The Ottawa Senators have locked up one of the team's hardest working players and a fan favourite on and off the ice.
According to Don Brennan of the Ottawa Sun, the Senators have agreed to an extension that will keep Chris Neil in Ottawa for another three seasons. The 33 year old forward is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $2 million next season.
While no announcement was immediately made by the organization and the contract is still just a "verbal agreement", word is the contract will pay Neil a total of $5.75 million over the three years of the deal. He'll earn $2 mil in the first two years of the deal and then $1.75 in the final season.
The cap hit will come in at under two million a season.
This is a fantastic deal for the Senators as they lock up one of the team's most respected leaders both on and off the ice. There's also a good chance the deal will allow Neil to retire as an Ottawa Senator.
I mentioned this on Twitter but you'd be hard pressed to find a player that cares more about his hockey team and about winning than Chris Neil. A guy that always sticks up for his teammates and has a tendency to elevate his game come playoff time, Neil will be a fantastic role model for the young guys in the locker room.
I've always respected Chris Neil as a hockey player but that was taken to another level late in this season when I was lucky enough to receive a media pass from the team. I foolishly stepped on the logo in the middle of the dressing room and Neil gave me a glare that I assumed was saved for his most hated opponents.
This guy would do anything for his teammates and for this organization and as fans, we're lucky to have him around for the next four seasons.
According to Ian Mendes, the Sens are expected to make this contract official later this week. Can't help but wonder if they plan to announce a couple contract extensions at the same time.
What do ya say, Alfie?
NEVER been suspended in the NHL - possibly the best in the League at walking "the line" but not crossing it.
Neiler gives 100% on every shift and does his job very well.
GO SENS GO
Prince and Z over the past two dev. camps have seem to have created a little bit of chemistry together I really wish AHL games were streamable :S
Great signing to lock a character guy. We shouldn't expect him to drop gloves as often as in the past. We need his energy and hits count.
Now what ???? any news on UFA interest from Sens ?
Even when no one else appears to care, or has given up he still goes out shift after shift and goes hard.
Personally I am ecstatic that 99% likely he will be a life long Sen. Also met him once or twice...and what an absolute nice guy and loves the kids too!
Still hoping ottawa can get another top six forward but if not im sure we'll have an exciting team to watch.
If you try, you are an idiot.
just going to re post my comment from the last thread hoping chirp can comfirm anything:
word on the street is that gord wilson said kyle turris has put on 10 lbs. (cant find the quote just yet)
congrats kyle on passing that 200lbs mark.
now i hope weirdo has had similar success since he was also working on size this summer.
Where did you hear this quote then? I don't get it.
It's been debated whether buying him out of his current deal signing him to a new one is legal under the CBA. If it is legal I would assume they would do it to pay him more than $1M this season. Remember it wasn't that long ago that Murray said of Alfredsson "He's our captain, nobody should be paid more than him." (paraphrasing)
Of course that didn't last long and for good reason (well, 1 good reason out of two anyway) and doesn't need to apply now - but paying him $1M only would be a bit awkward if they can avoid it.
Having said all that, an actual extension and another two years of Alfie instead of just one (or maybe none) would be fine by me. Though the "Tookie side" of my brain does wonder if it's better to get it over with and start building our post-Alfie identity now instead of trying to do it later.
i know HF isnt a credible source but someone there said it:
"Gord Wilson said he has gained 10 pounds of muscle already, and is loving Ottawa, has been in the city pretty much all summer, really involved."
either way, we dont really need comfirmation from Wilson that turris has put on size. He already told the team that his off-season first goal is to pack on some more size.
i know HF isnt a credible source but someone there said it:
"Gord Wilson said he has gained 10 pounds of muscle already, and is loving Ottawa, has been in the city pretty much all summer, really involved."
either way, we dont really need comfirmation from Wilson that turris has put on size. He already told the team that his off-season first goal is to pack on some more size.
Not doubting you, just curious.
Turris didn't have a training camp last summer, and his biggest knock was his size.
A summer of good training with Ottawa's staff will do wonders for the kid. He's by far the player I'm most stoked to see this year. With some added muscle, Turris will be a force!
As much as I love Gordo, there aren't many bigger homers out there. So even if he did say it, under oath, it might just be him looking through his rose-colored glasses.
But yeah, even if he hasn't actually added weight it's pretty clear he's been in beast mode all off season and truly dedicated to getting stronger.
hahahaha cracked me up about his glasses.
but yes as Doc has said too, i think turris is the player i look forward to the most, maybe even more than my favourite prospect silfverberg.
The best part of this move to me is the message it sends the younger guys: Be like Chris Neil and give us everything you've got and we'll go out of our way to make sure you're rewarded and treated right. Same message an Alfie extension or buyout/resignin g would send as well. Same message the Phillips signing sent. Same message the Karlsson signing sent.
When the reality is that the Parises, Nashes and Suters of the world aren't climbing all over each other to play in Ottawa you have to focus on building your own stars and retaining them. That doesn't mean we'll never bring in a top UFA or be able to trade for a guy with a NTC - but it's always going to be a bit harder for us. Treating our players right means we'll keep our young guys around longer in most cases and will even help in luring "outsiders" here.
Great signing!
The last couple of years they really seem to be pushing the "we treat our players right" mentality. Even when they traded Fisher and Kelly away they seemed to have the players interests in mind.
Kind of surprised to say the least. I now know what I'm getting on my new jersey this year.
Now I would like to see a line of Zack Smith, Greening and Neil. Could be one of the best 3rd line in the league.
Except that it would be our fourth line. With the likes of Regin, Zibanejad, Stone or Hoffman possibly making up the third line.
But yeah, comparable to the Ruutu-Kelly-Nei l line that was one of the best third lines for a while (and also actually a fourth line when everyone was healthy).
I see Regin starting the season on the line with Turris and Alfie. Guys like Z-Bad, Stone and Hoffman I see starting in Bingo. No reason to rush the young guys. Plus will not be surprised that a trade or two happen before the season starts and/or after the 20 game mark.
count me in for hoping we do nothing until arround the 20 game mark. Our team before the 20game mark looked horrible, we were on the road to be the laughing stock of the league. But thanks to a few key changes (turris trade), and coaching system started to click, everything worked way better than any expectation.
I hope we do the same this year, go with whatever lineup PM wants to dress. Even if it does not include zib/stone/silfv , see how the new additions do (methot lundin latendresse and i will include regin). i include regin because i feel as though too many fans forgot about his top 6 skill when healthy and can be a huge impact again.
Hell, i may even consider butler again for top 6 since i still believe it was a sophmore slump.
If we are in big trouble, BM will know what to do.
I agree. I didnt think Nash was like that but hes just another whiney baby who is gonna get what he wants.
What a joke.
i remember when people said alfie wast ready, hmm.
Somebody's had a few too many Brador's tonight! WTF! Why would you even say something so ignorant? Spezza just had his best year as a complete player. There were times when he put the fucking team on his back and willed them to win. The Stache would double shift him, and then put him on the ice just to win a face off before heading back to the bench to catch his fucking breath! Your unbelievable, tell me where his shortcomings were this year? Let me guess, Anderson played more minutes than him, Neil lost more blood, Philips has a more manly receding hairline. Spezza is ready whenever Alfie hands him the reins you ass clown! Even his interviews are a complete 180 from a few years ago when he couldn't stop giggling. You can hear the maturity in his voice when he talks up his teammates after a win, or how pissed off, and critical of his own performance after a loss. He shows nothing but respect for his captain and mentor, and has put up with bullshit rumours and criticism of his play from the media and fans for years. Neil is a leader on our team, but Spezza is becoming "The Leader". Praise Alfie, and shut your mouth dumbass!
Vial out.
I disagree. Spezza is far from being "giggles" like he used to be. I've noticed real fire in him last season and leadership and while he's not the same type of leader Alfie is I think he's a good choice to be captain. Not that I'd mind Neiler either, but I think Spezza becomes an even better player if he gets the C and I think Neil actually becomes less of a player since he'd have to dial back the nasty a bit if he wears the C.
Just my opinion of course - not being in the room with these guys none of us really know for sure.
Aaaaand the sledgehammer squashes the mosquito.
C'mon Vial - tell us how you really feel. LOL
More Dung Beetle than Mosquito? I guess if you know your shit.
There is no debate. You are wrong. Spezza doesn't need to change his game, if anything, he needs to let the game come to him. Instead of trying to do everything himself sometimes, he is learning to become the decoy, like his ridiculous dangle against Winnipeg, and find his teammates when he runs out of time and space, which in that case was Turris wide open in front of the net. His intensity doesn't need to be dialed up, it's his decision making that is improving every year. I love Neil, and he can wear an A any day on my team, but I know who the next Captain of Ottawa is, and You just don't get it. Good night now!
Wow - did you miss my point.
I was trying to point out that Vial went over the top in responding to your plainly stated opinion. Basically defending you a bit and suggesting that Vial maybe ought to dial back a bit. He could have just said he disagreed (did you read my previous post where I kinda did that?)
But now I'm thinking you're just a jackass so carry on.
And I was already well aware of that rule!
Just got overwhelmed and lost track of where I was standing. Can still hear Neil yelling "LOGO!" haha.
I just don't think you get it. Neiler is a great guy and leader, but it's Spezza's team going forward. When young players come into the league, they are going to look to Spezza and not Neil. They want to play like him. A career point-a-game player, handles key face-offs and is the future face of our leadership.
Neil is a heart and soul player and knows what it takes to be effective. They are great qualities, but they don't necessarily translate into Captain material. A Captain needs to answer the bell to the media, to the fans, and to his team. Spezza has shown he can shoulder this load as he was shit on by so many people before. He's an elite centre in the league despite this. He's the leader.
Neil also, if you believe that ref dude on TSN, has a bit of a reputation with the officials around the league. Now the officials might be talking out of their hats on that one but again maybe not who you want pleading your case.
But the biggest reason Neil shouldn't get the C is that he doesn't need it. Nobody on this team is going to respect Neil more if you gave him a C, he's already admired for the job he does by his team-mates and I don't think the C significantly changes him as a player, leader and mentor. It might with Spezza.
Neil is a leader without the C on this team, no need to change anything.
Excellent signing by Murray, Neil is the epitome of a player that the fans of 29 teams in the league hate. It's always good to have a couple of those on your roster.
I dont get this why lose respect for a guy cuz he doesnt have your city in the mix of teams he wants to go to. Its his descision, its his career. Guy plays his heart out for Canada every year, if you lost respect for him then you never had it in the first place.
Its a business, whatever is best for him and his family is his outmost priority.
After disagreeing with Tookie all day yesterday on MZ it pains me to agree with him here
Nash has 7 years left on his contract, and in that time him and his wife will have one or 2 or three kids, basically build a life etc.
They envisioned it to be Columbus but things have changed. He's allowed to want to go where he wants to go. Giving a 6 team list is pretty good considering Heatley gave us 1. Also a 6 team is almost into limited NTC territory. Lots of options for Howsen
Like Tookie said, its his life, he's allowed to dictate where he goes. It's not like he forgets he is Canadian, he has represented us more at the World Championships than anyone not named Ryan Smyth(not 100% but seems like it)
As much as I am bitter and don't understand why he wouldn't come to Ottawa, I can't fault him for wanting to go to 6 other teams all with their own history (Detroit/Pitts/ NYR) The SJ piece is what makes me question a little, because I've been to SJ and its not that nice. Better off living in SF or Oakland
Well said. Especially "Neil is a leader without the C on this team, no need to change anything." and similar statements.
If we had someone like Smith really take over the Neil role allowing Neil to dial back a little bit and only step in if Smith needs help then maybe. I do think Neil has it in him to be a captain but Spezza is the better choice (IMO) and as Apostle laid out, Neil doesn't need the C to be heard.
Bang on Apostle, giving the C to Neil isnt a good idea, we would instantly be a target for refs, especially if they had to deal with Neil on a constant basis, plus he is known to have a bad rep with the refs.
I say its either Alfie, Phillips, Spezza, nobody else fits the bill.
Rarely do you see grinders/fighte rs play 1000 games, and if he continues to be healthy he could get there in 2 years time
Players who have played over 1000 games with a similar style to Neil:
Scott Mellanby*
Dale Hunter
Ken Danyko
Kelly Buchburger
Shayne Corson
Dave Manson
Mike Grier
Brad May
Donald Brashear
Tie Domi
Also even more important to note, he will be just the 28th player in league history to do so with one team
You know your town is a shit hole when somebody compares it unfavourably to Oakland.
I haven't been to San Jose for a while but it struck me as a nothing sort of place when I was there. Perfectly pleasant but with nothing that mad it stand out or gave it any real individuality or character.
and the 3rd to do it with the Senators - which I think highlights two things - 1) we are loyal to our players when they deserve it and 2) it can't be that bad a place to be.
The nicest part of San Jose is Santa Clara University and its campus. Heavy spanish decent, and simply put reminds me of vanier the way its structured
Further
NHL teams with 1000 GP"
Det, Mon: 4
NJ: 3
Ott, Chi, Buf, Tor: 2
Cal, Phi, SJ, LA, NYR, NYI, Bos: 1
**impressive for Ottawa
Player from Neil to 999GP:
Van, TB: 2
Col, OTT, Det: 1
So once Neil gets to 1000GP only Detroit and Montreal will have had more players play 1000GP with them than Ottawa(tied with NJ)
Thats pretty incredible considering we have only been in league since 92. Honorable mention goes out to TB (St. Louis and Lecavalier)
Vanier?!?! the ghetto of Ottawa? you mad bro? you get shot walking down streets in Vanier!! Its not nice at all or were you just comparing structure...to which Vanier is abysmal...
What are you trying to say here?
NHL Career Fight Totals:
Bob Probert (230), Marty McSorley(225), Chris Neil(173), George Parros(148), Georges Laraque(142).
sorry I was referring to San Jose in general reminded me of Vanier. Santa Clara is the onyl nice part aside from the Vanier feel to it
Ahh ok I hear ya, man here I thought SJ was a nice place, all I can think of is nice beaches and boardwalks...no ?
Not the part that I've seen haha. If you want a nicer place drive about 30-45 minutes to silicone valley
I know I'd rather spend time in Vanier than Baltimore or Johannesburg that's for sure.
That being said there are plenty of places that I'd rather be than Vanier.
I thought San Jose was fine, certainly never felt unsafe there, my brother spent 3 years there when he worked for IBM. My major complaint was that it was just there and I felt like it could have been anywhere USA, no real definition or anything to set it apart from anywhere else.
San Francisco is a far better city.
That sbeing said I am ecstatic to have moved away from the area
I agree 100%
If your gunna go Northern California than SF is wher eyou should go not SJ.
We think SJ and we think Cali but its no where near the same as Southern Cali like Anaheim/Orange County and LA
Well yeah compared to U.S our ghettos are daycare safe...
I would compare Vanier and Lowertown to any other ghetto in Canada.
Good point, Overbrook has always rivaled Vanier in terms of danger and scum!
To bad Sakic isn't considered in that group... since you know, he never changed teams... technically...
Rarely do you see grinders/fighte rs play 1000 games, and if he continues to be healthy he could get there in 2 years time
You think he can play 269 games in 2 years?
good call, i should have said by the expiration of his extension
I guess you could compare Vanier to places like Jane/Finch area (IE: Driftwood, etc.), St James Town, Regent Park, or Alexandra Park in Toronto. I think you'd find, however, that your comparison would show that the areas I've mentioned are generally more dangerous on average (IE: more incidents of crime, gang violence, etc.) than Vanier.
I haven't done a ghetto-comparis on myself. It's just a hunch.
Go Sens.
It's not so much that I feel unsafe, more like uncomfortable. At any given time you may have to dive out of the way from a traveling convoy of electric wheelchair gangs. Two weeks ago at a grocery store in Vanier, I had a bearded 300 pound woman try and run me over with her pimped out electric chariot because I wasnt moving forward fast enough in the express check out.
My policy in Vanier has always been similar to Bangkok, get in and get out before it swallows you ....
Yup I remember one night walking home from downtown at 2am to a buddy's appartment on Montreal rd (past MCdonalds/St.La urent) (long walk I know, too cheap for cab that night apparantly)
Anyways, I was so sketched out, I put all my cash in my sock, and then found first Scotiabank posisble and deposited everything. Kept criss crossing the road everytime we saw a "gang" or sketchy people. Must have criss crossed the road at least 2 dozen times in one hour
I definately would not want to raise an academic kid in that neighbourhood lol
He's an RFA - no rush man.
Yes I know, but did one of the sides elect arbitration or are they considering letting him walk?
He's been qualified and that's it. No arbitration has been requested by either side (unless I missed it) and I highly doubt they'd let him walk.
K thanks, I agree, no real reason not to re-sign him. Just was surprised by the lack of information.
No arbitration, I'm not sure if its a rule but rarely will you ever see a non NHL player elect for arbitration
RFA normally get signed throughout the summer. No rush needed. He's been qualified and thats all thats important as of now
He might be mulling over his qualifying offer?
Or even other offers from other teams, he's got all summer to decide to accept or take another offer.
Another offer? How many AHL RFAs receive offers from other teams? I don't think Gryba would be a target for that.
If Dany Heatley [this is completely hypothetical] were to be traded back to Ottawa, who would dislike it?
I'm bored at work and this off-season is killing me.
Everyone on Earth would dislike it (or should). Even if he was still an elite talent it would be the dumbest idea of the century to bring that douchebag back.
Are you high? He wouldn't even step foot in this city again....and i suspect you wouldn't find a single fan that would support a move for him.
What do you guys think about hiring Darcy Tucker as our new coach and firing MacLean?
(see what I did there?)
What do you think about getting Sundin to be our captain and Domi to be our assistant?
While we are at it lets resign Redden/Yashin/D aigle...that will make a sweet team!
What do you guys think about getting some bath salts and eating someone's face?
Too soon?
http://www.the6thsens.com/2012-articles/july/daugavins-arbitration-qualifying-questions.html
What do you think about Quoting Hax:
Great idea!
And name Joe Nieuwendyk goaltending coach!
You sly fox, you.
you sick b******d...kidd ing..might have been a bit over the top, however, bath salts apparently were not in that guy in miami's system after all, I know.. I am a buzzkill lol
but weed was and we all know you get the munchies after smoking weed
New Bold Flesh flavoured Doritos!! Extreme!!!
Now with more Face!
Or here:
http://www.senschirp.ca/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=745:quiet-times-for-the-sens&Itemid=13
Or he could be welching on his previous agreement.
HAHA Doc and Apostle
Kratos, I may not be the sickest b*****d though lol
oh you definitely not the sickest at all lol, mmmm weed munchies lol..where did those brownies go?
Or he could be beating a dead horse.
Some d-bag Sabres fans over on NHL.com are comparing Neil to Avery and even Orr-- a goon.
This post killed me:
"I would hate to be an Ottawa fan, there GM sux lmfao chris neal, really??"
20% more skin in every bag!!
Spezza will be captain when Alfie retires.. and Neil will get an "A".
Still remember that dangle by Spezza in Winnipeg and the pass to Turris.
Gord Wilson was on the Team yesterday afternoon in a 'round table'.. that's when he said Turris put on 10 lbs of muscle.
As for Nash... well it seems that some Cdn players are more than willing to play FOR their country but not IN their country. Their loss. I think he stays in Columbus.. No team will pay the asking price as it is right now.
Yeah but just read through the pages and pages of comments from leaf, hab, bruins fans etc on tsn ... the loser dbags that have shit to say about Neil or this signing are a minority
Wouldn't let it bother you man.
You gotta think the Organization took a bit of a reputation beating after the team struggled so much after our Cup Finals appearance in 07', (players and coaches - in and out) and ofcourse that whole summer drama of Dany la douche didnt help either.
With the way the team played this year, and all the pieces that are being added and developed, its gotta be putting Ottawa in a more respected view around the league.
This is important going forward as the years go by and we look to attract high-end players (ie UFAs and such).
As MacLean said this year... "Were building a foundation of winning". Just a clever sounding one liner?....Nope. Its completely accurate and a reality for what this team is doing.
We are by no means done being "re-built", but I think this team has done more in 1 year than some other (rebuilding) teams have been able to accomplish in much more time.
(Damn, you think Leafs fans hated us before.....)
to add to that, before our cup run we were always viewed as the "cockiest" or most "egotistical" team in the NHL. aside from winning the Stanley Cup I think it was rightfully deserved. We had Hossa/Havlat/Ch ara/Speeza/Alfi e/Redden/Heatle y/Hasek/Emery all at one time or another near the top of their game. we were cocky as hell
Then we lost, struggled and coaches started going through the grinder quicker than turkeys before thanksgiving.
On top of that we have (no direction to any of you) fans that are willing to throw any player under the bus, and are willing to boo players on opening night.
Murray and Maclean are quickly earning the reputation of being willing to take risks on players and allow players to grow and blossom. This will travel through the league
Our reputation is growing and we should hopefully be able to attract some bigger names so long as we keep winning
Ha this was fucking funny!
Not intended to be a debby downer but who has Murray or MacLean take as risk and allowed them to develop and blossom?!?
None of our prospects have developed a whole lot nor have any blossomed yet.
Greening
Condra
Butler
Da Costa
Winchester
The only one they done it to would be Cowen. Murray did a great job with Karlsson aswell. Not to be taken badly just wondering who you think Murray and MacLean have actually developed & Blossomed.
Well karlsson for one
I would say look at Spezza's growth last year and ability to play his own skill set
If you don't think Greening didn't blossom last year then I don't know what team you were watching. Did you really think Greening would be in the young guns squad for the All-Star Game at the beginning of the year?
We have signed and given several college FA a chance at earning a spot in the NHL (Butler/winches ter/Da Costa) Ask any undrafted free agent, all they want is the chance
Then throw in Carkner from before Maclean time, as we finally gave him a shot
You are confusing blossom and develop in terms of elite talent. I am saying that people recognize that maclean allows players to play to their own skillset
For example in NYR Nash will be expected to block shots, dump it in and play defense first. In Ottawa he can play puck posession and loose on offense
Thats developing and blossoming
Yup trailing only McSorley and Probert
He's behind by over 50 fights I believe so will take some herculean effort for him to catch up, but impressive nonetheless
It's funny since just the other day I over heard Deborah Downer herself say "Not intended to be a Tookie but ..."
Man, Neil isn't even close. I don't know where that list came from but it's not right. This is the list
# Name Fights
1 Tie Domi 333
2 Dave "Tiger" Williams 329
3 Chris Nilan 315
4 Bob Probert 302
5 Craig Berube 295
Edit - Sorry, shouldnt say it is THE list but it is according to this;
http://dropyourgloves.com/fights/MostPlayerFights.aspx?League=1
I am going to assume this is pretty close. Nilan, Tiger WIlliams, those guys fought constantly over long careers. They HAVE to have more fights than George Laraque
I don't think that's actually true. Here's what I found:
1 Tie Domi 333
2 Dave "Tiger" Williams 329
3 Chris Nilan 315
4 Bob Probert 302
5 Craig Berube 295
your absolutely right haha, twitter isn't credible? What the hell!
Blasphemy, you take that back!!!
Disagree with this. Spezza with the "C" spells trouble or even "Choke" with a capital "C". Everyone says he's a leader but really, how much of a leader are you when ALFIE is there, Phillips is there, Neil is there...that isn't a team that belongs to J-Spezz.
Now, when HE is the veteran and HE brings a team to the Stanley Cup and HE wins a Cup...then we can talk leadership. Until then, he's as much a leader as those bums on Rideau Street. Leaders win championships or at the very least are in the mix to win them. Giggles has never won at any level...
Wow next time post this in the mornign so we have something to talk about all day
Do you watch Spezza on the bench? listen to him in the room? Hell he does more interviews than anyone on the team. He is the leader. Alfie has already annointed him as the leader pretty much, by sayng he is ready. Spezza is the vocal leader we all wanted Alfie to be before his magical run in 07.
People would dislike it and it would never happen...the only reason I'd favour this is that I love it when people complain, it's music to my ears and there would be MUCHO COMPLAINO if Heatley came back...
I would argue that no, Greening would not have made the young guns team if he had played his role on the 3rd line, he was a 1st line plug and had much better chances to scor with MM9 and Speza. I dont think it has anything to do with Murray or MacLean on his development. But if you stick to your guns then Greening should be a 20 goal man next year.
I do agree MacLean is very open to giving players space and creative freedom but it had its draw backs, our PP for instance, needed structure.
I agree, PP was abysmal
But in terms of marketing to Free Agents, I'm pretty sure thats a positive sell? We allow you to be the offensive player that you are
Spezza had an interview where he basically said players from the opposing team at the face off circle during TV timeouts would tell him they are jealous of the style of play Maclean endorses
Well from what you say Alfie is a choker aswell then? Never won us a Cup.
Obviously Spezza is the right choice for when Alfie retires, who ever said Spezza is captain with Alfie on the team?
I do however agree with the comments that Ottawa is regaining it's reputation as a good organisation to play for, but I still think it's the case that we are one of those organisations that have to overpay in salary or term to get the big UFAs.
Here are some shortcomings:
1)Character shortcoming: He reputedly asked to be moved in 2010 after the booing incident of the playoffs;
2)A lot of points against weaker teams (Islanders, Jets, Jackets) but not a lot against Rangers, Bruins, in other words tighter checking teams
3)Overplayed the puck in the playoffs, there was even one f those drop passes;
4)He's from Tranna and I don't nor will ever trust a Tranna guy;
5)On that topic, he's been seen at a Jays game. Now, we have baseball here in Ottawa so why is he spending time out of the city? Imagine being the CAPTAIN of Ottawa and living in TORONTO in the off-season.
6)Spezza is still new. He's not part of the old group with Neil, Fisher (gone), Phillips, ALfie...and I don't like new kids. At all.
NOT TO SAY SPEZZA CAN'T BE A GOOD LEADER.
But Toronto Guy + New Guy = doubts until I see a Cup here.
Hell that could be true, Hoffman is similar to Da Costa and Hoffman was by far the best player at dev camp this year. I'm sure he needs more time in Bingo to mature a bit but you might be right.
Love this post, has a little of everything mixed up into one great "Ottawa Rocks" ball. I agree, we are building something here and it's still building. As a Sens fan, I haven't been more excited during a season as I was last year, that includes the cup run year. Something has changed and I think we can all agree it's fun to be a Sens fan again.
Please provide me with the name of Ottawa's MLB team
Quote:I'll just put these two quotes together and let you run with it. Your right spezza is an awful leader
I think Da Costa is one of those guys who just needs a little more experience at the AHL level. He's got skill and loads of talent but needs to work on transitioning it at the NHL level, where players are bigger and faster. When he was sent down, he played very well and showed he's willing to keep learning in the AHL. Signs of a good signing if you ask me.
Wow, you HAVE to be high right now, please tell me your high....please...
1) He never asked to be traded, he took the rumours on the chin like a man, yeah he didnt like them and he made it clear he didnt liek then but never asked to be traded.
2) The schedule is not Spezza faults, will have to do major diggin to see how many pts eh scored vs each teeam btu im pretty sure its even out.
3) Everyone sucked in the playoffs, we got stiffled by a shot blocking super defensive team. Nobody played well and Spezza still was our highest point guy.
4, 5, 6) All unaffected, who cares where he goes during the off season, lots of people like the Jays and no we dont have a MLB team in Ottawa, do you even live here?
Put the glue down!
the yost hate here is getting a little ridiculous now. i prefer this site for a number of reasons, but it's getting obnoxious..
so with your logic guys like shane doan, jarome iginla, mats sundin, alfie arent deserving or good captains because they never won a cup and some never even seen the finals are no good?
spezza isnt a chocker, last i checked a ppg player especially in the PO is pretty damn rare.
LOl your right, he should probably say "blogger" since then its assumed its freelance and not paid. or right "columnist covering the Ottawa Senators" different connotations
I think lots have to do with pride behind this site, but if you don't like stats that fine, not to say Yost doesn't have a consumer based that enjoys his writing. He is good at what he does, so if you don't like stats based blogs/columns then no need to venture over there lol
Just for shits and giggles, I looked up his points by team last year, and the most were a tie between Pitts and Boston with 6 points each.
i think he is paid quite a bit actually. could be wrong, but i remember him mentioning it before.
no such thing as too old. last year we had kirill lyamin(26 years old drafted in 2004) at camp. da costa is only 22.
The reason i believe why petersson, da costa, weircioch, gryb werent invited to camp was due to space reasons. The team prefer invite as many younger and undrafted free agents to dev camp than others. Also petersson and dacosta were not invited because they are most likely back home in europe, not worth the effort to bring them over rather than letting them stay there and bulk up.
We still bring guys like cowick and hoffman to camp because they are "vets" that lead by example for the young guys in camp.
Hoffman actually got some time at the nhl level, too. i'd like to see him more. see what he's got.
This HAS to be the most ridiculous post I have ever read. Go to another forum you bozo. If you are going to argue something, argue it with FACTS, not things that come out of your ass.
Evander Kane was in Ottawa a week ago... Why? Escapade festival. Like, who in their right mind wouldn't want to see a Jays game over an Ottawa FatCats high school team? I cheer for the Jays because they are the only Canadian team left.
This is exactly what is wrong with this fanbase...
Unbelievable.
NONE OF US.. know what goes on in the 'room'. Who speaks up or doesn't.
Spezza is from the Toronto area. He spends his off-season there with his family. So why would he not go to a baseball game in Toronto.
TookieIs100PercentRight = ZipZapCRAP
1.spezza
2.neil
3.big rig
i also think that what TookieIs100Perc entRight said is the dumbest thing.
spezza loves playing for us.
"New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings."
None of those teams will win a cup in Nash's time
Never go to Vegas with Rick Nash, he is a terrible gambler
Holy Crap man, did Spezza sleep with your wife? Or did he run over your kid with his car...?
Like honestly, the fuck did he do to you for you to pour so much hate on the guy?
Can't wait to see what Lats can do but Mueller would have been nice.
If u understand french, Latendresse said today on a golf tournament in Montreal how excited he is about playing for the Sens next season. He said it was his first choice on his list cauz he want to be closer from his family and thinks the Sens are the best fit for him.
Very different thank Kovalev!!
http://www.rds.ca/senateurs/
Quoting jasonontheoldsenschirp:
Quoting David_SensFan:
This is on an unpopular subject...
Can we sign Alfie to a one year extension/new contract where he gets a signing bonus that is applied to this years cap if it is signed by a certain date
To be be clear this is a question I have no idea if any loophole like this would exist
So say $4.5m for 2013/14 and a signing bonus of $3m to the cap hit on 2012/13 season
We could really step our game up and reach the floor if we packaged Turris and Silfverburg for Gomez and a 4th.
Thoughts?
Quoting TrueSensFan:
Count me in, the high is so euphoric.
Nope. But if you're posting this because you're concerned about reaching the floor this year stop worrying. Any time spent on capgeek completing a 23 man roster and you can see that we'll reach the floor easily (putting Zibby on the main roster helps, plus paying our RFAs what they made last year or a tiny bit more).
FORWARDS
Jakob Silfverberg ($0.900m) / Jason Spezza ($7.000m) / Milan Michalek ($4.333m)
Guillaume Latendresse ($2.000m) / Kyle Turris ($1.400m) / Daniel Alfredsson ($4.875m)
Colin Greening ($0.817m) / Peter Regin ($0.800m) / Mika Zibanejad ($1.744m)
Erik Condra ($0.625m) / Zack Smith ($0.700m) / Chris Neil ($2.000m)
Bobby Butler ($1.050m) / Jim O'Brien ($0.817m) /
DEFENSEMEN
Erik Karlsson ($6.500m) / Marc Methot ($3.000m)
Jared Cowen ($1.265m) / Sergei Gonchar ($5.500m)
Chris Phillips ($3.083m) / Patrick Wiercioch ($0.875m)
Mike Lundin ($1.150m) /
GOALTENDERS
Craig Anderson ($3.188m)
Ben Bishop ($0.650m)
------
CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter)
(these totals are compiled without the bonus cushion)
SALARY CAP: $70,200,000; CAP PAYROLL: $54,271,667; BONUSES: $2,025,000
CAP SPACE (23-man roster): $15,928,333
That's without giving O'Brien any raise at all from last year (which seems unlikely). So you could also get over the floor with Borowiecki instead of Wiercioch by giving O'Brien a small raise. If Alfie retires it's even easier since his cap number would stay and we' have an extra roster spot to fill.
And of course it's almost guaranteed that we'll have call-ups for injuries which will add to our cap number (assuming no LTIR - but we'd never put someone on LTIR if it would put us below the floor).
In summary: the floor will not be a problem.
Dont know about you but NYR, BOS and PIT have a much better chance than OTT.
Boston isn't a fit because they would likely have to part with Dougie Hamilton, and include close to 7 or 8 million in players going to Columbus.
Detroit doesn't have the top end prospects to make a deal with Columbus.
San Jose doesn't have the prospects either, and are unwilling to part with Couture. They are rumored to have offered Pavelski and Clowe for Nash and although they are good players, they don't fit in with a rebuild.
Pittsburgh has very little to offer.
Philidelphia definitely has the assets with players like Schenn, Couturier, Read, and Simmonds but I wouldn't package those guys for Nash if I'm Philly. Grioux-Schenn-C outurier as their 1-2-3 centers sets them up very nicely for the next decade, and Simmonds had 28 goals this season and will only get better.
That leaves the Rangers. They without a doubt have many pieces to work with for a Nash trade, but Howson won't bite until he gets Kreider in a package.
I think this saga drags out all summer at the very least, and may continue into the regular season.
If Nash wants out then he's going to have to expand his list to at least 10 teams. It's a joke that he thinks he can just demand a trade and then expect the organization to trade him to one of 6 teams. I definitely think he should have some say in where he ends up, but 6 teams?! That really handcuffs Howson and the Jackets and gives all the negotiating power to the team that would end up with Nash.
Clearly Howson didn't learn a thing from the Heatley/Murray drama. The last thing Howson should have done was made Nash's trade requests public at their trade deadline press conference., just like Murray never should have made Heatley's request public. These Gm's don't do themselves any favors sometimes.
Probably so Tookie, but Ottawa + Nash would have been able to challenge for a division title. We would have been able to roll with the big boys in the east for sure.
Agreed and it also begins at the contract stage also handing out NTC.
But something must be said about "why" these players feel they can get away with such a short list. Precedence shows it works (Heatley), GMS are probably telling them they can make something happen. And Agents are probably pushing this as well.
The fact Howsen came out and said Nash asked for a trade if Columbus will be rebuilding, tells me Howsen is not afraid of verbal diarhea. I bet you Howsen asked Nash to break his NTC and give him a small list, which he did.
To me this situation is different than heatley simply because Nash doesn't want to be a part of a rebuild that he went through twice already with the franchise. IF anything, yes they do owe it to him to get him out of there. 10 team list? sure
But in the end its the Gm's fault. Hell if I'm Howsen and want to end this. Trade Nash for Pavelski and Clowe (Upcoming UFA)
Then go and dump clowe at deadline. You can potentially get a high pick and prospect then.
Oh yeah it's definitely different from the Heatley situation. I can't blame Nash for wanting out of Columbus, but he can't handcuff the team by providing a list of only 6 teams. I think a ten team list is fair for both parties.
At the same time, I'm sure Howsen told him he could get something done, and if Nash budges now and tells Howsen "get me a deal by Aug 1st, if not then I'll expand" well you know Howsen will just wait it out and hammer up the prices because thats all hes done up to this point
Nash is literally effed at this point, and his only bluff would be to tell Howsen he is perfectly fine returning if he can't get a deal with the 6 teams on the list. Howsen will then look at all the offers and realize damn, all those pieces would really help the rebuild and with Nash playing it may weaken my ability to get mackinnon
I truly believe Howsen will cave just for that fact alone, and Nash knows this
I agree with your sentiment, but in fact he can provide a list of one team if he wants. That's what a NTC means. Or he can play in Columbus.
This notion of "well if the player asks for a trade it should void his NTC/NMC" is silly (from a legal point of view). Asking to be traded is not part of a contract or formally documented - it's just a player expressing his desire to GTFO. It has no impact on the contract at all.
Again agreed, and the NHL Gm's have painted themself in a really bad corner by handing out NTC faster than a hooker hands out blowjobs
Once again: NBA high salary=no NTC (only Kobe has one) in the NHL Gm's try and lower salaries and cap hits and everyone including Jonas Gustafsson has a NTC
These hookers you speak of - where are they exactly?
LOL
The master bedroom in Tookie's house
Thanks Hax but I'm well aware of what the NTC means and I also don't think that asking for a trade should nullify his NTC either.
All I'm saying is if Nash truly wants out of Columbus, and he actually cares about helping them rebuild, he's going to have to be willing to expand his list.
Otherwise Howsen is within his rights to just sit back and wait for better offers, and if the offers don't come, Nash will have to report to training camp in September.
Congrats Chris! Glad you'll be here for a while!
Quoting conservativeHippie:
What makes you so sure he's wearing shorts at all?
Yeah the way I see it he is not wearing anything from the waist down. Atta boy Neiler, show'em who is the boss!
I've stated this before but I am very happy about the signing.
Aw I would have much preferred a comparison like:
Again agreed, and the NHL Gm's have painted themself in a really bad corner by handing out NTC faster than Garrioch finishes a buffet table.
Most of that wasn't directed at you but other posts I've seen on NTC in general.
Buffet tables and Garrioch has been beaten to death more often than Tookie beats his own...
And hookers and blowjobs hasnt...
Atleast mine makes fun of a douchebag and keeps it clean for the young one's in here...or old prude's...
Well Heatley demanded a trade from the Sens and basically it was a list of ONE team... He had his eye on SJ.. and that's just where he went.