Sens Report Card: Your Turn

Heatley fails to show up on way too many nights. He puts the puck in the net, but being the highest paid player in the league this year, he has almost been a failure.

Lee is awful, he isnt ready to be in the NHL, and as an NHL player this year he has failed. Easily the worst player in Ottawa.

WInchester has been average, nothing special, not bad, average.

RobbyJ wrote:My Grades are based purely on expectations, which oviously involves past performance, experience and salary:
Alfi - B-
Spezza - C
Heatley - C-
Fisher - C
Foligno - B
Shannon - A-
Kelly - C-
Comrie - C-
Winchester - C
Donovan - A-
Neil - C
Ruutu C

Kuba - C+
Phillips - C+
A Train - B
Lee - D
Bell - A-
Picard - D
Campolli - B
Schubert - Inc

Elliott - A
Auld - B

What did you expect from Kuba? He has been the teams best defenseman by a large margin.

wprager wrote:Tukker with the Mustache posted mine

does this have anything to do with your fear of your memory leaving?

Neely4Life wrote:What did you expect from Kuba? He has been the teams best defenseman by a large margin.

That's not really a ringing endorsement. They all got Ds in the first half of the season.

I expected Kuba to be calm and make good passes out of the zone, contribute on the PP and play sound positional D in his own end. What I saw in the first 50 games was a player who gave away the puck a Reddenesque amount, wouldn't take the shot on the PP and was caught out of position alot in his own end (mind you he was with Picard alot).

His grade over the last 20-25 games would be a B, but I based it on the full year.

RobbyJ wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:What did you expect from Kuba? He has been the teams best defenseman by a large margin.

That's not really a ringing endorsement. They all got Ds in the first half of the season.

I expected Kuba to be calm and make good passes out of the zone, contribute on the PP and play sound positional D in his own end. What I saw in the first 50 games was a player who gave away the puck a Reddenesque amount, wouldn't take the shot on the PP and was caught out of position alot in his own end (mind you he was with Picard alot).

His grade over the last 20-25 games would be a B, but I based it on the full year.

He may very well end up with close to 50 points. He has been good all year, plays against the other teams top lines, plays in all situations, and gets paired with the most inexpierenced players on the team. (Lee and Picard) Yet, he still finds a way to move the puck and keep it out of the danger zones.

Kuba has been solid all year.

I respectfully disagree. I'm fine with the way he is playing now.

The important this is next year, hopefully paired with Phillips, Volchenkov or Ohlund.

RobbyJ wrote:I respectfully disagree. I'm fine with the way he is playing now.

The important this is next year, hopefully paired with Phillips, Volchenkov or Ohlund.

I would think a guy like Ohlund would be a perfect partner. But ya, IMO, Kuba has been solid all year and did have something like a 10 game point streak to start the year, plus he has missed something like 10 games hasnt he? 45 points in 72 games for a D man on a low scoring team, thats pretty impressive. He didnt do that the last 2 months.

If Kuba was in the lineup the entire year, they would be challenging for a playoff spot right now. Look no further to the 8 game roadie where Kuba was out, Sens got 1 point.

wprager wrote:Wow, you're harsh on Heatley -- I like that Personally I would have given him a C because, after all, he's leading the team in goals.

You really don't like Lee and his 1st round position is affecting his mark. Mind you, at his salary (including bonuses) maybe that's what he deserves.

I think you're also a bit harsh on Winchester. Can you explain why?

You're right...I am merciless on Dany Boy...too much money, not enough leadership...too many nights off. For that much dough, no hot and cold streaks allowed.

I like Brian Lee...he just can't/won't get his sh&t together. Not acceptable from a premium pick.

Young Jesse? I dunno...he was supposed to be this hotshot from college who was going to slot right in with the top dogs on the team. What's he done this year that's so special?

Hey, GREAT discussion gang...

davetherave wrote:Young Jesse? I dunno...he was supposed to be this hotshot from college who was going to slot right in with the top dogs on the team. What's he done this year that's so special?

I didn't really hear much hype around him.

Personally, I think Win's one of the few players who actually performed better under Hartsburg. He was one of the few bright-spots of the season, winning a tonne of battles for the puck and making some pretty nice passes as well. He hasn't been as noticeable under Clouston, however.

Still, I think we may all be focussing a little too much on the recent past.

Earlier in the season, we were all talking about Foligno's super sophomore slump and Alfredsson's decline (the effort was there, but it didn't seem like it was to the same effect).

Now they're both typically found amongst the top-3 forwards. Their recent performances do merit that honour, mind you.

Campoli
Bell
Foligno
Winchester
Ruutu
Kuba
-----------
All get A+ based on $USD/PT

asq2 wrote:

davetherave wrote:Young Jesse? I dunno...he was supposed to be this hotshot from college who was going to slot right in with the top dogs on the team. What's he done this year that's so special?

I didn't really hear much hype around him.

Personally, I think Win's one of the few players who actually performed better under Hartsburg. He was one of the few bright-spots of the season, winning a tonne of battles for the puck and making some pretty nice passes as well. He hasn't been as noticeable under Clouston, however.

Still, I think we may all be focussing a little too much on the recent past.

Earlier in the season, we were all talking about Foligno's super sophomore slump and Alfredsson's decline (the effort was there, but it didn't seem like it was to the same effect).

Now they're both typically found amongst the top-3 forwards. Their recent performances do merit that honour, mind you.

Winchester got lots of ink in the preseason as the shiny New Kid On The Block...

ASQ...we are a-waiting on your Sens Report Card...if you want to do a 'half and half' it's your call...

cool)

asq2 wrote:Personally, I think Win's one of the few players who actually performed better under Hartsburg. He was one of the few bright-spots of the season, winning a tonne of battles for the puck and making some pretty nice passes as well. He hasn't been as noticeable under Clouston, however.

Diddle me, I was just gonna say the same thing.

The only guy that jumps to mind that seemed to get less effective post-Hartsburg.

Ohlund and Kuba strikes a little bit of fear into me, let alone other teams. Not that they're gonna obliterate you with massive hits, but they're so positionally sound that I'm really starting to see the merit in going hard after Ohlund. Plus, watching Ohlund a lot closer this year, he's definitely got a major mean streak.

Problem would be that our top 4 D-men would all be left handed. Add in Bell and Campoli and we're nary a right-handed D-man. Lee doesn't suck...but he certainly isn't getting any better. He's shown a bit of a nasty streak recently, but I just can't see how that's gonna be enough to save his job personally.

We'll see though...

The Guy With The Mustache wrote:

wprager wrote:Tukker with the Mustache posted mine

does this have anything to do with your fear of your memory leaving?

Who are you, I don't know you man!

Neely4Life wrote:

RobbyJ wrote:I respectfully disagree. I'm fine with the way he is playing now.

The important this is next year, hopefully paired with Phillips, Volchenkov or Ohlund.

I would think a guy like Ohlund would be a perfect partner. But ya, IMO, Kuba has been solid all year and did have something like a 10 game point streak to start the year, plus he has missed something like 10 games hasnt he? 45 points in 72 games for a D man on a low scoring team, thats pretty impressive. He didnt do that the last 2 months.

If Kuba was in the lineup the entire year, they would be challenging for a playoff spot right now. Look no further to the 8 game roadie where Kuba was out, Sens got 1 point.

He set a new record for pts scored by a D-man in consectitive games. He was also one of the top scoring dman until he got injuried. I think he had a good season.

Senators Report Card 2008-09

Forwards:

Alfredsson, Daniel

Cap'n Clutch (No not me Alfie) Suffers a serious jaw injury and only missed on game! Wears a full face shield and doesn't miss a beat leading the team in points and Assists

Grade: A++

Comrie, Mike

He's fit right in coming back to the Sens and is providing an additional offensive threat. Being that he's been pushed down to the third line lowers his grade a bit

Grade: B-


Donovan, Shean

This guy is the perfect 4th line grinder, keeps his mouth shut even when he's a healthy scratch and doesn't deserve it and is signed to a perfect price tag. For his roll he fits perfectly.

Grade: A

Fisher, Mike

Mike always plays hard and is the exact type of player you want in the playoffs and truly showed his worth in the 07 Cup run. He struggled mightely under Hartsburgh and is finally starting to put up some points under Clouston on a line with Foligno and Shannon. Because of his dismal point production and price tag his grade is what it is.

Grade: C+

Foligno, Nick

Foligno was up and down from Bingo under both Paddock and Hartsburgh and is only now just catching fire under Clouston. Because of his poor showing to start the season his grade isn't as high as it could be. If we were just looking at the Clouston effect I'd give him an A+.

Grade: B

Heatley, Dany

It's amazing to me that Heatley can have a horrible year overall but still could end up with close to 40 goals and 80 points. This grade is based on what I know Heatley is capable of doing.

Grade: C-

Kelly, Chris

He is a coaches dream. He does a lot of little things right, kills penalties and finds himself in the right place at the right time. Because his scoring touch is lacking for a third liner his grade is lower than it could be.

Grade: B-

Neil, Chris

Neil's work ethic is up their near Fisher and since Grats left he's stepped right back into the fighting role without missing a beat. We can't afford to give him the pay raise he wants but for what he's brought this year he's been pretty good.

Grade: B

Regin, Peter

Too early to judge this prospect but he appears to need some more seasoning in Bingo before making the jump full time

Grade: unknown

Ruutu, Jarkko

Outside of his biting incident he's been exactly what he's billed as. You hate him if he's not on your team. Since I can't look past that totally classless biting his grade is lowered.

Grade: C-

Shannon, Ryan

This guy is like the little engine that could. He's been bounced around the league and been up and down from the minors so much over such a short career. It seems as though he's finally found a home on a line with Foligno and Fisher and may just be our Marty St. Louis Light

Grade: A+

Spezza, Jason

Spezza, like others, struggled early in the season but since the trade deadline I've noticed a more determined player on most nights and his point production is improving greatly as well. He's still prone to some serious defensive lapses and some lasy play so his grade is low.

Grade: C-

Winchester, Jesse

For a guy that insisted on a one-way deal he certainly didn't impress me in the offense department. I will give him props for fitting into his current roll to perfection though.

Grade: B-

Defense:

Bell, Brendan

He's been inconsistant. Going from Bingo to the Sens to healthy Scratch and back again.

Grade: B-

Campoli, Christopher

A young PMD with a lot of upside. He's impressed me with his abilities and has brought more to the team than I expected

Grade: A-

Kuba, Filip

He has exceeded expectations for me and is way better defensively than I could have expected for a PMD. He's certainly not the answer as a Stud #1 D man but for his roll he's been better than I thought.

Grade: A

Lee, Brian

I think it's too early to judge this guys career but for this season he's been average to poor with the odd bright spot. The thing is that includes his time in Bingo as well.

Grade: D+

Phillips, Chris

Chris started the year very badly and couldn't find a partner to gel with. He finally found his way back to Volchenkov and has had much improved play over the last 30 games or so.

Grade: C+

Picard, Alexandre R.

The piece of the Meszaros trade that Murray insisted on apparently. Is this going to be a long term project or will Murray admit his error and move on from him?

Grade: C

Schubert, Christoph

If Schubert had just kept his mouth shut and done as he was told he might have been a fulltime 4th line winger with spot PK duty as a D-man. He played this roll extremely well during the Cup run and could have made a pretty nice career in Ottawa out of it. Instead he whined Wing Dang Doodle and complained and when finally given a shot due to injury he failed miserably as a D-man. He's also been a healthy scratch quite a bit this season

Grade: D-

Smith, Jason

He came on strong right before his unfortunate injury but he also had his struggles during parts of the season. For his price tag he's too much money to spend as a 5th or 6th D man on a team not destined for playoffs.

Grade: C

Volchenkov, Anton

Always working hard and sacrificing the body to block shots. It didn't matter how the team was doing or if no one else seemed to care he was out there risking injury and was in fact injured on a couple of occasions because of it.

Grade: A

Goaltenders:

Elliott, Brian

Despite his numbers and his recent shutout and despite his club rookie goalie record there is still work to do and you can tell he's new to the NHL. The thing is you can't deny the overall record and his numbers either. He's exceeded my expectations.

Grade: A

Auld, Alex

He's come in and been the perfect Backup Goalie. Unfortunately he was relied on to be our Number 1 when Gerber pooped the bed yet again. Auld is good in short spurts and for what he was supposed to do for us he's been good for the most part.

Grade: A-

Good synopsis Clutch.