tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16833980660307562462024-02-20T12:16:39.256-05:00Sens BuzzRumors, News---Anything Sens!albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.comBlogger165125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-45675180628644375092009-07-25T11:28:00.004-04:002009-07-25T21:11:28.562-04:00Moving Day<a href="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s313/rubylot18/moving_day.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 339px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s313/rubylot18/moving_day.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Sens Buzz readers, it's the end as we know it. After nearly a year on Blogspot, Sens Buzz has joined Silver Seven, The 6th Sens, Sens Chirp, and Five For Smiting in haveing their own domain name. Sens Buzz has teamed up with the FanSided network to bring a Sens blog to the FanSided network.<br /><br />FanSided, I believe, is growing and I would like to be part of that. The blog is the first hockey blog from the teams of Canada, so that's a first for the Sens blogosphere. It was a difficult decision but I wanted to move on and take on new challenges.<br /><br />I also wanted to expand the blog from not just a rumor site, but opinionated as well. I want to make the blog edgy. I realized the last post was controversial and I accept that after reading through it. I am sorry to everyone who was insulted by it. It's a mistake but I think I need to move on from it.<br /><br />Readers, welcome to <a href="http://www.senshot.com/">SenShot</a>. I'll write my first post tomorrow morning but enjoy the site for now. Thanks to Zach and Adam Best for the chance and hope ever reader comes over and reads the writers of Sens Buzz at SenShot now!<br /><br />PS: Another reason I leaved was because the logo I got was crazy good! Very snazzy IMO.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-31964190872111594962009-07-24T23:32:00.003-04:002009-07-24T23:40:11.887-04:00WowSeriously, just wow. People need to calm down and chillax for just a moment. Some many things can get out of hand that this just needs to stop.<br /><br />First, I did not freaking come up with this! I listened to Leafs Lunch and Bill Watters said it. I didnt have much knowledge that Watters has made some outlandish accussations in the past. So, I was not the one who started this. This is something if you have a problem if you need to report to Watters.<br /><br />Im sorry, I didnt want to accuse those players because they are probably my favorite players of all-time. I just lookedon the Sens roster and made some suggestions, thats all. Last time I remebered, everybody is entitled to their opinion. If you disagree with me, say it in a civil manner. I will be more than happy to reply to that.<br /><br />To the one that said about my credibility, if you havent realized, Colorado and Los Angeles always were interested in Heatley, something every Sens blogger said, but dropped out. I have said fro the past month Minnesota, San Jose, and Edmonton are the only teams interested right now in Heatley. Secondly, it was Auld and Caporusso for Russell. If you add in Caporusso, that makes it a very even trade.<br /><br />People need to stop trolling around on every blog they find first. Think before you right. If you dont like this blog, then dont come. Its your own fault if you still keep coming in. If seen too many trollers hurt a bloggers credibility that I will not stand to have it happen to me.<br /><br />Jesus, some people need to get a life.<br /><br />Coming Soon to a Blog Near you: SGESBAalbanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-20132762166967210742009-07-24T16:06:00.003-04:002009-07-24T16:19:18.340-04:00Holy Crap! Sens on the Drugs! + Eaves back to Ottawa?As reported first by Leafs Lunch AM and <a href="http://anothersensblog.blogspot.com/">Another Ottawa Senators Blog</a>, Bill Watters stated on Leafs Lunch that the reason Dany Heatley wants to leave the city of Ottawa and the Ottawa Senators is because he wants to escape "the rampant drug use of players within the Sens' organization".<br /><br />Holy fuckers. I am stunned. Sens' players using drugs? Are you kidding me? Is this true? AOSB says that it may not be true but either way I am totally disgusted at the Sens. Watters says "Numerous Sens players were involved in an alleged purchase of some of that Peruvian marching powder". That is shocking. This looks bad for Ottawa and the NHL. Maybe I finally understand why Heatley would want to leave Ottawa. He probably didn't want to get involved in anything on the record about this if the alleged drug use came about. But, what if Dany Heatley used drugs too?<br /><br />When you look at the Sens players, I can't see much players using drugs. Maybe Chris Neil, even though he was injured for most of the year. Nick Foligno is a guy that pops up unfortunately. The guy came out of nowhere after the start of the second half and looked bigger than ever. Anton Volchenkov? Dare I say it, Daniel Alfredsson? Wow, I can't believe I just said that.<br /><br />Also, a rumor to throw out there. Eaves was traded to Boston and then bought out. Whichever team he goes to, if he goes to one, will be paying $1.4 mil/year, for 2 years. I'm guessing Murray will have mild interest.<br /><br />What in interesting off-season this has been for the Sens and Sens fans.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-54796765273376135642009-07-23T23:47:00.003-04:002009-07-23T23:53:03.894-04:00Super-Gigantic Enormous Scandulous Big Announcement (SGESBA) Part OneHey Sens Buzz followers. In a couple of days, you will witness the biggest announcement since <a href="http://www.the6thsens.com/">Graeme and Tim over at The 6th Sens joined Bloguin</a> and since the Sens signed Geoff Kinrade.<br /><br />It's called SGESBA. Coming soon to a blog near you (yes, this blog doofus!).albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-37415378651924091982009-07-23T13:02:00.002-04:002009-07-23T13:18:41.084-04:00RUMOR: Picard to Washington?As I posted on the "Latest Buzz on the Sens" sidebar to your left, the Washington Ovechk...err...Washington Capitals are heavily considering Alexandre Picard as a good 1-2 punch with Norris Trophy runner up Mike Green.<br /><br />The Capitals, after Green, have NO offensive defensemen and a bunch of defensive defenseman. They do have John Carlson in their prospect pool but Hockey's Future says he'll need 2-3 more years to join the roster full-time. Picard had 15 points in 47 games last year which isn't much but if he can play with Mike Green and the high-octane Capitals offense, he can get 40+ points. Picard also played in the 06-07 season with the Flyers and racked up 23 points in 66 games.<br /><br />Many of you are probably asking what the reutrn would be. I would guess that Bryan Murray would ask at least for a 4th round pick. If he would go further and ask for a 3rd rounder, I'm betting George McPhee would relunctantly agree.<br /><br />I do have an update on Brian Elliott. Expect him to re-sign(finally) on the weekend. Both sides have agreed on a 3 year, $3 million contract which would pay Elliott $1 million/year, the same salary Auld had. I think the deal is solid, and it guarantees we'll be looking at a LeClaire-Elliott tandem for quite some time now.<br /><br />In other news, the Sens named Brad Lauer the new assistant coach of the team. For you who aren't familiar with Lauer, he played for the Sens back in the good ol' days. He also was an assistant with Clouston back in Kootenay. The Sens also named Chris Schwarz conditioning coach and Dom Nicoletta assistant athletic therapist.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-72269407512667750202009-07-22T14:29:00.002-04:002009-07-22T14:32:31.203-04:00The Curious Case of Ruslan BashkirovLet's go back in time in Ottawa Senators history. Era 1998-2006. 3 General Managers by the name of Rick Dudley, Marshall Johnston, and John Muckler were at helm during that time. Dudley lasted 1 year, Johnston 2 years, and Muckler 6 years. All three GM's had a notorious rep at drafting. All three of them weren't afraid to take some European player out of the forests, namely Russian players. The Sens were successful during these times but the future looked bleak. They drafted way too many Russians who never played a single minute for Ottawa. Some might say that is the reason of the demise of our beloved Senators.<br /><br />After a trip to the Cup Finals, Muckler is finally fired after constant years of complaining from Sens fans to fire the old-timer. Bryan Murray took over and so far, has done a solid job. He sometimes misses the mark on his trades, but at drafting, he's one of the best in the biz. So far, Murray has been at helm for 3 Drafts. In total the team has made 20 picks from 2007-2009. When at helm with the Ducks and Wings, Murray has be known to draft mainly Canadians, Americans, and Swedes. That continues here in Ottawa.<br /><br /><strong>Players From Canada- 8/20- 40%<br />Players From USA- 6/20- 30%<br />Players from Sweden- 5/20- 25%</strong><br /><br />Well that doesn't add up, eh? There's still 5 % left, which if you're a math geek, you know that means 1 player left. Yes, in 2007, Murray drafted a Russian(gasp!). He comes by the name of Ruslan Bashkirov.<br /><br />Born in March of 1989, Ruslan had always impressed scouts whenever he played. In 2006, Ruslan made the switch to the Q, and played for the Quebec Remparts. Playing 60 games that season, Bashkirov recorded 67 points, mainly 30 goals and 37 assists. Many teams were impressed with his decision to play in the QMJHL, and many scouts were baffled at his pure skill. Bashkirov had one of the best hands in the Q, and a very strong shot. Director of Central Scouting E.J. McGuire had this to say about Bashkirov 2 months before the 2007 Draft:<br /><br />" He(Ruslan) has the ability to become a Top 6 Forward in the league in a few years. His work ethic is also something to be amazed at and his willingness to be the best on the ice just gives you the impression that he wants to play in the NHL. His consistency has been an issue for much of his junior career, but the team that drafts him can mold him very well in my opinion. I see Ruslan as the next Alexei Kovalev <strong>if he decides to stay in Canada next year</strong>"<br /><br />The season had ended and the Remparts lost in the playoffs. 1 week later, Ruslan made an announcement, something that changed his hockey career and the scouts perception on him.<br />Ruslan declared he was homesick, and wanted to play with his twin brother Roman on Atlanat Mytischi in the KHL. Many saw this as a step back for the young Russian. Many had declared him as a late first round pick. Now, because of his declaration to the KHL, many saw him fall tremendously.<br /><br />As happened with Alexei Cherepanov that same year, people were scared of the Russians because of the lack of a transfer agreement between the KHL and the NHL. The first round ended, and Bashkirov still wasn't picked. He and his family pondered and even Ruslan himself wondered if the decision to join the KHL was the right one. His agent, however, re-assured him that is was the right one and that he was going to get drafted.<br /><br />Bashkirov met Cherepanov after he was drafted and congratulated him. After some talk, Bashkirov asked Alex what if he was drafted by the Rangers, and Cherepanov smiled and just said "I'd rather face off against you".<br /><br />The second day of the draft kicked off early. After 15 picks went through, Rusland started to get frustrated. I remember watching the second round on the NHL Network and Ray Ferraro predicting the Buffalo Sabres would take Ruslan Bashkirov with the 59th overall pick. I was thinking with myself, thank god, we won't have the urge to draft another Russian now. Contrary, with the 59th pick, Buffalo took Drew Schiestel. The Ottawa Senators were on the clock, and many were expecting them to draft a defenseman after drafting Jim O'Brien with the 29th overall pick. However, Ottawa took yet another Russian, and his name is Ruslan Bashkirov.<br /><br />After hearing his name, Ruslan hugged his parents and twin brother Roman, and went to the podium. With smiles around, Ruslan put on a Sens jersey, something he wished he would wear full-time in a few years.<br /><br />Even though Murray is known for drafting Russians, he took a gamble on Bashkirov, even though he knew he was playing in the KHL next year. Bashkirov had sniper abilities something Ottawa saw and admired. Murray hoped he could convince Ruslan to come back to Canada after 2008. He never did.<br /><br />Bashkirov played once again in the KHL in 2008, this time with Ladya Toglatti. Some fans hope he returns, and I bet there's still something in Ruslan that hopes he returns himself.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-80585045298415966842009-07-22T11:41:00.003-04:002009-07-22T11:46:34.461-04:00Be My Number Two<span style="font-family:arial;">I am of the opinion that you don't need to have 6 top 6 forwards to ice a good team. But you should have 4 top 6 forwards and two of them should be centers. Having two top quality centers makes it tougher to shutdown two lines. Just look at the Stanley Cup champions since 2000.<br /><br />09 - Malkin-Crosby<br />08 - Datsyuk-Zetterberg (Listed as a winger but he essentially plays C)<br />07 - Getzlaf-McDonald - Getzlaf was an emerging star and McDonald put up 78 points.<br />06 - Brind'Amour-Staal<br />04 - Richards-Lecavlier<br />03 - The exception to the rule<br />02 - Fedorov-Yzerman<br />01 - Sakic-Forsberg<br />00 - Modano-Nieuwendyk<br /><br />That list has at least a bakers dozen worth of Hall of Famers. How many Cups did Gretzky win without Messier? How many did Lemieux win without Francais? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Just look at the list below of the second line center point leaders from every team and you'll see of the 11 teams that had a 50 point player from the center position only one of those teams did not make the playoffs.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><strong>The Elite:</strong><br />1. Penguins - Crosby - 103 / Staal 49 2. Flyers - Richards - 80 3. Bruins - Krejci - 73<br /><strong>The Target:<br /></strong>1. Devils Travis Zajac - 62 2. Sharks - Pavelski - 59 3. Canucks - Kessler - 59 4. Red Wings - Hudler - 57 5. Capitals - Laich - 53 6. Hurricanes - Brind'Amour 51 7. Thrashers - Little - 51 8. Blues - Perron - 50<br /><strong>The Expected:<br /></strong>1. Stars - Richards - 48 2. Flames - Conroy - 48 3. Sabers - Connolly - 47 4. Leafs - Grabovski - 47 5. Lightning - Stamkos - 46 6. Panthers - Horton - 45 7. Hawks - 8. Sharp - 44<br /><strong>The Rest:<br /></strong>1. Kings - Handzus - 42 2. Predators - Legwand - 42 3. Oilers - Gagner - 41 4. Rangers - Dubinsky - 41 5. Coyotes - Reinprecht - 41 6. Canadiens - Plekanec - 39<br />7. Wild - Belanger - 36 8. Jackets - Malhotra - 35 9. Islanders - Neilsson - 33 10. Ducks - Ebbett - 32 11. Senators - Fisher - 32 12. Avalance - Arnason - 22<br /><br />Last year the Senators had the 2nd worst production from their 2nd line center. Fisher is capable of being an average second line center capable of 45 - 50 points, in the two previous seasons he got 48 & 47 points, but don't expect more than 50 points cause it's likely not going to happen. If Ottawa had a 2nd line center then Fisher would be able to play his 3rd line role, which he is better suited too and he would likely be one of the best at his position for that role, instead of dissapointing on the 2nd line. It's easier to put a 3rd line player on the wing with two top line players than a 3rd line player at center and expect the wingers to carry the line. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />I'm not saying that for the Senators to win they need a Hall of Famer, but wouldn't it help to get a quality second line center? One that could put up say 50 - 55 points and could have good chemistry with either Heatley or Alfredsson. But wait what if the Senators already had this type of player one that averaged .63 PPG good for 51 points in an 82 game schedule. And what if this player has since averaged .66 PPG since leaving the Senators good for 54 points in an 82 game schedule. And what if this players salary was a manageable 2.375 and he'd likely take a home town discount since he was born and raised in Kanata. Hmm .. what if the Senators just kept Todd White, would their secondary scoring issue be solved? </span>TLCChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17066211300681372300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-4493918368223377192009-07-21T19:07:00.002-04:002009-07-21T19:12:10.726-04:00Some Quick Hits To Pass Along<p>What's with Atlanat Mytischi and take our goaltending sloppy seconds? Today, Martin Gerber, notorious ex-Sen goalie, signed with AM of the KHL. Remember, Atlanat was the team that took former ex-Sen reject goalie Ray Emery under it's sheel for a year. Thanks fro your service to the NHL, Gerbs. You and your incapitated glove will be surely missed by.</p><p>Tomas Plekanec re-signed with the Habs today, a one-year contract worth $2.75 million. Good move I guess. Scracth Plekanec off the Sens' radar.</p><p>I have been told by a close source that Brian Elliott is clsoer to signing. It's expected to be a 3 year deal worth $3 million, which means he will make $1 million/yr, the same salary former Sen Alex Auld had.</p>albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-37074113008297282372009-07-21T15:16:00.001-04:002009-07-21T15:23:56.625-04:00Sens Buzz Tuesday Live Chat---4 PM ET!!!We are experiencing technical difficulties in posting the live chat on the post, so please <a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=e054c652ac">follow this link to join in our weekly live chat</a>. Topics will be Dany Heatley(no duh!), Travis Zajac, Chris Kelly, Jason Smith, Tomas Kaberle, soem interesting tibits on Brian Elliott, and much more! It's gonna be a good time!albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-26233365559423237642009-07-21T11:58:00.003-04:002009-07-21T12:10:39.969-04:00All Those Years - (10 Years of Poor Drafting)<span style="font-family:arial;">10 years of poor drafting is the reason the Sens have no secondary scoring perhaps we should have a little patience while Murray tries to restock some of our prospects. Perhaps Bryan Murray should be given a fair shake before he's fired. In essense the reason that the Senators are in such bad shape has less to do with Murray and more to do with the state the teams prospects that have been developed for the 10 years prior to his scouts taking over the team. I removed Jason Spezza from their draft picks because he was essentially dealt for Alexei Yashin.<br /> </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><strong>2007:</strong> Jim O'Brien (1), Ruslan Bashkirov (2), Louie Caporusso (3), Ben Blood (4) (Murray was GM but his scouting staff wasn't fully in place)<br /><strong>2006:</strong> <em>Nic Foligno</em> (1), Eric Gryba (3), Kaspars Daugavins (3), Pierre-Luc Lessard (4), Ryan Daniels (5), Kevin Koopman (6), Erik Condra (7)<br /><strong>2005:</strong> <em>Brian Lee</em> (1), Vitaly Anikeenko (3), Cody Bass (4), Ilya Zubov (4), Janne Kolehmainen (4) Tomas Kudelka (5), Dmitri Megalinsky (6), Colin Greening (7)<br /><strong>2004:</strong> <em>Andrej Mezaros</em> (1), Kirill Lyamin (2), Shawn Weller (3), Peter Regin (3), Jeff Glass (3), Alex Nikulin (4), Jim McKenzie (5), Matthew McIlvane (8), John Wikner (9)<br /><strong>2003:</strong> <em>Patrick Eaves</em> (1), Igor Mironov (2), Phillip Seydoux (3), Mattias Karlson (4), Tim Cook (5), Sergei Gimayev (5), <em>Brian Elliott</em> (9)<br /><strong>2002:</strong> Jakub Klepis (1), Alex Kaigorodov (2), Arttu Luttinen (3), Scott Dobben (4), Johan Bjork (4), Vitaly Atyushov (9)<br /><strong>2001:</strong> <em>Jason Spezza</em> (1), <em>Tim Gleason</em> (1), Neil Komadoski (3), <em>Ray Emery</em> (4), Christoph Shubert (4), <em>Brooks Laich</em> (6), Jan Platil (7), Brandon Bouchenski (7), Neil Petruic (8), Gregg Johnson (9), Toni Dahlman (9)<br /><strong>2000:</strong> <em>Anton Volchenkov</em> (1), Mathieu Chouinard (2), <em>Antoine Vermette</em> (2), Jan Bohac (3), Derrick Byfuglien (4), Greg Zannon (5),<br /><strong>1999:</strong> <em>Martin Havlat</em> (1), Simon Lajeunesse (2), Teemu Sainomaa (3), <em>Chris Kelly</em> (3), Andrew Ianiero (5), Martin Prusek (6), Mikko Ruutu (7), Layne Ulmer (7), Alexandre Giroux (7), Konstantin Gorovikov (8)<br /><strong>1998:</strong> Mathieu Chouinard (1), <em>Mike Fisher</em> (2), Chris Bala (2), Julien Vauclair (3), Petr Schastlivy (4), Gavin McLeod (5), <em>Chris Neil</em> (6), Michel Periard (7), Sergey Verenkin (8), Rastislav Pavlikovsky (9)<br />Note: Players in Italic are considered (by me) serviceable NHL players.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The NHL draft is considered average if two players make a regular impact in the NHL. In the last 10 years I see only one draft where the Ottawa Senators have had a strong draft 2001. Thus far I would consider the 1999 & 2000 drafts to be average and the 1998, 2003, 2004, 2005 drafts to be weak. The 2002 draft was a huge failure and I'll reserve judgement for the 2006 & 2007 drafts for another year or so but currently it is bordering on weak. In this 10 year span the Senators have had 14 serviceable NHL players of those 14 players 5 players (Havlat, Eaves, Laich, Emery & Gleason) were traded for players that no longer play on the current Senators roster. Only two of those transactions were done by Bryan Murray and in both cases he was forced to make those deals because of Emery's attitude and Eaves was packaged with Corvo who requested a trade from Ottawa. Vermette and Mezaros have also left the team but Ottawa still has assets from those two players. <br /><br />If the Clouston had to send out a team of players drafted by the Senators during the 1998 - 2007 entry drafts it would look similar to this:<br />C - Mike Fisher Chris Kelly Brooks Laich* Ilya Zubov/Peter Regin<br />RW - Martin Havlat* Patrick Eaves* Chris Neil Cody Bass<br />LW - Nic Foligno Antoine Vermette Brandon Bouchenski Petr Schastlivy<br />D - Anton Volchenkov Tim Gleason* Christoph Shubert<br />D - Andrej Mezaros Brian Lee ?<br />G - Ray Emery* Brian Elliot<br /><br /><strong><u>Quick Analysis</u></strong><br /><strong>Forwards</strong>:<br /> In 10 years of drafting the Ottawa Senators have drafted ONE top line player and that was 10 years ago,he no longer is on the team and was traded for players that aren't on the team. Arguably two or three second line players (Vermette, Foligno & Fisher) although at this point in time I think all with the exception of Foligno are better suited for third line roles. They have been able to develop a good core of role players in later rounds such as; Kelly, Laich, Vermette, Neil and Fisher. The problem is that they haven't found any impact players outside of the first round. <br /><strong>Defense:</strong><br />In the first round they look to have hit on top 4 defensemen in; Volchenkov, Mezaros, Gleason and perhaps Lee, but I wouldn't classify any of them as a top defense pairing type. Outside of the first round Ottawa has not selected a single defenseman that is capable of contributing on a regular basis.<br /><strong>Goalies:<br /></strong>In 1998 - 2000 we used three draft picks on two goalies (Chouinard & Lajeunesse) in the first two rounds of the drafts. Those goalies combined to play 24 minutes with the Ottawa Senators. The best goalie drafted during those three years was Martin Prusek who was a backup to Lalime. In the later rounds of the next three drafts the Sens found success with Emery and Elliott but neither appears to be a franchise goalie and we all know what happened to Emery.<br /><br />Here is list of 10 propsects from the 1998 - 2004 drafts that were picked after the first round:<br /><strong>2004:</strong> 1. David Krejci 2. Johan Franzen 3. Brandon Dubinsky 4. Mikael Grabovski 5. Chris Campoli 6. Alex Edler 7. Tyler Kennedy 8. Karri Romo 9. Thomas Greiss 10. Kris Versteeg<br /><strong>2003:</strong> 1. Matt Carle 2. Shea Weber 3. Patrice Bergeron 4. Patrick O'Sullivan 5. Max Lapariere 6. Lee Stempniak 7. Joe Pavelski 8. Dustin Byfuglien 9. Tobias Enstrom 10. Shane O'Brien<br /><strong>2002:</strong> 1. Duncan Keith 2. Jiri Hudler 3. Matt Stajan 4. Tom Gilbert 5. Josh Harding 6. Jarrett Stoll 7. Maxime Talbott 8. Tomas Fleishmann 9. Dennis Wideman 10. Erik Christenson<br /><strong>2001:</strong> 1. Patrick Sharpe 2. Kevin Bieksa 3. Marek Svatos 4. Ryan Clowe 5. Jordan Tootoo 6. Mike Smith 7. Cristobal Huet 8. Marek Zidlicky 9. Christian Ehrhoff 10. Ryan Clowe<br /><strong>2000:</strong> 1. Nick Schultz 2. Ilya Bryzgalov 3. Jarrett Stoll 4. Paul Martin 5. Nic Wallin 6. Dominic Moore 7. Lubomir Vishnovsky 8. JM Liles 9. Henrik Lundqvist 10. Paul Gaustad<br /><strong>1999:</strong> 1. Jordan Leopold 2. Mike Commodore 3. Nik Hagman 4. Fran Kaberle 5. Nic Havelid 6. Mike Comrie 7. Ryan Malone 8. Ryan Miller 9. Radim Vrbata 10. Henrik<br /><br />Also, in 2003 Zach Parrise, Ryan Getzlaf, Brent Burns, Ryan Kessler, Mike Richards, Corey Perry were all picked within 12 picks of Patrick Eaves. If we could have moved up to acquire any one of those it may have shored up our secondary scoring. Given that Murray had no problems moving up to acquire Karlsson we know that if he sees a player he likes he won't hesitate to move to get the player.<br /><br />We all know that Murray has flaws, mainly contract negotiation, but he has been known to be good at drafting & developing prospects in the past. Our 2008 draft looks to have 3 potential NHL quality players (Karlsson, Wiercioch & Smith) and I feel confident that Cowen will be able to step into an NHL lineup within a year or two. So maybe the best thing is instead of having Murray be the scapegoat for previous GM's problems, perhaps we can have a little patience and our organization may turn around and all those years will be forgotten.<br /> </span>TLCChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17066211300681372300noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-7144678097339201272009-07-20T13:25:00.003-04:002009-07-20T13:56:44.158-04:00Sens Rumors Around the NetAs much as we all want Dany Heatley and the Sens to decide on his future and get on with training camp, but it wouldn't be the off-season if there weren't rumors surrounding the Nation's Capital. Here's the buzz around the net.<br /><br /><a href="http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/hockey/rangers/blog/2009/07/friday_findings_corey_potter_d.html">Steve Zipay of Newsday dismisses a rumor that came up on a radio talk show that Glen Sather and the Rangers offered Ryan Callahan, Ryan McDonagh,and Michael Del Zotto for Dany Heatley.</a> Zipay states that Bryan Murray said the Rangers never offered a player that scored more than 15 goals last season. That rumor looks good, we get two VERY good prospects in McDonagh and Del Zotto but I can't see where they would fit. We have too much players like Ryan Callahan so there's no way I would accept that deal.<br /><br />The New Jersey Ledger reported a couple of days ago that Ottawa was one of the teams interested in RFA Travis Zajac. I wasn't aware of this until I read the article but I can believe that Murray might have interest in him. A career year last season, and a very bonafide second line centre. Don't worry Sens fans, he's going to arbitration so we won't need to give up draft picks for him.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Eklund/Of-Olympic-Camps--Tanguay-Heatley-Morris-HOCKEYBUZZCAST-LIVE-NOON-ET/1/22209">I can't believe I'm sourcing this, but Eklund, grandaddy or rumors, had stated in his recent post that Derek Morris is heading to Ottawa if Heatley gets traded.</a> I've never heard of this rumor before but I have heard Murray is in the market for a Top 4 Defenseman. Morris isn't one though and we already ahve enough defensive defenseman. If he's going to get his Top 4 Defenseman, it will be through a trade.<br /><br />P.J. Axelsson has narrowed the team he is intersted in down to 3 and it is believed Ottawa is one of them. Don't be surprised is heads to Sweden after all. He had light discussions with the Sens and they were in the neighbourhood of a 2 year contract worth $1.9-$2.1 million/year. Of course if he is signed Kelly is most likely gone.<br /><br />What about this rumor? I've heard Murray has inquired about Canadiens RFA Tomas Plekanec. Pleklanec had 39 points last year but had great chemistry with Kovalev back in Montreal 1 year ago. He is also heading to arbitration so no need to sign him to an offer sheet. He made $1.8 million last year so $2.5 million/year is not far off for his skill. TSN lists his potential as a second-line centre. If Ottawa can get him and Kovy together, now that would be brilliant.<br /><br />Last link of the day is a new blog I found on the Sens Blogosphere. <a href="http://www.deadredsens.blogspot.com/">Dead Red Sens is a blog dedicated to the Sens and his latest post has him thinking what if Murray wash hired in 2002 as GM instead of Muckler.</a> Great read and a great new fixture on the Sens blogroll.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-58645417520693513372009-07-20T09:08:00.004-04:002009-07-20T09:30:41.785-04:00Chris Kelly<span style="font-family:arial;">I am looking to provide analysis on potential Sens trade-bait that doesn't contain Dany Heatley throughout the week; such as Chris Kelly, Alex Picard, Jason Smith, Christoph Shubert and Cody Bass. First on the list is Chris Kelly.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><u>Chris Kelly</u></span></strong><br /><strong>Why he's on the market?</strong> It was funny because during the NHL draft he was part of a panel at the Local Hero's and I kept thinkin' to myself there's a good chance he could be dealt. The Senators need to move salary in order to get under the cap and Kelly's salary is probably the most efficent to move. The Sens have several prospects with similar skill sets that can take his place.<br /><strong>Salary Cap Number:</strong> Kelly has a cap hit of 2.125 for the next 3 seasons. I think this is about market value for a quality third line player who can contribute on the PK unit.<br /><strong>Potential Options:<br /></strong><em>1. Dallas Stars</em> (Makes the most sense the Stars have 8 Million in cap space, were 24th in PK last year and have a need for 3rd & 4th line players)<br /><em>2. New York Islanders</em> (They are 20 Million under the cap, the team is filled with prospects and needs some good serviceable defensive minded forwards.)<br /><em>3. Red Wings</em> (Not sure if they have the cap space. But the PK was bad last year. The Sens would need to take on a salary to get this deal done.)<br />Or Packaged as part of a Heatley deal.<br /><strong>Market Value:</strong> Probably a 3rd round pick or a second level prospect.<br /><strong>Why should they keep him?</strong> He contributes well in the defensive side of the game is a strong PK'er. Best suited as a 3rd liner but can fill in on the top 6 when needed, he just can't score.<br /><strong>Who would replace him?</strong> The Senators have four prospects that could take advantage if Kelly left the organization; Peter Regin (looks like a 2nd or 3rd line defensively responsible center), Cody Bass (3rd or 4th line energy player that may be able to contriute as a PK), Ilya Zubov (Probably best suited as a top 6 winger) and Zach Smith (Might be one year away but he's another player cut from the same mold as Kelly).</span>TLCChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17066211300681372300noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-38370783338254654632009-07-19T21:58:00.003-04:002009-07-19T22:26:13.510-04:00Wild Little Oilers March Against the Newfound SharksThe summer of Dany Heatley might be coming to an end. Everyone said Heatley was going to go before the draft or even before the free agency period started. Well, that almost happened. In what is becoming a summer of discontent for many Sens fan alike, there's a light at the end of the tunnel. The question is, however, will Bryan Murray and co hurry up and the find the light, or, as he is known for, will it take little steps to reach the golden land. The golden land being the all-elusive Stanley Cup.<br /><br />Dany is either going to Edmonton, Minnesota, San Jose, or staying right here in Ottawa. I've heard that the Wild may take their offer up a notch but the Oilers have said they won't be waiting much for the Heater and San Jose has HUGE cap problems. If this issue is not resolved by August 15th you can bet your feathers that Heatley staying in the Nation's Capital. Truth be told, Sens fans need to see this from the perspective of the interested teams. If you're Steve Tambellini, would you really give away Andrew Cogliano and Ladislav Smid for a problematic forward like Heatley? Would you take a greybeard in Jason Smith? San Jose might want to shake up a little bit, but how are they going to do it? Unless they move Cheechoo or Marleau they can't do anything at all. Also, why damage this team insanely. The Sharks are a perfectly fine team. They have the talent and grit to win the Cup. They just need to change their midsets, not mortagage the future for Heatley. Minnesota obviously needs a big forward to play with Marty Havlat and Mikko Koivu, but is Heatley really the snwer? For god sakes Koivu is a great playmaker, they can get Todd Bertuzzi for 5 mil less than Heatley and he will score 40 goals alongside Koivu and Havlat. Something to note is that the Wild have to WORST prospect pool in the league. Yes Sens fans, there is one even worse than us. The team waqs built as a trap by now ex-GM Doug riseborough and it will remain a trap until they completely re-tool and re-stock.<br /><br />However, one has to think Heatley can't stay in the Big O. How could he be face-to-face with Cory Clouston after all that has happened. Spezza, Neil, and Alfie have all burned him. I can somehow see him back, but I thought Murray wanted to get rid of locker room antics.<br /><br />In all of this, I see Heatley being traded to Minnesota. Somehow Murray will work out a deal with Chuck Fletcher. Just somehow. Let's hope it's the right one.<br /><br /><strong>Dany Heatley, Chris Kelly for Brent Burns, James Sheppard, Cody Almond</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Bet on it.<br /><br /><a href="http://twitter.com/sensbuzz">FOLLOW SENS BUZZ ON TWITTER!</a>albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-60799608019295894462009-07-19T12:01:00.002-04:002009-07-19T12:04:08.704-04:00How Would You Like This Trade?Just to start, this is not a rumor or has not been discussed at all by Darryl Sutter and Bryan Murray. This is something I thought of and wanted to see if you guys liked it.<br /><br /><strong>To Calgary: Dany Heatley, Filip Kuba</strong><br /><strong>To Ottawa: Dion Phaneuf, Daymond Langkow</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />How would you like that trade? I am sure Phaneuf is not on the trading block but just for talking purposes...albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-76935697967288014872009-07-17T14:13:00.004-04:002009-07-17T14:58:01.946-04:00Looking At The Current LineupIt's July 17th, and we're getting closer and closer to the start of training camp. Not much has changed after last season, and while I was examining my Excel Depth Chart, if we don't trade Heatley, this may become another non-playoff season. Here are the current starting lineups.<br /><br /><strong><em>2009-2010 Season</em></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong><u>Forwards</u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong>Heatley - Spezza - Kovalev</strong><br /><strong>Foligno - Fisher - Alfredsson</strong><br /><strong>Donovan - Kelly - Shannon</strong><br /><strong>Ruutu - Winchester - Neil</strong><br /><strong>Zubov</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong><u>Defensemen</u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong>Kuba - Campoli</strong><br /><strong>Phillips - Volchenkov</strong><br /><strong>Lee - Smith</strong><br /><strong>Picard</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong><u>Goalies</u></strong><br /><strong><u></u></strong><br /><strong>LeClaire</strong><br /><strong>Elliott?</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />The first two lines up front are actually pretty lethal. Spezza now has two guys that he can set up cleanly. Heatley's got the one-timer and Kovalev has got the skills, especially his shortside snapshot. Jason showed under Cory Clouston last year that he can be creative and not make many mistakes. Anybody around El Capitano is due to be awesome, and Alfredsson shwoed great chemistry with Foligno and Fisher mid-way last year. Foligno and alfie are 2nd line players but Fisher is more suited in a 3rd line role, so you bet Murray would like to get a 2nd line centre before the season starts. The 3rd line shows promise, and suit their role, though don't expect much scoring from them. The 4th line is all muscle, and it may be the 1st strong 4th line we've ever seen.<br /><br />The defense is the same as last year, but expect the shutdown pair of Phillips-Volchenkov to perform better sicne they are in a 2nd pairing role. Kuba and Campoli supply the offense on the first line even though Campoli is not a Top 4 Defenseman. Lee and Smith round out the last pairing and that could be a pretty reliable one. Smith showed progress in a Sens uniform under Clouston and he could be the mentor to Lee like Lawrence Nycholat was a few years back.<br /><br />Goaltending may be a strong suit for the team this year. Pascal LeClaire is coming off an inury-plagued year, so there are questions about his health. However, if he is healthy, he's a best in net. With the Stars' acquisition of Alex Auld, Brian Elliott should be ready for full-time backup duty, even though he hasn't signed yet.<br /><br /><strong>Reasonable Expectation: 7th to 9th</strong><br /><br />This team, even though finished strong last year even without Kovalev, still has weaknesses and there is tough competition for the last 3 spots in the East. It will be a battle between New Jersey, Buffalo, Montreal, New York Rangers, and the Sens. I think you can count Jersey in sicne their trapping method will be guaranteed in. I don't see Montreal in, just because their defense is weak in their own zone and the tandem of Price and Halak is shaky. So the last two spots in the Eastern Conference will be between Buffalo, New York, and Ottawa, if the team's current lineups persist.<br /><em></em><br /><strong>What should they do?</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>To Edmonton: Dany Heatley, Jason Smith</strong><br /><strong>To Ottawa: Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, Ladislav Smid</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Cogliano + Penner + Smid= $6.683 million</strong><em>(if Smid signs for 1.3 mil/yr, as estimates say)</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>Heatley + Smith= $8.100 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Salary Cap Left= $1.417 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>To Detroit: Chris Kelly</strong><br /><strong>To Ottawa: Justin Abdelkader</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Kelly= $2.125 million</strong><br /><strong>Abdelkader= $0.825 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Salary Cap Left= $2.617 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>To Boston: Shean Donovan</strong><br /><strong>To Ottawa: 5th round pick in 2010</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Donovan= $0.625 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Salary Cap Left= $3.242 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>To Phoenix: Alexandre Picard</strong><br /><strong>To Ottawa: 4th round pick in 2010</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Picard= $0.800 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Salary Cap Left= $4.042 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Place Schubert on Waivers</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Schubert= $0.883 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Salary Cap Left= $4.925 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Sign Elliott to a 3 year, $3 million contract</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Salary Cap Left= $3.925 million</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Penner - Spezza - Kovalev</strong><br /><strong>Foligno - Cogliano - Alfredsson</strong><br /><strong>Abdelkader - Fisher - Shannon</strong><br /><strong>Ruutu - Winchester - Neil</strong><br /><strong>Zubov</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Kuba - Smid</strong><br /><strong>Phillips - Volchenkov</strong><br /><strong>Lee - Campoli</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>LeClaire</strong><br /><strong>Elliott</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />Now isn't that amazing!albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-15374840348711660932009-07-16T15:14:00.003-04:002009-07-16T15:21:42.522-04:00Start Me UpWhether Heatley is in the line-up or not ,starting the season strong is key for the Ottawa Senators this year. With so much drama in the off-season the Senators will want to get focused on playing hockey instead of whether Heatley's staying or going. The schedule makers have been kind to the Ottawa Senators; if the Senators don't have a good start the fan are likely headed for a long, long season. Here is a list of the Senators first 11 games.<br /><br />From my inital thoughts they have only 2 or 3 teams that should be locks to make the playoffs. The rest are either playoff bubble teams or contenders to have the number one pick.<br /><br /><strong>Game 1: Oct. 3rd: New York Rangers (Road)</strong><br />The Rangers should make the playoffs I see them as a middle of the pack team 4-6. After signing Redden to his crazy contract Sather hands out 5 year - 7.5 million dollar deal/year to injury prone Gaborik.<br /><strong>Game 2: Oct. 6th: Toronto Maple Leafs (Road)<br /></strong>The Battle of Ontario takes on a new turn with Burke in control. The new battle is between the GM that built the Ducks Stanley Cup team and the GM that took credit for building the Ducks Stanley Cup team.<br /><strong>Game 3: Oct. 8th - New York Islanders (Home)<br /></strong>Tavares first road game takes place in the building where he performed his biggest games last year for the WJC. The Islanders are in rebuilding mode, just like they have been since 1987.<br /><strong>Game 4: Oct. 10th Atlanta Thrashers (Home)<br /></strong>The Thrashers, Heatley's (we can't get enough of this fellow) former team, are heading into a season where 10 of their vets are heading into a contract year. Including franchise player Ilya Kovalchuk. So far the Thrashers have been playoff bound once in 10 years.<br /><strong>Game 5: Oct. 12th Pittsburgh Penguins (Home) - Stanley Cup Champions<br /></strong>The Sens get to host Crosby and Malkin. It is the Sens first chance to face a Stanley Cup contender, we should have a better understanding of where the Sens stand after this game.<br /><strong>Game 6: Oct. 15th Tampa Bay Lightning (Home)<br /></strong>Len Barrie after coming up with the 10 million needed for Gary Bettman. Will say that he thinks Martin St. Louis is overrated because he played against him when St. Louis was with the Flames. Then he will trade him to Ottawa for Kelly, Smith and Shubert. My point is Tampa Bay sucks!<br /><strong>Game 7: Oct. 17th Montreal Canadiens - (Road)<br /></strong>The Canadiens are a bubble team this year. The big news will be Kovalev playing against his former team. I think the bigger news should be that the Canadiens signed Jason "Wee-Man" Acuna to be the tough guy on a line with Gionta and Cammelleri. Who knew he even played hockey?<br /><strong>Game 8: Oct. 22nd Nashville Predators - (Home)<br /></strong>Nashville is a team that will be playing for one of the final playoff spots in the west. During the game Mike Fisher will hand a love note to Shea Weber to give to Carrie Underwood when they get back to Nashville.<br /><strong>Game 9: Oct. 24th Boston Bruins - 2008/09 116 Points (Home)<br /></strong>I'm not sure if the Bruins are contenders or just had a good year last year. They remind me of the Senators from three years ago when everyone had a career year and I wouldn't be suprised if they were just an average NHL team this year.<br /><strong>Game 10: Flordia Panthers - (Road)<br /></strong>I don't see the Panthers making the playoffs after losing it's best player and replaced him with Jordan Leopold. The best is that we get to see McCabe attempt to play defense.<br /><strong>Game 11: Tampa Bay Lightning - (Road)<br /></strong>After Chris Kelly scores no goals playing next to Lecavalier, Len Barrie pulls a Lemieux and suits up for TB as a player/owner. Len Barrie says anyone can score playing next to Lecavalier, don't you know he's the Michael Jordan of hockey?<br /><br />In 9 of their next 15 games are against contenders such as; Devils (twice), Flyers, Rangers, Penguins, Capitals, Devils, Bruins and Sharks, this isn't a friendly schedule for the Ottawa Senators. So Senators need a fast start then perhaps the Senators can start getting back to being in the news for playing hockey rather than the rumor mill.TLCChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17066211300681372300noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-70079936832028471802009-07-16T12:39:00.004-04:002009-07-16T13:00:28.966-04:00Rumors, Rumors, Rumors, and More Rumors!First of all, thank you to everyone who has been sending me your questions about what's next for Bryan Murray in the off-season. It's fun to answer your questions. Here are the latest rumors around the net.<br /><br />The Fourth Period reports that the "Heatley to Oilers" deal is still alive. Dave Pagnotta says that Heatley never officially rejected the deal and reports say he might still be considering it. I've heard that the Oilers aren't going to be waiting on Heatley much longer. Currently this is a game of cat and mouse between Murray and the Oilers, Sharks, and Wild. Bryan is trying to "elevate" the offers by saying to one GM he's considering the other deal. Personally, that's my conspiracy theory but I think Murray might be considering keeping Heatley for the season.<br /><br />Other than Heatley, the Sens still have assets and their disposal. The 6th defenseman role is still up for grabs between Jason Smith and Alexandre Picard. Many fans' best guess is that one of the two will be packaged with Heatley if he gets traded. There aren't much teams interested into the two. Obviously Edmonton would love to bring back their former captain Jason Smith, and I posted on Twitter that Columbus likes Picard, though I doubt it with the emergence of their defensive prospect Kris Russell. I personally think Jason Smith would be a better linemate with Brian Lee than Alexandre Picard. Chris Kelly is beign thrown around by Murray but things are closed as of now. Detroit are still the only interested team as said before. Christoph Schubert would like to be traded out of Ottawa but don't bet on it since there will be NO takers for the German.<br /><br />On the free agent market, P.J. Axelsson is receiving more offers for his servcies and he may not at all come to Ottawa. Even though he would like to play with his friend Alfie my best guess would be that he will be shortly packing the bags and heading to Sweden. The New Jersey Star Ledger, however, is reporting Ottawa is one of few teams interested in RFA Travis Zajac. Zajac had 62 points last year with the Devils and will likely want a huge increase on the $984,000 he made last year. I haven't heard anything about this but it sure is interesting.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-79106389436622757372009-07-15T15:04:00.002-04:002009-07-15T15:24:41.308-04:002009-2010 NHL Schedule Released6 minutes ago, the NHL released the 2009-2010 regular season schedule, something I have been waiting for a long time. As did the Sens' schedule, which features, again, at least 1 game vs. every team in the NHL I predicted on Twitter that we would host Chris Pronger and the Flyers in our home opener. Looks like my predictions was wrong.<br /><br />Here's a link to the schedule...<a href="http://www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebyseason.htm?team=ott">http://www.nhl.com/ice/schedulebyseason.htm?team=ott</a><br /><br />Our first game is on October 3rd, a Saturday against the New York Rangers. Home opener night is October 8th against the New York Islanders. Circle that date, it will be the first time the Canadian messiah John Tavares comes to town not in a Canadian uniform.<br /><br />Here's some dates to circle...<br /><br /><strong>October 12th- vs. Pittsburgh Penguins</strong><em>(Here Come the Chumps!)</em><br /><strong>October 17th- @ Montreal Canadiens</strong><em>(Also known as the night Kovalev scores 9 goals)</em><br /><strong>November 26th- vs. Columbus Blue Jackets</strong><em>(LeClaire faces the guy that stole his job)</em><br /><strong>December 3rd- @ Los Angeles Kings</strong><em>(Can we actually score a goal against these guys?)</em><br /><strong>December 19th- vs. Minnesota Wild</strong><em>(Comeback already granted?)</em><br /><strong>February 13th- @ Detroit Red Wings</strong><em>(Pretty good intra-conference rivalry going on here)</em><br /><strong></strong><br />Alos you've gotta think IF Dany Heatley is traded, the day he faces his old team mates will be pretty feisty. Are we gonna see a Brendan Bell return? A Mike Comrie return?albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-17892437206305447772009-07-14T16:46:00.002-04:002009-07-14T17:47:35.494-04:00Summer 2009 Sens Top 10 ProspectsThe 2009 NHL Entry Draft is over. We got some good players, not Tavares or Hedman worthy but I bet they'll do as good as those two. With the Draft over, it's time for the semi-annual list to come in. I'll refresh everyone's memory and give you a short rundown of my Winter Top 10.<br /><br /><strong>1. Erik Karlsson</strong><br /><strong>2. Brian Elliott</strong><br /><strong>3. Jim O'Brien</strong><br /><strong>4. Brian Lee</strong><br /><strong>5. Ilya Zubov</strong><br /><strong>6. Peter Regin</strong><br /><strong>7. Louie Caporusso</strong><br /><strong>8. Patrick Wiercioch</strong><br /><strong>9. Zack Smith</strong><br /><strong>10. Cody Bass</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />7 months later, the Top 10 list changes with new prospects coming in. Note that Elliott and Lee aren't on my Summer list because essentially they're not prospects anymore. Elliott is the new backup in Ottawa and Lee is sure to make the roster. Drum roll please, here we go!<br /><br /><strong>1. Erik Karlsson</strong><br /><em>No doubt Karlsson stays on top after 7 months. He's got the stuff to become one of the best offensive defenseman in the league, a quick, hard shot, a good first pass, the ability to see the ice well, and his definite calmness.. He's been working on his physical stature and the Sens are really impressed with him. He signed a 3 year deal with the Sens this summer and some fans are hoping he'll make the big squad this year but I'd say odds he makes it are 25 to 1. He still needs to grow and the best option for him is Binghamton.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>2. Jared Cowen</strong><br /><em>The first round choice in 2009 for Murray and co, Cowen's best ability is to get into the dirty zones and compete hard for the puck. He's big and mean and isn't afraid to lay out the big hit every game. He's a good puck mover as well and has a quick shot. The biggest concern for me is his penalty trouble which he will have to improve on. He had his season cut short because of the knee injury but he was a steal for the Sens. Odds of making the team are 35 to 1 for him so expect him to go back to Spokane for the year.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>3. Ilya Zubov</strong><br /><em>Zubov, who already has more than 10 games under his belt, may be the only potential Top 6 Forward in the Sens prospect system. Zubov's best asset is his vision of the ice and his playmaking abilties. His strong shot leaves goalies baffled and his ability to make his teamates around him better is great. He practiced with NHL'ers such as Chris Kelly and Evgeni Malkin last summer and gained muscle weight. One thing I really like about him is his physical presence, something Russians are not known for. He's got a 10 to 1 odds to crack a spot on the roster IF the Sens trade dead weight such as Kelly and Donovan.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>4. Peter Regin</strong><br /><em>Regin, aka The Great Dane, also has more than 10 games under his belt, but has had more success than Zubov. He's a good third liner who can score goals anywhere. He can get down low and score those dirty goals or he can use his fast wrister. He's also essentially a good penalty killer and his work ethic is great. I would compare him to Mike Fisher but with a better shot. He has a 10 to 1 odds to crack the roster and again IF the dead weight leaves town.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>5. Patrick Wiercioch</strong><br /><em>Most likely the steal of the Draft in 2008, Wiercioch not only has offensive prowess, he's big and strong. He has a great first pass and and a shot that will never miss the net. He makes teamates around him better and isn't afraid to battle hard and long for the puck. He's another defenseman that probably won't make the team, as far as 30 to 1 odds, but he'll be in Binghamton for the majority of the season conditioning with Karlsson.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>6. Jim O'Brien</strong><br /><em>O'Brien had one of the best seasons in his career scoring a point per game. Noto nyl did he do that, but he improved his defensive game big time. He's a very good two-way forward and is developing into more of a RW, something the Sens lack in their system. His debut with Bingo was short, only 6 games and fortunately I saw one. He's a good playmaker but needs to develop his shot into a faster and stronger one, but his development has been quick. I'd say 30 to 1 odds he makes the roster, and he's assured to be joining Binghamton in the fall.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>7. Louie Caporusso</strong><br /><em>Caporusso also had the season of his career in the NCAA with Michigan, escalating to being 4th in Hobey Baker voting. He's a natural centre who can make some mistakes but makes up for it with his amazing shot and vision of the ice. He's been known sometimes to be a "puck hog" but I think that may be a plus in Ottawa who has too much passers. He told HF that he'd be going back to Michigan for his last season in the NCAA. He's a got a bright future for a Torontonian!</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>8. Erik Condra</strong><br /><em>Notre Dame improved this year along with Condra who is becoming Ottawa's premier wing prospect. He signed a contract because of his year with Notre Dame which saw his offensive abilites improve. He's a sniper who can also take over the game in his own style. He's a coach-pleaser and very responsible in the defensive zone. EC may become Alfredsson's replacement when he retires and sure would look good with Spezza. He's playing in Binghamton and may be a late-season callup.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>9. Robin Lehner</strong><br /><em>Drafted in the second round, Lehner was the best goaltender in the Draft Class of 09 and was the 2nd one chosen. His daddy was the former coach of Rangers' astandout Henrik Lundqvist and Lehner is being compared to Lundqvist. His big body and big size makes up most of the net. He's got a glove being compared to Dominik Hasek and his lightning quick reflexes are those of Marc-Andre Fleury. His weakness may be rebound control but with a good defensei n front of him he can be a franchise goaltender.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong>10. Zack Smith</strong><br /><em>Smith, who played 2 games with the Sens, had a breakout year for Binghamton after beign drafted in 2008. Smith has a great, quick shot and his ability to make room for himself is outstanding. He has a lot of grit and gumption and will be physical whenever he needs to be. He'll have to wait before making the big club but he's worth it. What's with Bryan Murray and gettign players with the last name "Smith"?</em><br /><em></em><br />So there's the Summer edition. 3 players enter into the list, and 3 players drop out. I'm pretty sure there'll be changes come Winter time so it's always fun to see who the Sens' future superstars are!albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-17150255682733042722009-07-14T12:40:00.000-04:002009-07-14T12:41:49.665-04:00Sens Buzz Free Agent Frenzy Live Chat!!!<iframe src="http://www.coveritlive.com/index2.php/option=com_altcaster/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=10d30269ac/height=550/width=470" scrolling="no" height="550px" width="470px" frameBorder="0" ><a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&task=viewaltcast&altcast_code=10d30269ac" >Sens Buzz Free Agent Frenzy Live Chat</a></iframe>albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-43193568731808373062009-07-14T09:41:00.002-04:002009-07-14T10:29:22.575-04:00Take A Chance On MeJust wanted to take a quick moment to say thanks to albanada for letting me be part of the SensBuzz team.<br /><br />Since SensBuzz took a chance on me I was wondering if the Senators should take a chance on Heatley.<br /><br />Well .. I guess you'd have to ask yourself a couple of questions.<br />Are we going to get full trade value for Dany Heatley?<br />If Dany Heatley didn't ask for a trade would you want him on your team?<br />Is Dany Heatley one of the elite forwards in the NHL?<br />Are the Ottawa Senators better off without Dany Heatley?<br />Can Dany Heatley exist in the Senators dressing room?<br /><br />If the Ottawa media didn't paint Dany as a monster it might be a little easier.<br />If it wasn't such a slap in the face to the Ottawa fans, it might be a little easier.<br />If he didn't throw his coach under the bus, it might be a little easier.<br /><br />But it can be done ... Kobe Bryant wanted to leave the Lakers, then he came back and led them to a championship. Why wouldn't it work here too?<br /><br />The main question is; why would the Senators want Heatley back? Well, he has been known to score a goal or two. Heatley's had back-to-back 50 goal seasons, a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and looked like a Hall of Famer that just signed a long term deal that would keep him with the organization for a long time. A potential face of the franchise once Alfredsson retires. When he was traded for Hossa I remember saying he will be the next captain of the Ottawa Senators. That might not be the case now.<br /><br />Right now the Senators organization is painting Heatley's keepers as the villian and not Dany. This makes be believe that Murray would still like to salvage the relationship. And there is a chance Heatley could be welcomed back to the Senators.<br /><br />I'm guessing we still don't know the full reason why Dany Heatley wants out. If it's because of the coaching that can be worked out. Cory Cloutson is a demanding coach that expects excellence out of his players. One of my favourite quotes from a coach is Jimmy Johnson; "Treat a person as he is, and he will remain as he is. Treat a person as if he were where he could be and should be, and he will become what he could be and should be." Maximize your potential and that's what Cory expects from his players. Heatley is capable of doing this, the best hockey I saw Heatley play was when Spezza & Alfredsson were out of the lineup in 06-07. He was the best player in all areas of the game and made players around him better. In my opinion Heatley doesn't do this; Spezza makes Heatley better, but I do not believe that Heatley makes Spezza better.<br /><br />The best thing for the Senators organization is have superstars buy into winning, the Detriot way. Steve Yzerman transformed from a strictly offensive player into arguably one of the top 15 greatest players in NHL history. Dany Heatley can stay a great player score 40 - 50 goals for the next 5 seasons. Or he could develop into a complete player and perhaps become one of the best of his era. I'm not saying this would be easy but maybe Heatley just needs to take a chance on Cory.TLCChttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17066211300681372300noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-73664000928424520252009-07-13T12:14:00.003-04:002009-07-13T12:36:58.971-04:00More on Heatley, Axelsson, and SmithAs I posted on Twitter some mintues ago, I spoke to a source who believes Bryan Murray likes the Sharks' offer the best. There are trying to sort out what will be packaged with Heatley. What was reported is that the Sharks would like Chris Kelly as well but Murray would like them to take on a different salary, such as Jason Smith or Alexandre Picard. Murray has told the media he will be the one waiting for the calls, instead of making them. Definetly, it means the ball is in Doug Wilson's court. I still think it's the Oilers' game to lose, but the Oilers are leery of surrendering Denis Grebeshkov instead of Ladislav Smid. Minnesota also have an offer in place but it's one that Murray would like GM Chuck Fletcher to change.<br /><br />The P.J. Axelsson talks have stopped for now as Axelsson wants to take a break to re-think his thoughts. As thought before, it seems as if one of his friends back from Sweden Daniel Alfredsson is doing soem calls to convince him to sign with the Sens. Both sides are agreeing on a $2.3 million/ year contract but Murray doesn't want him under for more than 3 years, while Axelsson would like to finish his career with the team he signs with. The KHL is also a possibility for P.J. but he would like to stay in the NHL.<br /><br />It seems as if Jason Smith is the odd man out on defense. He has an expensive contract with him and is getting old. He can be a really good warrior for you, and he blocks shots as well. He might retire and just like Luke Richardson assume a job with the team, but Murray would like to see what they can get in return for him. One interested party is the Edmonton Oilers, where Smith spent his better years.<br /><br />Remember, tonight is the last time you can submit your entry to become a Sens Buzz writer. I've had 4 entries come in so far and all of them have been very entertaining. Tomorrow early morning I will e-mail the 2 winners and give them their permissions right away. I will also write a post saying who the winners are, but i nthe morning since I won't be at a computer for the rest of the day.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-52816507021749598362009-07-10T14:56:00.003-04:002009-07-10T15:53:03.690-04:00Scratch My Back, and I'll Scratch YoursIn similar context, Dany Heatley told Bryan Murray to go find him a trade, and he's gone from Ottawa. Well, Murray went out, and probably neglected his family just to help Heatley and his family. He found him a trade, though not the best one, and all Heatley had to do is do what he said before, get out of Ottawa. He didn't, and he's now getting help from his neighbours in his matters. There's not Heatley rumors today, but I just wanted to remind everyone that, even though he's a "Canadian Boy", he's no icon and neither a role-model.<br /><br />Bryan Murray is persuing a free agent by the name of P.J. Axelsson. He's a good two-way forward and a potential second line centre. I'm hearing it may be a 2 year contract worth around $1.7 million/year. Axelsson and Alfredsson are very good friends and I bet that Alfie had something to do with it. Foligno, Axelsson, and Alfredsson could be a very solid line. Of course if he signs you would think Chris Kelly is gone from Ottawa.<br /><br />A lot of you have been asking about the status of Christoph Schubert. There are still some people in management that want to keep him but I don't get why because unless they strap some goalie pads on him. Right now there aren't teams really interested in him but my guess is that he'll find himself in Russia in a few weeks.<br /><br />An RFA that may be an interesting option is Tuomo Ruutu. He was amazing last year for the Hurricanes and would look good in a Sens uniform for cheap. Plus, his brother can convince him to come here.<br /><br />I've had some very interesting entries in the contest to become a Sens Buzz writer. Something has come up and I won't be at the computer on July 15th so I've moved the deadline back to July 14th. Remember to email your entry at <a href="mailto:ademaj4@gmail.com">ademaj4@gmail.com</a> by the Deadline!albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-76020172731798817512009-07-10T11:15:00.003-04:002009-07-10T11:36:01.674-04:00Jason Spezza---The New Assistant Captain of the Sens?Flashback to 2007, the year every Sens fan loves. If you didn't know it already, we did a favor to the Pittsburgh Penguins by telling them how to play in the playoffs, the hard way. A month later, the team named Sidney Crosby captain and Evgeni Malkin assistant captain. Many pundits had no idea why they did this move. The team had Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts, and Sergei Gonchar but instead they went with the young guns.<br /><br />Back to 2009, I think all of us are praising that same move. Both Crosby and Malkin grew that year under the leadershop of Roberts and Recchi. Seeing how the two youngsters would never leave Pittsburgh, it was smart to give them the leadership of the team, and give them more responsibility.<br /><br />Dany Heatley was given the "A" last off-season in a move to inspire him and Jason Spezza to expand their role on the team. It seemed to work in the first stages of the season, but both players suddenly lost interest in the game. We now all know what happened with Dany Heatley, so it's safe to say he won't be given the "A" next season even if he returns. This is why the Sens need to give it to Jason Spezza. Without his longtime friend Dany, he now realizes his role has to expand and he's watching Alfie, like a role-model. If you give Spezza the "A" right now, when Alfie retires, Spez will get the feeling what it's like to be a leader on the ice and in the locker room. It happened with Pittsburgh, and they went on to win the Cup. Now, I'm not saying this kind of move would bring Stanley here, but when Spezza takes over the captaincy one day, every young gun on the Sens at that time will be looking at him, seeing what adversity he had to face as a Senator, and how he overcame it. A role-model, indeed.<br /><br />Little steps are all that it takes to become a stronger and more united team. Management has to realize that, but so should Sens fans. The future is in the hands of the present.albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1683398066030756246.post-22652908240710342812009-07-09T12:28:00.002-04:002009-07-09T12:59:50.278-04:00How WILD is Dany Heatley?Late midnight, I had been informed that the Minnesota Wild have put forth an offer that may be too good to pass. The Wild are the third team to offer a package for the servcies of Dany Heatley. The first two were the Oilers and the Sharks. Bryan Murray is trying to get a Top 4 Defenseman and a Second Line Centre out of it. Ther two positiosn are the Sens' most glaring needs currently. So, do you want know the offer? Drum roll pleaase! Ba dum ba!<br /><br /><strong>Wild acquire: Dany Heatley</strong><br /><strong>Senators acquire: Marek Zidlicky, Pierre-Marc Bouchard, 5th round pick in 2010</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />So, just to preview the previous two offers made for Heatley...<br /><br /><strong>Oilers acquire: Dany Heatley, Jason Smith</strong><br /><strong>Senators acquire: Andrew Cogliano, Dustin Penner, Denis Grebeshkov</strong><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Sharks acquire: Dany Heatley, Chris Kelly</strong><br /><strong>Senators acquire: Joe Pavelski, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, 3rd round pick</strong><br /><strong></strong><br />All three offers are enticing, I can tell you that. I expect one more offer, possibly from the Colorado Avalanche, to be put forth during the weekend, with Murray then deciding. There is still a possibility that Heatley will stay, but the return you can get for Heatley could pretty much help rebuild the team right on the fly. If the Sens swap with the Oilers, the acquisition of Grebeshkov might mean the Sens will press Steve Tambellini and co. to sign him before trading him. The best offer I think is the Sharks one. Pavelski is a pure two-way forward, Vlasic is a good top 4 defenseman, and getting rid of Chris Kelly and his contract get us a third rounder.<br /><br />How about you Sens fans, which offer do you like best.<br /><br />Remember, if you want to join the Sens Buzz crew, email me at <a href="mailto:ademaj4@gmail.com">ademaj4@gmail.com</a> a min. 100 word paragraph saying what you would do in the off-season if you were General Manager of the Ottawa Senators. Deadline is July 15th! Send them in now!albanadahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10524069378231586519noreply@blogger.com14