Bryan Murray's capabilities as a GM

504Heater wrote:I would almost go as far as to guarantee the Sens make a major push towards getting back to the Cup Finals - and hopefully winning it - but no one guarantees these things anymore. It's unfair to the rest of the teams - most of whom are very well put together.

In terms of what you've written, I think you're very close to what Murray and Melnyk have in mind. Patience...a couple of years, the maturation process of everyone: Foligno, Shannon, Bass, Winchester, Campoli, Lee, Picard, Wiercioch, Karlsson, Z.Smith, Zubov, Sandin, Petersson, Caporusso, Grant, Greening - and perhaps most importantly Spezza and Heatley.

How long do we wait for the maturation of Heatley and Spezza though? Wait a little too long and their value plummets imo. Is that a risk this franchise can take considering all we have lost over the past few years for nothing?

hemlock wrote:
How long do we wait for the maturation of Heatley and Spezza though? Wait a little too long and their value plummets imo. Is that a risk this franchise can take considering all we have lost over the past few years for nothing?

Not too sure. I would imagine you'll start to see changes in Heatley and Spezza next year, then moreso the year after etc. Probably when they're both near 30 in 2 years, 3 max, they'll be ready to lead the team with Alfie still having a year or more left in the tank. Actually, I'm starting to think that Heatley's about ready to lead. Spezza...we won't know until a couple of seasons have gone by. Is it too late then? Maybe, but I'm not really worried about their values decreasing, there's value in them being moved for cap space alone. I'm more worried about: are they the right guys to lead this team to victory?

I know how a lot of people feel about them, specifically Spezza, but there really isn't a definitive answer IMO.

504Heater wrote:

hemlock wrote:
How long do we wait for the maturation of Heatley and Spezza though? Wait a little too long and their value plummets imo. Is that a risk this franchise can take considering all we have lost over the past few years for nothing?

Not too sure. I would imagine you'll start to see changes in Heatley and Spezza next year, then moreso the year after etc. Probably when they're both near 30 in 2 years, 3 max, they'll be ready to lead the team with Alfie still having a year or more left in the tank. Actually, I'm starting to think that Heatley's about ready to lead. Spezza...we won't know until a couple of seasons have gone by. Is it too late then? Maybe, but I'm not really worried about their values decreasing, there's value in them being moved for cap space alone. I'm more worried about: are they the right guys to lead this team to victory?

I know how a lot of people feel about them, specifically Spezza, but there really isn't a definitive answer IMO.

I'm leaning towards no they aren't the right guys. I'd like to be wrong on this one though.

hemlock wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:

hemlock wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:How was dealing Meszaros (who played like crap in Tampa and Ottawa the last 2 years before he was dealt) for Kuba, Picard, and SJ 1st a bad trade? Kuba for Meszaros straight up in a steal for Ottawa let alone grabbing Picard who is almost on the same level with Meszaros and a 1st that turned into Campoli who has such a large upside that could turn out to be a total steal as well. If anything that was Murray's best deal with the Shannon one.

Murray's only real poor decisions so far have been the coaches, but that seems to be worked out now as well.

Leclaire and a 2nd for Vermette could very well turn into a trade that we look back on as the one that changed the Sens organization around, let alone picking up a 2nd that could pan out in the future. Vermette and the Jackets won the same amount of playoff games as the Sens did, and if Anahiem wins thats also one more draft position that pick moves up.

The Carolina deal is bascially a none issue, you got rid of Corvo who didnt want to be here and was basically not wanted by Ottawa, losing Eaves is still kind of tough because he fit in well in Ottawa, but he couldnt stay healthy. The train was off the tracks in Ottawa before that deal was made and Murray tried to turn things around quick when it needed to be done, it didnt work. We lost basically nothing of any value in that trade for something that had the potential at the time to help the Sens.

Murray entire body of work in Ottawa has been solid, but he will be judged on what happens with Spezza and Heatley IMO. Reason being he has a chance to move Spezza and his salary before July 1, if he doesnt, and Spezza and/or Heatley stay in the tank and dont improve any signifigant amount, then that falls right on Murray. I'm not talking about moving for 70 points to 80 points, I'm talking about moving from 11th in the East 6th or higher in the East, because at the end of the day its a team game, and this "team" has all its eggs in one basket up front right now, if they cant get it done (not just 1 round and out either) then its Murray's a$$.

Kuba for Mez straight up is a steal for Ottawa? That's where I stopped reading to have a good chuckle. Kuba is a decent player, but to suggest he's a steal for Mez who's a talented young 20-something is just plain nonsense. Mez is more talented offensively, and the difference defensively isn't much.

It's straight up laughable that you can suggest that Murray's "entire body of work in Ottawa has been solid" then later in the same paragraph, suggest that if he fails to move Spezza, it's his Donkey.

You change your mind so much, it's hard to keep up. I haven't been around much, so gimme a day or two to adjust to your current opinions, that is if you haven't changed them by then.

Meszaros has done what in the NHL. Rode the coatails of Redden, Chara, and Phillips his first year in the league on a great Sens team, then sucked the next two doing nothing of any real value to the team. Kuba is a better player than him, smarter, bigger, more expierenced, better puck mover, better defensivly, all of it. It doesnt matter if Meszaros is 20 something, I'm 20 something doesnt make me a 4 million dollar, number 1 D man. Doesnt make Meszaros that either, because he isnt. 3 of his 4 years in the NHL have been spotty at best. Tampa took a serious gamble on him and so far they have lost. Kuba is a superior player and plays against teams top 2 lines eveyr night and was still the only D man with a plus rating in Ottawa this year at the same time putting up 40 points, impressive to say the least.

How is having forsight into what will either be Murray's success or demise "changing my opinion", if you cant keep up jr then dont reply. Murray's body of work has been solid up until now, but if he fails to correct mistakes that were made and it cost the Sens in the future, then it is most certainly going to cost Murray his job and the Sens will be in trouble.

This is quite a bit of brilliance here. Of course I cannot keep up. I have a family and a job. I guess by you're rationale I should either read everything you post before commenting or failing that not post at all? Get over your Diddle self please. I'm sure you take the time to read EVERY post on here? Too funny.

I cannot for the life of me see how you can't see how your Murray logic is flawed. On one hand you claim that his body of work has been solid (save for the bad trades and coaching circus I guess), then turn around and claim that he will lose his job solely because of a couple of contracts. When, not it, but WHEN, he loses his job, it will be a combination of things, not simply that.

You're the only one that thinks his trade were bad, so take that for what its wroth. You're the one who believes the Meszaros trade was a bad deal, when in fact it was actually one that has helped the Sens move forward and fill more needs with better players.

504Heater wrote: I would almost go as far as to guarantee the Sens make a major push towards getting back to the Cup Finals - and hopefully winning it - but no one guarantees these things anymore. It's unfair to the rest of the teams - most of whom are very well put together.

In terms of what you've written, I think you're very close to what Murray and Melnyk have in mind. Patience...a couple of years, the maturation process of everyone: Foligno, Shannon, Bass, Winchester, Campoli, Lee, Picard, Wiercioch, Karlsson, Z.Smith, Zubov, Sandin, Petersson, Caporusso, Grant, Greening - and perhaps most importantly Spezza and Heatley.

Well, we all know there are no guarantees in hockey LOL.

IMHO what is necessary for the Senators is to take a good hard look at the roster and the pipeline.

Let's assume the Leclaire trade works out.

Is it really wise to entrust Top 4 defensive responsibilities over the next two years to an aging Chris Phillips and Jason Smith?

How badly hurt is Volchenkov?

Are Alex Picard and Brian Lee NHL caliber?

Will Brendan Bell ever be more than slightly better than AHL quality?

Are Filip Kuba and Chris Campoli consistent enough over the course of a season?

Is, or will Erik Karlsson be physically big enough to make it?

Up front, how long can Alfredsson carry the load? Who is his successor?

Can the Sens afford two luxury sports cars in Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley?

Can Nick Foligno turn into Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler or Johan Franzen?

Are there a half dozen dependable 20 goal scorers with two way ability on this team?

Where is the size and skill at the forward position? Who are the Sens' equivalents of Ben Eager, Adam Burish, Jiri Hudler, Valterri Filpula, Wayne Simmonds, TJ Oshie, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Alexandre Burrows, Claude Giroux, to name but a few?

When you look at the depth charts of the second tier teams in the league, how do they stack up, and how much better will the Sens have to be in order to improve... as these teams improve?

This is but a part of the enormity of the task Bryan Murray has assumed.

I see people are talking about a Cup run...I urge them to step back, take a deep breath, and examine just how difficult it is to build a playoff contender, let alone a Cup contender.

There are 16 teams who started the playoffs, all of them better than the Sens. The eight that remain after the next few days are that much better than the Sens. And the Final Four are yet another level above.

That's a lot of levels before you get to even sniff the Cup.

Being a Blackhawks loyalist for almost 50 years, I've learned to take a deep breath. And NEVER take anything for granted.

Great discussion, everyone.

Neely4Life wrote:

hemlock wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:

hemlock wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:How was dealing Meszaros (who played like crap in Tampa and Ottawa the last 2 years before he was dealt) for Kuba, Picard, and SJ 1st a bad trade? Kuba for Meszaros straight up in a steal for Ottawa let alone grabbing Picard who is almost on the same level with Meszaros and a 1st that turned into Campoli who has such a large upside that could turn out to be a total steal as well. If anything that was Murray's best deal with the Shannon one.

Murray's only real poor decisions so far have been the coaches, but that seems to be worked out now as well.

Leclaire and a 2nd for Vermette could very well turn into a trade that we look back on as the one that changed the Sens organization around, let alone picking up a 2nd that could pan out in the future. Vermette and the Jackets won the same amount of playoff games as the Sens did, and if Anahiem wins thats also one more draft position that pick moves up.

The Carolina deal is bascially a none issue, you got rid of Corvo who didnt want to be here and was basically not wanted by Ottawa, losing Eaves is still kind of tough because he fit in well in Ottawa, but he couldnt stay healthy. The train was off the tracks in Ottawa before that deal was made and Murray tried to turn things around quick when it needed to be done, it didnt work. We lost basically nothing of any value in that trade for something that had the potential at the time to help the Sens.

Murray entire body of work in Ottawa has been solid, but he will be judged on what happens with Spezza and Heatley IMO. Reason being he has a chance to move Spezza and his salary before July 1, if he doesnt, and Spezza and/or Heatley stay in the tank and dont improve any signifigant amount, then that falls right on Murray. I'm not talking about moving for 70 points to 80 points, I'm talking about moving from 11th in the East 6th or higher in the East, because at the end of the day its a team game, and this "team" has all its eggs in one basket up front right now, if they cant get it done (not just 1 round and out either) then its Murray's a$$.

Kuba for Mez straight up is a steal for Ottawa? That's where I stopped reading to have a good chuckle. Kuba is a decent player, but to suggest he's a steal for Mez who's a talented young 20-something is just plain nonsense. Mez is more talented offensively, and the difference defensively isn't much.

It's straight up laughable that you can suggest that Murray's "entire body of work in Ottawa has been solid" then later in the same paragraph, suggest that if he fails to move Spezza, it's his Donkey.

You change your mind so much, it's hard to keep up. I haven't been around much, so gimme a day or two to adjust to your current opinions, that is if you haven't changed them by then.

Meszaros has done what in the NHL. Rode the coatails of Redden, Chara, and Phillips his first year in the league on a great Sens team, then sucked the next two doing nothing of any real value to the team. Kuba is a better player than him, smarter, bigger, more expierenced, better puck mover, better defensivly, all of it. It doesnt matter if Meszaros is 20 something, I'm 20 something doesnt make me a 4 million dollar, number 1 D man. Doesnt make Meszaros that either, because he isnt. 3 of his 4 years in the NHL have been spotty at best. Tampa took a serious gamble on him and so far they have lost. Kuba is a superior player and plays against teams top 2 lines eveyr night and was still the only D man with a plus rating in Ottawa this year at the same time putting up 40 points, impressive to say the least.

How is having forsight into what will either be Murray's success or demise "changing my opinion", if you cant keep up jr then dont reply. Murray's body of work has been solid up until now, but if he fails to correct mistakes that were made and it cost the Sens in the future, then it is most certainly going to cost Murray his job and the Sens will be in trouble.

This is quite a bit of brilliance here. Of course I cannot keep up. I have a family and a job. I guess by you're rationale I should either read everything you post before commenting or failing that not post at all? Get over your Diddle self please. I'm sure you take the time to read EVERY post on here? Too funny.

I cannot for the life of me see how you can't see how your Murray logic is flawed. On one hand you claim that his body of work has been solid (save for the bad trades and coaching circus I guess), then turn around and claim that he will lose his job solely because of a couple of contracts. When, not it, but WHEN, he loses his job, it will be a combination of things, not simply that.

You're the only one that thinks his trade were bad, so take that for what its wroth. You're the one who believes the Meszaros trade was a bad deal, when in fact it was actually one that has helped the Sens move forward and fill more needs with better players.

Way to speak for eveyone else, as usual. I highly doubt I am the only one that sees that the Mez deal would have been better had Murray pushed for TB's 1st instead of SJ's first and Picard. I highly doubt that I am the only one that sees that the Corvo/Eaves deal, despite his intentions at the time, turned out badly for us.

Feel free to come off your dream cloud where you think everyone does and should agree with your opinion. In the meantime, I'll go back to realizing why it is that I've chosen to spend less time at this site.

Hem...don't go away...the party's just started.

Go right ahead buddy, its amazing how it has stayed so popular without ya!

You just condemend the Meszaros deal and now you say it could have been better... you trashed the Leclaire deal before he has even played a game or seeing who we drafted.

Its not people agreeing with me or not, the Meszaros deal was a good deal for the Sens, there is no debate what so ever. They got the better player, they got a draft pick and the took a shot on another D man that could turn into a very reliable player. At the Murray managed to add 3 D men and keep the cap hit the same as Meszaros (who before his injury showed he isnt a 4 million dollar player or anywhere near it) cap hit alone. ITS A GOOD TRADE, end of story.

hemlock wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:

hemlock wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:

hemlock wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:How was dealing Meszaros (who played like crap in Tampa and Ottawa the last 2 years before he was dealt) for Kuba, Picard, and SJ 1st a bad trade? Kuba for Meszaros straight up in a steal for Ottawa let alone grabbing Picard who is almost on the same level with Meszaros and a 1st that turned into Campoli who has such a large upside that could turn out to be a total steal as well. If anything that was Murray's best deal with the Shannon one.

Murray's only real poor decisions so far have been the coaches, but that seems to be worked out now as well.

Leclaire and a 2nd for Vermette could very well turn into a trade that we look back on as the one that changed the Sens organization around, let alone picking up a 2nd that could pan out in the future. Vermette and the Jackets won the same amount of playoff games as the Sens did, and if Anahiem wins thats also one more draft position that pick moves up.

The Carolina deal is bascially a none issue, you got rid of Corvo who didnt want to be here and was basically not wanted by Ottawa, losing Eaves is still kind of tough because he fit in well in Ottawa, but he couldnt stay healthy. The train was off the tracks in Ottawa before that deal was made and Murray tried to turn things around quick when it needed to be done, it didnt work. We lost basically nothing of any value in that trade for something that had the potential at the time to help the Sens.

Murray entire body of work in Ottawa has been solid, but he will be judged on what happens with Spezza and Heatley IMO. Reason being he has a chance to move Spezza and his salary before July 1, if he doesnt, and Spezza and/or Heatley stay in the tank and dont improve any signifigant amount, then that falls right on Murray. I'm not talking about moving for 70 points to 80 points, I'm talking about moving from 11th in the East 6th or higher in the East, because at the end of the day its a team game, and this "team" has all its eggs in one basket up front right now, if they cant get it done (not just 1 round and out either) then its Murray's a$$.

Kuba for Mez straight up is a steal for Ottawa? That's where I stopped reading to have a good chuckle. Kuba is a decent player, but to suggest he's a steal for Mez who's a talented young 20-something is just plain nonsense. Mez is more talented offensively, and the difference defensively isn't much.

It's straight up laughable that you can suggest that Murray's "entire body of work in Ottawa has been solid" then later in the same paragraph, suggest that if he fails to move Spezza, it's his Donkey.

You change your mind so much, it's hard to keep up. I haven't been around much, so gimme a day or two to adjust to your current opinions, that is if you haven't changed them by then.

Meszaros has done what in the NHL. Rode the coatails of Redden, Chara, and Phillips his first year in the league on a great Sens team, then sucked the next two doing nothing of any real value to the team. Kuba is a better player than him, smarter, bigger, more expierenced, better puck mover, better defensivly, all of it. It doesnt matter if Meszaros is 20 something, I'm 20 something doesnt make me a 4 million dollar, number 1 D man. Doesnt make Meszaros that either, because he isnt. 3 of his 4 years in the NHL have been spotty at best. Tampa took a serious gamble on him and so far they have lost. Kuba is a superior player and plays against teams top 2 lines eveyr night and was still the only D man with a plus rating in Ottawa this year at the same time putting up 40 points, impressive to say the least.

How is having forsight into what will either be Murray's success or demise "changing my opinion", if you cant keep up jr then dont reply. Murray's body of work has been solid up until now, but if he fails to correct mistakes that were made and it cost the Sens in the future, then it is most certainly going to cost Murray his job and the Sens will be in trouble.

This is quite a bit of brilliance here. Of course I cannot keep up. I have a family and a job. I guess by you're rationale I should either read everything you post before commenting or failing that not post at all? Get over your Diddle self please. I'm sure you take the time to read EVERY post on here? Too funny.

I cannot for the life of me see how you can't see how your Murray logic is flawed. On one hand you claim that his body of work has been solid (save for the bad trades and coaching circus I guess), then turn around and claim that he will lose his job solely because of a couple of contracts. When, not it, but WHEN, he loses his job, it will be a combination of things, not simply that.

You're the only one that thinks his trade were bad, so take that for what its wroth. You're the one who believes the Meszaros trade was a bad deal, when in fact it was actually one that has helped the Sens move forward and fill more needs with better players.

Way to speak for eveyone else, as usual. I highly doubt I am the only one that sees that the Mez deal would have been better had Murray pushed for TB's 1st instead of SJ's first and Picard. I highly doubt that I am the only one that sees that the Corvo/Eaves deal, despite his intentions at the time, turned out badly for us.

Feel free to come off your dream cloud where you think everyone does and should agree with your opinion. In the meantime, I'll go back to realizing why it is that I've chosen to spend less time at this site.

There is no word if tampa wanted to move thier 1st ,so the point of us acquiring it is moot .I dont think we could have gone to 4.2 mil for mez and he wouldnt have signed for less here in ottawa,so murray made the best out of a bad situation

Neely4Life wrote:Go right ahead buddy, its amazing how it has stayed so popular without ya!

You just condemend the Meszaros deal and now you say it could have been better... you trashed the Leclaire deal before he has even played a game or seeing who we drafted.

Its not people agreeing with me or not, the Meszaros deal was a good deal for the Sens, there is no debate what so ever. They got the better player, they got a draft pick and the took a shot on another D man that could turn into a very reliable player. At the Murray managed to add 3 D men and keep the cap hit the same as Meszaros (who before his injury showed he isnt a 4 million dollar player or anywhere near it) cap hit alone. ITS A GOOD TRADE, end of story.

You need to learn to read. I never condemned the Leclaire deal. I simpy said that it cannot be judged accurately now. Go back a few posts and read....or have someone who's literate spell it out for you on your Lite Brite.

The reason I haven't spent much time here is your snotty Diddle attitude. And I am not the only one, I can assure you of that. Newsflash: You aren't nearly as knowledgable as you'd like to pretend, and what's worse, you have an attitude about it. Guys like DTR, asq2 have forgotten more about hockey than you'll ever know. Period. And they have some class, which as you've proven for longer than I care to remember on both here and HB, know nothing about.

Just because Murray grabbed 3 D-man for the cost of Mezsaros doesn't make it a good trade off. By this brilliant logic, the Predators could trade Shea Weber for 3 scrub d-man and it's a good deal? Please. A fool's arguement made by a fool. Granted Mez is no Weber, but that's basically what you've suggested is that 3 is better than 1.

I'm done speaking to you. I'll no longer lower myself to engaging you, because simply, you are not worth it. When you manage to make a level headed post it can actually add to this place. God forbid anyone should not agree with your Diddle know-it-all opinions though.

Is there really any need to be fighting like this? This is hockey, its not the end all be all. You have different opinions, obviously, and need to work your differences out in a better way. I dont want to sound pretentious, but that's the way I see it.

Don't think so buddy. ASQ and DTR know their stuff, but so do I. Me and DTR actually have quite a good time talking back and forth and seem to share very similar opinions and views on most things. We dont always agree but somehow we manage to have pretty good convo's anyways. I get into it with ASQ a lot but we have a different phylosophy on how the game is played and the type of players we like, which I'm fine with. I'm not going to go into who knows more and who doesnt, but the fact of the matter is I have been right about way more things than I have been wrong about, by a huge margin.

There are about 3 guys on this site that dont like me, awwww too bad. Those are the breaks I guess, but a lot of people dislike those who are just simply more knowledgable or when people tell them they are wrong. I get it, dont worry.

The thing is about the Tbay deal, Meszaros isnt Weber, he isnt even Kuba or anything close to him. What makes it a good deal is the cap managment, the players we got in return, and the potential of the return as well. Meszaros is a 3, 4 D man at best, Weber is a franchise D man. So you go ahead and bring up stupid little points like that, and Ill talk about what happend and the actual reality of it.

The Guy With The Mustache wrote:Is there really any need to be fighting like this? This is hockey, its not the end all be all. You have different opinions, obviously, and need to work your differences out in a better way. I dont want to sound pretentious, but that's the way I see it.

Spoken from the guy who's clashed with him repeatedly, here in public. Am I the pot or the kettle?

You're right though, it's not the best way to do this. Personally, I apologize to all the other members who have been affected by this, for my part in this.

Wow, threw someone under the bus there for having a little more common sense than you eh... classy!

Personally I find N4L better now. While he still has his moments, who doesnt, he at least tries to show some discretion. Sure we may have bickered before, but all thats behind us now as far as I'm concerned. I've had some good discussions with you both, and think that if you guys got past this fighting you'd see how similar you really are.

davetherave wrote:
Well, we all know there are no guarantees in hockey LOL.

IMHO what is necessary for the Senators is to take a good hard look at the roster and the pipeline.

Let's assume the Leclaire trade works out.

Is it really wise to entrust Top 4 defensive responsibilities over the next two years to an aging Chris Phillips and Jason Smith?

How badly hurt is Volchenkov?

Are Alex Picard and Brian Lee NHL caliber?

Will Brendan Bell ever be more than slightly better than AHL quality?

Are Filip Kuba and Chris Campoli consistent enough over the course of a season?

Is, or will Erik Karlsson be physically big enough to make it?

Up front, how long can Alfredsson carry the load? Who is his successor?

Can the Sens afford two luxury sports cars in Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley?

Can Nick Foligno turn into Ryan Getzlaf, Ryan Kesler or Johan Franzen?

Are there a half dozen dependable 20 goal scorers with two way ability on this team?

Where is the size and skill at the forward position? Who are the Sens' equivalents of Ben Eager, Adam Burish, Jiri Hudler, Valterri Filpula, Wayne Simmonds, TJ Oshie, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Alexandre Burrows, Claude Giroux, to name but a few?

When you look at the depth charts of the second tier teams in the league, how do they stack up, and how much better will the Sens have to be in order to improve... as these teams improve?

This is but a part of the enormity of the task Bryan Murray has assumed.

I see people are talking about a Cup run...I urge them to step back, take a deep breath, and examine just how difficult it is to build a playoff contender, let alone a Cup contender.

There are 16 teams who started the playoffs, all of them better than the Sens. The eight that remain after the next few days are that much better than the Sens. And the Final Four are yet another level above.

That's a lot of levels before you get to even sniff the Cup.

Being a Blackhawks loyalist for almost 50 years, I've learned to take a deep breath. And NEVER take anything for granted.

Great discussion, everyone.

Phillips and Volchenkov will probably be good enough to be in the top 4. I think both have had horrendous times under both Paddock and Hartsburg, but finally showed signs that they were rebounding under Clouston.

Volchenkov is hurt, there seems to be no question, but a break should take the better part of the summer to heal, leading to him hopefully being back by training camp.

Kuba is definitely ready to take on a top 4 role permanently.

Now...the other questions are harder. Will Foligno turn into a Getzlaf? No, there's no chance. Will he turn into a Ryan Clowe? Yes, I believe he will. A really, really solid body who can drive the net well and potentially pot 30 goals, perhaps more. I also am not sure if he has Kesler's potential either - maybe. Definitely doesn't have the Franzen style. But he has his own power forward niche and should excel next year and beyond.

Then the mumbo-jumbo crazy stuff starts. I think Campoli can endure the rigors of a full schedule as an NHL number one D-man - but he'll need to be protected by Kuba. Which leads to Lee and Picard. Both can play in the NHL, but, I'm really not sure if they're gonna work out. Lee has the most potential upside, but Picard is a PP wizard. Smith is diddled, I'm not sure if he's coming back, but if he does, he lends a nice physical force to the third pairing. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing him and Lee get paired on unit 3. BUT, what to do about Karlsson? From people I trust, I hear he's about good to go. Almost 6 feet and in the 185 range. Fast, mobile and has a head for the game. If he comes in, he's a top pairing D-man right away, so where does Campoli go?

Where is the size and skill at the forward position? Who are the Sens' equivalents of Ben Eager, Adam Burish, Jiri Hudler, Valterri Filpula, Wayne Simmonds, TJ Oshie, David Krejci, Milan Lucic, Alexandre Burrows, Claude Giroux, to name but a few?


Ben Eager = Cody Bass
Adam Burish = Jesse Winchester
Jiri Hudler = Peter Regin (fingers crossed there)
Filipula = no one in the system I can think of - too small anyway, we want the Jim O'Brien's of the world
Simmonds = Z.Smith
TJ Oshie is a first roudner, his pedigree was great coming in. We really don't have anyone like this. Maybe Caporusso, but he's light years away from being ready (or is he...?)
Krejci is a great talent, not sure the Sens have anyone like this
Lucic is a huge talent, the Sens don't really have anyone like this either

But then...no team has all of these prospects, they might have one, two, three, but to have more than that is just dumb luck combined with good scouting and probably a couple of bad years mixed in there. Eager and Burish aside, they're your typical Cody Bass, Jesse Winchester dime a dozen players.

504H...don't forget Giroux. Local boy.

No offense Heater, Bass and Eager are nothing alike honestly, haha. Benny is a lot more tallented than he is given credit for and an absolutly tremendous skater. (Set an CHL record at the prspects skills comp at the time)

If you are looking for a comparable to Eager in Bingo or with the youth here, right now we dont have it.