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
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
posted by sensinsider at 2:33 PM
8 Comments:
I really enjoy reading your blog. During the game against Buffalo last night, Murray put Vermette on the fourth line for most of the game. I was wondering if you had any insight as to why Murray seems determined to keep him Kelly even though he seemed to have a good training camp and seems to gel with McAmmond and Neil?
Im not sure about that. Murray does alot of things I dont understand. Vermette will be wasted if he is kept on the fourth line. I really would like to get to see this guy play more of a role. He is awesome.
Bottomline is this, I hope he proves me wrong, but I personally dont think that Murray is the coach that will make them a winner, but like I said I hope he proves me wrong.
I agree that their weakness is their defence, but I certainly have not been impressed with Volchenkov. He has looked the worst to me. Phillips and Volchenkov always seem confused and out of place.
McAmmond has looked great, he is a very fluid skater. Spezza looks great 50% of the time, and the other half seems foolish with his passes.
Anyways, still early, hopefully team improves, especially on defense. Nice to hear your comments.
WWhen I refer to Volchenkov, I am also referencing last year. Do I think he is an awesome defenseman, NO. But has he improved from that pathetic year he had last season, so far, YES.
He and Phillips are terrible together, Im not sure when Murray will realize it. If he waits til Corvo gets back, he waited too long. There has to be a change out there. Spezza has been without a doubt one of the best players on the ice. Im not sure if you have been to any of the games, but if you have you'll notice that his behind the play work is outstanding and improved drastically. He has something to prove this year and he is going to do it. He will never be that physical presence of a player but has greatly improved his defensive ability and improved his already awesome offensive vision.
Volchenkov has gotton BETTER this year over last? What games have YOU been watching? This guy has been on a steady slide since his rookie year and I, for one, can't wait until he's run out of town on a rail.
Clearly you have not been watching the games clearly.....he has been one of the best players so far. I do agree 100% that he was brutal last season. He was recking people yesterday vs. Calgary and has played very well, watching him behind the play is important too.
I have to agree that Volchenkov was awful last year and doesn't seem much better this year either. Defense has looked awful but am hopeful about Corvo. It appears we made a mistake in keeping Redden and letting Chara go (if he would have signed). Anyways, GO SENS GO, and Spezza look up before you pass.
first off spezza has been horrid secondly hitchcock is an absolute idiot and I guarantee you hes gone from philly within the next 2-3 weeks.
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