Mezaros to TB for Kuba, Picard and a 1st

Dawg's Wife wrote:

To be honest I don't know whether he'll make the team or not. Picard is another good puck moving d-man. He has size, but he doesn't use it (similar story to kuba). Looking at the forwards they have to "Bang and Crash" Schubert would be better served down on D, that means Nycholat and or Picard start in the minors.

He was cut from the 05 Team Canada that won gold at the WJHC, but he was invited. He was also an all star in the Q.

One thing I forgot to add...Kuba was the shot blocker on his team at 131. I know that's a far cry from Volchenkov but it's encouraging that with him and Smith we've gained a more than adequate replacement for Mesz and Redden as far as hits and shotblocks go.

Thanks for this, that's some very interesting info. I didn't know Kuba played such big minutes and I'm very glad to hear that he did some shot-blocking.

As for Picard, how about this: speaking strictly of their present-day capabilities, who do you think is more talented (just as of right now, remember) between Picard and Nycholat? I mean, if we wanted a puck mover in that 6th spot this year and it came down to those two, do you have any sense of who might be the better player right now?

Dawg's Wife wrote:One thing I forgot to add...Kuba was the shot blocker on his team at 131. I know that's a far cry from Volchenkov but it's encouraging that with him and Smith we've gained a more than adequate replacement for Mesz and Redden as far as hits and shotblocks go.

That is a VERY nice surprise! He and Phillips block essentially the same amount, while Lee and Schubert should be equally committed. Add in the two big guns (or walls ) and we've got Gerber nicely insulated. In the right system, he could really have a big year for us.

wprager wrote:

Oops, my mistake. This is what you wrote:

Bottom line: is Kuba from last year a big drop from Meszaros last year?

This is what I read:

Bottom line is Kuba from last year a big drop from Meszaros last year

See, kids, punctuation is *very* important.

When I teach my first-years grammar, I pull out this newspaper clipping I have of a company that lost millions of dollars over one ambiguously-placed comma in a contract, which allowed lawyers to read an alternate and unintended meaning into the sentence.

It always gets the attention of students, especially the ones in business and engineering.

rooneypoo wrote:

cash wrote:
Do not - I repeat: Do NOT trust numbers given by Garrioche and Lee...
We don't have 5M in space, we have 3.5M:
"The Senators currently have a salary-cap hit of $50.2 million. The limit is $56.7 million."
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/sports/story.html?id=e595d1e9-311c-48cb-899a-7fe4c883f468&p=2
That was before adding Kuba's 3M...

Oh, agreed for sure. Garriock is using the figure listed at nhlnumbers.com, and as I've been saying for a while now, it's off by about $2.3 mil. NHLSCAP.com has the right figure, which is $6.49 mil in cap space.

Adding in Kuba's $3 mil plus Picard's $800,00 leaves us with about $2.7 mil in space.

That number's not solid, tho' -- it's factoring in 13 F, 7 D, Schubert, and 2 goalies. At least two, if not three, players will not make the final roster and will have to be moved -- either returned to the minors (Lee, Bass, Winchester, Foligno, and Picard all fall in this category), waived, or traded. At a minimum, that should free up about another $2 mil in cap space.

After this trade, things with the Senators are a little too unstable to predict precisely what our cap space is. But you're right, Garriock doesn't know what he's talking about when he cites that $5 mil figure as our current cap space.

Actually, I think Garrioch is likely a lot closer than we are. As Rooneypoo already pointed out, the current cap space includes more players than we are likely to carry. The cap is not the sum of the players signed to contracts. And as much as you all want to crap all over Garrioch, he's got the job at the paper and you don't. There is a reason for that but, even more imporant than the reason, the job carries with it certain privileges, like being able to call up people involved with the Sens and ask them for their opinion (including off-the-record stuff).

rooneypoo wrote:

wprager wrote:

Oops, my mistake. This is what you wrote:

Bottom line: is Kuba from last year a big drop from Meszaros last year?

This is what I read:

Bottom line is Kuba from last year a big drop from Meszaros last year

See, kids, punctuation is *very* important.

When I teach my first-years grammar, I pull out this newspaper clipping I have of a company that lost millions of dollars over one ambiguously-placed comma in a contract, which allowed lawyers to read an alternate and unintended meaning into the sentence.

It always gets the attention of students, especially the ones in business and engineering.

I read "first-years" and heard "first-graders" :lol!: It made the rest of the paragraph sound pretty funny.

Dawg's Wife wrote:

Sorry,

I'll be honest between watching game tape and trying to follow this blog I missed your post. But I was trying to say the same thing. The number on NHLSCAP isn't the number the team will have some the start of the season because players will not be on the team etc.

Wow, you watch game tape too? I thought only Dawg had to do that.

wprager wrote:

Actually, I think Garrioch is likely a lot closer than we are. As Rooneypoo already pointed out, the current cap space includes more players than we are likely to carry. The cap is not the sum of the players signed to contracts. And as much as you all want to crap all over Garrioch, he's got the job at the paper and you don't. There is a reason for that but, even more imporant than the reason, the job carries with it certain privileges, like being able to call up people involved with the Sens and ask them for their opinion (including off-the-record stuff).

I guess it's a case of 6 of one, a half dozen of another. The $5 mil dollar figure is, strictly speaking, not accurate -- but theoretically, and in all probability, that is the amount of cap space we should have.

In your view, you credit Garriock for doing his homework. In the view of others (and me included, in my cynical moods), he's a lazy bum citing the erroneous stats at nhlnumbers.com. That's just a judgment call. I agree, tho', that people don't get and keep private sector jobs with lots of responsibility because they are idiots, and we're probably too hard on him.

cash wrote:
I read "first-years" and heard "first-graders" :lol!: It made the rest of the paragraph sound pretty funny.

You couldn't get me to teach in elementary school or high school if my life depended on it. I'm an instructor and a writer, not a disciplinarian and babysitter.

wprager wrote:
Actually, I think Garrioch is likely a lot closer than we are. As Rooneypoo already pointed out, the current cap space includes more players than we are likely to carry. The cap is not the sum of the players signed to contracts. And as much as you all want to crap all over Garrioch, he's got the job at the paper and you don't. There is a reason for that but, even more imporant than the reason, the job carries with it certain privileges, like being able to call up people involved with the Sens and ask them for their opinion (including off-the-record stuff).

Whats funny about that is how it should be true, but - in fact - he's just a lazy ***hole and doesn't ask anything because he's so damn smart (his words - probably - not mine)
On the other hand, there's Ken Warren (a responsible journalist) who stated - in todays paper, no less - that we have a current cap-hit of 50.2 million. This was before the trade...
From what I can tell, 53.2 million is our current working cap.

Now that we got a big body in Kuba who can move the puck would you want to sign him to an extension now or wait and see? If we wait and see then if he does well he could price himself out of Ottawa, or do we sign him to a 1 year extension then reevaluate at years end. Thoughts?

rooneypoo wrote:

cash wrote:
I read "first-years" and heard "first-graders" :lol!: It made the rest of the paragraph sound pretty funny.

You couldn't get me to teach in elementary school or high school if my life depended on it. I'm an instructor and a writer, not a disciplinarian and babysitter.

lol I hear ya

rooneypoo wrote:Thanks for this, that's some very interesting info. I didn't know Kuba played such big minutes and I'm very glad to hear that he did some shot-blocking.

As for Picard, how about this: speaking strictly of their present-day capabilities, who do you think is more talented (just as of right now, remember) between Picard and Nycholat? I mean, if we wanted a puck mover in that 6th spot this year and it came down to those two, do you have any sense of who might be the better player right now?

Wow great question. If you were to say to me for just this year...Nycholat. I haven't seen Picard play at the AHL or NHL level at all so I can't say whether he has developed any more than what I saw in Junior. He's an Ottawa boy though (From Gatineau) so that may translate into something and he's also French so from an Org perspective it's a big boost.

He has raw potential, I'd say it was a coin flip...I'm just glad I don't have to make that decision. On a positive note Ottawa now has 2 1sts and a 2nd that will surely make an impact in the NHL in the future and will help out in the AHL next year. Well depending on whether they pick kids who have progressed enough at their current level.

That's a scouts dream...we love hearing that picks especially 1st and 2nd rounders are part of a deal...that means if we do our job the team in one year can turn around in a hurry...can you say Pittsburgh.

Phoenix30 wrote:Now that we got a big body in Kuba who can move the puck would you want to sign him to an extension now or wait and see? If we wait and see then if he does well he could price himself out of Ottawa, or do we sign him to a 1 year extension then reevaluate at years end. Thoughts?

Absolutely not.
I'm pretty sure he'll be a one year stop-gap and, much like Gerber, he is a lock to be UFA next summer (assuming anything less than a truly outstanding year)
But in no way should we hand him a contract now.
Don't forget: We've got Karlsson who'll challenge next fall and Picard who should be a lock, while still having Lee, Schubert, and Volchenkov under contract.
(Man, that 2010 off-season is going to be rough)

cash wrote:
Whats funny about that is how it should be true, but - in fact - he's just a lazy ***hole and doesn't ask anything because he's so damn smart (his words - probably - not mine)
On the other hand, there's Ken Warren (a responsible journalist) who stated - in todays paper, no less - that we have a current cap-hit of 50.2 million. This was before the trade...
From what I can tell, 53.2 million is our current working cap.

Again, that number is pretty fluid at the moment. NHLSCAP is calculating in all 23 signed players at the moment, but we have to expect that that number will be shaved down to 20 or 21, meaning that 2-3 players will not make the final roster. Some will be sent down to the minors (Bass? Picard? Winchester [1-way deal, I know, but he can safely pass through waivers]?), and some (Nycholat?) may be traded. Either way, their salaries will not count against our cap, and so we can expect to bring our cap number down by about $2 mil this way.

cash wrote:

Phoenix30 wrote:Now that we got a big body in Kuba who can move the puck would you want to sign him to an extension now or wait and see? If we wait and see then if he does well he could price himself out of Ottawa, or do we sign him to a 1 year extension then reevaluate at years end. Thoughts?

Absolutely not.
I'm pretty sure he'll be a one year stop-gap and, much like Gerber, he is a lock to be UFA next summer (assuming anything less than a truly outstanding year)
But in no way should we hand him a contract now.
Don't forget: We've got Karlsson who'll challenge next fall and Picard who should be a lock, while still having Lee, Schubert, and Volchenkov under contract.
(Man, that 2010 off-season is going to be rough)

karlsson won't make the team next year

Dawg's Wife wrote:That's a scouts dream...we love hearing that picks especially 1st and 2nd rounders are part of a deal...that means if we do our job the team in one year can turn around in a hurry...can you say Pittsburgh.

When you say "do our job" are you implying that you are a real scout? 'Cause that would be cool 8)

Dawg's Wife wrote:

Wow great question. If you were to say to me for just this year...Nycholat. I haven't seen Picard play at the AHL or NHL level at all so I can't say whether he has developed any more than what I saw in Junior. He's an Ottawa boy though (From Gatineau) so that may translate into something and he's also French so from an Org perspective it's a big boost.

He has raw potential, I'd say it was a coin flip...I'm just glad I don't have to make that decision. On a positive note Ottawa now has 2 1sts and a 2nd that will surely make an impact in the NHL in the future and will help out in the AHL next year. Well depending on whether they pick kids who have progressed enough at their current level.

That's a scouts dream...we love hearing that picks especially 1st and 2nd rounders are part of a deal...that means if we do our job the team in one year can turn around in a hurry...can you say Pittsburgh.

Very, very interesting. If you're right, then to me it says Picard is pretty much guaranteed to play in in the minors this year. And that means whether Schubert or Nycholat takes that final D spot is still not clear.

I read an interview with Schubert today at Sens Army blog. Judging from that, it seems like Schubert is expecting to play D this year. Maybe there is not question that our D will be

Phillips - Volchenkov
Kuba - Smith
Lee - Schubert

I guess we'll know in 3-4 weeks!

I wouldn't bet my house on that, Tukker. Its not as much of a longshot as you might think. At worst, I predict he'll be the 2009-10 version of last years' Lee - He'll spend some time in the AHL, but he won't likely stay there.
Did you know he's already put on 10 pounds, since the draft?

rooneypoo wrote:

cash wrote:
Whats funny about that is how it should be true, but - in fact - he's just a lazy ***hole and doesn't ask anything because he's so damn smart (his words - probably - not mine)
On the other hand, there's Ken Warren (a responsible journalist) who stated - in todays paper, no less - that we have a current cap-hit of 50.2 million. This was before the trade...
From what I can tell, 53.2 million is our current working cap.

Again, that number is pretty fluid at the moment. NHLSCAP is calculating in all 23 signed players at the moment, but we have to expect that that number will be shaved down to 20 or 21, meaning that 2-3 players will not make the final roster. Some will be sent down to the minors (Bass? Picard? Winchester [1-way deal, I know, but he can safely pass through waivers]?), and some (Nycholat?) may be traded. Either way, their salaries will not count against our cap, and so we can expect to bring our cap number down by about $2 mil this way.

Actually 50.2 was a number that only included 13 forwards, 6 D, 2 goalies, and Emery's poo. You can subtract a minimum of 1 million from that number (Nycholat gone and Bass down) but it likely won't lower much more than 1.5 million.