With the rebuild still in process, it’s to be expected that more bodies will be shipped out of town. Who will (or should) be traded first: Milan Michalek, Peter Regin or Nick Foligno?
Here is what everyone had to say
To me this one is a no brainer, it's Nick Foligno. You have to look at the potential each player has and where they will top out at. Milan Michalek has proved that when healthy, he's one of the fastest players in the league and can pot 20-30 goals and is very valuable on the PK as well. Plus you can't discount that he was the valuable piece we got from the Heatley deal and trading him so quickly would make it look like they're admitting it was a failure.
Peter Jensen, I mean Regin is a bit of a head scratcher. I'm still not quite sure what happened last year. How did a guy with such potential put out so little? It looked like he was going to be a breakthrough player for us and it just never happened for some reason. Still at his age and with his super cheap contract, I'm definitely not ready to give up on him yet. I still think he can be a top 6 guy, perhaps he just caved under the weight of expectations last year. I look for a much more productive season from the Dane.
And on to Nicky boy. I feel bad for wanting to ship him out of town, but it's the reality of the NHL. To me he doesn't have a role on the team or even in the league really. I'd much rather have his brother Marcus, who will be tearing us up for years to come as a member of the Sabres. Nick doesn't really do anything well and he's endearing because he clearly tries so hard, but he's clumsy, very slow and not particularly good at any role. He's not talented enough to play top 6, but he isn't a fast enough skater or rough enough to really make an impact in the bottom 6 either, which makes him expendable to me. Hopefully we're able to unload him before the rest of the league realizes he shouldn't even be a full time NHLer probably.
It's too bad because he seems like a great guy and he definitely works very hard, he just doesn't have it.
- Here's Peter from Silversevensens and you can follow him on Twitter here.
I don't think any of these players "should" be traded at all. But if a deal comes along that contributes to the rebuild more than the player in question would, then we make that trade. It depends on which one is sought after, and what we're offered in return.
- Here's Nichols from The 6th Sens and you can follow him on Twitter here.
Well, if one of the three have to go in the name of the rebuild, Milan Michalek would probably net the highest return out of those three names. Mind you, like Nick Foligno, he’ll enter the season with a lot of job security. He’s a relatively productive top six forward who’s finally healthy and the organization will need his cap hit to stay above the NHL’s cap floor. Unlike the other two players, Regin’s role on this team hasn’t been set in stone and as such, he’s the likeliest of the three to be moved first. He’ll enter camp vying for the second line center role with Stephane Da Costa and possibly Mika Zibanejad. Regin has teased fans with some offensive promise but unfortunately, he just hasn’t done anything consistently enough to warrant much of a return on his own. It’s for this reason that I’ve written about how prudent it would be for the organization to afford Regin every opportunity to be the second line center and succeed. If Regin can put together a moderately successful campaign, he’s the perfect candidate to be packaged in a deal (with perhaps a Nick Foligno type player) to fetch someone with a higher ceiling.
I think this year will most certainly see one of these players shipped out for either a young prospect with potential or for draft picks to help with the rebuild. Out of the three players, Milan Michalek is a name that is recognizable around the league and would garner the biggest return. Now entering his seventh NHLseason, Michalek has yet to break through and dominant on the ice. With all the tools to be a speedy, power forward in the league, Michalek just hasn't been able to put it all together, especially here in Ottawa..
What Ottawaneeds in this rebuild is some more high draft selections to be able to stock the prospect cupboards. With Michalek's reputation around the league and the package that he has, Michalek could easily nab a first round draft pick from a team in need. Just like the Mike Fisher deal last season, Michalek is a good player, but just not on a rebuilding team.
Michalek has never fit in on a line with Jason Spezza. Expect for the first 20 games in a Sens uniform, Michalek has never been able to perform consistently. I think if the Sens get off to a good start, and if Michalek is rolling, I say sell as high as you can on him and get the biggest return possible.
As for Peter Regin and Nick Foligno, I think the organization has more options with these two. Regin could also be used as a winger if he can't cut it as a centerman this season. And Foligno could be used as a centerman and is still a good bottom six winger. These two are also easier to control as they won't command high salaries next off-season.
- Here's Jeremy from Black Aces and you can follow him on Twitter here.
I think Regin and Michalek are safe for now but Foligno is an interesting case because this will be his fourth full season (he split his first season between Ottawaand Bingo) and, according to the cliché, it should be his breakout year. If he doesn’t produce early on, he could be in trouble. You get the sense that the organization expected him to challenge for a top-six spot but he’s already been surpassed by a guy like Bobby Butler and they also brought in Nikita Filatov for that same reason. The first thing they should tell Foligno is to stop trying to stickhandle over the other team’s blueline every shift. He’s a giveaway machine when he does that. That stick should be on “auto-dump” so he can use that rangy physique to cruise the front of the net like a shark looking for garbage goals. Instead of trying to play like Spezza, he should look to a guy like Brad Marchand in Boston. Get meaner, go to the net and show up big in the playoffs if you get the chance. Foligno has great character but he needs to find a proper role under the new coach if he’s going to stick around for the long haul.
I think there is a market, albeit a small one, for each of the three guys you have listed. All three are young and still have their best years ahead of them but are coming off sub-par seasons. Of that group though, I would have to say Regin is the most likely to be shopped. Regin will have a shot to take that second line centre role in camp this year but if he can't fill that void on a consistent basis, you have to wonder exactly where he fits in moving forward.
With Zibanejad poised to assume the roster spot on line two (perhaps as early as this season), Regin seems to be the most expendable. With that said, I expect Regin to be one of the guys that has a big bounce back year. He never really seemed to see eye to eye with Clouston and a fresh start under Paul MacLean could be exactly what he needs.
Of the 3 though I would say Regin is a gonner if he doesn't show up this year.
Atleast Foligno tries and in some games he is a beast down low and around the net. He can drive and deke one on one and has ok speed. Regin on the other hand is the one that clearly is lacking in talent, he doesnt stand out in any games, he doesnt drive the net and isnt good on the boards.
I think Regin had a down year last season and will return back to form this year.
I think Foligno's game is progressing nicely, this will be a make or break season for him as he should get some extra top 6 responsibility, which could even mean a role as the 2nd line center. I hope we see more of Foligno in front of the net this season.
And why the hell would Boston do that? They have more than enough to re-sign Marchand. Terrible example.
If we are way out of it by the trade deadline & a team like Wash comes calling would you trade him for the Colorado 1st rounder, providing he has a season worthy of that, mind you?
As for Regin I feel he will have a better season. His wingers will be two of Michalek, Alfie, Filatov or Butler. A big improvement over Kovalev.
As for Foligno - he turned down an offer from Team USA in the WC last May to concentrate on his off-season training. I expect more from him.
Who goes next will be defense. Gonchar if he has a turnaround in his game... I could see him a valuable commodity for some team at the trade deadline... especially if a Cup contender has an injury to a PMD.
Rogers usually televises the Sens home pre-season games. Don't know about Sportsnet Sens.
TSN is also doing pre-season games.. doubt any will be Ottawa.
He does know how to battle along the boards and has to adopt that Marchand style, as that author pointed out.
Hopefully Michalek can stay healthy to trade at deadline, two blown knees, we'll call that Cheechooery,is not what you want to rebuild with and his contract gets pricey over the next 2 years.
Regin is an enigma: perform or fade into obscurity
Have to agree with this one, we'd have to throw a pretty good pick as well to get Marchand.
Michalek just never seem to click with Spezza, he is not a finisher, he is a speedster crash the net type and doesnt setup for passes from Spezza. Butler on the other hand hangs back and get into position for passes, he doesnt crash the net.
So give all three a decent shot at success this year, hope that their stock rises, and then re-assess and see who will give you the best return on one of the three. Realistically I cannot see all three here next year. IMO I unfortunately lost confidence in all three players, but hope that they can turn it around, and bounce back to the level we thought they should play at.
have to disagree, how can DaCosta have a higher cieling? I really was not overly impressed in the 2 games last year, or the development camp. Yes I admit in losing confidence in Regin, but at least we did see something the year before that gives us hope, not sure why people can even suggest DaCosta as a 2nd line centre without seeing him?
Foligno imo has the highest potential and came into the league a lot younger than most because his all around game was already NHL worthy. The scoring and offense just needs time to catch up, and the more I think about it he may be better as a play-making C. He's a quality bottom 6 in a worst case scenario already though, with the potential for much more. I look forward to seeing what his dedicated off-season regime yields ... hopefully he called Spezza for some face-off and scoring tips.
Regin has almost 0 value in a trade and would likely need to be packaged with more to return anything worthwhile. I'd rather give him 1 year to break out or bust while we still have the roster space. I consider him High Risk/Medium Reward. Best case scenario I see him developing into a 2nd or 3rd liner.
Foligno seems more like a 3rd liner at this point, if someone goes off their rocker and offers a late 1st for him, then he's gone.
Michalek is bit more interesting. If..IF he's healthy he's a 20-30 goal player who could return a first rounder. Next year's top 6 gets the addition of Zbad (i think he needs 1 more yr) and silferberg.
I think 2 of the 3 are gone next year to make room for (even) younger players. Either way I hope those trades and hopefully moving gonchar can get us another 1st rounder or two next year
IMO it's a little to early to give up on Foligno just yet, afterall he is only 23 yrs old even though he has played for 4 yrs. My guess is that if he has another down yr or doesn't improve significantly they could be looking to trade him next yr or at the draft.
I think that Regin at 25 yrs old could be the guy that if he doesn't get off to a good start will be on the hot seat. Michalek when healthy can do a lot for this team so i doubt he is traded. IMO Kuba & Lee may be the first casualties of 2012 for the Sens mostly to make room for the young guns on defence.
Sounds like a great idea!
Why would anyone want to trade for dmen? Still plenty of good men available on the UFA market.
Hannan, McCabe, Campoli. Why would you trade when you can have any of those three for their cap hit alone?
For sure. I'll post something a little closer to the date. Perhaps in the forum rather than on the main blog.
Right now Gonchar and especially Kuba, are absolutely immoveable, right now Kuba would not make most teams top 6, why would you want to pay him 4 mil to notmake your team.
Unfortunately if he starts off the way he played last year, we will have to waive him and send him down, I would be furious to see him play that bad, when we have Cowen, Rundblad and even Lee who must play before him!
Hannan signed with calgary
Hehe that never gets old!
so Folgino can play for team USA but he isn't good enough to play in the NHL?
I've made a special note to never visit your site...
As for Marcus, how about we wait until he's actually played a game before awarding him the Rocket Richard. 4th round draft pick that has never produced anything impressive offensively in Junior.
Not sure if Nick will ever round into a true top 6 but he makes for one hell of a third liner, and as mentioned above this kid bleeds Senators. Moving him out would be a very bad decision...
I'd be willing to let Regin walk but what do you really get for him?
There is no question he has some skill but unless he hit the gym hard this summer he will continue to be pushed around like a matchstick man.
I agree with 90% of your post except the "bleeds senators" there were many who bled re, white and gold and that didnt stop the Org from sending them packing. Fisher, Kelly, Vermette. I just dont think that has much of an affect on GM's or Owners nowadays. You never know when your named will be called.
Next year Silverburg will be taking his spot.
Nick Foligno I hope we keep but he has the highest stock between him and Regin.
Regin was pathetic last year and you can't blame Kovalev for that, I saw a ton of slick passes totally goofed by Regin and I am not a huge Kovalev fan.
If Regin does not absolutley show up in camp he should be traded or put on waivers and sent down, if he is not picked up by another team and he rebounds in the AHL he can always come up for injured players.
I know Regin is capable but based on last years play he should not even make the team let alone bottom six ice time.
Regin had one more goal than Kuba last year and Kuba is defence.
He deserves a chance at camp but if he does not show, bye.
Sorry but who can you guarantee will end up being first line wingers? Butler is the only one that has proven he can score in the NHL (short term). You cant guarantee anything about Noesen (as much as I like him), Puempel, Zibanejad, Silfverberg, Stone they just dont project to be top 3 talent.
Maybe if were lucky enough to land Galchenyuk or Yakupov, which are projected to be elite talents. (first liners), that could elevate Spezza to the 100 pts plateau but certainly not with the wingers we have now.
And especially since he will be a better player overall, like you mention, that also means defensive responsibility, he wont be on the attack all the time. Think of that.
Spezza couldnt hit 100pts while we were the best team in the league, 90 & 92 I believe was his highests.
You wont ever see that type of talented team here again in Ottawa. We were blessed to have such a team but with the rebuild, we are now leaning towards a more harder working team rather than rely on skill.
If I remember correctly Clouston did not exactly give Da Costa a regular shift did he? or have him play with good offensive players?
Thats some serious optimism. (sarcasm)
I feel he will be better this season but all depends on how his offseason training went while recovering from that shoulder injury.
Sens have to replace Fisher & Kelly basically. The rest that left are easily replaced. The big hole is 2nd line centre -- who fills that?
If Gonchar has a real good season and a contender has issues with injuries on D... I could see him going next deadline even though he would still have a year left on his contract.
A team's window for getting to the SCF closes very quickly as we have seen in a couple of instances the last few years.
PS3 league anyone? :) If so I'd be in.
I agree with the first analysis. I really like Nick. He's a good guy and seems to like Ottawa; and the feeling is mutual with the fans and the community. But, he's got to go. Regin as well. I'd like to see a package with those two and possibly Winchester.
Michalek stays only because we could use his salary to hit the floor, and we need to maintain some type of goal scoring potential up front instead of shipping them all out. He, consequently, would be the most attractive name. If the deal is worth it, then by all means. If not, I really do see MM9 scoring 25 plus.
With all this said I'm disappointed that no moves have been made yet.
To be honest Regin is overrated by a lot of sens fans. They saw 1 good stretch and expected the moon, but in reality he is 25 years old and entering his 3rd full season without ever putting much up. If he turns into a 40+pt player that's probably a good accomplishment for him. In the end it will mainly depend on his wingers, because he's more of a play-maker than a scorer.
Probably best fit for him is a scoring 3rd or 4th line role, just not with Kovalev ;) I expect improvement, but his best chance is for the coach to roll 4 lines this year.
The only reason we should be thinking of ditching Kuba is to make room for our youth movement. His trade value couldn't be lower.
Otherwise, frankly the worst thing that could happen is that he sucks and sits on the bench half the year, and the best thing that could happen is have a resurgence in his game and we deal him at the trade deadline.
I've heard that he played the entirety of last season still stung by injury - to the point where he was almost reflexively reluctant to jam hard and hit. Not as though that is any excuse, but he is apparently at 100% health right now, let's see if he can do us a favor and raise his value.
Picks her up enough the first half of the season, maybe some clod in Long Island would do Okposo for Kuba at the deadline haha.
He has little value right now: trading him gets us absolutely nothing except a big headache if he flourishes somewhere else. And despite the off year he had, he's still the most qualified 2nd line center we have right now. I'd rather give him this last golden opportunity to prove himself with a new coach and have Da Costa and Zibanejad play in the AHL/SEL (instead of discussing moving one of them in 12 months time)
I'm still amazed at how many bloggers are willing to say the 2nd C spot is open and name everyone including Regin as possibilities, but leave out the 1 guy who played there last year, Foligno.
I don't think that either player has any legit future in our top 6 with the guys we have coming in as early as 2012-2013. Regin could end up being a good 3rd line center if we roll 3 scoring lines.
If we have another poor season but Michalek plays well, I can see Murray trading him while his value is high. He's too inconsistent and injury prone. Good player though.
I hope Michalek has a healthy season this year and puts up some solid numbers, but currently, we wouldn't get anything near our value back to make up for the Heatley mess.
IF he plays 2nd line centre -- as I said before his wingers will be 2 of Butler, Filatov, Alfie or Michalek. Much better players than he worked with last season. I say he is better.
There should be no pressure put on the young players on the team to make the playoffs from the coaching staff or management. Every team wants to get to the playoffs.. but this is about developing talent and that should be put forward to the players.
Make the playoffs --- BONUS.
I didn't think we'd get a first round pick for Fisher either. Its a little different this year because the draft is a lot better. I agree, he'd have to have a REAL good year to snag a late 1st.
if you look at how deep and talented the 2012 draft is turning out to be then 1st round picks are gonna be a hot commodity that most gm's won't be willing to part with(except for the moron in colorado who probably gave a top 5 pick away)... especially for Michalek/regin/ foligno/kuba/go nchar etc. even if they have breakout/reboun d years.
I personally think that foligno is a good 3rd liner. he works hard and does his job and can score a good amount of goals for a 3rd liner. and should only be better this year.
If you aren't a fan of Regin i suggest looking him up on youtube or on the senators game highlight videos and see how sweet his goals are. If he can do anything like that again I don't want to see him go...
I like regin because of the glory i saw in him a few times 2 years ago.
I like foligno because he seems like a relentlessly hard worker(and was 3rd in team scoring last year btw[i know it doesn't mean much]).
Michalek i have little attachment to because he just isn't as good as the money he makes. (and he always reminds me of Murray's catastrophic heatley trade. Can anyone explain that to me?)
But for the good of the team i wouldn't be very upset to see any of them go.
So that leaves "what player is the best fit on our team".
I don't think we have another player right now or in the near future that could do everything MM9 does. So I wouldn't be actively shopping him.
Foligno's mix of grit and skill is not overly unique, but not entirely redundant either. With his potential to play wing or center, top 6 or bottom 6 etc I think he offers a decent amount of options for us.
Regin is a bit tougher to analyze since we don't seem to know what exactly he can do. If we assume he projects as #2 center then I'd have to say he's the most expendible since we have other guys who might fill that role in a couple of years.
So based on that, Regin's my guy to move, but I'm still not in a rush since (as pointed out) his value is low right now.
If you aren't a fan of Regin i suggest looking him up on youtube or on the senators game highlight videos and see how sweet his goals are. "
Sean Donovan scored one of the prettiest goals as well but a year later wasn't in the nhl. it's all about what you do night in and night out.
I think most guys in the league that have played against Regin know to take the body on him because he will a) fall down or b) lose control of the puck while trying to be spezzaesque... he's not skilled enough to keep players honest.
if he's going to become a legit top 6 he needs to pack on some muscle and learn to get rid of the puck sooner, especially at the blue line
like everyone else I hope he has a fantastic year but I'm certainly not counting on it.
Hannan signed in Calgary last week,
Ummm have you forgotten a certain 50 goal scorer???
We still havent replaced him and that is what is setting us back 5 years.
And were gonna have to replace Alfie soon enough.
Hard times are ahead but that is a rebuild, get top 5 picks in each of those 2-3 years to get back into contending form.
Most of you complain not to finish as low as possible during these years, I dont think any of you would complain if we ended up having Yakupov or Galchenyuk and then MacKinnon the next year.
Imagine...
Its called a NTC (No Trade Clause), Heatley basically put a gun to Murray's head and said trade me, BUT I decide where...
Sure he could have sat him for the year but could you imagine the strife and distraction and not to mention still paying him 7.5M while he watches from his cottage. The team was already in a bad position and wasnt looking great for the upcoming season, you dont keep piling up the shit. Sitting him would have done more damage than good..
We will in all liklihood be in a lottery position next summer but I think the team will begin to climb the standings in 2012 / 2013. finishing somewhere between 8-10th in the east.
IMHO if the team hasn't begun to rebound by then, something has gone very wrong with our young guys.
you gotta figure silverberg and zibanejad make the team next year and are ready to contribute beyond several of the players we currently have.
he was awesome for a couple seasons here but he's been shit since...
even if we'd held on to him, what makes you think he'd have scored anywhere close to 50? He just got shipped out of one of the most offensively explosive teams in the league...
I'd be very suprised to see Heatley come close to 50 again.
Its wasnt so much about what he would do elsewhere but what he did for us, he did score back to back 50 goals, which is VERY rare nowadays. He absolutely has to be mentioned when people say we only need to replace Kelly & Fisher, infact those would be the least of my concerns to replace.
Heatley is the reason we are in full rebuild mode. That and Clouston, who I personally blame for Heatley's departure.
It's great that expectations are low for 2011, but ours isn't the only team in the East with big question marks. Couple that with low expectations (15th), a bit of puck luck and lots of determination, and you never know.
Been busy all morning reading the back and forth on this Round Table topic. I've been leaning one way, then the other, then the other. I honestly can't tell you who I think Management would package up first, I have a feeling it's going to come down to work ethic and production in the early part of the season. While we aren't projecting to end the season well, if one of these guys (or anyone really) isn't showing why he belongs on this team, we could be surprised by the outcome.
BM said it already, everyone needs to prove they deserve to be here, nothing will be given... with exception to the obvious few like Alfie and Spezza. We are rebuilding so I'm sure BM will have no problem bringing the younger lads up for a few games to prove a point, if someone is slacking off.
I'm just excited for the season to get started, bring on the winter beer belly!!!
LMAO, no but they had a solid team, you have to be kidding me right? Krejci, Horton, Lucic, Bergeron, Marchand, Ryder, Peverley...
And not to mention they had Georges Vezina reincarnate in nets!
And Chara, Ference, Seidenberg, Boychuk...
Dude get the hint?
Posters like you make me want to go on a shooting rampage!
We need much more than that good man. Here's a list of players that need to step up for us to not be in the basement of the East.
Alfie
Butler
Filatov...
Oh hell, EVERYONE BUT SPEZZA!
Thats the whole TEAM!
On defense, EVERYONE has to step up. Is that a much clearer picture now.
We need much more than 2-3 players to step up like you mention, we need the whole team to step up. What are the chances of that happening, 3%. As like every year, some players will show up, some wont, we will just have more "wont's"
For the 2011/12 season we add:
Cowen, Rundblad, Filatov
For 12/13 we add:
Silfverberg and Zibanejad (likely), maybe weircioch
We subtract? Possibly gonchar, regin/foligno/michlaek
For 13/14 we add:
Top5 pick from '12 (if they don't start the prev year), 1-2 of Pumppel/Noesen/Prince
We subtract likely Alfie
For 14/15 (Spezza's last season under contract)
Top 5 pick from '13 (if they don't start the prev year)
Subtract Phillips
I think its '14/15 before our new young core of cowen/rundbland /filatov/zibane jad/silfverberg + 2 other top 5 picks settle in and help us push for the playoffs
By the way. I gave your comment a "thumbs up" since I'm told venting is extremely therapeutic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kphykcZ3wG4&feature=related
We will be better next year, and from my perspective this will be one of the best battle in camp we have had in many years, other then a handful of players, everyone is fighting for a job, and for their next contract. They are not idiots, many players had better show up in their best condition to compete, or they will move down in the roster.
Better goaltending, better defence, young hungry forwards, all spells for a competitive team every night.
And Tookie please stop with the Russians, name one Russian who was instremental in winning a cup for their team.
I can name you plenty that hurt the Sens
Gonchar
Kovalev
Kaigarodov
Zubov
Yashin
and plenty of wasted draft picks
Bashkirov 2nd round
Anikeyenko 3rd round
Lyamin 2nd round
enough with the Russians, too individualitic IMO
Patrick Eaves 1.2mil 18.86 ppg
Greg Campbell 1.1mil 19 ppg
Benoit Pouliot 1.1mil 14.4 ppg
Cody McCormick 1.1mil 12.25 ppg
Just to name a few. I bet you take Foligno over any of those guys. The problem is you're penciling him in places he shouldn't be. He's a consistent, hard working 3rd line player who can kill penalties and can fill in for the short term on the 2nd line.
If Regin cannot fill the 2nd line centre he's out and should be.
Cheers,
Russian players CAN play a team first game and commit in the playoffs. There's Datsyuk and also all the guys on the 97 Wings (Larianov, Fedorov, etc).
Yakupov looks different because he came over to play junior here which is a pretty good sign he's committed to the NHL. And I think that Galchenyuk is from the US/Belarus. But he's a center so I wouldn't put him into much consideration.
There's still so much uncertainty their breed though. Its an enormous risk. Fortunately we'll be picking in the 4-9 range and won't have to worry about that.
No way are we getting top 5 picks for the `12 AND `13 drafts. We will be in the playoffs long before this!
And who will we be displacing from the playoffs? and don't forget the islanders and panthers have some nice young prospects who could push for the playoffs too.
Don't get me wrong. I'd be happy if we did, but the east looks pretty tough (except for MTL...they'll crash soon ;) )
Datsyuk
Larionov
Fedorov
Malkin
Zubov
I can continue...
IT will be hard to get Yak but there is also Galchenyuk. I see us getting 1 of the 2, either with the proper pick or via trade.
Galchenyuk is a center projected to be on one of the top two lines... we don't need one of those. We need a winger who can play on the top line. From the look of it, there are two players who fit that description: Yakupov and Filip Forsberg. Yakupov will be gone before we pick unless we get really, really lucky and win the lottery. Forsberg fits just about every qualification. Top line power forward who can score goals and play physical but with more offensive upside than Landeskog. He also fits in with the Swedish contingency on our team.
I don't even know why we're discussing this now though. Not only has the NHL season not even started yet (and we have know idea where we'll finish) any of these guys could pull a Couturier or Esposito and fall off the radar.
Depends who you think will make the playoffs.
Islanders aren't going anywhere until they get some goaltending and D. Florida is a long way off, they may compete here and there for the playoffs, but they won't be a force until Jacob Markström becomes a true NHL starter. Montreal has been lucky the last few years, once Ottawa, Buffalo and others start returning to playoff contention Montreal will become an afterthought.
You speak as tho our young talent is ahead of most teams and will pan out no question "once Ottawa, Buffalo and others start returning to playoff contention".
You dont know that, we can very well be in the basement for 3-5 years. I dont see any of our young talent stepping up anytime soon, and the bulk of our better young players wont be rdy for another 4-5 years. (Noesen, Puempel, Stone, Pageau, Prince)
Add to that the loss of Alfie in a year or two and who knows where Spezza will go once his contract is over.
Again...Yakupov is not Russian, he's a Turk, a Mongol!
He got out of Russia the instant he could, to play hockey in Canada!
Tookie you are wrong! Sorry bud, but even if only a third of our prospects are successful we're still heaps and bounds ahead of over 5+ teams in the league. We will not be basement dwellers.
Most of these other teams are rebuilding without already having a starting goalie, a full defense and a Spezza or Alfie. We have one of the best combinations of young veterans and prospects, that's all there is to it.
He got out of Russia the instant he could, to play hockey in Canada!
I stand corrected...but also stand by my irrationally xenophobic statistical character analysis about alleged Russians whose names end in -ov.
Don't take stuff so seriously dude !
I dont, he's just not a Russian, Galchenyuk is kinda in the same boat, he's from Belerus and got out as soon as he could to play in Canada.
Florida will be much improved, they have a stack of young NHL proven players, yes goalie and D is an issue but they are on the right track. Islanders have goalie/D issues your right but their offense is better than ours.
We are very similar to those teams, our "full" defense you speak of is soft and weak, we dont have any proven scorers, our goalie is top notch but can he be consistent, his career says no.
S. Bergenheim
D. Booth
E. Dadonov
T. Fleischmann
M. Goc
T. Kopecky
S. Reinprecht
S. Upshall
K. Versteeg
Compared to
J. Spezza
D. Aflredsson
M. Michalek
B. Butler
N. Filatov
N. Foligno
E. Condra
C. Greening
P. Regin
Your seriously telling me we have a better forward group?!?!
B. Campbell
K. Ellerby
E. Gudbranson
E. Jovanovski
D. Kulikov
K. Seabrook
N. Yonkman
Pretty nice, young D corp if you ask me. Has toughness, stay at home D and offensive skills to boot.
Compared to
M. Carkner
S. Gonchar
E. Karlsson
F. Kuba
B. Lee
C. Phillips
D. Rundblad
No Cowen, no room, slow, soft but has plenty of offensive weapons.
Out of all 3 of those teams the Sens are the best all around team. Our overall rebuild is ahead of both of them, we just trail the Islanders a bit on offense. Being good in all areas, instead of a great in 1 gives us a much better chance at making the playoffs. The defense you refer to sounds like last year's, enjoy the improvement you'll see this year. I think even you will be pleasantly surprised.
Well if you're going to exclude Cowen, there's not much I can say as I don't see him not making the roster and with him our D is a lot more solid all around. Without him we're just a bunch of offensive Dmen complemented by Phillips and Carkner. Cowen evens out our D, which is also why I think he will make the team.
Even with Cowen, he's rookie learning the ropes, he wont make much of a difference playing 3rd pairing.
Shoe-Ins - Washington, Boston, Buffalo, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay
On the bubble - Philadelphia (yes they got better in the long-term, but they are worse in the short term), New Jersey (should be a shoe in, but the 1st half last year and new coach leave ?), Montreal (only because of Price), Carolina, Ottawa and Florida (if their goaltending is at least decent)
Bottom feeders - NY Islanders, Toronto, Winnipeg
Western Conference playoffs predictions:
Shoe-Ins - Vancouver, San Jose, Anaheim (if Hiller is healthy), Los Angeles, Nashville
On the Bubble - Detroit (G consistency is the only reason), Chicago, St Louis (needs a big rebound all around)
Bottom Feeders - Calgary, Dallas, Columbus, Colorado, Phoenix, Minnesota
Colorado & Columbus have a chance to be bubble teams if their goalies are playing at the top of their games.
We'll just have to disagree. You sound like all the Toronto Media right now. I'm fine if our team is an underdog, makes the victory that much sweeter!
I think you know my individual player expectations for our team are pretty reasonable, but I think as a team we will be stronger. You can't ignore the improvement Filatov, Cowen, Rundblad and whoever plays 2nd line C will bring to this team, as well as a healthy Michalek and Alfie. I did not think Alfie would recover this fast, but if the reports are true we are sitting pretty good.
granted I will give you Datsyuk, but he is the exception not the rule,
and other then him, I can name many players ahead of the others as the most impt players on their teams on the road to the Stanley cup, so again name me another Russian that lead their team to the cup, ala Messier, Crosby, Toews, Kane, Duncan Keith,Getzlaf, Perry , shall I continue???
I mean from the trades last year Tookie. Not talking about Heatley.
MacKinnon -- I would take in a heartbeat. Will have to get the first overall to get him...
As for next season.. you can't say now who finishes where. You can speculate.. but INJURIES especially to key players will determine who finishes where.
What happens to the Rangers if Lundquist gets injured, or Mtl if Price gets injured.. Buffalo if Miller goes down. That's only 3 IFS? Lots of teams could be in trouble with the wrong injury.
If the Sens lose Spezza.. then some of you get your wish of Sens finishing at the bottom of the standings as that will happen. Who would be the #1 centre if Spezza is out for any length of time?
He is indeed. And his name doesn't end in -ov as does the other 98.5%
Let's face it. Russians in the NHL have gotten a reputation as lazy, "give me a big contract and I won't go back home to the KHL" showboatmen for a reason. It isn't fair in many cases but there has to be some explanation for it. To be honest, Agent Mark "Gandler" was the finishing nail for me. I routed for a trade for Filatov because in my heart, I know it's wrong to draw stereotypes and this kid wasn't given an ounce of real NHL grooming in a hockey backwater under the tutelage of a guy who has particular methods (Hitchcock). I wish Filatove all the best and truly hope he breaks the mold, but at the absolute least, I expect him to play well enough to be tradeable for something more than a 3rd round draft pick. And when you have Spezza as your centre, if you can't do that then duck you.
2 - 50 goal seasons with Spezza,
39 and 26 with Joe Thorton, who by no means is a slouch, do you not think that Spezza had something to do with it, IMO Spezza made Heatley, and without him, he has proven exactly what he is, an oportunistic floater, who blames everyone for his shitty play...good ridance, we are better wtihout him!
absolutely well stated, we cannot paint the all with the same brush, and Datsuk, Volchenkov are good examples, however comments from well respected players like Matt Bradley from Washington, where he proves our worst fears of Russian players ie Semin, who would rather start their summer vacation early and be in Russia, rather than being in the gruelling physical run for the Stanley cup in June, really make me wonder if all those past Sens Russians are the norm and not the likes of Datsyuk!
ahh someone from my era... 100% agreed, but in those days they were a different breed, they did not play for the money but were the most competitive men I can remember. Today they seem to think they are prima donna's and love the fame and glory, but not really sure they care as much about being champions or paying the price to be Stanley cup Champions. Lets hope Filatov comes and proves he belongs on the top 6
Bouchard Koivu Heatley
Latendresse Brodziak Setoguchi
Prettydecent if you ask me, both lines have a defensive touch while not losing much offense.