now is syaing if Murray can gain an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick by dropping 5 or 10 spots, I think he should do it
Yeah, it's too bad that there are only small market teams left, like NY amd LA...
bunch of idiots.. apparently they were both out till 4am partying the night before game 2 in pheonix.. and they did all that just 45mins away from their hotel
ballsy move by Poile
This has already been addressed.
I do understand that you do not know this, but it is excusable due to your name.
What I didn't predict is Phoenix spanking Nashville to a 2 - 0 lead. I knew Smith was having a great end of year and beginnig of playoffs, but if he keeps up these performances you could see the Yotes representing the West in the final.
I made a post in the last update about other possible UFA's Ottawa could look for besides the obvious and mentioned I'd be happy with guys like Wideman or Jackman, two solid D, vetern but still young, who can help stabilize the backend. As for forwards, Jones is one of the key guys I'd love to see Ottawa go after, he has a lot of potential and he's a big guy that would thrive under Paul MacLean. Not a fan of bringing Penner this way, still feel he'd pull his magic disappearing act throughout the season, which would frustrate EVERYONE.
Oh really I dont see it anywhere here, show me where it was addressed that they were suspended for game 3...
I'll wait...
If they violated team rules prior to game 2 why were they not suspended for Game 2? Another reason why teams in the NHL should not rely on Russians as top players.
I'm still waiting for Ovie to implode during the Ranger series if Hunter keeps him on the bench. Could care less about Semin, sooner he leaves for the KHL the better.
If I were the Oilers, pass on Yakupov and Grigorenko
hey Tookie..Post #34
Boom Roasted
#34... duh!
If Shannahan had half the balls of David Poille the NHL would be better off, with less headshots.
Shanahan is probably thinking to himself right now. "meh they stayed out late, $2,500 is an appropriate punishment"
As long as there is a ZipZapRap eject button, the changes will be worth it!
Apparently Spezza contacted Lowe once the Sens were eliminated and asked to play for Canada in the WHC. He was told the roster was full (though the last two additions were not announced until later - so even it was technically full they clearly could have waited to see if anyone decent became available after the NYR/OTT series, you know, guys like the highest scoring Canadian or that Richards guy who's half decent etc).
This really makes little sense to me, they have in the past, made exceptions once better players were eliminated. Spezza is better than many on that team right now.
I hope Sweden kicks their ass now!
A: I don't read every little post on here.
Or
B: He will simple not acknowledge the other posts pointing out his oversight - even though he said he'd "wait" for it.
Canada is not even bringing a full roster. They've closed their roster at 23 but are allowed to bring 25. I know they try to focus on "2-way" players and Spezza's rep is still "1-way all the way" but even so. Nobody can convince me that he couldn't help the team in some way - even if he was as reckless as he was 6 years ago.
Imagine him with some actual top-flight wingers or a top-flight PP unit?
Oh well.
Go Sweden!
This is why Lowe is an ass-hat. It would be one thing to not add players mid tourney like when 2nd round teams get eliminated, but the tournament hasn't started, plus Spezza has been there for Hockey Canada a lot in the past and deserves to be there, this year more than ever.
Nothing short of a slap in the face to Jason and to Ottawa hockey fans.
F U Lowe.
Yeesh - even more enigmatic Rooskies ?
You can have them !
Sorry about the website issues, as much as it sucks for you, it also sucks for the fans who come here on a daily basis. One option is to go solo, use a free blog site and get started. You could pay someone a small fee to build you something, something you could potentially update on your own after it's completed. It just depends how much time, effort and $$$ you can muster up. Whatever you decide on, it HAS to have a great comment section.
Carey Price is sitting somewhere in Montreal wishing he would have been there, he loves to pahty a bit too much i heard.
Ovie has embraced his new role and Semin is playing really well for WSH.
And if I'm the Oilers I take a D anyways but CBJ and MTL will def take Grigs and Yak.
I suspect option (B). In his defense, he knows nothing about hockey...
I assume you're kidding about Semin, right? Please tell me you're kidding...
A
Well he scored in 3 consecutive games vs Boston, has 5 hits and 4 blocked shots, lol, thats pretty good for him, considering its playoff time!
Did you watch any of the 2nd round yet? He makes Spezza look like a Selke candidate...
You honestly think the Oilers will pass on Yak for a D-man?
Haven't you been preaching how Yak is a generational talent for the last 8 months? If so, how could the Oilers just pass on him?
Maybe they trade down, but, seriously, pass on Yak?
He has definitely manned up and taken the name as per the wager, and never once did he waver, so say what you want he is a man of his word.
The wager was for a year, but Tooks has asked for a reprieve, that it be moved to after the draft.
I have said that I think that the start of next season would be fair,
or should he have to wait until next year is up?
So far 2 votes for the draft
1 for the start of next year
0 for the full year,
Any more votes?
Nice to see that Lowe has given Ryan Murray a spot in the lineup.. I guess that gives the Oilers brass time to look at him to see if he is worthwhile drafting...
I'm in the middle of a debate with him, but, in all honesty, if we were to all change our names to reflect how often we are wrong about something, all of us would have new names, so I think he should be able to change back anytime he wants...
I vote for start of next year (i.e. training camp opens). New beginnings and all that crap.
Good on Tooks for living up to his end and for taking the (sometimes unfair) bashing he gets here.
I'd rather 100 Tookies than the one ZZR.
Yeah it would not have hurt to save one spot for an extra day and have the option to invite Spezza or Richards.
Oh well - hopefully it just motivates Spezza even more.
I enjoy Tookie's banter on his good days and I'm not out to see his punishment extended.
That being said however, he earned that name with his poopy pants attitude about the ineptitude of our squad at the start of this season, something that backfired and earned him his new name.
I would rather see him carry the name at least until next season starts, but I trust your judgement miguel, after all you are the one who manned up and made the bet with him.
Sorry boom, but in all of Tookie's smug hockey superiority he was so unabashedly convinced that our squad reeked far too badly to ever even get a whiff of the playoffs that he was willing to bet his name on it.
Everyone is wrong sometimes, but he took it to the next level. He is paying the price now and taking it like a man, as he should be.
Till the start of the year, or until he stops living up to his name!
I say the start of next season, that way someone who doesn't know anything about hockey can't legitimately criticise the Sens off season moves.
Paul MacLean on Alfie "he'll b here next year whether as a player, behind the bench or upstairs with Murray"
Well you had to wait all season till he was rewarded with the name, so he should have to wait until at least the beginning of next season.
But the real question is, who's going to make the next wager? We should continue the trend, with someone else having the ability to grace such a name as IDontKnowAnythi ngAboutHockey
atleast he gets to play with claesson for now.
and i may be wrong but i think if we dont sign his ELC then we may lose his NHL rights this year or is it next year?
edit: i see on a different sens blog that we do have to sign him if we want to keep his NHL rights
If he becomes part of the organisation the message gets controlled and that message will be available on TSn, the sens own website, NHL and elsewhere.
I come here primarily for the discussion and the chance to shoot the shit with other sens fans. Secondly I come here for the occasional rumour that generates discussion and thirdly confirmation of various things like line-up changes, call-ups and the like.
I don't want another site telling giving me the bland corporate line.
The sens have so many bodies around its ridiculous. What I would really like to see is Gonchar sent to a team(a la Campbell) who has to spend to the league minimum - do you think its feasible or is he just trade deadline bait in February?
Would Nash be a good backup Plan if Parise is a no go? With so many bodies the Sens could make a package for Nash. Although then you have Spezza and Nash(neither of them really comfortable being the go to guy).
Ok will spare you guys my Spezza bashing, promise to be more positive following my playoff meltdown.
Turris to me will be the real story in 2012-13 - I think that this will be a real breakout year for him. He's so responible on the ice and we could see in the playoffs he was more and more comfortable with the puck. He's like a young Alfie!
I have searched my family tree and am descended of Kings and Queens in Sweden on my grandfathers side so GO Sweden.
Go Alfie Karlsson Silverburg
Agreed that Melnyk should just be quiet.
But no chance we grab Suter, Nash, or Parise. I'm not sure why that's so hard for people to comprehend.
1) We are still in rebuild mode, and the Euge would probably rather spend his money on Karl...
2) We have very little to offer the "star players" besides money and playing alongside Jason Spezza who most experts don't even consider a top C in the league (fuckers),
and...
3) We already have a star player, his name is Erik Karlsson. Jason Spezza sometimes, when he feels like showing up.
Karl will get signed to a fair contract. If anything, I trust Murray to overpay him...
While we're on the topic of signings... I'm thinking this summers big spenders will be the Jets (after assessing the team's first year in Winnipeg, they've got a good idea on what to do now probably), Preds (for a team with plenty of space, they can do a lot to improve their team... they're looking real dangerous for the next little while) and Wings (could be Lidstrom/Holmst rom's last season).
karlsson and alfie didnt play
silfverberg played and got 1assist also got player of the game
What part of "rebuild" do you not understand?
with a name like yours and you even SPEAKING of zibby and a trade. i stopped reading as soon as i read the words expendable and zibby.
you do realise this guy has way more offencive potential than nearly any other player in our lockeroom let alone prospect pool?
Possibly th stupidest idea ever posted here.
yea thats why i said nearly anyone in the lockeroom. guess i shoulda been more specific. he likely wont have more offencive talent than spezza or maybe turris.
Unless he brings in a big name that is not going to happen.
Remember Chris Stevenson said -- unnamed New Jersey players contacted unnamed Sens players to tell them how lucky they were to play in a system with so much creativity.
If by chance Parise is interested in Ottawa.. would it be foolish for the Sens to refuse? You get him... he makes your top 6 really tough to beat... He wants that Cup -- he has to spend some funds.
Kuba's contract is gone this year.. Gonchar & Alfie next year... so getting someone like Parise... would counter those 3 contracts more or less -- plus the raises for the young guys.. which won't amount to much except for Karlsson & Turris after next season.
As for the defence, I'm with the most of Sens fans in saying Ryan Suter would be a welcomed addition. If not, Matt Carle would be awesome too.
Up front I know Murray has coveted PA Parenteau for some time, but I don't want to see any changes up front. With Silfverberg and Zibanejad expected to push for a spot, and even Mark Stone as a dark horse, we don't need to add another outside contract. This team has proven they can create offense with the guys we have.
As for the draft: Olli Maata baby!
He also wants a defensive defenseman... my guess to play in the top 4...
That will cost bucks... what do we think the budget will be between 50 - 55M? I guess depending on what the cap comes in at..
Outside of Semin, and Parise, who is also likely to resign with New Jersey, he doesn't have a lot to choose from. I don't mind Semin, but I'm not sure if the Sens are going to throw the risk card on him.
I would love it if Murray went after Brad Stuart!
Although, I'm thinking that the Wings re sign him to a long term deal but man, Stuart would look good on our back end. He'd be great alongside Phillips, and a great mentor to Cowen.
They already had room to carry 2 more players (they're taking 23, they're allowed 25). So don't get too excited - I'm sure they'll either stand pat or bring another D.
That guy just can't get hired outside of NBC.
Looks good on him - he's such a prick.
U mean Eric wellwood, and ya I caught that too LOL
My thoughts are that Zibanejad will make it next year but Noesen will play in Binghampton for a season. Kuba will cost a bit more if we decide to keep him for another year and Karlsson $1m less per annum for 4 years. It shows that Murray has possibilities.
That was really more my point. If he can find a way to grab a top line winger (easier said than done), even if that player isn't quite of Parise quality, then Ottawa looks very deep next year. Obviously lots of development happens for many players over the summer, and anything can happen in training camp. None of those rookies I put on there could make the team, and someone else off the radar could.
The point is exactly as you stated, there are lots of possibilities.
45 years ago today the Leafs won the Stanley Cup. Congrats to the fans who will reminisce, but if you're under 50, happy Wednesday.
But I think that Murray et al still need to keep in the "rebuild" mindset. Regardless of how good this team is now, it will be better in a few years and they better not do anything to ruin that.
Karlsson, Cowen, Turris, Greening - all should be better in a few years (of course it's possible that injuries etc derail one of them).
Taking any prospects and trading them away for aging guys on the downside (i.e. Iginla) would be very foolish.
You only sell your future for "now" when your window is closing which won't happen until Karlsson starts to decline (or if we somehow lose him) - which of course is years and years away.
Okay am I the only one that thought it was a bit "creepy" for a guy named Uncle Phil to be imagining more muscle on our young players and smiling?
Sorry Phil - I'm sure you meant it in the least Sandusky sense possible.
I don't know why you have such a hate-on for Pierre. I find him intriguing, would love to see for sure what he could do at the GM helm of a historic organization like Montreal!
Regarding possible signings this summer/ F**K SEMIN! Not only a risky move but totally contrary to the sandpaper + hard work mentality Paulrus has instilled on our squad this year. Last thing we need is a lazy entitled player, and his ethnicity doesn't help - doubly so now that Radulov and Kostitsyn bullshit from this week...
I think PA Parenteau would look great in a Sens uniform, but if anything we need top 6 help on the left wing position, not right.
Well guys to be honest, I dont see Zibby the same way anymore, especially after 2 concussion at 19 years old.
You have to take that into account that he might not turn out to be top line material. I already thought he was a borderline 2nd line player and might take him 4-5 years to develop into a top line player. But now with his concussion issues...
I think I would take Iggy to play alongside Spezza for 2-3 more years, Alfie retires and kids look to Iggy and Spezza for leadership.
And dont give me this Iginla is on the decline bullshit, put him with Spezza and he hits 35+ easily.
I used to like McGuire too - until:
A) I heard him on Montreal radio blowing the same smoke up the Habs fans asses as he blows up ours on Team 1200.
B) I met him in Anaheim in 2007.
Guy is a complete egomaniac and doesn't give a rats ass about anyone but himself. While Bob Mackenzie was chatting with fans about the 2007 draft class and other hockey stuff McGuire completely ignored everyone except when people kept calling to him then he told a bunch of people off and even used the "do you realize who I am" line.
Can't stand him.
While I agree Iggy could pot 35 on Spezza's wing (and I'm also concerned about Zibanejad's health long-term)....
Are you saying Iginla is in his prime? That he can contribute for the next 5-10 years?
You don't trade away a guy drafted 6th last year and our first for this year for Iginla - which is what another poster suggested to start this discussion.
IF we know for a fact that Zibanejad will never play top line and IF Calgary somehow doesn't and wants to trade Iginla for him straight up - sure. But that ain't happening either.
Some team with its window closing will offer more for Iginla than we will/should.
Case closed.
Well ya I agree, our 2012 picks we keep, maybe offer a roster player + Prospect.
And no, I said for the next 2-3 years, Iggy would be a great addition to this team, possibly make some great Cup runs in year 2-3 of his contract, maybe he re-signs for one last ditch effort for year 4. He would be greatly depended on as when Alfie leaves, only Spezza is left carrying the load. Iggy cuold help out alot.
Just depends what the asking price will be. If its a roster player + a prospect I say do it.
So I think we agree. Iginla is one of the few guys over 30 in the league that I'd be excited to have on our team but not if we have to pay much for him. And I'm pretty sure other teams will offer WAY more than I would want us to. Honestly I'd only consider NHL12 type trades - i.e. Petersson and Wiercioch at the most and even that I'm not sure I'd do - and I know Calgary wouldn't take that. They could get more from another team.
I agree with this and would add that our team obviously has it's own identity and something we are reforging a bit during this "rebuild".
It just doesn't sit well with me bringing in another team's icon player, especially from another Canadian team. It would be weird to see Iginla here the same way it would be with Ryan Smyth. That would be up there with seeing Alfie go suit up for the Oil. Those are the only two players I can think of on current Canadian rosters who I wouldn't want to see here, simply because of who they are and the legacy they represent. None of the other CDN franchises have a player of their magnitude or of Alfie's and what these players mean to their respective cities.
Quoting Kratos71:
The thing about concussions is that they're not new. What's new is that they're diagnosed now and people are much more cautious (as they should be). But I guarantee you that there are hundreds of guys in the NHL hall of fame who had a couple of concussions before they turned 20 and (obviously) went on to have great NHL careers.
We should be concerned about Mika, but there's no reason to believe he can't still have the great future we hoped he'd have on draft day.
Well guys to be honest, I dont see Zibby the same way anymore, especially after 2 concussion at 19 years old.
You have to take that into account that he might not turn out to be top line material. I already thought he was a borderline 2nd line player and might take him 4-5 years to develop into a top line player. But now with his concussion issues...
I think I would take Iggy to play alongside Spezza for 2-3 more years, Alfie retires and kids look to Iggy and Spezza for leadership.
And dont give me this Iginla is on the decline bullshit, put him with Spezza and he hits 35+ easily.
i'm an expert on concussions... i've had 13 of them.
sometimes i woke up in the hospital confused how i got there and whos clothes i was wearing, sometimes i made it home and layed down with a cold face cloth being woke up every hour to make sure i didn't pass out, i think there's a risk of going into a coma if your unlucky enough.
let me say this i have had severe concussions as well as soft aftershock ones and i didn't get any playing hockey ever and i made it to junior a as a goalie.
my injuries were all from my asphalt playground at my elementry school, usually from sliding on ice then crashing into something solid or getting tripped up.
along as you don't hit your head again while your brain is bruised (usually takes a week or two depending on severity) then you should be fine.
i think he's more then good to go by now, it wont hamper him. later in life he may develop migrane headaches and be sensitive to bright light,