With the Ottawa Senators just two days away from their season opening game in Winnipeg, Paul MacLean has begun to make some of the tough roster decisions.
As expected, Stefan Noesen (Plymouth) and Cody Ceci (Owen Sound) are headed back to Junior. Mike Hoffman and his two way deal are for Binghamton. And in a bit of a surprise move, Robin Lehner is sticking with the big team here in Ottawa.
For now anyway, Ottawa plans to carry three goaltenders.
Obviously not a long term solution but with a condensed schedule, and all three playing well in the abbreviated camp, it makes sense. MacLean has yet to decide who gets the nod on opening night. I had assumed it would be Craig Anderson but with Lehner sticking around, you never know.
You never want to read too much into line combinations during a practice but they take on added significance in the last practice before the team travels to their season opener. Here is how MacLean had the players lined up this morning.
- Michalek-Spezza-Silfverberg
- Latendresse-Turris-Alfredsson
- Greening-Smith-Neil
- Regin-O'Brien-Condra
- Methot-Karlsson
- Gonchar-Borowiecki
- Phillips-Wiercioch
The Sens are expected to fly out after this morning’s skate and will be back on the ice in Winnipeg tomorrow. Daugavins was the extra forward and Andre Benoit skated as the seventh defenceman. 13 forwards, 7 defenceman and 3 goalies.
Not long now, Sens fans!
This means two sitting on their ass not getting playing time in.
I can't see the 3 goalie tandem working long term. One of Bishop or Lehner will end up sitting.. when they should be playing...
I guess they will see after the first 5 games.
With the fast pace that McLean has this team playing, I can see him rotating players in and out of the lineup quite frequently to keep them fresh..
Any rumours Chirp? Love those rumours.
Oh, BTW.. the popup comments still are not working. It just displays the article...
Lehner honestly will be sent back the last day of camp. This guy is our franchise goalie for the next 15 years to come. Ottawa knows it, and so do we. Murray and company are just playing possum.
I dont think they will for long, just can't make up their mind right now and it is a huge game - need to get that victory in game 1 on the road and get rolling.
Goalies on the way next year or the year after. Sens are in great shape. A bit disappointed that Hoffman isn't in the lineup instead of O'Brien but the Stache must know what he's doing.
Zibby-DaCosta-Stone looked amazing last night. Stone can really pass the puck.
Because Bishop would have to clear waivers to be sent down and we just gave up a 2nd round pick for him
If we send down Lehner we are basically saying "sorry no matter how good you play and how hard you try, too bad your not ready, and that could stunt development"
We really don't have much else choice
I wouldn't be too surprised to see Bishop traded to the islanders or even edmonton sometime soon, even if its just to get a 2nd rounder back or a depth dman
heres an eklund type idea
Ottawa:
Bishop
Gryba
Edmonton:
Smid
Omark
I suspect they are going to let Lehner start the season with Bishop in the press box. They probably told Lehner once he has a bad game, Anderson will take over, and he will be sent down. I am sure they have also *promised* him to be on the team next year because one of Bishop or Anderson will be traded either by the deadline (if we are out of contention) or in the off season.
Murray knows Lehner has a personality. They need to deal with this situation sensitively. He has done amazing this season and it must be rewarded with some games in the show....it would be sending a wrong message and ASKING for your own player to demand a trade. The fact they havent sent him back down now means hes sticking here to start...you wouldn't yank his chain like that. But like I always say...crazier things have happened.
From Edmonton, Go sens Go
games. That will determine if they have to trade Bishop or not.
I agree that Lehner should be in the minors just because he has been dominant and getting game si important for him rather than being back-up
but....
if he has been our best goalie in camp, in a shortened season we can not waste games hoping to get our goalies in game shape(anderson) Bishop has been ok this year but lehner has been better in bingo, therefore while Andy gets going why not start Lehner for the first week, then andy can take off, we send down Lehner to get him more playoff experience and Bishop rides pine
Andy is #1 this year and next, Lehner takes more and more games over the next couple of years and is then the #1. Andy could be re-signed as a veteran back-up after his contract is up.
BOOM. Problem solved.
You should actually solve the right problem...movin g Bishop for fair value
That is the issue facing Murray/Maclean not which goalie they should carry lol
YOU should be more positive. ;)
Bishop
Noesen
2nd
for
Yandle
E5
God no
Yandle is awesome but $5 mill a year for him to go with 7 for karlsson, cowen is due a contract at the end of next year and will get 3-4 probably
wayyy to much money tied up in defense
My buddy went to it and he just texted me that near the end, O'Brien had to leave the ice, slowly..., and with a cut over his eye after getting drilled into the boards by Daugavins.
Someone doesn't want to be a healthy scratch haha
I wouldn't start my two precious porcelain china pieces (#73 & #13) in game one. Regin's real value is @Center ice and/or as a back up top 6. The "Dawg" is a better 4th line winger.
but what about Murray putting a claim in for Adam Pardy?
I have a video of the hit in the corner that it happened.
Yes we had great contribution from many surprisingly solid players last year but I owe it all the Andy that we made the playoffs at all. Team MVP hands down for last year IMO.
What I don't understand about this three-goalie scenario is that, unless a deal for Bishop is "imminent" then they should tell Lehner that they are working on getting him his shot this year, and to go back to Bingo and continue to be a beast and bide his time.
Trying to give all three a "fair shake" and not hurt anyone's feelings is one thing, but now carrying three smacks of Russian roulette, the first one of them fraks up and suddenly they are toast. I don't think that is constructive or helps...
I'd much rather see him play a wire-to-wire dominant season in the AHL -- something he hasn't done yet. If he's "matured" as much as we've heard he should understand that, bide his time, hone his game and be ready when he's handed the crown in a year or two.
The Senators have always been patient handling elite prospects (think Spezza, Hossa) and I just don't see the need to bring Lehner in right now.
Unless there's a Bishop trade coming....
He said that if auld got hurt we don't have any depth so he got bishop. So blame auld!
Who knows, it could also be about giving Lehner some NHL games within the 5 game limit setup for the short season, before having to send players back. That move gives Lehner a small taste of NHL salary prior to manhandling the A.
We often forget about that side of the sport, even though that is what the lockout was all about. Money plays a big part in how these things go. We don't know all the negotiations that happen between a player, the agent and management. This probably happens way more often than not.
All in all, I just can't see Lehner staying up all year, after he was told flat out (before the lockout even happened) that he'd be playing the entire year in Bingo, not withstanding injury to either Anderson or Bishop. Why does a lockout change that?
Pretty stoked
Anyone know anything about the open house on Saturday at SBP?
Lehner has been the best player in the entire AHL this year. How in the blue hell do you send him down? They know they have an absolute stud of a goalie. They also know he has a personality and they do not want to disrupt any chemistry in the team and cause shit. They know what they are doing. One goalie will get traded at the deadline. Maybe Bishop, Maybe anderson... and if it is a deal you can't refuse... maybe even Lehner...
Both him and bishop have been unreal in bingo. I wouldn't be surprised if its Anderson whose scratched forthe first 2 games. He's just not game ready yet.
Lehner deserves a shot. He's played so well that he's literally the hottest goalie in the world right now. If he was sent down to bingo without even getting a game, he would be royally pissed and understandably so.
This is Lehners first legit shot at an NHL job. He can go out and force Murray to keep him. When a goalie plays at an elite level in the NHL, you have no choice but to keep him up no matter how young he is or what his contract says. It would royally screw with his development if he played lights out in the first 2 games and then was sent down to play against lesser competition.
However, if he plays so so, or gets lit up then it's no big deal. Send him down and keep him going inthe AHL. That way, at least he would know he's not good enough just yet and work even harder once back in bingo.
As for a trade...well I think id rather keep Lehner and Bishop as a tandem. They are both massive and extremely talented. Anderson was great for us but he has been one ofthe most inconsistent goalies in the league throughout his career and also won't last too much longer. I also see him as a pretty good 2nd option for the teams that are in need of a starter and currently talking to Van about Luongo. He would cost less than half of what Luongo's price tag.
Point is, I believe Lehner is on fire and good enough for the NHL right now. I really hope he's lights out on Saturday! Only good things can happen after that. Him forcing BM to trade one of the goalies is a good thing
Makes sense to keep all three since Lehner probably is in the best game shape and might be the guy I'd start against the Jets. Once Andy is 100% ready to be the #1 then send Lehner down to finish what he started in Bingo (hopefully his first ever start-to-finish successful pro season) and have Bishop as a backup.
Of course, as soon as some team offers a solid deal for any of them, pull the trigger. The deal would have to be very sweet to give up Andy and even sweeter to give up Lehner, but any two of those guys going forward long-term looks great to me.
They have said from the get go that the best (at the time) goalie will get the starts. I suspect this will allow them to see if Lehner is ready for the big leagues, and deal with the extra body accordingly
I agree!!
It boggles my mind people are saying Lehner should be in the minors.
A) Anderson is not ready to play yet
B) Even Bishop is a better option in goal than Anderson right mow
C) Lehner has been far too dominant to not even be given a shot
D) Lehner hands down is better/hotter than Bishop so he is no question the starter
Honestly funny this is even a debate. I guarantee the coaches and management barely talked about it. This is such an easy decision. Wait to see what happens after 3-4 games.
I wouldn't be surprised if the reason Luongo hasn't been traded is because teams are waiting to see what Ottawa decides to do with our goalies. Who ever we trade (if we do actually trade) is very capable of a starting role and much much cheaper to acquire than Luongo. Not to mention cheaper contract as well
Benoit and Borocop will get some games and big league cabbage before bein' returned. This is good for moral all around.
Note: the "Dawg" was showing the coaches that he can break porcelain plates @ will. His own guys if need be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd9-hMzRljY
They all go Super Saiyan!
Who knows, maybe Bishop stays in Winnipeg and we travel back with one of their D....
If Anderson gets a hot start, then I say, the SENS keep riding Anderson till he's tired.
Problem with that is, Lehner wouldn't be playing as many games.
@ Carlos,
Gotta feeling that Bishop will be traded, but do not know when?? Once that happens, Anderson will be still our #1,
and Lehner will be in Ottawa as Anderson's backup !
Next year will be Anderson's #1 position to lose !
Lehner will take over as #1 ,Anderson will be his backup !!
GOING TO SEASON OPENER ON MONDAY JAN 21st !!
GO SENS GO !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!
I tihnk everyone agree's Lehner has played well enough to get a shot. But why is Anderson not ready? Have you seen him in game action? The statements that say he's not ready are just absurd. Now if Anderson came out in a report and said "I don't feel ready" then go ahead and say that. But you can't just say he's not ready, especially if you based it on this weeks training.
It's Robin's time to come up...be with the Swedes who are going to challenge for Stanley...it's his group...he needs the money, the status and the practice with the big league shooters!
In my previous posts I described the pains we fans have had with terrible, missed expectations on goalies.
This is NOT a problem, we have 3 very capable tenders.
Lehner gets his few games to start, goes down for a short period, injuries, or bad games, and boom he is back.
When we make the playoffs, and either faulters, boom we call up our Patrick Roy, and go to the finals and God forbid even win the Stanley Cup,
This is not a controversy, it is the fruit of excellent management
Go Sens Go
Lehner is already in mid-season form plus he's pretty much as hot as it gets for a goalie. If the coach wants to win game 1, he needs to play Lehner.
On top of that Anderson has been sitting on his ass enjoying the family life all break. He says he's been training with Allaire and Luongo but how often do you think they've really been training? I'd say max 2-3 times a week plus dry land work outs. He's simply not ready for NHL regular season games yet.
Not saying he'd be terrible but there is no doubt Lehner is much more prepared to be a starting goalie at this point, as is Bishop. Like I said earlier, I wouldn't be surprised if its Anderson who is scratched for game 1
I'd of course be more than happy to see him storm out of the gates and own this short season.
And with the schedule so compressed, the team with "two number one" tenders will probably have an advantage.
An intriguing setup for sure.
So who starts in Bingo if they traded Bishop?
I agree Lehner starts however...i don't think the coaches or management have made up their minds as to him going back to bingo on a certain date.
I think they know he is the hottest goalie of the 3 and he is truly being given a chance to prove he's an NHL calibre goalie and too good to be sent down
Stuntman Stu @stuntmanstu
Hey #Sens fans, we're still doing #Alfie chant at 11:11 mark of each period at home this season right?
Lawson would have to tough it out the rest of the year I guess. Sucks for Bingo, but he's played well the last couple games. Maybe it helps him revive his career too.
Training with Allaire?
May as well move Andy while he's worth something, given the success Allaire has had of late.
What? Maybe he's been training seven days a week.. you have no idea what shape he's in.
Can anyone that's been to one of the practices give us a break down of how the goalies have looked?
I assume McLean and his coaching staff have already made up their minds...
Be there or be not there.
THE LEAFS!
Why do I feel that would be bad for us somehow?
Man I have an honest phobia about former Sens coming back to haunt us.
Is the draft tonight an autodraft, or can we pick any player? If a player is picked, does that then leave them 'undraftable'? Not really sure how the yahoo draft works...
Live draft. Players can't be picked multiple times. Gotta fill out your roster. Yahoo pools are actually a lot of fun!
I think it is possible Bishop is on the trade block, if so Anderson Lehner tandem rocks.
It would be a shocker if Anderson was traded, I just can't see us going that route.
There would have to be a stellar trade back.
To carry three goalies short term no big deal but long term is a waste like others have said, something will give.
Glad the talk of taking on washed up players has subsided.
My guess is that the longterm plan is to have Lehner as the #1 and Bishop as the back-up. But they can't send Bishop down, and they want to at least reward Lehner by keeping him up here to keep him happy.
So if they have to, they'll sit Bishop for the rest of the year, maybe give him a few games just to keep him from getting too rusty, then shop Anderson in the summer.
With Lehner and Bishop, we've got our goal tending solved for the next 15 years or so. Why would we sacrifice that just to keep Anderson for the next couple of years.
In other news, apparently the Leafs are showing interest in Redden. How screwed up would that be.
I share your opinion
Meaning they need a solid backup. We need a D. Maybe the Jay Bouw rumours weren't that far off.
Maybe we can claim Karlsson and force them into a trade for Bishop? That'd be hilarious
Sure you want him?
Tweet by Guillaume Latendresse today! He seems stoked.Here's hoping he pots a goal or two on Saturday!
I couldn't get tickets to the game, but I'd love to get me some autographs.
I know that they have in the past stayed at the hilton at winnipeg airport last season in november so I would assume they are there again, but no need to go and knocking on doors and bothering them. That will just piss them off if anything, they dont have cars so they probably will eat breakfest down in the hotel restaurant so that is your best chance
Reimer is getting the Vezina, didn't you know? LOL
That's what I was figuring I might do. Just catch them after their lunch or something. And make all 23 of them sign my jersey, lol j/k.
I heard rumours of the Fairmont too, so I have no idea where to go. I hope it's not the Fairmont, because I'm not going to find parking anywhere near there. lol
Lol. jk
Anderson Starting and Lehner on the bench, Bishop in the press box
But all 3 did make the trip to Winnipeg I know so who knows lol I am 99% sure Bishop will not start it will be either Lehner or Anderson, but I think the coach will start Anderson just because he needs to get playing games and he is their #1 no question right now so give him the opportunity to start the season off just because he earned it from last years playoffs
you really shouldnt, everyone else at sportsnet has the Sens in the playoffs, even Kypreos.
That's partly why it got to me. EVEN Kypreos. Next Glenn Healy may admit we aren't the worst team in the history of the NHL.
I don't mind so much he has us outside the playoffs, I think it's a perfectly valid opinion, just not one I agree with. But the leafs getting in because they have grit and determination? Please.
Murray will eventually pull the trigger on a trade involving Ben Bishop for a D that has long term potential.
I would look at teams in dire need of a goalie (either to start or to back up). IMO thats Fla, Tor, Columbus, Edmon, Chi, and SJ. To me those are the dance partners.
Out of those teams, Florida, Columbus, Toronto and Chicago have deep pools of defensmen and could pull a 1 to 1 trade with Ottawa, or a trade with minor prospect additions. For each of these teams, these are the players i would target:
Columbus: Nikita Nikitin
Chicago: Nick Hjarmalsson or Nick Leddy
Toronto: Cody Franson
Florida: Eric Gudbranson (they wouldn't do it though...)
Id also talk to the Sharks about Marc-Edouard Vlasic. Not sure Edmonton has anything worth trading for at this point..
Im all for letting the young prospects play though. As far as i can tell, they make more sense than any of the UFAs out there. Im also worried about a trade that would involve an aging veteran (aka someone like an Aucoin, Jovo, etc) even if they could be serviceable in the short term.
Exciting times ahead!
I remember Nick Leddy being an offensive force last season. So being an offensive-minde d D-man, do we need another for the second pairing? Or should we target a more Phillips/Methot "stay-at-home" D-man?
I can see us targeting another Offensive-minde d D-man with the possibility of Gonchar leaving for Free-Agency, for the second pairing along-side Cowen next season.
Also, I've been told that it's not a good idea to trade your goalie to a Conference Rival, let alone a Division rival. They will most likely bite you in the arse.
I'm hoping they start Lehner against the Jets.
Can't wait for tomorrow. I hope my neighbours will forgive me when I go Ape-sh!t while the game's on.
Just been watching youtube videos all morning, Turris OT winner/Spezza's dangle vs the Jets/Alfie's 400th OT winner over the flames/ and of course "ALFIE RISES"
Will be there Monday with bells on!!
Can't wait to bring down the house when #11 steps on to the ice!!!
GO SENS GO!!!
ALFIE!ALFIE!ALFIE!
I'm all for Cody Franson but I would NEVER trade a solid goaltender to the Make-Beliefs. It would have to be something like a pick and/or prospect.
Then we might as well offer a 3rd or 4th for him.
Likely to play on Monday ?
I hope the media guys bring a couple beer for him!
F
Apparently it isn't true, and the page linked is an alumni page, as he was drafted there.
He really said that? Really? Maybe if the Leafs get Luongo.. but they still don't have a #1 centre either.
The only way that happens if the Sens have injury issues...