Not quite the weekend grab-bag

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So, this is a thing I found on the internet.

So, this is a thing I found on the internet.

A little pre- and post-‘Free Agent Frenzy’ grab bag, anyone?

Save the players from themselves

What is it going to take before hockey players cast a suspicious eye in the direction of the Philadelphia Flyers? How can anyone seriously believe that the contract they sign there will be worth the paper it’s written on? Sure, Vinny Lecavalier got a full NMC out of his five year deal with the Flyers, but that won’t stop them from pressuring him into a trade or buying him out when the next flavor of the month comes along. Not to mention that the team’s near-constant wheeling and dealing comes at the expense of any semblance of stability, planning, or development. Lecavalier could have gone almost anywhere in the league, and like so many players before him, he was convinced by the Flyers of all people that this time everything will be different. Meanwhile, the last sucker who bought that line will get sent down to the minors to make room for Vinny.

If I’m the NHLPA, I look into making some sort of resource available to my clients whereby anonymous surveys of market and ownership are shared with the full membership. Maybe the Flyers organization truly is an outstanding place to work, but the optics remain terrible. Players who make a commitment to that team are repeatedly burned by an ownership that overreacts to every development. The only way the management’s behavior will change is if the resource on which they depend the most–players–collectively say enough is enough….

…but at the end of the day, I guess that’s just the cost of doing business with a large market team like the Flyers or Rangers. If you’re a 20-something kid getting paid millions, you probably want to do it in a major American city on a team where money is no object and the goal, year in and year out, is the Cup. You just have to pray you’re never caught on the outside.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to 2015-2016 when Brad Richards and Vinny Lecavalier are both playing together on the same team, probably for John Tortorella in Vancouver, and the Flyers have just signed Jason Spezza to a 7 year deal paying him $10MM per.

Melnyk’s money

The object of my offseason affection Grant Clitsome has signed a deal to stay with the Jets. My idea to go after Clitsome went over like a lead balloon with you readers, but I maintain that there’s potential there as a low-cost alternative to Sergei Gonchar. Clitsome signed for three years and just over $2MM per, which was probably more term than Ottawa would have liked to give out anyway. I’ll be watching his numbers this year to see if my prediction bears out.

Murray is going to have to find some other low cost players like Clitsome if he wants to improve his club, because everywhere else, we’re reading about how Ottawa’s ‘internal cap’ of $50MM will keep them from pursuing any high end free agents, and may even be challenging what should be a slam-dunk re-signing of Danny Alfredsson.

Look: if Melnyk doesn’t have the money, he doesn’t have the money. There’s no trying to will funding into existence if it isn’t there. Also, my comments about how if there’s any year that Ottawa should be a cap team, it’s this year weren’t meant to imply that Ottawa should go after, say, Vinny Lecavalier. Throughout the rebuild I’ve preached restraint, and I remain a fan of good value. There are a number of intriguing players available by trade, players who have potential, are relatively low cost, and wouldn’t take a massive package of prospects to land. However, Murray has to have the green light from its billionaire owner to spend. Not a lot more–just what we need to add some scoring punch up front.

But it has to be asked: if this team can’t spend more than $50MM on salary every year, why is that? I’ve written over and over again that it’s not at all clear to me how revenue on this team works. I get that we’re not New York or Toronto, and don’t have an insane television deal–but then, that describes most of the teams in the league, and we keep hearing about record revenues. Ottawa remains a top ten team in ticket sales, with an average ticket price, average merchandising sales, and one assumes an average TV deal. If a team operating in those conditions simply has to be the third lowest spending team in the league just to break even, then I think we deserve to know how that works. We suffered through two lockouts to establish cost certainty for owners. Now that we have it, we’re hearing even more about sacrifices. If that’s the way it is I’ll understand, but let’s get a little bit of transparency around here. Give the fans some credit. They can understand these things.

As for Alfie, I’ve been a lonely voice in the woods on this one: I’ve felt for a long time that he should probably play elsewhere. Not that I want him to, but just that his best bet to win a Cup before he retires is probably with another team. Let’s be honest – it’s probably not going to happen elsewhere either. He’s lucky to still be so effective at his age; this is beyond his last chance to make a push. But with Melnyk looking through his couch cushions for change just to be able to re-sign Eric freaking Condra or pay Alfie something resembling market value, I don’t think any of us would really blame him for checking out all of his options.

The draft and the media

Too bad I’m a hockey news junkie, because this cycle of hype and nothingness is getting old fast. TSN talked up the draft for days in advance, promising an unprecedented number of moves, and they weren’t halfway through the first round before they were hyping this Friday’s ‘FREE AGENT FRENZY.’ Yes, it will be quite a frenzy for the services of…Mike Ribeiro and Ryan Clowe.

As for the Senators, drafting a safe player who projects as a third line center isn’t the worst thing you can do at 17th. It’s the Zack Smiths of the hockey world that make it go around. But Curtis Lazar doesn’t help the Senators for at least a few seasons, nor is it a swing for the fences. I know every manager was asking for something insane to move up (seriously–why on earth would anyone trade Erik Karlsson to draft another player who is only potentially as good as Erik Karlsson?), but with Toronto showing it possible to get a good (not great) player in Bolland for later picks, you wonder what was actually on the table if the 17th was in play. But once again – it all comes down to money.

How long before we see teams try Kickstarter campaigns to bring in that puck-moving defenseman or backup goalie they need so badly? “Hey fans–you want us to sign David Clarkson? Pony up!” Maybe Melnyk can pass a collection plate around during exhibition games and have a pre-recorded message from Alfie begging for change on the jumbotron.

Why I’m Alright With Murray Only Drafting at the Draft

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And you gotta be a G(M) at Thugz Mansion.

And you gotta be a G(M) at Thugz Mansion.

I’m going to start this off by saying that one of the most annoying things I find about Bryan Murray is what he says to the press leading up to events like the Entry Draft. “We’re looking to move up if we can”, “we’d be willing to move down if the right offer is made”, “we are open to dealing prospects or established players if it would help us”, “we will stand pat if nothing worthwhile comes our way” all culminating in the king of the irritating lines that he says, “we’re willing to do some things, if we can.” UUURRRGGHH “Do some things” thanks for the HOTTT Insiderr Info, bro.
In the weeks leading up to the event in question, he basically says he’s willing to do just about anything, which, hey, he might. I also understand he’s not looking to tip his hand on national television let alone to some local tabloid hack with so much grey neck hair and a Hawaiian shirt who writes four or five 200 word articles about the Senators per day.
Still, it’s the same thing every year. “Bryan Murray looking to add top six scoring help IF HE CAN.” Hey, we’re all sensitive people looking to find a ten dollar bill in the pocket of our jeans we’re about to throw in the washing machine IF WE CAN. The truth is the last time Bry Bry added legit high end scoring talent that stuck around longer than the period between the trade deadline and Ottawa’s customary first round playoff exit was Milan Michalek who was acquired in The Great Dany Heatley Blizzard of ’09 (musing: Pretty nuts that a former 50 goal scorer going each way turned out to be a sour part of the deal on both ends!).

With Alfredsson confirming his return on Friday, it made me ask two questions, “Does Ottawa actually need top 6 scoring help now?” and “Does Ottawa actually need to trade valuable assets to move up in the draft now?”
Sure neither of those things would hurt but they would certainly cost a truck load in terms of the incredible drafting we’ve been praising the organization for the past few seasons. Especially when prices are so inflated on draft day. I personally couldn’t get over how nearly every armchair GM’s trade package to move up in the draft included Mika Zibanejad. WHAT!? Ottawa has such a shitty season that they acquired a lottery pick and blew up the team for more picks culminating in what was the most exciting draft day in Senators history since Alexandre Daigle was acquired (What? that WAS really fucking exciting when it happened) picking 3 times in round one with Mika as crown jewel. He’s tossed into the NHL this year and what do we see? He’s strong as a bull, a fast skater, plays defense well, is creative with the puck and has scoring touch. What should we do? Oh, DEFINITELY get rid of him (AND OTHER STUFF) for a draft pick. Why? Because something something Kyle Turris. Oy. Vey.
Yes, the Senators had a lot of trouble scoring goals this year. Wouldn’t one assume so when 3 of the team’s highest scorers missed practically the entire season?
The way I look at it is this: The team had an unrealistically healthy season where they surprised everyone and made the playoffs. They followed that season with an unrealistically unhealthy one and on the back of tremendous goaltending and great coaching not only finished HIGHER in the standings but went deeper in the playoffs too! In the process they learned that both Zibanejad and Silfverberg can indeed play in the NHL, Marc Methot was an excellent acquisition, Lehner is ready for the bigs and Patrick Wiercioch can put up points from the blue line. That’s without mentioning that Murray already just added scoring talent in Cory Conacher and that the team might have what scientists call “a serious motherfucker” on their hands in Jean Gabriel Pageau.
Was last season perfect? Absolutely not. In fact but that’s my exact point as to why we should be patient. I saw stuff like Turris finally getting bumped down to the second line and immediately start tearing it up, Karlsson put up 8 points in 10 playoff games on one foot, and, again, JGP. In one statement: I want to see what the magic of two seasons ago plus the magic of last season looks like before making a drastic move.

But what about Sergei Gonchar?
To me this is the most pressing question but there’s a catch: I think Sergei did a great job stepping up during desperate times. Did he do the irreplaceable job that a lot of people think he did? Not a goddamn chance. Gonchar did a lot better in Ottawa than he’ll probably get credit for in the long run. That said, letting  the THIRTY NINE year old defenseman walk for the foolish 2 year contract he got (good for him btw!) from Dallas was as smart as letting Kuba go for the stupid deal he got. I didn’t lose sleep over Kuba walking and I wont over Gonchar.
The sense I get is that many are as high on Gonchar right now as they are low on Cowen. Yeah, Cowen looked terrible against Pittsburgh but I don’t really put a lot of stock in that meaning he’s a terrible player now. And just because Wiercioch didnt play as many minutes or against as high of competition as Gonchar did doesnt mean he cant take on increased responsibility this coming season.
The most unappreciated story coming off this season is how Chris Phillips had his best performance in years. Do I think the D would benefit from an additional top 4 guy? Most teams would. I’m just willing to see what the current corps (remember Karlsson will be much healthier by October) can do before panicking.

We still haven’t seen what Ottawa Senators Proper looks like yet. There’s still a ton of untested depth in Noesen, Puempel, Ceci and Prince. There’s also intriguing fringe guys kicking around in Stone, Borowikipedia and Hoffman. If prices are stupidly steep right now I’d be perfectly fine with Murray to let these guys play and see what the actual holes are in the lineup instead of filling them based on a truly unlucky (yet quite successful) year. Especially if it means paying with the team’s future.

Is Ottawa a Cap Team?

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Every year, strategically timed when season tickets  go on sale, Eugene Melnyk makes a radio or television appearance in which he says something about how this team needs to go to the second round of the playoffs just to break even, or is a small market team that could relocate unless all of the chips fall just right. I’ve taken up a lot of time on this blog talking about all of the revenue Melnyk doesn’t count in his estimates–non-hockey events at the arena he owns because he owns the team, as well as merchandising and television revenues–and I won’t belabor it again here. I am willing to accept, however, that Ottawa is not Philadelphia or New York. We won’t, nor should we, seek to spend to the cap simply because we can, or as a matter of competitive principle. With the team in rebuild mode, it hasn’t made much sense to throw money at veterans.

This year is different, though. A unique confluence of events has conspired to a point where it only makes sense for Ottawa to spend to the cap, if only for a season or two.

  • The team is already competitive, having made the playoffs in their last two seasons and winning a round this year, and has over $22 million in cap space with no key players to sign outside of Alfredsson, Condra, and Wiercioch. The latter two players won’t cost the team much more than their expiring deals. Let’s say that drops them to $16 million in cap space–that’s plenty enough to sign a marquee top six forward (or two) and a top four defenseman.
  • The big money powers in the East–Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York–will all be shedding players rather than adding them in order to lock up their core members and become cap compliant.
  • Great young players like Zibanejad, Turris, and Silfverberg are in, or are about to enter, their primes.
  • The team will likely get one more year of Daniel Alfredsson.
  • It’s the last year of Bryan Murray’s deal.
  • You have to think that the extra round of playoffs, even if it was only a couple of extra home games in a 5 game loss to the Pens, means the team saw a bump in team revenues. After all, Ottawa ran with the fifth lowest payroll all season long. [Sidenote: how does player insurance work? With Spezza and Karlsson injured, I know they get paid, but does that come out of Melnyk’s pocket or the insurance company’s? If the latter, Ottawa had the lowest payroll in the entire league, while still being top ten in attendance, and enjoying the additional playoff revenue. All of this after a totally unnecessary lockout.]

If there was ever a season to go for it, it’s now. There’s the cause, the will, and the means.

It reminds me of the Blue Jays’ situation, which can obviously serve as a cautionary tale as much as anything: with the powers in their division scaling back on salary to come into compliance with MLB’s luxury tax rules (sorry if I’m messing up the terminology…baseball, amiright?), and with the good young players to complement veterans, Alex Anthopoulos brought in over $200 million in new salary. Now, it hasn’t exactly worked out for the Jays, and with hockey being even more chaotic than baseball, signing a couple of UFAs won’t be all it takes to stack up in a league with this kind of parity. But the conditions have never been so perfect for a spending spree. The takeaway from the Jays’ spending hasn’t been success, but enthusiasm. Remember what it was like during that round one win against Montreal? Imagine going into this season as a presumptive favorite for the Cup.

So open up the wallet, Melnyk. This is no time to tout small market economics. We paid the price with two lockouts to get the cap, and it’s been a long six years since our trip to the Finals. Recognize an opportunity when it’s staring you in the face and go for it.

Patty Wiercioch, Ottawa’s offensive defenseman question, and the UFA market

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120227_GrantClitsome

Last season, I made a bit of a stink over letting Filip Kuba walk. I’m not a huge fan of Kuba, and didn’t think for a moment that Ottawa should have matched the two year, $8MM contract Kuba eventually received from Florida. But his exit raised larger questions about consistency and reliability on the Ottawa blueline. Guys who can play 20 minutes a night don’t come along every day, and Kuba, while not flashy, was something of a proven commodity. We knew he complemented Karlsson well enough. It made sense to me to try and re-sign him.

Thankfully, the acquisition of Marc Methot made the debate a bit of a moot point. Methot not only stepped into Kuba’s shoes, he played tough minutes, and quite well, with and without Karlsson. Thank god that worked out, because Ottawa gave up a good young top six forward in Foligno to get Methot. Also thank god the loss of Kuba was further mitigated when Sergei Gonchar ate up minutes and carried the offensive torch for Karlsson while he recovered from a severed achilles tendon.

But Ottawa has entered another off-season allowing another veteran to walk to a team who opted to give out another expensive two year deal. Murray has to wonder where the cavalry is coming from this time. It’s those depth, second line guys who populate your system, and allow coaches to give their elite players space.

Karlsson will still play 30 minutes a night, if healthy. (Or even if he isn’t, as it’s suspected he was still recovering in the playoffs. It certainly looked like it at times.) But unless Murray turns to the free agent market, or gives up another prime asset in a trade, it seems like he’ll be leaning on Patrick Wiercioch to develop.

On the surface, Wiercioch had a strong season last year. 19 points and 5 goals in 42 games officially qualifies you as an offensive defenseman in my books. But this chart (which I saw in this Score blog post about Dion Phaneuf) caught my eye:

defencemen-usage-chart

This is 5v5 usage for defensemen over 40 games this season, and check out that big blue dot in the lower right hand corner. Wiercioch received more offensive zone starts, and against weaker competition, than almost every other defenseman in the entire league. He was effective in that position (as evidenced by the size of that blue dot–he drove possession in that role), but what this chart demonstrates is that he isn’t going to be the kind of minute-eating, all-around guy that Gonchar and Kuba were. He’s a weapon to be used extremely selectively. It’s also why, despite his numbers, Wiercioch found himself scratched at times for players like Eric Gryba. Gryba won’t get you the points, but you can lean on him when the game suddenly shifts and you find yourself pinned in your own end.

The point being that while Wiercioch is good at what he does, and you want that kind of player at your disposal (it’s why Anton Babchuck keeps finding work), it’s not likely that in one season he’ll morph into the kind of defenseman Ottawa needs–a reliable second pairing player who is responsible defensively, can play quality minutes, and can also drive possession.

The solution might be a full season of Jared Cowen, though he lost a year of development and looked lost against Pittsburgh. (Not to draw conclusions from that about Cowen; the Pens are a good team.) But a quick glance at the UFA market for offensive defencemen shows it’s better than I thought.

There are higher profile guys like Tomas Kaberle, Ryan Whitney, or Ian White available, but none of them have had particularly good seasons of late, are clearly in decline, and will cost. A guy like Zidlicky or Scuderi can put up minutes, but will cost you a pretty penny. (Or 400 million pennies a year.) Which brings us to Grant Clitsome.

Clitsom put up decent numbers and possession metrics on a weak Winnipeg team playing about 16 minutes a night last season. He was on pace for about a 8-24-32 stat line if it had been a full season, which would have been a career high by far, and he was a +10 on a team that was bottom five in goals against. His shooting percentage (7.1%) wasn’t particularly out of line with his career average (6.5%).  And he was affordable, playing out a two year, $2.5MM contract. At 28, he has a year or two left of prime output if you assume defensemen develop on a longer timeline than forwards.

Even if some regression is to be expected (it was a contract year), Clitsome is the kind of player I think Murray is hoping Wiercioch will develop into–a player who can put up points and play in both ends of the rink. If you only look at offensive zone starts, though, where Clitsome had a 49.4% to Wiercioch’s 62.7%, Patty has a long way to go.

Next season is going to be interesting. Improving on making the playoffs and winning a round by hoping Karlsson will continue to be a wizard and injured players will stay healthy seems naive. Hoping that the addition of another scoring winger will be enough, especially if we lose Alfredsson, also seems naive. It’s going to be those hidden gems that allow the Senators to keep taking the rest of the league by surprise.

Trade Targets 2013

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271032-superstar-ice-hockey-dos-screenshot-trading-players-ega-s
James took a look at free agents a couple of weeks ago. Another option for Bryan Murray heading into the draft is trading for the scoring, top six forward the team so desperately needs.

I took a look through Capgeek, and here’s a list of forwards that I think Ottawa could trade for who are 1) low cost in terms of salary (relatively speaking) / high reward, 2) could be traded for without parting with an insane, Rick Nash-style package of prospects and picks, 3) mostly don’t have NMC/NTCs in their contract, and 4) are often playing for teams who will need to shed salary to get under the cap. In some cases their cap hit is larger than their actual salary. And there’re question marks next to nearly all of them.

What does Ottawa have to give up? Well, in addition to the 17th overall pick in this year’s draft, they also have three former 1st round picks in Noesen, Puempel and Ceci who have yet to play in the NHL. There are quality prospects (though not blue chippers) in Da Costa, Hoffman, Pageau, and Prince. And there are two NHLers in Silfverberg and Zibanejad, who you have to think are only on the table for an absolutely killer deal.


David Booth

– I liked Booth when he was in Florida…though so did everyone, which is why Mike Gillis traded for him and why he’s now stuck with an injury prone scoring forward who hasn’t been that effective. Booth has two years left on his contract, and if he’s healthy he’d make a good complementary winger for Spezza. He’s also a left winger, which is a spot where Ottawa can be weak.

Ryan Malone

– Another left winger on a team with sky-high salaries, though he’d have to waive his NTC to come to Ottawa. Malone has a $4.5MM cap hit, but his salary in both of his final two years is $2.5MM. Seems like he could fit into MacLean’s two-way hockey mantra.

Joe Pavelski

– I was surprised to see that Pavelski didn’t have a NTC/NMC, and at $4MM with only one year left on his contract, he’d be pursued heavily if he’s indeed on the block. I don’t see him being worth a bidding war (look at what San Jose got for Ryan Clowe), but it’s worth kicking the tires. He is a centerman, which Ottawa doesn’t need as badly, though as the6thsens guys pointed out recently, our depth at center isn’t as good as we sometimes insist it is.

Devin Setoguchi

– Minnie is spending a ton of money on a mediocre lineup, and Setoguchi only has one year left on his deal. At $3MM, and not much required to get him, he might be worth the risk–though his game seems to have degraded badly over the past two seasons. He’s 26.

Dustin Brown

– This would be an absolute coup, and Ottawa would need to pay through the nose to get him. Brown played a diminished role in this year’s playoffs, often relegated to the third line on a deep team, and he only has one year left on his contract. It’s probably not worth paying a king’s ransom (wah-wah) for one year of Brown before he tests the UFA market, but he instantly makes the team better, and is a great young leader on a team of young, character players. I’d love to have him in a Sens uniform.

Derick Brassard

– He’s a centerman which, again, Ottawa doesn’t need as badly, but he seems to fit the mold of a Bryan Murray trade: good pedigree (drafted 6th overall), stuttering development, connections to Columbus. He only has one year left on his deal, but he’s an RFA after that, so Ottawa retains control. He’s right in that age wheelhouse too, at 25.

Ales Hemsky

– Hoo boy, this one is probably contentious. Most people seem to think that Hemsky sucks. Most in the analytics community seem to think he…sucks less. Personally, I think he makes a lot of money in a market that is thoroughly sick of losing. He’s a focal point for a terrible team. He makes $5.5MM this year, which is a bit hefty, but could probably be got for a pick or mid-tier prospect unless one of those desperate big market teams gets involved and fucks everything up like they usually do.

Scottie Upshall

– I liked Upshall when he was in Philly, and sort of hoped that Ottawa would throw him an offer before Dale Tallon went nuts that one year and signed every mediocre free agent on the market. Upshall is borderline top six, and so might not be worth the risk, and he’s got two years at $3.5MM left. Which, again, was pretty stupid, Dale. But if he can reclaim his spark-plug scorer acumen, giving up a late pick for a salary dump might seem brilliant.

Mike Cammalleri

– Is Calgary rebuilding? I guess so, but it’s hard to say with Feaster and that ownership group. Camm has one year left at a whopping $6MM, but would look awesome next to Spezza. You’d probably have to get into a bidding war with somebody. There is the benefit of knowing that Calgary probably isn’t going to wait until the trade deadline to trade him; everyone knows that that team is going to suck this year. They should unload at the draft if they can.

Chris Stewart

– I wish…St. Louis will probably re-sign him–he’s an RFA without a new deal–but Stewart is just the kind of power forward Ottawa would love to have line up in their top six. St. Louis also needs to re-sign Pietrangelo and Shattenkirk, so they’re kind of screwed. They might be willing to part with a complementary, big forward, especially since he had a down year playing in Hitchcock’s defensive system. Alongside Dustin Brown, this would probably be my #1 player to see in a Sens uniform.

Radim Vrbata

– He’s pretty much the only scoring threat in Phoenix’s lineup, and he has a NTC and a great relationship with his team. But, as always, ownership issues in Phoenix make this a possibility. Would they trade him now and get something in return rather than watch him walk next year, as he only has one year left on his deal? He’s older (32), but would be a decent replacement for Alfie if the captain retires.

Blake Wheeler

– Like Stewart, Wheeler is an RFA in need of a deal. If they can’t get something done in Winnipeg, could they trade him? Would Ottawa want to put themselves in a situation where they give up assets in advance of a contract negotiation, removing all leverage? (cough cough Flyers cough.)

Bryan Little

– Another centerman, another RFA without a deal, and another player who is probably not worth the package required to get him. But might be worth a second look if negotiations don’t go Winnipeg’s way.

Alex Burmistrov

– This one is pretty intriguing, as Ottawa has been linked to Burmistrov in the past. Apparently there’s a good deal of interest there, and Winnipeg is less than enamored with the 21 year old centerman (10 points in 44 games will do that). He’s an RFA with pedigree, having been drafted 8th overall. This has ‘Kyle Turris’ written all over it.

Make Melnyk Money Go Shoppin’ Take Melnyk Money Go Shoppin’

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Cash

If Bryan Murray has made two things clear in his press conference following Ottawa’s second round playoff exit they were that 1. He’s a Stetson man and 2. He is looking to add quality scoring support at forward for this upcoming season.

Wanting stuff is awesome (oops actually it’s the worst according to the Noble Truths of the Buddha) but getting it takes a little bit of sacrifice. Money or quality players. When it comes to adding a new player to what is frankly a line up that is already getting results is a little risky. That said, sex dream goaltending really bailed out a pretty tepid offense most nights last season but THAT SAID the team was missing its best forward, leading goal scorer and best offenseman the majority of the season and iced several rookies as regulars so there’s a bit of a question mark as to the need there. We didn’t really see the Ottawa Senators proper in the last campaign.

Murray’s decision to not re-sign Guillaume Latendresse and the possibility of the retirement of Daniel Day Alfredsson does present some holes to the top six going forward.

 Michalek – Spezza – Silfverberg
<Frozen Dinner> – Turris – <Alfredsson?>
Greening / Conacher – Smith – Zibanejad
Condra – Pageau – Neil

 Whack Aces: O’Brien, Kassian (potentially: Conacher)

 Sis/Bro: Don’t hold me over the coles for these lines here…I’m just putting names up to look at as we unravel this here caper while we share the laughter and love, okay? Sha-na-nuh-na.

You can see if Alfredsson indeed returns there’s really only Latendresse’s spot vacant and that’s assuming that one of those forwards (I chose to pick on Conacher for some reason) sees press box time. Does this mean a trade is potentially coming? 

I for one hope not. First off, Michalek’s trade value is way lower than what it should be because of his knee injuries and price tag. Not the worst thing in the world to hang onto a guy that can score 35 goals AND play on the penalty kill.
Turris I think is going to have a great season if Spezza can stay in the lineup. Though Turris did an admirable job filling in on the first line you can see as soon as he’s bumped down to the second his ability to produce instantly goes up. Kyle’s 9 points in 10 playoff games has me licking my chops (sorry, kind of weird).
Zibanejad and Silfverberg I’ll lump together here. I don’t think you want to get rid of a rookie that was 4th in team scoring nor one who played his first year on the first line and did not look overwhelmed. That’s some good pedigree right there.

I’m calling it now that Pageau makes the team. Before anyone cries Peter Regin here, I think we have a different case on our sexy hands. Since JGP is a centre he will not be expected to play in the top six helping him ease into the league full time. With Jim O’Brien’s move to Scotiabank Place Food and Beverage Coordinator I think it’s Pageau’s job for 2013-2014. If he continues to play like he did in his audition it might actually be hard to justify keeping him down there.
Anyway, I can’t picture the Sens parting ways with Smith, Neil or Condra. Greening I will admit is a bit of an enigma YES I SAID THAT ABOUT A CANADIAN HOCKEY PLAYER but the idea of getting rid of him seems a bit of a stretch. Especially after his performance against Pittsburgh. Conacher they just got. Am I too attached to everyone here? Playoffs two years in a row, one year with a serious chunk of the offensive core missing, makes me wonder if it’s wise to stand pat and see what the current full line up, or close to it, can do.

Regardless, it’s the offseason (hence why you’ve sat through a 600 word intro to this article) lets take a look at some potential options on the FA market that have been talked about.

Pascal Dupuis:
Ugh this is just weird. No question Pascal Dupuis is playing some of the best hockey of his career right now putting up the same amount of points in a shortened season as it would typically take him in 82 games. At 34 years old looking for a new contract one must wonder how he would fit into Ottawa’s long term plans. One must also wonder if Dupuis is on his Rob Brown grind as a pretty good player made to look mighty surrounded by generational talents. I don’t know. I think you have a solid player but the age thing really doesn’t jive well with a rebuilding club. Also, I don’t think I’m through hating this dude yet. Warming up to Gonchar after years of hating him when he came here was hard enough.

Daniel Briere:
Briere would certainly bring an old school mentality to the locker room as far as hairstyles are concerned. 1997 is the new 2007. Fun facts in researching Danny B: 1. He got 95 points one year. 2. He made $10,000,000 the next year. Excusez-moi, Alexandre L’Ovechkin! In true giant contract fashion he’s never even come close to that total again. He still makes pretty big money with a cap hit of $6.5 milly over the next two years. Still any Ottawa fan knows this guy has been a consistent pain in the ass to play against for a decade plus and if Murray wants scoring support he’d get it in Briere. Plus the two years on his deal (if he’s not bought out) works as a stop gap solution while prospects develop. He has the requisite “from the Ottawa area” credentials for a Murray acquisistion but he is apparently very concerned about protecting his children from the slings and arrows of dickish classmates that would definitely be found in a Canadian Market. Example: “My weird step-uncle says your daddy has 1997 hair!” I could see a city made up of not just Sens fans but the fans of two rival teams (I forget their stupid names) causing him to steer clear of Ottawa.

Valteri Filppula:
Perchance if PMac has any say in what player Murray targets pending UFA Valteri Filppula could be in the mix. Though not a world beater in the points department I don’t think anyone would doubt you’d be getting a quality player here given that he’s been in the Detroit system his whole career. At 29 years old he’s probably looking for a good amount of commitment from a suitor. Also Detroit will probably re-sign him with their cap space. As a left winger who can play centre Filpulla would come in handy when Kyle Turris gets kicked out of every faceoff. A Finnish national, he would be able to provide the team with a different perspective during discussions over the merits of the Swedish-Novgorodian wars on long plane rides. I’m also just going to assume he’s good at shootouts. Acquiring Filppula would be worth it for the amount of times we’d get to hear Pierre McGuire pronounce “ValtEEEEri FilppUUUUla” every weekday morning on his T.G.O.R. segment.

Nathaniel Horton:
Of all the UFA’s going onto the market this guy seems the most up Bryan Murray’s alley. Well, Dustin Penner is a UFA too but with 2 lousy goals on the season we’re not even going to talk about that guy. I’ll seriously smash stuff if he keeps going after that dude. Back to Horton: Big, strong and physical with scoring touch and the face of a junior high school bully. The fact that he plays right wing is a little awkward if Alfredsson comes back. The other thing here is that he’s currently making $5.5MM with a cap hit of 4MM. Though not crazy when you think about how we just paid a 39 year old that much, should Boston win the Cup this year Nathan will expect a pay raise. Considering what a playoff beast he is (over a point a game this post-season!) it could be well worth it. Also, if Boston wins it all they might want to hang onto him. Boston has just under $6MM of room under the cap so they are going to have to make some decisions about the next couple of years. Horton is likely part of those plans but Ttuukkaa Rraasskk’s next contract might take up that intire 5.8 million dollars in space alone. Would love to see Murray get this guy.

Bobby Ryan:
*Puts on novelty foam hand does hand wanking motion*
Not even a free agent but often talked about on message boards and in the hockey media. It would be awesome but I just don’t see this happening. Do you? 

The Wacky East and Chaos Theory

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I find that from every occurrence in hockey, analysts will draw one of two universalizing and entirely contradictory conclusions: either that the game is the predictable outcome of systems with a liberal sprinkling of occasionally small sample sizes to spice things up, or that the game is complete chaos and basically we know nothing.

The Stanley Cup playoffs exemplify these principles; either a team goes on a hot streak and defies expectations, or one of the league’s few elite teams goes all the way. Everything is deliberate and careful, or the Hockey Gods bless the Chosen Ones. In either scenario, the analysts (I’m including myself here) are able to point to the result and nod knowingly. We knew something like that would happen.

The Kings are the perfect example. Last year absolutely nobody was picking them to win the Cup. Everyone knew they were good, sure; maybe everything would align, just as it did, but I don’t think they were being talked about the way people talk about the Penguins. They won it all, and now they’re included among those elite teams. Chaos turns into a sense of structure. Only the truly deserving ever win, and we know that, because when we win we retroactively talk about why they’re truly deserving.

But now, the East is turning everything on its head again. Ottawa handily defeats Montreal because Montreal is an overachieving team that didn’t have the mental fortitude or team system for playoff hockey. Then Ottawa is handily defeated by the Penguins because the Penguins are a class above in talent. Now the Penguins are being destroyed by Boston, and the analysts are struggling to understand why. I saw some picking the Pens to sweep Boston. The narrative thread of fish being eaten by bigger fish is fraying.

So what does this matter to Senators fans? Well, as we all know by now, expectations are everything. Back when the Senators were dominating the regular season, anything short of a conference final was considered a disappointment. Players were traded and coaches fired after extremely successful seasons ended without a Cup. (Al Vignault nods silently and John Tortarella nods then throws a desk chair through a window.) These past couple of years, just being invited to the dance has been enough. But now there’s an expectation: is Ottawa on a linear path to greatness? Are they ready to elevate their game yet again, to go from “bubble playoff team” to “elite contender”? Is it ridiculous to even presume that these things happen so predictably? Next year we could see Ottawa with none of the injuries finish second last overall, for all we know.

We should watch the Pens-Bruins series closely this year. A team that is probably as stacked as any I’ve ever seen is being handled, and easily. It’s as if two careful, intentional systems were placed across from one another and produced only chaos. It’s fascinating, and it’s hard to know what we can learn from that series, except that even under the best of circumstances–two generational talents, incredible scorers up and down the line-up, a deep defense, veterans everywhere–we’re all subject to the cruel randomness of this weird, wacky sport.

Five Reasons Why Ottawa Should Draft Morrissey

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"I am human and I need to be loved. Just like everybody else does." - Morrissey

“I am human and I need to be loved. Just like everybody else does.” – Morrissey

I was sitting in a diner at the bar one morning a few weeks ago *catches bouquet of roses, has tiara placed on head, wipes tear, waves* watching some lopsided international hockey tournament that is so hard to care about unless you’re eating a delicious greasy spoon breakfast and pointed directly at a television. I watched Canada’s U18 team run up the score on some loser country and was struck by the sight of a talented defenseman named Morrissey.
Currently ranked around 20th or 21st overall by most scouting services, Morrissey will likely be available should the Senators stand pat at 17th overall at this year’s draft. With a seemingly effortless but combative style and famous for his vanity and at times over  confidence one wonders if Moz will be good in the dressing room.
With the Captain Daniel Alfredsson and the NHL at large’s recent partnership with the You Can Play project, Morrisey’s enigmatic “fourth gender” sexual politics should not be an issue among his teammates should he join the Senators.
Questions still remain, however, over how his history of contempt toward authority figures will fit into Coach Paul MacLean’s system. That’s not to mention concerns of how his outspoken and often controversial animal rights activism will fly with avid hunter and potential partner Eric Gryba. As we’ve seen with Karlsson and Methot opposites can often create a perfect foil  and produce impressive results quickly.
Rumors continue to swirl over his refusal to play in Canada until the government moves to ban seal hunting practices but this fan hopes that could potentially change over time. With all the depth Ottawa currently possesses at forward I believe Bryan Murray should take a chance on this high risk, high reward talent who’s never one to sit out of a scuffle.

I’ve put together just 5 of many highlights spanning his still promising career:


Many rookies would kill for a performance like this right off the bat. Personally I like this Hatful of Hollow version a bit more than the proper album cut. It just has a little more of a raw, live off the floor punch to it you know what I mean? Widely revered for his Oscar Wildesque cutting yet playful lyrical talents, young Morrissey shows some impressive range here going from a croon to gutsy falsetto and pulling it off with ease. A natural.


What more can be said about this absolute classic? Anyone who tries to imply that that his work is too delicate for their taste should give this a chance.


With the cult of personality he’d craftily built around himself in full swing (as evidenced by the biting video) this single off of the criminally underrated Stangeways Here We Come serves as a swan song to Morrissey’s partnership with Johnny Marr. Not one to rest on his laurels Morrissey still finds himself in top form after having already established himself as a top talent. With Marr’s toning down of his up to that point typically intricate and janglely style of playing, Morrissey takes advantage of the opportunity to really stand out.  As the last cut on side A it is proof positive of his knack to create great things even in deep.


This is perhaps the best demonstration of Morrissey’s keen ability to break out on his own. Though his individual efforts can be spotty at times he has shown that when anchored by a responsible foundation provided by Steven Street, whom he’s also shown great chemistry with, he can still produce very strong efforts. Many have pointed to a decrease in elite level output as directly correlated to the end of his pairing with Johnny Marr but I feel for the most part Moz has continued to mesmerize his many fans on a consistent basis on his own.


Lastly, in this clip we see a much matured Morrissey taking on a striking leadership role. Here he displays a surprising punchy toughness while maintaining an impressive pace perhaps feeding off the energy of younger players. Again, his problems toward authority are evident here but if managed properly could be a small price to pay in exchange for what I feel is an enduring, generational talent.

In closing I really, really want a Senators jersey that says Morrissey on the back.

Join the Moz movement! #OttaMoz2013

Say Goodbye and God Bless to the Latendresse

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Not "goodbye...just....so lo-- ...actually goodbye seems pretty accurate.

Not “Goodbye”…just….so lo– …actually goodbye seems pretty accurate.

Well, it has been a miniature whirl of wind hasn’t it?

A mere 27 regular season games and 3 (!!) post season appearances into it and the William The Tenderness experiment has come to an end.
For a guy I made repeated jokes about being the heir apparent to the Alex Kovalev 50% Off Jersey at Sports Experts Award before the season even started (a prediction that has now sadly come true) I thought this would end better than it did. Gui and I got off to a bad start when six games into the season the injury plagued winger went down with …I think it was diagnosed as The Bends at one point but I actually ended up liking him more than I expected as the season rolled on.
That said, once playoff time rolled around things got ugly. The optics of getting benched for not showing enough passion against the team that rushed you and subsequently booted you, the city who’s media tore you to shreds and made you a scapegoat is truly a rough way to close out the season here in the nation’s capital (hi haters). Considering he is a player who lives on the absolute margins of a team’s top six, for some reason there is always a surprising amount to unpack with Latendresse. It’s pretty hard to believe he only just turned 26. I came across an RDS message board while searching for an image of Gui and read an article and comments (blech) from October 2009 that you’d swear were written yesterday. Always a lightening rod, let’s have a brief chat with undertones of sensual espionage about this…(Ugh, weird, sorry… THANKS FOR READING!)

What I Liked About Willy

I think it would be completely bratty to say Latendresse made zero contribution to the team this year. In a season where injuries decimated the team to the point that ERIC GRYBA WAS FILLING IN FOR ERIK KARLSSON the experience and skill that Latendresse brought to the team during some dark days was not lost on me. Critics will forever (fairly) point to the lack of speed that Latendresse possesses. It was especially noticeable with already sluggish skater having missed the past two seasons. That wasn’t the end of the world necessarily though, Ottawa has had some very slow scoring wingers in the past. Dani Heatley was positively tortoise-like but made the most of it by always getting into the mid-high slot. Jonathan Cheechoo, well, certainly looked like a guy who had suffered multiple sports hernias and was a shell of his former self. I would say that Gui was no Heatley but wasn’t quite that Cheechooesque shell either. To his credit he was trying to forge an identity as that immovable object in front of the goal. He also still had his hand skills. As we saw, Gui could compensate for his lack of skating at times by providing beautiful passes to faster players as he did with memorable set ups to Neal and Turris goals. He could also be that guy that I’ve been hoping Colin Greening would evolve into for a couple seasons now by “scoring” some absolute trash bag goals off of his butt shot by far better players like Daniel Alfredsson. Lastly, on top of the size and weight he did have the ability to capitalize on scraaaaaaaamble situations down low evidenced here by what I think was one of the best Senators goals of the entire season:

I’m gunna miss that 73-93-33 line a bit (buuut not as much as I’m looking forward to the possibility of more of that 89-93-33 line). He was far from perfect and again I think he’s a player on the margins of the top six, but his 6 goals in 27 games (2 more than the far more skilled Michalek put up in 23 games) were much needed on a team that was in the toilet in terms of Goals For.

What I Whatever the Opposite of Liked Is About Willy

Look, I get that not every player is going to be Scott Stevens out there but I did come to appreciate the knock on his game that he’s as the Germans would say, “Not the most intense dude.” There is a lack of urgency to his play that when combined with his slow foot speed makes for a very frustrating player to watch. The talent is there but he just can’t make himself a big factor on a consistent basis. This was especially noticeable given that there are very few slow players on this skating based, hard back checking team. I mean shit, even Chris Neil has pretty decent wheels. Much like Matt Kassian, who gets far less ice time, Latendresse does not fit Paul MacLean’s system of a 200 foot game.  Colin Greening can potentially play a similar game but can skate like the wind…also Greening is in tremendous physical condition…which is…a subject I’m trying politely to avoid.
Most importantly, the thing that you just can’t ignore is that Latendresse was benched for a bunch of the series against Montreal DESPITE SCORING A GOAL! Damn. I’ll get into it more in a bit but that is just awful looking. I said going into the series that his performance against Montreal would be the pivotal point of his comeback. Well, a lengthy benching through two rounds of playoffs (in some cases Matt Kassian the only player on the team slower than him drawing in) is a spectacular failure indeed. He could have/should have been a bull against a small, injury depleted Habs squad. He wasn’t.

Legacy

Well, for starters is 73 the worst number in Sens history? Those sale jerseys at Sports Experts had it rough to begin with but man that number looks dumb. Especially considering the font on the home and away jerseys butchers most numerical configurations.
I think Latendresse will in large be a guy who will not be remembered fondly in terms of his play and his signing will be looked upon as a mistake a la Pascal Leclaire but to me it’s not that simple. He was unspectacular, sure, but I think he helped get the team through a very rough patch. When he came back from his neck injury he was a guy who could actually play a top six role at a time where the team was basically half AHL call ups. I think it would be unfair to say he was a passenger this season. He scored a couple of timely goals that helped Ottawa ultimately make the post season. I just wish he’d have played better once they did.
His singing was far from a mistake too. It was as if Murray was hedging his bets more than taking a gamble on signing Gui. With such a young squad with so many injury prone stars (Spezz, Milo) and a 40 year old captain, he provided MacLean with that extra guy in case. That’s pretty much what he was. On a bonus laden contract at only 1 year, with several rookies showing they can indeed hang at the NHL level the Senators are in a position to say “Thanks for your service and good luck in future whatevers” to Guillaume and fill his roster spot with someone else.

Futur Proche

It would appear that Latendresse’s career path is very uncertain at this point. Again, it’s hard to believe that he is only 26 years old. When you take into account that Bryan Murray is Monsieur Reclamation I wonder if any GM would be willing to pick up his scraps. They sure passed on the Cheechoos and LeClaires of recent memory.
Much like how Peter Regin’s agent has it in tough cold calling teams for tryouts this fall, “How many goals did my client score last season? Well, umm, let me ask you THIS: did you see the first round of the playoffs in 2010? Let me tell ya…” Latendresse will similarly be pretty hard pressed to have a team take a flyer on him. Despite having two 25+ goal seasons under his belt, he does have a significant injury history, speed issues, conditioning issues and motivation issues working against him. Cons appear to outweigh the pros at this point. I don’t know if he’s cut out for the speed and lateral game of the KHL and he’s probably not going to settle for the AHL; a league he skipped entirely in his development.
Prediction: Let me be the first to introduce you to the newest panelist on the popular RDS show L’antichambre 

Roundtable of Death: Actual Death Edition

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tod

It’s time for our end of season wrap-up. Thanks to everyone for reading this season; it was a great one. Make sure to follow us on Twitter, where James routinely kills it, and come back during the summer, when this blog converts back into a blog about devil sticks.

It really was the best of times
 

Varada: Preseason predictions, including my own, had the Sens as a bubble team at best. And I guess they were a bubble team, but on the right side of 8th place, and with their playoff probability well above 80% all season long. We got great looks at Silfverberg, Zibanejad, and Wiercioch, had some pleasant surprises in Pageau and the trade for Conacher, and enjoyed a number of improbable comebacks and gutsy wins. And, of course, they won a playoff round for the first time in six years. How could you call this season anything other than a success?

James: I think the biggest plus I take out of this season (and I truly feel there were many) is that though many players very green, this team has depth that can get the job done. I say this is my biggest takeaway because just a few short years ago plugging a Binghamton player or two into the lineup even for a short period of time was to see a different team. Ottawa’s always had good players but if they went down the team would suffer greatly. Do you have any substantial memories of Cody Bass or Roman Wick? The Ottawa Senators actually had a more successful season than the previous without Jason Spezza, Erik Karlsson and largely Craig Anderson and Milan Michalek. Of course I’d have preferred full seasons from these stars but if 7th seed post season birth from a bunch of rookies and old men isnt team development I dont know what is. Cant wait to see the star players combine with the capable reinforcements. I dont know if there’s ever been a more exciting time to be an Ottawa Senators fan.

 

Gonchar is going to be a decision

Varada: He was a bit of a revelation this year, even if 27 points in 45 games and unspectacular possession stats still aren’t worth $5.5MM a year. But you don’t find a player with 19 seasons of NHL experience under his belt every day, and that experience probably went a long way when the team needed stability and leadership while weathering injuries. Looking at the Sens’ lineup, I don’t see someone who will step in and play 20+ minutes a night. MacLean seems to have thought the same, praising Gonchar in his post-season presser.

I think at this point nobody would be particularly torn up to see Melnyk’s money go back into Serge’s bank account. At the same time, do you remember Kuba? Solid stats, steady partner for Karlsson, a bit older, lots of experience, cup ring…and Florida gave him $4MM a year for two years. My point being, somebody is going to overpay for Gonchar, and if it’s Ottawa I guess that’s ok–but it will still be overpayment.

James: I agree with your points and think Gonchar had a very good season for Ottawa. When it comes to resigning Gonchar the decision to let him walk is an easy one for me. It’s not an indictment of his play. You’re right about all those things. A calmness with the puck that just cannot be taught, solid point production, raised his game unexpectedly: Hey, mind filling in indefinitely for a guy who plays up to 30 mins a night and is the defending Norris winner? THX BRO! Guy was instrumental in salvaging the season. That said, he is 39 years old. I thought he played a lot younger than that… well until about the post season. And hey that’s cool. Some of the young guys looked old against the Penguins. I just think its going to take 2 years to resign Gonchar and I don’t think Ottawa should do that. It’s not the money its the time. If Murray can convince him to sign for 1 year, yeah do it. Two? I’m going to take names of people who argue me and come back to them when we’re watching a 41 year old Sergei Gonchar play an 82 game season on the youngest team in the NHL.. 

It’s clear Karlsson has a steady partner now in Marc Methot who I thought was the best, most consistent defenseman all season for Ottawa. I think we’re all a bit down on Jared Cowen right now but he looked so normal out there that we quickly forgot how rusty he probably was. The guy hadnt played NHL hockey in nearly a calendar year when he came back. For me, I trust Cowen can take on second pairing minutes. Next Patrick Wiercioch. His game is not perfect but thrust into 42 games thanks to injury, Wiercioch, a rookie, was the second highest scoring defenseman on the team and finished a team high +9. All that at a paltry 15 minutes a game. The kid has some ability. Below that, guys like Benoit and Gryba (who played first pairing a lot this season LOL) have shown they can play at the NHL level and there’s always the emerging Boroweicki to consider. Notice I havent even mentioned Phillips yet who had his best season in years. Is Cowen – Wiercioch a viable second pairing? Obviously I’m not sure but this is still a rebuild and this season’s injury troubles showed me you actually can hand the keys over to the kids to an extent. I’ll take having a first pairing of a Norris winner and a fast, strong and physical shutdown beast and let MacLean play around with the rest over signing a very good 39 year old to term. If that doesnt cut the mustard, trade a little of that depth for a top 4 d man. With Karlsson – Methot we don’t even need an elite guy. Grow Sens Grow. 

Ottawa’s depth isn’t even truly appreciated yet

 
Varada: As much fun as it was to watch Ottawa’s young guns this year, remember that they still have three first round picks–Noesen, Puempel, and Ceci–who have yet to play an NHL game. You’ve got Stone on the cusp of breaking into the NHL, and others, like Hoffman and Shane Prince, making strong cases for themselves. Lehner is cutting the brakes on Anderson’s car right now. Who knows what other hidden, Pageau-like gems are in the system. Ottawa might lose some veterans next season, but there’s a version of this team that’s two or three seasons away that is going to blow the doors off the league.

Add to that a Norris trophy winning defenceman, a (probably) Jack Adams winning coach, a great development team in Luke Richardson’s B-ham Sens, and the fact that the contenders in the East are entering their twilight years of contention, and this team’s best years are ahead.

James: A huge, huge thing for me was seeing Robin Lehner get tossed into a second round playoff game and make some huge stops against some Elite shooters. Lehner went in ice cold and did not look scared in the slightest out there.  Maybe the pressure was off because the team was losing so badly but I think it would be assholish of me to assume the pressure is ever off playing the no.1 seeded team in the playoffs. Ice water in those veins. J/K you have to have a heart to have veins. I’m not trying to say anything extreme here like make him no. 1 or anything. That’s just amazing experience right there. I’m one for preaching patience with developing goaltenders but I must admit watching his dominance in Binghamton and composure during his call up that the 21 year old Lehner is way, way ahead of the curve.

I can’t move on from this topic without talking about Jean Gabriel Pageau. Look, I called the shit out of this from the get go but we’re not going to talk about that too much *brushes diamonds off platinum shoulder* We’ve seen breakout late season performances (Bobby Butlah) and unexpected playoff dominance (Peter Regin) but this one feels different. I’m not going to overdo it but with all the quality prospects Ottawa has I was waiting for a kid to come out of the woodwork and put up an undeniable performance. Pageau has been that so far. There were points in the PLAYOFFS where he looked like the most complete player on the team. Not bad for a guy with 9 NHL games under his belt going into the post season. I think he’s a lock to to make the team next year. With a coach who rewards quality of play the way P Mac does, what line he lands on will be squarely up to Pageau.

Lastly, as far as development goes, I actually think it’s good for the young guys on the team to experience overcoming the struggle of a season filled with adversity, the glory of a dominant playoff win and then a pretty thorough ass kicking at the hands of the best team in their conference. Over the past two seasons there’s been a lot of fast tracking of experience. Consider that as of this writing Jakob Silfverberg has played only 4 fewer playoff games than Rick Nash. No. 3 overall Kyle Turris, has now played 21 more than the entire Edmonton Oilers’ top five in scoring. Unfair stat? Whatever fun is fun.
Several great looking young players are solidifying their sports in the lineup and there are more potential prospects than spots on a roster. Some smart moves and patience could turn this into a very, very dangerous team quickly.

We’re a year closer to the heritage jersey being made our primary jersey

 
Varada: For real. This has to happen. Death to the 3-D head.

James: Yo. I’d like to remind everyone out there that IM ONLY FUCKIN WITH HOT SHIT. How are so many people still rocking that Senagoth jersey? The Heritage is the nicest jersey since the original one. OH SURPRISE, SURPRISE Fan designed and brought to prominence by a fan petition. Open your wallets and show that the other jersey’s theyve tried to push on us stink. Just dive in. What a Karlsson uni isnt as safe a bet as an Alfie at this point? You leave the organization to their own devices and you get the SNES. You know what id like to see more than anything?

Image courtesy of Le Collectif

Twasnt broke, twidn’t need fixing.