GAME DAY: Toronto Maple Leafs @ Ottawa Senators - 7:00pm ET - SAT. Jan. 1 2011

hemlock wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:

hemlock wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

Dash wrote:Mike Fisher might be too valuable to the Senators though for personal reasons. He alone has a large fanbase that likely brings in spectators, plus his wife is a major recording artist and celebrity. I think he is good to have around, especially considering the game he plays. Very good player to have around a young team.

On the other hand, he is also a potentially attractive trading piece.... so it is a tough decision.

I doubt Alfredsson will ever leave, unless it is one of those mutual decisions ala Ray Bourque. Would it hurt his image and career if he left the team to pursue a Stanley Cup elsewhere, then returned for one final year in Ottawa?

My personal list of players to see stay are: Alfredsson, Spezza, Fisher, and Karlsson.

Guys like Foligno and Regin are still young so I would likely keep them unless it was for a trade similar to Latendresse (one young underachiever for another).

And the non-roster guys like prospects are also part of the future and I wouldn't part with nay of them. That includes picks, unless it is something like a swap of 1st or 2nds, but obviously only if it is beneficial to Ottawa.

That's a good post. I think you hit the nail on the head. Fisher is very valuable from a merchandising aspect + popularity. It's not really about that obviously, but that plays into it big time whether we like it or not. It's not the end of the world with Fisher anyway, he's a good player, but his streakiness are going to really hurt this team in the next couple of years because we simply don't have the talent to be able to support streaks. Still, the dude hits 20 goals every year + hits everything that moves when he's healthy.

Phillips is the other massive question mark. Do you trade him, or do you give him the benefit of the doubt and try to sign him @ 3 years, 3.5 million (I doubt he'd go less than that).

It's not really that the core is wrong - it's just old and streaky. If we're to keep Fisher, then we need young, fast, big and skilled up front to accommodate that. It wouldn't be the way I would do it necessarily, but it might still be enough to work in the next 3-4 years.

I don't want Phillips re-signed, even at a hometown discount. We've seen this (crappy) movie before with Redden.

they aren't the same type of player and i doubt they end the same.
but personally i'm all for trading phillips and re-sinning him in the summer.

No, I was referring to the decline in play. The way Phillips has played this year, he's not even worth a contract at the hometown discount rate.

wprager wrote:Personally, I think a cheaper team (which would probably include some fan favorites like Fisher plying their trade in another market) that plays an exciting brand of hockey would be able to draw enough fans to actually lose less money than they will lose this season. They are not going to break even, forget that, but they can actually lose less money while turning this team around with better draft picks from a couple of losing seasons.

asq2 wrote:So we move the 32 year old Phillips...who teaches Cowen the tricks of the NHL trade specific to his position? Matt Carkner?

asq2 wrote:So we move the 32 year old Phillips...who teaches Cowen the tricks of the NHL trade specific to his position? Matt Carkner?

Dash wrote:We are dreaming if we can come out of any trade on top.

We don't value many of our players, why would other teams?

You really think Nashville's going to send us Colin Wilson, who is playing better than Fisher? And you can forget about Weber, Suter, or anyone else for that matter.

A 1st round pick is stretching it.

A risk like Radulov would be highly enticing though. If Ottawa can convince him to come over that would be ridiculous.

Dash wrote:

asq2 wrote:So we move the 32 year old Phillips...who teaches Cowen the tricks of the NHL trade specific to his position? Matt Carkner?

Phillips hasn't even been playing his position. Cowen could probably teach him.

And you can always sign a veteran, if you really must. Or, I go back to trading Phillips for Regehr. Does Calgary do it? I dunno.... Regehr > Phillips, but the only thing Calgary might like is moving a contract for a UFA.

asq2 wrote:So we move the 32 year old Phillips...who teaches Cowen the tricks of the NHL trade specific to his position? Matt Carkner?

SeawaySensFan wrote:

asq2 wrote:So we move the 32 year old Phillips...who teaches Cowen the tricks of the NHL trade specific to his position? Matt Carkner?

Luke Richardson?

Dash wrote:

asq2 wrote:So we move the 32 year old Phillips...who teaches Cowen the tricks of the NHL trade specific to his position? Matt Carkner?

Phillips hasn't even been playing his position. Cowen could probably teach him.

And you can always sign a veteran, if you really must. Or, I go back to trading Phillips for Regehr. Does Calgary do it? I dunno.... Regehr > Phillips, but the only thing Calgary might like is moving a contract for a UFA.

wprager wrote:

Dash wrote:

asq2 wrote:So we move the 32 year old Phillips...who teaches Cowen the tricks of the NHL trade specific to his position? Matt Carkner?

Phillips hasn't even been playing his position. Cowen could probably teach him.

And you can always sign a veteran, if you really must. Or, I go back to trading Phillips for Regehr. Does Calgary do it? I dunno.... Regehr > Phillips, but the only thing Calgary might like is moving a contract for a UFA.

If we still had rep points you'd lose a ton for that. I *wish* that were the case, but it's not.

wprager wrote:I'm with you. Posted this in another thread -- we need a veteran on D with Karlsson, Cowen and possibly Rundblad all lacing them up with the big club next season. While Kuba is signed, I'd prefer Phillips as he *is* a leader. You don't throw away 10+ years because of one bad one. The guy's 32!!!! Give him a $4+$3+$2+$2 with a limited NTC and let him retire a Senator. Kuba, with just one year left, should be a fairly easy piece to move -- after all, a season that starts with a broken leg because of bad ice is easy enough to rationalize away.

asq2 wrote:

wprager wrote:I'm with you. Posted this in another thread -- we need a veteran on D with Karlsson, Cowen and possibly Rundblad all lacing them up with the big club next season. While Kuba is signed, I'd prefer Phillips as he *is* a leader. You don't throw away 10+ years because of one bad one. The guy's 32!!!! Give him a $4+$3+$2+$2 with a limited NTC and let him retire a Senator. Kuba, with just one year left, should be a fairly easy piece to move -- after all, a season that starts with a broken leg because of bad ice is easy enough to rationalize away.

Rebuilding isn't just dealing all your established players away and hoping your prospects magically develop. Culture of losing + lack of veteran advice usually = prolonged lousiness and poor player development.