2008 NHL Playoffs - GO SENS GO

[Indio]

Now you know how Bugsy feels.

Wouldn't that make me her gladiator?

[LobWedge]

Alright, I'll be the first to say it. OUCH! To give up a goal like that to start the 3rd period before the ice was even dry, and then 2 defenders let Staal go right to the net. The Sens coughed that one up big time.

[Hacker]

Now the rumour mill and the Sens Haters will go into full gear............

If the Sens are swept does Murray keep his job??

[LobWedge]

Now the rumour mill and the Sens Haters will go into full gear............

If the Sens are swept does Murray keep his job??

By rights he should be the next to go, but I think he'll stay. He should have stepped in when things started to go south in the dressing room back in December, but he's still a good hockey man. The Dalai Lama couldn't heal the team the way it is now.

[rezadue]

Melnyk has already stated that Murray will be back regardless of what happens in the playoffs this year...

Now the rumour mill and the Sens Haters will go into full gear............

If the Sens are swept does Murray keep his job??

[rezadue]

Well said.

By rights he should be the next to go, but I think he'll stay. He should have stepped in when things started to go south in the dressing room back in December, but he's still a good hockey man. The Dalai Lama couldn't heal the team the way it is now.

[spackler]

Now the rumour mill and the Sens Haters will go into full gear............

If the Sens are swept does Murray keep his job??

Nah. They need to take a break, rest up over the offseason and get healthy for a run next year. Hire a new coach (can't see Murray pulling double duty again), figure out the goalie situation, shore up the defense, and hope guys like Foligno, Bass, Lee, etc., are able to contribute a full season next year.

[LobWedge]

Nah. They need to take a break, rest up over the offseason and get healthy for a run next year. Hire a new coach (can't see Murray pulling double duty again), figure out the goalie situation, shore up the defense, and hope guys like Foligno, Bass, Lee, etc., are able to contribute a full season next year.

Exactly. Too many key injuries, and too much going on behind the scenes. The injuries will heal over the summer, and management will take care of the personnel issues for sure. The kids they brought up from Bingo this year have a bright future with the team. It's time for a bit of a rebuild.

[Nat Williams]

Definitely not impressed with the little 'show' that was put on before the Sens game.

Saw it live, it was weird, and during commercial breaks he kept coming back up on the big screen.

IMO they need to get rid of him.

As for the game, we played our hearts out period 1...and couldn't score. And as it seems to be w/ us recently, when we try and can't get it done we give up / slow down, and the toher team picks it up and takes advantage.

I know a lot of people are cursing the refs and beleive me I was right in there w/ the Bull chant at the game...I do feel Pittsburgh got the ligther end. Esp. w/ in situations that could have easily been 4 on 4, the sens always managed an extra 2 mins. But in the defense of the game, and comign from a sens fan, we did deserve the penalties we got, and taking too many penalties is a sign of a team that can't keep up and/or can't get their ducks in a line. Why we took so many penalties while on the attack is beyond me.

As a loyal sens fan, I say sens in 7, but i'm not holding my breathe if they keep playing like this.

[Baxter]

I thought the start of the game was ok...Hey, they tried something different to get the people going, hoping the players would get going off the fans yelling and screaming...They should have done at the start of every period....That 1st period looked like the Sens of old in control, good back checking, no turn overs and no give aways...than they scored and it fell apart...that was strange to me....

[jonf]

First of all, the series isn't over. Apart from 2 minutes, that was an even game. It ain't over yet.

Second, we have to realize that no team can expect to make the finals or contend for the finals every year. The true test of the Sens organization will be what they can do next year. Though obviously they need to make changes, to react to one rough season by dismantling the structure of one of the top teams in the league would be foolishness.

Third, we need to do what we didn't do last year. We have a great GM, who has managed to make trades for necessary parts (though some haven't worked out perfectly), and who has, more importantly, signed the core players on this team to long term contracts. It would be folly to fire a man who is improving this team, day in, day out.

That said, coaching is an issue for the Sens. Last year they promoted in house. Paddock earned his shot, in some ways. At the same time, we made the cup final, and yet downgraded our coach. We went from a winning coach to an unproven coach. In retrospect, that is a foolish decision. When you're at the top of the game, downgrading your coach is about a foolish a thing as you could do. The Sens should have shopped around to find the absolute best coach available. They should definitely make that their top priority now.

Boot Redden, and use that 6 million to bring in two solid, non-flashy, defensively sound defenseman. That was Ottawa's biggest downfall.

See if Meszaros can be traded for a third line winger. This will free up forwards to push a winger like Foligno up to the second while keeping some skill on the third line. Meszaros is a defensive liability, which is the last thing Ottawa needs.

We must remember that, although Ottawa is often faulted for its lack of secondary scoring, we are still one of the top offenses in the league. The real problem is that our offense cannot keep up with our porrous defense. Plug the massive holes at the back and our less than stellar second line will soon be carrying its offensive load.

[Hacker]

If he stays, Murray has a LOT of work to do in the off-season. We need at least 2 quality top 4 defensemen and a couple of solid two-way forwards who can play at both ends of the rink notch 25-30 goals and drop the mitts when the need arises.

He MUST deal with the Goalie situation ASAP and get to the bottom of what "spoiled" the room.

But the biggest issue IMO is the coaching situation. We need a solid NHL coach with a proven track record. I don't think this team or this city can handle a Rookie coach regardless of what he's done in the minors etc. I keep hearing names like Randy Cunneyworth and Dale Hunter coming up but I for one think that would be a mistake. I'd like to see a Pat Burns type come in here so that the players all know who is calling the shots - Can you see Pat putting up with Emery's crap??

[golfisforfun]

A while ago in another thread I said the Sens have a serious lack of talent. I think it is fairly obvious now. Last year they had a good start and were .500 for the last half of the year I believe.

This year, well, we all know how well they did. 4th worst since Christmas!!!

They have added older, slower players with less skill. It is great to have a good solid line of hard-working checkers, but not 3 lines!!!

Not long ago the Sens had Redden, Corvo, Preissing who could all move the pcuk out of the end. They got rid of 2 out of 3 and the 3rd is not far behind.

The Sens farm system is bad!!! They do not seem to have many options at all to call up, other than more hard-working role players like Bass and Foligno.

Murray should be fired as GM. He brought in all the role players with less skill. He signed Emery to a long-term deal. He traded away Corvo, the only skill defenceman that worked hard and added some offensive help. He made the team older and slower with every move he made.

Everyone thinks the players have given up, or have bad attitudes... Maybe the players realize they just are not good enough to compete.

Time to blow it all up and start over.

[leftylucas]

Spezza has got to go, he is a tremendous offensive talent but is 100% one sided, he has no defensive abilities and has no desire to improve them. He was directly responsible for many of the goals in the last few games comiing off his turnovers. He is a turnover machine and last night let his man go to the net for the 3rd goal. When I heard that he may be out for the 3rd game I was quite happy and thought that we had a chance. As soon as I heard "the good news" that he would play I knew it was the end. The only good news about his being there was from a Pittsburgh point of view. He is awful. I watched and I think he turns the puck over almost every single shift. It would be insteresting to see his minus without the plus side to see how many times he was on the ice for a Pitt goal.

The rest of the team needs a good shake up and this summer will be a busy one for Mr. Murray. Please. please hire Pat Burns, this team needs a good kick in the arse.

[davevandyk]

on another note, did you see the crowd in Calgary? WOW talk about red. near the beginning of the game there was a shot of the crowd in the top left corner, every single member of the crowd had a flames jersey on, looked like they gave them away or something, it was unbelievable, talk about the best fans in the league, hands down!!

That was a fantastic game, and what a hit!!!!

let me tell you man, i have been to a few Flames games when i visit family and their crowd is like that for regular season games, not just the playoffs. They don't need to "rev up the red" come playoff time, they are doing it from game 1 of the season.

[davevandyk]

Spezza has got to go, he is a tremendous offensive talent but is 100% one sided, he has no defensive abilities and has no desire to improve them. He was directly responsible for many of the goals in the last few games comiing off his turnovers. He is a turnover machine and last night let his man go to the net for the 3rd goal. When I heard that he may be out for the 3rd game I was quite happy and thought that we had a chance. As soon as I heard "the good news" that he would play I knew it was the end. The only good news about his being there was from a Pittsburgh point of view. He is awful. I watched and I think he turns the puck over almost every single shift. It would be insteresting to see his minus without the plus side to see how many times he was on the ice for a Pitt goal.

Unfortunately the turnovers come with the territory of having a skilled player with good hands. Do you know who was first in turnovers this year?... say it aint so Joe Thorton! You see Spezza every night so you think he's the worst, but all the good players turn the puck over a lot because they are touching the puck a lot!

[davevandyk]

But the biggest issue IMO is the coaching situation. We need a solid NHL coach with a proven track record. I don't think this team or this city can handle a Rookie coach regardless of what he's done in the minors etc. I keep hearing names like Randy Cunneyworth and Dale Hunter coming up but I for one think that would be a mistake. I'd like to see a Pat Burns type come in here so that the players all know who is calling the shots - Can you see Pat putting up with Emery's crap??

Dare i say... Paul Maurice once the leafs can him?! I think he is a real good coach who just didn't have the horses for the race. There is speculation that the leafs are gonna fire him once the new GM is hired and i think he would be a great coach with a team of skilled players.

[Big Johnny69]

If he stays, Murray has a LOT of work to do in the off-season. We need at least 2 quality top 4 defensemen and a couple of solid two-way forwards who can play at both ends of the rink notch 25-30 goals and drop the mitts when the need arises.

He MUST deal with the Goalie situation ASAP and get to the bottom of what "spoiled" the room.

But the biggest issue IMO is the coaching situation. We need a solid NHL coach with a proven track record. I don't think this team or this city can handle a Rookie coach regardless of what he's done in the minors etc. I keep hearing names like Randy Cunneyworth and Dale Hunter coming up but I for one think that would be a mistake. I'd like to see a Pat Burns type come in here so that the players all know who is calling the shots - Can you see Pat putting up with Emery's crap??

Good luck on filling all of those needs, let alone one. If the Sens get one of those positions filled it would be incredible. Probably the hardest things to come by in the NHL, especially the wingers.

[dbleber]

Not sure why Ottawa didn't give Elliot or Glass a shot. Maybe one of them would have stepped it up like price.

I think Alfie is an awsome captain and he showed a lot of heart last night stepping in when he wasn't 100%. The team is just having serious chemistry troubles and I'me sure it will get sorted out by next year. Murray is a great hockey guy and GM and even though his trades didn't work out, they made sense on paper. Pretty hard to predict how guys will fit into an already crappy environment.

[LobWedge]

The main problem is that unless they can trade Emery, he's not going anywhere until after next year. He still has 2 years left on his deal, and they won't buy that out because $3.5M of the remaining $6.75M will count against next year's cap. Unfortunately, Gerber will go before Emery does.

[Colby]

Not sure why Ottawa didn't give Elliot or Glass a shot. Maybe one of them would have stepped it up like price.

I think Alfie is an awsome captain and he showed a lot of heart last night stepping in when he wasn't 100%. The team is just having serious chemistry troubles and I'me sure it will get sorted out by next year. Murray is a great hockey guy and GM and even though his trades didn't work out, they made sense on paper. Pretty hard to predict how guys will fit into an already crappy environment.

How were they going to play any better than Gerber. Hopefully they can get rid of Emery and one of the young guys can move up as the backup. Gerber plays well when he is the guy.

[PEI Golfing]

Emery is gone..............Reliable sources.........
Good ridance..........

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports buying out Ray Emery wouldn't be as expensive an option for the Senators as originally believed. Garrioch cites Section 13 of the CBA, whereby only players over 26 can be bought out at two-thirds the remaining value of their existing contracts. Emery doesn't turn 26 until September and if the Senators opt to buy him out during the buyout period of 15-30 June, he'd only be eligible to receive one-third of the remaining value of his contract. That would be $2.25 million, which spread over twice the remaining tenure of his contract breaks down to $562,500 per season over four seasons.

[davevandyk]

Emery is gone..............Reliable sources.........
Good ridance..........

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports buying out Ray Emery wouldn't be as expensive an option for the Senators as originally believed. Garrioch cites Section 13 of the CBA, whereby only players over 26 can be bought out at two-thirds the remaining value of their existing contracts. Emery doesn't turn 26 until September and if the Senators opt to buy him out during the buyout period of 15-30 June, he'd only be eligible to receive one-third of the remaining value of his contract. That would be $2.25 million, which spread over twice the remaining tenure of his contract breaks down to $562,500 per season over four seasons.

finally some good news in Sensland! Thanks for brightening my day

[byerxa]

A while ago in another thread I said the Sens have a serious lack of talent. I think it is fairly obvious now. Last year they had a good start and were .500 for the last half of the year I believe.

This year, well, we all know how well they did. 4th worst since Christmas!!!

They have added older, slower players with less skill. It is great to have a good solid line of hard-working checkers, but not 3 lines!!!

Not long ago the Sens had Redden, Corvo, Preissing who could all move the pcuk out of the end. They got rid of 2 out of 3 and the 3rd is not far behind.

The Sens farm system is bad!!! They do not seem to have many options at all to call up, other than more hard-working role players like Bass and Foligno.

Murray should be fired as GM. He brought in all the role players with less skill. He signed Emery to a long-term deal. He traded away Corvo, the only skill defenceman that worked hard and added some offensive help. He made the team older and slower with every move he made.

Everyone thinks the players have given up, or have bad attitudes... Maybe the players realize they just are not good enough to compete.

Time to blow it all up and start over.

I completely disagree. Last year when the Sens started off poorly and were out of the playoffs I asked the exact same questions about a lack of talent. But once the team gelled they were way above .500 in the second half and tore through the East to get to the Cup final. Murray is a good hockey guy and essentially built that Anaheim team. His mistake this year was letting Paddock go to far with the Emery fiasco. Also, I don't think the team was managed properly in terms of conserving energy for the playoffs and have burnt out. This year is a write off but I bet they come back to their usual position next year.

[golfisforfun]

The defence is bad. Next year, you will have Phillips, Meszaros, Volchenkov and Lee. Redden and Commodore will probably be gone. You need 2-3 NHL quality defencemen to fill those spots and they have to be skill defenceman. NOT MANY OF THOSE AVAILABLE

They need a #1 goalie and the play of the "kids" in Bingo was not very promising this year. Even the coaches said it!!!

So poor defence, poor goaltending and only 1 scoring line means a scary future

[Baxter]

The defence is bad. Next year, you will have Phillips, Meszaros, Volchenkov and Lee. Redden and Commodore will probably be gone. You need 2-3 NHL quality defencemen to fill those spots and they have to be skill defenceman. NOT MANY OF THOSE AVAILABLE

They need a #1 goalie and the play of the "kids" in Bingo was not very promising this year. Even the coaches said it!!!

So poor defence, poor goaltending and only 1 scoring line means a scary future

I don't see the future as being this bad for the Sens...For the fun of it...Lets nothing is done with Redden for now and Commodore just leaves...That would make Meszaros the weak LINK....Now I have never seen Schubert play full time defence..Is he any good to be full time D man..I would think he has to be when he is used on the PK..He looks good to me but like I said I have never seen him doing the job full time. So if he is good to move back full time than the team only needs to find one D man...Maybe Campbell from the Sharks..He will be a free agent. If it was my Team and I had to make the call. I would try and move or buy out Meszaros..Sign Campbell to a 5 year deal at 7 million a year and than see if Redden will stay at 4.5 or a little more.

Redden & Volchenkov
Philips & Lee
Campbell & Schubert

If this was there Line-up... It would bring Offence and good defence....
I want the job...

That's not a bad out look for a Team's D...I will need a little time to go over the Forward Free Agents to see what is out there. But that defence is good for either scoring or setting up a goal a game. Plus should be good enough to bring down a goal a game...They should have the puck more....

[golfisforfun]

Why would Redden stay and play for a team that has publicly expressed their desire to get him out of town??? He can get $5M + from LA or Edmonton or someone out West for sure...

Good luck getting Campbell.

[Shivas Irons]

Personally I can't believe how the media and many fans have folded up the tent already.

In today's SUN the "your call" question is : With a healthy lineup, could the Sens have beaten the Pens?

have beaten?
The series isn't even over and already the hometown newspaper has bailed on the team. Pathetic.

SENS IN 7!!!!!!!!!!

[golfott]

gone

[rezadue]

It sounds like this has made your year troll. Enjoy it.

gone