Looking Good!

Indeed, the Sens look to have found something, and it works.

They all looked very sharp and Neil continues to impress me and I hope all of you.

My original prediction was that Ottawa gets 3pts from this Home and Home, but it looks like they may get 4. They have looked really strong and perhaps they can go on a run and win 4 or 5 in a row and get back to the higher part of the standings and on the right track. They play Tor, Bos, Mtl, Car then Wsh before running into a HOT Atl team that will cool off at some point.

Also, if you read the Sun today, you will see more on Perrault. After reading this I contacted a guy who has more info on this than I could get my hands on and this was his response via email:

“The article is right; the team is making a serious push for him. Sending down Kaigorodov and Hamel would be the most logical option; however a small deal might be in the works, perhaps trading Hamel for a pick. If Perrault does come here - which I know he would prefer because it’s close to home so - he might be willing to take slightly less than 1MIL to play here…… If something happens, it will be in the next week…..."

So there you have it.

That’s about all I have right now, as always I am keeping me ears open.

Leave a comment.

- SI

Exactly what they needed!

Yes, that title was exactly it. This team needed to send a message, a message that the bad bounces, poor thinking, lack of effort and overall sloppy play was just a growing pain. They made a statement against a goalie that doesn’t get pulled from too many games either, and he was great for the first period, where the score easily could have been 5-1 at the end of one. Good for Ottawa to show that they are still a force and a good team.

I don’t care what anybody has said to me, this team is very well built. Aside from the game against Buffalo [the best team in the NHL] and that awful lapse against T.O., Ottawa has yet to allow more than two goals in a game and it’s only been there offense that needed a kick start. Yes, losing Havlat did hurt there offence, but that should NOT be an excuse, he only played a quarter of the REGULAR SEASON last year and WASN’T the reason this team was one of the HIGHEST SCORING TEAMS last season. Losing Smolynski should actually help the team too. Then you add McAmmond who has proved his worth thus far and also take into consideration that younger players are now one year older and wiser (Eaves, Vermette, Kelly etc).

I have been at all the home games thus far, and I too was starting to get frustrated with the teams start, but they will be fine and I still forecast them in the TOP 5 in the conference.

Players coming along:
Nice to see certain players getting it going;
Spezza who played well in his first three games, had a slip and heard it from the fans, but he has changed alot of his ways. He is hitting more and has worked on his defensive play too. Lose a blind back pass or two and people will grow to love this creative player.

Heatley was never a concern of mine, this guy just has a way to find the back of the net and even though I do think Hossa should have been kept here, Heatley is the right bang for the buck and will easily produce 35+ goals this year.

Alfie has been moving his feet finally and should be finding the back of the net soon. He has been much better and I hope to see him bury a few goals soon.

Corvo like I said would not disappoint. I used to follow a lot of the West Coast teams and this was one guy who always stood out to me. He is very underrated and he will soon be discovered as a force on the blue line who can shoot, skate, hit and SCORE.

Fisher vs. Neil
I get so tired of listening to people preach on how Fisher should be captain or an alternate. YES, he does have captain like qualities, but people forget about another guy who - game in and game out - gives 110%, Chris Neil. This guy is another guy on this team who will die out there, is all heart and never plays without putting in a solid effort. He has been there best player since game 1. No offence to Fisher and his leadership - and for that matter no offence to Alfie, who is another leader spite what many bandwagon fans claim.

Goalie Scenario:
Gerber was spectacular vs. Colorado and should of played vs. NJ. Not to say Emery was bad against the Devils, because he certainly looked good making 34 saves but Gerber was brought here to be #1 and he should have been between the pipes when you were put into an early season MUST WIN. Regardless, both goalies are well qualified, its just I ONCE AGAIN question what Bryan Murray thinks.

This from the rumor mill and no big surprise IF it happens, but I’ve heard that John Muckler will pack it in at the end of this season, regardless of what happens. I also anticipate that his replacement will be Murray, but then again who knows. All I know is Murray is a mediocre coach but one hell of GM (Florida – mid 90’s, Anaheim – 2002 to current). If Murray still coaches if/when he becomes GM is a huge question mark......

Also, I expect Denis Hamel to be moved or rejoin the Bingo Sens within 7-10 days. This I have heard from a couple of people.

Perrault talks are still buzzing, but, if they do bring him in, who knows how healthy he will be and how they make room for him. Not sure if I see this happening, only time will tell. I am keeping my ears open too.

Anyways, looking forward to this week, my prediction, not as a Sens fan, but as a hockey fan – Ottawa gets 3pts this week vs. Toronto.

Also curse the schedule maker, not saying this as an excuse but Ottawa never has been given a chance to get going, 2 five day breaks – TERRIBLE, how can you expect a team to play well when they have barely been able to get off the practice ice and into games. Now Ottawa has no excuses as they have a TON of games upcoming.

Leave a comment.

Thanks.

- SI

Thoughts on Perrault and Muckler

Well, news breaks quick and I remember about two months ago hearing something about Ottawa interested in Perrault but thought nothing of it, because a lot of teams were.

I spoke to some of my sources today and they said there is a conceivable possibility that you see Yanic here in the next month, however certain changes would have to be made and people would either be moved, sent down or both. One suggestion/scenario I was given was that the Sens would send both Kai and Hamel down to make room for him and keep them as call-ups, however I was told you could see somebody be traded via player request or to free-up cap space. Guys on my hot-list would be, and this is just hearsay/speculation, would obviously be Kelly or McGratton. Both have been doing quite well this year, even McGratton has shown flashes of improvement, but when it comes to sprucing up your team, you have to look at cuts that could be made. Also, I would hate to see it but, you might think Schubert or Volch could be on the block strictly because either one of them would help free up space and that the team haa other guys they can turn to if one of the Top 6 goes down, which you can bet one of them will. MALEC, Barinka and also Allison can all play in the NHL, especially Malec, who is a good young player who could easily play in the league right now – and the Sens know that. They also have some talent that will soon be developed – Brian Lee, the future D-Man of the Sens.

Muckler has some TOUGH decisions to make, because he already knows he screwed up by getting Gerber and paying him 3.7MIL when they have somebody who was ready to be given a CHANCE. Muckler easily could have kept Emery as the #1, signed some mediocre back-up who can play 30 games for less than 1MIL or given Glass/Guard a chance as the back-up, kept Chara and if Emery dropped the ball mid/early season, go out and make a move for somebody and lose a player and a prospect to get a goalie, such as Gerber, Toskala, Giguerre/Bryz or even another netminder. His decisions in the next few weeks will be crucial to his job here and in the future, as they are in jeopardy, spite what Melnyk says to everybody.

So many speculations and possibilities are out there and I wish I knew more, but lately info has been hard to come by, and I take it as I get it.

More after Thursdays Game. I will be there and am looking forward to it.

Leave a comment with your thoughts.

- SI

RAY of Light

Well I will start with thoughts from the Calgary game in which I had a whole row of flames fans in my section, ANNOYING, but not like HABS FANS or LEAFS FANS, who have driven me up the wall before. I am all for fans cheering for there teams, but not being real jerks about it, like being inconsiderate to others around you.

Anyways, a good solid effort wasn’t enough to beat the Calgary KIPPERS. This was the most physical Sens team I have ever seen. They were out hitting and outworking them and I thought Ottawa and EMERY deserved to win. Speaking of Ray, he has looked good, REALLY GOOD and I would like to see this guy given the ball, not because Gerber has been lacking but because he deserves it. The fans love him and he worked hard in the off season. What about Gerber? I’m not to sure. He has to find his game and earn his spot. It’s only been a couple of games but he just hasn’t looked comfortable aside from the first game. Every time I think about the goalie situation, I get so confused.

BIG 3: Spezza, Heater, Aflie
Spezza has looked pretty good for the most part, still does his back passes etc once and awhile but otherwise looks as though he has improved on D, and his physical play.

Heater has been totally lost, slow and out of place, but I know he will find himself and net 30-40 goals this year.

Alfie hasn’t been moving well at all. Actually, he really has done nothing for me, YET. I still believe in this guy as a workhorse and a heck of a hockey player, but he needs to get it going. I’m still lost what he was thinking in the last 10 seconds of the 2nd period in Montreal….????....If he doesn’t get going, even though Muckler said he would be a SEN for life, you will hear about a lot of trade RUMOURS, because he HAS to be the guy and I still think he is, hopefully he wont disappoint me/us.

Other Notes:
Redden has picked it up since Buffalo and looks better and so does the entire Defense.

Volchenkov has looked really good. Somebody said to me that he was terrible out there, but I strongly disagree. The last two seasons he has not been impressive and lacked completely, but this year he has found that physical presence and has been quite effective. I was really hard on him in the off-season but he has shown a lot of people that he can play with this team and I hope he keeps it up.

Corvo will be back for Colorado vs. Ottawa, they will certainly look better with him there. He is SO underrated and everyone will soon see that. I am so excited to see him play.

Powerplay = Powerless
This team has been brutal on the PP and will turn it around. They are squeezing there sticks way too tight and looking to pass it too much, HOWEVER, being at the games thus far, I get SICK and TIRED of hearing some of the brainless fans that yell SHOOT all the time. A powerplay enables you to set up in the offensive zone and everyone just yells shoot like that is the answer when if they forced it even further, the shot would be blocked or easily saved. Sometimes they wait too long to shoot, but they have always been like that and believe it or not, they know what they are doing.

Murray:
Not saying this because they won, because I would say it even if they lost but he made a great decision in selecting his shooters. Vermette, Fisher were great choices and I have to say I was surprised by McAmmond, but I like the picks. Alfie and Heatley just haven’t been scoring and you have to go with whats working and he did that. I am a naysayer with some of Murray’s decision, but I liked his selections tonight.

That’s it for now,

Remember, better to slump now than late in the season. All good teams need time to gel and they will come together.

PS> How bout my dark horse team, Minnesota Wild. I put money on them to win the Western Conference, they look good!!!

Leave a comment,

- SI

Unlikely Start...its OK...79 more to go

Hey everyone.

Even I have had the thought that every fan has had. Is this team even going to make it? Well, after giving my head a quick shake, the answer is of course! Have they got off to a bad start, certainly - will they be as successful as last year, no - but will they be a good competitive team, you betcha! This team is still a good team. Last year they were awesome, an amazing team. Now they are a good, fast team and can/most likely will finish top four in the conference.

Their weaknesses - Defence. They have a great defensive core and will succeed but the only D-Man who has shown up is Meszaros. Preissing is getting there and he is a good addition to the team. Volchenkov has actually impressed me this year and Schubert is a good, steady guy to have back there, your 6th-7th kind of guy. Corvo will help a ton when he is back but where is Redden and Phillips. These guys have to lead this core and get them back to being a top team a top Defensive team. They obviously have the talent and I believe they will come back stronger each game. So, like I said, Meszaros has stood out and played quite well.

Can't blame goaltending completely. Yes, Gerber has to be better and will be. This guy is a work horse and wants to be the best he can. I think some fans are being rather hard on him, but that brings me to my second point, as much as I thought Ottawa needed to bring in a number one goalie in the off season, I am starting to think that the organization should have waited to bring in a new goalie. I am not saying this because Gerber has struggled, he will be better and we saw flashes of that in T.O., I am saying this because Emery deserved a chance, and if after 30 games he flopped then go out and acquire somebody. I personally know that Ray worked hard in the off season, attended lots of goalie sessions and worked on his game more than any other Senator. He improved his side to side movement and also his positioning. The organization basically wrote him off by signing someone else and only extending Emery's contract by one year. Emery also knows that they have two great up and coming goalies in the AHL. So he either will have to win his job or will be gone within a year or so. He is a fan favorite and I would like this guy to succeed wherever he goes, whether it be here or somewhere, he will be a good goalie who I believe will play a long time.

Forwards have been steady. Alfredsson is one of the only guys who really has yet to show up, but he did play better against Buffalo. He needs to lead this team and show them how to work hard every game; he has to show that he IS the CAPTAIN of this team, HIS team. Spezza has REALLY IMPRESSED ME. He has more speed and more emphasis on defense also. He has been one of the best players out there and has really has shown that maybe 4.5 MIL might be worth it. Heatley will come around and was better vs. Buffalo. He will find the net soon.
One guy who looks good, REALLY GOOD is McAmmond. This guy does it all. Comes back, sets up plays and can score. Also he can hit too. He will go into the corners and do it all. Vermette, Fisher, Neil and Kelly have also looked good. Eaves and Schaefer haven't been bad but need to be careful with there penalties.

Lastly, I thought I should mention something that I have been saying for the past 8-10 months but never wrote on here. Bryan Murray, this guy is not the guy who is going to get them to win. I have yet to be impressed with anything this guy has done. Yes, I do realize that he had to deal with Hasek and his problems last year and do think that IF Hasek stayed healthy that this team would have won the cup, but not because of his coaching (a team of Monkeys could of coached a healthy Sens team last year to winning), but because last years team was that good when healthy. They were not healthy towards the end and Murray did a horrid job keeping this team focused in playoffs. I remember I was at Game 1, round 2 when we were up 6-5 with a minute to go and Murray puts on Meszaros – a good rookie - but had no business being on at that time, he pinched and got caught setting up a odd man rush which lead to Buffalo winning the game and that game cost them the series. Murray had reliable guys like Redden, Chara or even Phillips who should have played the last 90 seconds of that game. I was at the game last night vs. BUF and the same thing happened, the team is down by two with 6 minutes left and the Sens are surging and playing hard, who does he have on the ice, McGratton. With all do respect to McGratton, he should not be playing at that time. Sure enough the Sens did make a game of it but came up short. Good coaches find a way to get the most out of there players on a regular basis and he has to be able to light a fire with these guys. Another example is pairing Volch with Phillips, a horrible pairing to say the least and moving Phillips to his off wing. Murray did wonders with Florida as a GM when they went to the cup and with Anaheim when he built them too. Murray is a great GM but only a so-so coach. He has had chances with great teams to win the cup as a coach and has yet to do so. I hope he proves me wrong as this will probably be his last kick at the can this year.

Other thoughts from last night, I was impressed with the last 40 minutes of the game last night. Buffalo is a monster of a team when healthy and will be tough to beat, however if any other goalie plays less than spectacular last night vs. OTT, the score could have been 7-8 to 4 in favor of the SENS.

With that said here is my Eastern Conference Predictions, the West is just too hard to predict...

1. Buffalo - could be the champs this year.
2. New York R. - improved and has an easy division.
3. Carolina - will start slow but come around
4. Ottawa - first 10 games will be a growing process but will be strong
5. Philly - they always get there. They have the best coach in hockey
6. Atlanta- Weak on D. Need Goalie to be healthy. Unreal forwards.
7. Boston - Hit or miss. I think they might have it though.
8. NJ- Somehow I think they will BARELY squeeze in.
9. Toronto
10. Montreal
11. Pittsburgh
12. Tampa
13. Washington
13. NYI

Don’t worry about this team, they will come around and when they do, look out, they will be good. Look around the league at some of the top teams too. Nashville, brutal start, Carolina, 0-3…ouch. They will too come around sometimes teams get off to a slow start but will usually rebound with a good finish.

Anyways, that’s it for now, sorry for being so long. Next time will be shorter. Talk to you after the Ott vs. Cal, I will be there like always.

Leave a comment and be nice.

- SI