What do the Sens Do/Need?

[jonf]

not sure about that. They're still trying to make the playoffs. If they could have re-signed him now, they would have. You never know though

[3Jack]

Eklund is telling me that we just picked up Torres.


That aside (as its still just a rumour), the scary thing is that everybody around us in the standings is making big moves to improve their team. I do NOT want to play the Pens at this point with Roberts and Laraque to back up their young guns. They are a scary team right now. And the Sabres appear to have picked up Nolan...say what you will, he's still dangerous.

That Eklund guy has lost it.

[davevandyk]

We gave up a 2nd round pick for Saprykin - we should have paid the 1st round pick price for Roberts if that is really all it would have taken to get him.......there are no real 'Can't miss' prospects this year so what the heck......

Mucks get a D+ on his performance from me this year.......another skilled Euro???? Come on

Sometimes the best moves are the ones you don't make. Look at Nashville, they pick up argueably one of the best players in the league, when healthy and they have been sliding since then. Not saying its his fault, but sometimes a guy who on paper could help you, isn't work disrupting the chemistry of the team. Tell me where you would have put Roberts in the line-up? 3rd line player, or who would you have moved to the 3rd line to put him on the 2nd?

[Shivas Irons]

I do NOT want to play the Pens at this point with Roberts and Laraque to back up their young guns. They are a scary team right now.

Agreed. Of all the deals made, I think this one will have the biggest impact of any. With Laraque around Malkin & Crosby should be able to pretty much free-wheel with no fear. Look out for the Pens.

[jonf]

Update on what the sens need to do: Fire Muckler as quickly as possible.

[sensfan63]

Update on what the sens need to do: Fire Muckler as quickly as possible.

Coaches and GMs are generally measured by the team's level of success or failure. Put aside last year's loss to Buffalo, it's over and done.

So, we must look ahead to the remaining 20 or so games and (hopefully) the subequent playoff run. The Sens' season is not even close to being over yet, and I would like to see a comparison to other teams' records in the last, let's say, 35 games. My bet is that Ottawa is VERY close to the top.

I agree that should the Sens not get at least to the conference finals, then Muckler probably should leave, Murray should become GM, and Paddock, who I hear the players love, become the coach.

It's amazing to me that the Sens, who have played REALLY good hockey lately, get very little credit for wins, yet when they lose (one regulation loss in ten games) get lambasted for said loss. I can't remember the last time that Ottawa played a game, won it, and the after-game comments from media and fans were overwhelmingly positive. It's like it's never good enough. Emery let in a soft goal. Spezza missed his check coming back. Alfreddson has (had) funny hair and isn't Canadian. And the losses...geez...Example, the Buffalo shootout loss..."Why can't we beat a team with 6 regulars out? We suck!" Buffalo is the best team in the Eastern Conference, has been all year. One loss to them and the sky falls? What's our record against them this year? Think it's 5-2-1, or something close to that. Wow, they kill us every time.

What strikes me is that we've never won anything. Why the OVERWHELMING expectations? Why the cross out on the front lawn to crucify Muckler? Of course fans want to win. So does Muckler, so do the players. The Sens did an awful lot during the offseason to overhaul their roster, a lot of it to assuage the salary cap issues. Gerber hasn't worked out, but Emery has surprised me with how good he's been. Plus he has the experience of last year's playoffs. So we're good there. Gerber is now a serviceable backup, and he's won a lot of his games lately.

So they're playing well lately, getting good goaltending, got Comrie and some depth players...too early to fire Muckler. Let's wait and see what happens. Only one team wins, and usually it's the one with great chemistry, read: didn't make the desperate move at the deadline.

Go Sens Go!

[jeffc]

well said....Sens fans are always critical but I think it comes from a lack of playoff success despite a highly skilled team for 5-6 years.

They are 19-7 since christmas, outstanding hockey and one of the best records in the league over that time.

[jonf]

Coaches and GMs are generally measured by the team's level of success or failure. Put aside last year's loss to Buffalo, it's over and done.

So, we must look ahead to the remaining 20 or so games and (hopefully) the subequent playoff run. The Sens' season is not even close to being over yet, and I would like to see a comparison to other teams' records in the last, let's say, 35 games. My bet is that Ottawa is VERY close to the top.

I agree that should the Sens not get at least to the conference finals, then Muckler probably should leave, Murray should become GM, and Paddock, who I hear the players love, become the coach.

It's amazing to me that the Sens, who have played REALLY good hockey lately, get very little credit for wins, yet when they lose (one regulation loss in ten games) get lambasted for said loss. I can't remember the last time that Ottawa played a game, won it, and the after-game comments from media and fans were overwhelmingly positive. It's like it's never good enough. Emery let in a soft goal. Spezza missed his check coming back. Alfreddson has (had) funny hair and isn't Canadian. And the losses...geez...Example, the Buffalo shootout loss..."Why can't we beat a team with 6 regulars out? We suck!" Buffalo is the best team in the Eastern Conference, has been all year. One loss to them and the sky falls? What's our record against them this year? Think it's 5-2-1, or something close to that. Wow, they kill us every time.

What strikes me is that we've never won anything. Why the OVERWHELMING expectations? Why the cross out on the front lawn to crucify Muckler? Of course fans want to win. So does Muckler, so do the players. The Sens did an awful lot during the offseason to overhaul their roster, a lot of it to assuage the salary cap issues. Gerber hasn't worked out, but Emery has surprised me with how good he's been. Plus he has the experience of last year's playoffs. So we're good there. Gerber is now a serviceable backup, and he's won a lot of his games lately.

So they're playing well lately, getting good goaltending, got Comrie and some depth players...too early to fire Muckler. Let's wait and see what happens. Only one team wins, and usually it's the one with great chemistry, read: didn't make the desperate move at the deadline.

Go Sens Go!

Actually, my judgement is not based on results at all. It's based on the moves that he has and hasn't made. Letting Chara go was never a good idea. He has had years to fill the void by picking up some experienced power forwards..hasn't done it. Gerber. I really don't care if they win the Cup this year, I still think he has to go. He's afraid to pull the trigger and make moves that will help his team.

[3Jack]

Actually, my judgement is not based on results at all. It's based on the moves that he has and hasn't made. Letting Chara go was never a good idea. He has had years to fill the void by picking up some experienced power forwards..hasn't done it. Gerber. I really don't care if they win the Cup this year, I still think he has to go. He's afraid to pull the trigger and make moves that will help his team.

Chara doesn't have the Bruins in a playoff position - he may not be the difference maker many of thought he was.

We have one of the best power forwards in the league - see Dany Heatley.

Gerber hasn't be good. However, I'd rather have him as the back up than Morrison as we did last year.

Sometimes the best moves you make are the ones you don't make.

(I can't believe I'm defending Muckler, but I think judgements are only fair once the season is complete).

[jonf]

I don't care where Chara has the Bruins. I care about the difference NOT having him has made to OUR defence. Ottawa looks mediocre at best on their good defensive nights. They can't clear the front of the net, and get stuck runing around their own zone. What Chara is doing in Boston is irrelevant. What he and Redden aren't doing in Ottawa is what's important. Dany Heatley is a power forward, but he's not the experience gritty power forward we have been looking for. The playoffs is a different game, and nobody on the sens know how to play it.

The problem with judging once the season complete is that then it is too late. After a few seasons, he has yet to go out and get the one thing everybody who knows anything about hockey has been saying Ottawa needs. There is consensus among hockey minds that the Sens lack the gritty, physical, experienced power forward that is crucial to any stanley cup run, and he still hasn't gone out to get that player. That alone is enought to tell me that we've got the wrong man running the show.

[jeffc]

Chara was exposed in the playoffs as being a tad slow. The sens have the 2nd best Goals Against in the east. Not too shabby. They also have the best record in the league since Christmas. They have the guy that leads the league in hits (Neil) and the guy that leads the league in blocked shots and combined hits/blocked shots (Volchenkov). They have the highest scoring defense in the league. They have the 2nd highest offense in the east.

The playoffs will be the test, but this team has overcome adversity early in the year when everyone was ready to write them off after 20 games.

[Mattchew]

couldnt have said it better Jeff....Ottawa has a much more "Complete" team this year...
In the past Ottawa did not win a cup because they didnt have a "Leader" they were beat out because of goaltending! a couple of key saves against Buffalo and it may have gone a different way.

[spackler]

What the Sens honestly need is for their fans to stop acting like chicken little, every move or non-move is a harbinger of doom in this town. Getting Comrie well before the deadline, filling a need in time that the player can mesh with the team, shows me that Muckler has learned from past mistakes (Arnason). Chris Neil is one of the best 'gritty' forwards in the league, they didn't need Roberts.

The playoffs are a crapshoot no matter how loaded the team is. The Sens have scoring depth, an excellent 3rd line, very good special teams, a mobile defensive core, and Emery seems capable of not just providing solid goaltending, but also leadership from the nets. They're getting hot at the right time, why not sit back and enjoy the ride?

[jeffc]

Ditto.

[jonf]

couldnt have said it better Jeff....Ottawa has a much more "Complete" team this year...
In the past Ottawa did not win a cup because they didnt have a "Leader" they were beat out because of goaltending! a couple of key saves against Buffalo and it may have gone a different way.

I don't see how you can call the sens more complete this year. Their defence is not as strong as it has been in the past. You cannot just look at the nice stats like Volchenkov's blocked shots. You also have to watch how they play, and consider things like giveaways at the blue line resulting in goals, which there are a lot of, and the quality of play in front of the net. Sens fans always have, and still are getting caught up in stats. Stats don't win series. Ottawa has been a league leader in most statistical categories most years...but it doesn't get them anywhere Their offence is roaring along, but I remember that after game 1 against buffalo the sens couldn't score a goal if their life depended on it. As for goaltending, I have all the confidence in the world in Emery. But I look at it, and I like the team from last year better. I'm not saying that they can't win, or that they won't win, but Muckler should have done more to improve his team. They have obvious weaknesses, and they have not been addressed.

[sensfan63]

I don't see how you can call the sens more complete this year. Their defence is not as strong as it has been in the past. You cannot just look at the nice stats like Volchenkov's blocked shots. You also have to watch how they play, and consider things like giveaways at the blue line resulting in goals, which there are a lot of, and the quality of play in front of the net. Sens fans always have, and still are getting caught up in stats. Stats don't win series. Ottawa has been a league leader in most statistical categories most years...but it doesn't get them anywhere Their offence is roaring along, but I remember that after game 1 against buffalo the sens couldn't score a goal if their life depended on it. As for goaltending, I have all the confidence in the world in Emery. But I look at it, and I like the team from last year better. I'm not saying that they can't win, or that they won't win, but Muckler should have done more to improve his team. They have obvious weaknesses, and they have not been addressed.

Every team has obvious weaknesses, that's what happens in the salary cap era. Just getting in the playoffs allows a team to compete for the Cup. See Edmonton last year. The years of "dynasties" are unfortunately over.

[jonf]

I'm not looking for a dynasty...but currently Ottawa has a dynasty of failures. The year they make a run like Edmonton, I'll be happy. But we don't have enough of the grit players that led Edmonton to the cup. Every team will always have weaknesses, Ottawa is no exception. But it is inexcusable to have the same debilitating weekness for years on end. I can't make it any clearer, and with that, I'm done.

[3Jack]

Jon, I think we all appreciate your passion for the Sens, but I do think you've got tunnel vision when it comes to your outlook on things... the fact of the matter is that there aren't many teams with more than one power forward. If you want Muckler to go out and get another power forward (someone who scores goals on a consistent basis, someone who is a big body presence, someone who is willing to drop the gloves - aka - a Cam Neely type) - I gotta tell ya that there just aren't that many of them out there - and the teams who have this type of player aren't willing to give that player up without you giving them something substantial in return.

I too have been frustrated with the Senators in the past and their inability to get it done when it counts - at playoff time. I truly believe that the reason they haven't been able to get it done comes down to two things - lack of elite goaltending and lack of timely goal scoring - certainly not a lack of grit.

Don't forget, at the end of the day, Edmonton didn't win the cup last year - the we're merely the first loser among 29 others. Instead, a team not unlike Ottawa ended up riding hot goaltending and timely scoring to victory.

[jeffc]

as well, look at Edmonton this year.....they will not make the playoffs....

[larry]

The Sens have as good or better chance of going to the stanley cup this year as any team in the league. If they stay healthy and get solid goaltending, I would make them the favourites in the east. (Although New Jersy does concern me) The Sens have learned to play the new style NHL game. They can grind it out or free wheel. This team is better suited for the playoffs than any Sens team yet.

[Colby]

The Sens will go as far as the defence will carry them. Redden and Mezarjos (sp?) have been struggling lately, Phillips and Volchenkov are strong and Priessing and Corvo in the 5/6 spot are solid with Corvo playing much better of late.

[sensfan63]

The Sens will go as far as the defence will carry them. Redden and Mezarjos (sp?) have been struggling lately, Phillips and Volchenkov are strong and Priessing and Corvo in the 5/6 spot are solid with Corvo playing much better of late.

well said, Colby. Everyone likes to hate on Corvo and Preissing, but as 5 and 6 men, they've actually been pretty good lately. All you can ask them to do is not get scored on and contribute offensively...well, Corvo has rebounded from being in the +/- hole and is now zero, and Preissing is at 33. Not bad.

The weakness lately is Redden and Mezaros, I can definitely see Redden pulling it together, but this was about the same time last year that Mezaros started fading.

[Big Johnny69]

I am a Sens fan as well and I have to agree with Jon some things. On most nights Ottawa has been rather terrible in their own end. Be it the lack of Chara or not, but more times than not they end up running around in their own end. Does anyone remember that shoot out loss to Buffalo?? With some better end zone puck pressure and positional play that game never even gets to OT or the SO. Ottawa wins handily. Then in the rematch, same thing. If it wasn't for the time expiring at the end of a period that game could go to OT or a SO. Ottawa is just too scrambly in their own end this year. Not sure what it is, but they have to fix that, and fix it soon. If not, even a team like Pittsburgh (if that's who they meet in the first round) could easily eliminate them. Less chasing and more positional in their own end would do wonders for them.

And as for the power forward debate, I'm glad Muckler didn't get Roberts. Too slow and fragile at this point in his career. Neil is much more effective. But Oleg Saprykin was not that great of a pick up either. I would've taken the chance on Kyle Calder off of waivers. More grit and scoring potetial in my books then Saprykin. But only time will tell if Muckler's tweaks will make the difference.

[Big Johnny69]

After last night's third period, they definately need some motivation. Flat, flat and more flat.

[Barnie]

Hmm once again Ottawa has one of the best teams in the NHL and all that we can do is complain. Personally I don't want to see a big move made (especially for the aging Roberts) if it will sacrifice the teams future. Knowing Ottawa fans if the Sens don't produce a top tier team they won't sell tickets to the games and then we'll have to sit through the "Will we lose our team" bit again.

Also when the heck did Gerber become a bad goalie? He had a rough start to the season (as well as the rest of the entire Sens lineup) but when he actually has gotten a chance in the second half of the season he's been on fire. I think Gerber is .945 in his laft few starts one being a shutout. If you take away his rough start Gerber has some very solid numbers. Not to mention why we even have him in the first place... everyone in this city was complaining that Emery didn't have what it takes when we got put out last playoffs! Personally I love having Gerber right now as a very solid number 2 goaltender.. A good backup goaltender can make all the difference towards winning the cup.

P.S. How can you keep Chara at 7+ million a year? The same guys who complain we lost him are the same guys who complained that we needed a new goalie. There is only a limited amount of cash out there guys There's a little something called a salary cap.

[jeffc]

well said barnie. Gerber has been solid in his last 10 outings.....heck if he keeps playing like that, we might be able to get something for him in the offseason.

[jonf]

Hmm once again Ottawa has one of the best teams in the NHL and all that we can do is complain. Personally I don't want to see a big move made (especially for the aging Roberts) if it will sacrifice the teams future. Knowing Ottawa fans if the Sens don't produce a top tier team they won't sell tickets to the games and then we'll have to sit through the "Will we lose our team" bit again.

Also when the heck did Gerber become a bad goalie? He had a rough start to the season (as well as the rest of the entire Sens lineup) but when he actually has gotten a chance in the second half of the season he's been on fire. I think Gerber is .945 in his laft few starts one being a shutout. If you take away his rough start Gerber has some very solid numbers. Not to mention why we even have him in the first place... everyone in this city was complaining that Emery didn't have what it takes when we got put out last playoffs! Personally I love having Gerber right now as a very solid number 2 goaltender.. A good backup goaltender can make all the difference towards winning the cup.

P.S. How can you keep Chara at 7+ million a year? The same guys who complain we lost him are the same guys who complained that we needed a new goalie. There is only a limited amount of cash out there guys There's a little something called a salary cap.

K, I lied when I said I was done.

You say that you want to have a good team next year. Fair enough. If that is the prevailing attitude (which unfortunately it appears to be), then there is not much I'm going to do to convince you otherwise. In my mind, however, the goal of every team should be to do everything possible to win the Stanley Cup, and the sens are not doing that. If you want to compete every year but never have a real legitimate shot at the Cup, then the Sens are travelling the perfect road. I, however, am not satisfied with that, especially when management is not giving the coaches and players the necessary tools to win.

Gerber became a bad goalie after he had 1 good season, got paid too much money as a free agent, and came in to a situation where he couldn't stop a beach ball for a month. He is recovering, but he's still letting in weak goals...the team is just playing better in front of him.

Some complained that we needed a new goalie last year. I seem to recall saying that Emery had a good future ahead of him and proved himself a worthy starter in the playoffs, keeping us in it even though the team couldn't score a goal to save their lives.

You can keep Chara at 7 plus because he is a much better defenceman than Wade Redden, more valuable to the team, and irreplacable. If anyone was to go, it should have been Redden. Also, if you don't sign Gerber, you've got few extra million to spend.

[3Jack]

I think one of the biggest unmentioned reasons why Muckler, nor any GM before him has truly 'gone for it' at the trade deadline, is that there is an general feeling in this town that we won't support a team that isn't winning in the regular season. So, if Ottawa were to throw caution to the wind and mortgage its future on one run for the Cup - even if successful - this town wouldn't put up with / support with bums in seats, with two to three years of mediocrity.

Many of us would welcome a big move at the deadline to shore up precieved weaknesses, but an equal or great number would turn their backs on the team during the lean years that would / may follow - risking the very presence of this team in this town.

[fundonny]

Any team can catch lightning in the playoffs and make the run. The team that makes the most moves doesn't automatically win guys. Wait and see what happens.

[jonf]

I think one of the biggest unmentioned reasons why Muckler, nor any GM before him has truly 'gone for it' at the trade deadline, is that there is an general feeling in this town that we won't support a team that isn't winning in the regular season. So, if Ottawa were to throw caution to the wind and mortgage its future on one run for the Cup - even if successful - this town wouldn't put up with / support with bums in seats, with two to three years of mediocrity.

Many of us would welcome a big move at the deadline to shore up precieved weaknesses, but an equal or great number would turn their backs on the team during the lean years that would / may follow - risking the very presence of this team in this town.

I don't see how making one or two moves constitutes mortgaging the future. I don't want them to go out there and get rid of three young prospects and 4 draft picks, but I'd be happy to see them make a move here and there. A roster player for a roster player, a pick for a player, etc. Sometimes you do have to give something up to get something in return.

And Donny, I agree, they cannot be counted out. I still think that, apart from Buffalo, they are the favourite in the east. But could Muckler have done more to help his team? Yes, he could have, and in my mind, he has an obligation to do so.