Spezza and a goalie can beat anyone!
So ya draft potential top six forwards till you run out of draft choices.
We think Shannon, not Butler, gets "Rocco" and a big (scoring) Left Winger!
Butts gets Foligno and Alfie to start the season...
9MM starts on the third line with Neil...
Bring up and play every kid we got on DEFENCE to start the season, the vets better be ready to rock 'n roll at Training Camp...
Gee, sign Anderson, spend for that one big "Free Agent" and let's go watch the Sens next year!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
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Nik:
ReplyDeleteAmazing what a little "house cleaning" can do for a team. Not including last night, some interesting facts:
Chris Kelly - 2A in 12 games (0.16 pts/game)
Mike Fisher - 1G, 3A in 16 games (0.25 pts/game)
Jarko Ruutu - 1G, 1A in 11 games (0.18 pts/game)
Alexei Kovalev - 1G, 1A in 9 games (0.22 pts/game)
Chris Campoli - 3A in 8 games (0.37 pts/ game)
Brian Elliott - 5 loses .884sv%, 4.19 GAA
Compare that with some of the kids (at a fraction of the price):
Bobby Butler - 7G, 4A in 25 games (0.44 pts /game)
Eric Condra - 4G, 2A in 15 games (0.4 pts/ game)
Colin Greening - 2G 5A in 15 games (0.46 pts/ game)
Craig Anderson - 6wins, 4 losses, .938sv%, 2.11 GAA
Curtis McBackup - 2wins, 1 loss, .953sv%, 1.53 GAA
My guess - some guys had gotten a little too comfortable. When fighting for jobs next year, it's amazing what a little motivation will do.
Will it last? Who knows. But it's fun to watch for the time being.
Questions for next year (sorry Pierre Dorion- I'm no scout, but I think you might be a little too optimistic)
Will Jared be ready to play with men? Will Rundblad be able to play on the "small ice"? And for 82 games? Will the kids mentioned above keep it up when the games mean something? Will there be the sophomore jinx?
I doubt the kid(s) they draft will be ready to play right away, and why should he (they)?
Will Anderson sign here? And if so, what version of him will we get? And do we sign McBackup, or does Lehner get a shot?
And finally, will Alfie be back?
Nik, what are your thoughts?
JL
JL
ReplyDeleteAlfie will be back as "Rocco's" Captain and helper but not line mate.
The young DFENCE will be known as "JC" and the "Swedes"!
Anderson, "the rock", shall be our goalie with another Swede as back up.
Next year we start slow and just build momentum to the playoffs...we are not dominant yet but we'll be there!
Thanks for the stats JL. Interesting to see. Now most of these guys were picked up as depth players and may not be playing much. So ice time might be a factor, but I also think they were getting too comfortable, and too un-coach-able in Ottawa.
ReplyDeleteGood signing of Anderson today. Let's hope this guy breaks the goalie curse the Sens seem to have on them...
Go Sens.
It is great to read the somewhat more optimistic postings and comments (although I can find plenty of negativity elsewhere with respect to Anderson's term). I'm pretty sure I can find a post or two where Nik feared Rocco might be done and that he was wasted on the PK, and I was afraid that Nik was right. Now, not so much.
ReplyDeleteI don't think the backup will be the Swede unless there is another one I'm not thinking of.
You forgot Greening & Condra -- I think they should definitely be there.
ReplyDeleteButler & Greening are with Spezza now against the other team's top lines and they are contributing.
I really don't believe they need that UFA top 6 this off-season. Let the young guys play.. and if Sens do feel a need for a UFA go after one in 2012 -- there will be better ones available than the 2011 offseason. This team may compete for the playoffs next season.. but there is no Cup in the next few years... so go young all the way.
@Sandy:
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Loving the play of these two guys. They are not afraid to get in the "dirty" zones. Both big bodies and good sisters. Hard to get off the puck. I would like to tip my hat to Kurt Kleinendorst in Bingo. He's done a he'll of a job with that team, and in getting these kids ready for the 'big show'.
JL
The flyers now have 7 guys with 20 goals. We don't and won't have one. We are so far from being a contender it's embarassing. And people are excited about winning games that only make our long term even more bleak. Man, I love this country and I love this game, but there's a reason why a canadian team hasn't won the cup in 20 years.
ReplyDeletepg
@pg:
ReplyDeleteI think you might not be taking injuries into consideration. Alfie, Spezza and, Michalek all out for part of the season (GP - 54, 58, & 62 respectively). Otherwise, I agree - not a lot of finishers. Regin disappeared (sophmore jinx), Foligno probably will never amount to be a 20 goal scorer. Some of these new kids have promise (Butler, Greening, Condra), but they have been playing with Spezza. No Spezza, not a lot of production out of these guys. When games mean something next year, it will be interesting to see how they react.
The window on the Flyers is closing - the cap will catch up to them. Leino most likely gone. Versteeg and JVR the year after.
I disagree about the late "push" - this year's draft is a crap shoot. We don't need Larsson, and the forwards all have question marks - no Crosby, Ovechkin, Stamkos this year. Even last year, Hall was suppose to be "The Thing", and Skinner (picked 7th) has had a better year (better team, better teammates maybe). But still a crap shoot.
Besides which, a low dollar, and higher taxes kept a lot of good players away from Canadian teams for a long time.
JL
This years draft is as strong as any in the past 5-6 years excluding the 08 from what I hear. RNH looks to be an elite centre. Landeskog is drawing comparisons to richards. Larsson is allegedly better than lidstrom at the same age with a bigger frame. Any team could have made room for lidstrom no matter what their situation. Strome and Huberdeau have serious game-breaker potential and put butts in seats. Couturier has slipped despite being the only guy to make the junior team and didn't disappoint. Murphy could be a point-per-game defenseman in the nhl. The more options you have when picking out of these guys the better. When you pick first overall, you also pick 31st, 61st, etc... You have a better chance of getting better than all the other teams EVERY round, not just in the first.
ReplyDeleteIf the 2010 draft were held now, after all these guys had played a year in the NHL (ridiculous of course, but bear with me), the Oil would still have taken Hall. Every team in the league would have. And he was on pace for 28 goals playing for by far the worst team in the league. But they won't be for long, they're rebuilding the right way.
pg