GAME DAY:Pittsburgh Penguins @ Ottawa Senators - 7:30pm ET - Tue. Mar. 15, 2011

O'Brien isn't anywhere near ready enough from a mental or just a pure talent standpoint to be playing in The NHL. People saying he "isn't being given a shot" are ignoring the fact his upside is that of a 3rd line center, more than likely a 4th line center and even that's pushing it at this point.

He's been leap frogged by Condra, Greening, Butler, and if Ottawa drafts Landeskog and Silfvergberg comes over, he has absolutely no shot to make it in Ottawa, not that he is ready anyways.... hell that Nashville pick if they draft a forward may be on par with O'Brien.

The difference between him and Lee is Lee was a top 10 pick with expectations right off the bat, people realize Ottawa would be lucky if O'Brien turned into an NHLer and if I'm guessing or prediciting, he won't. Lee also has a lot of tools that can make him a successful NHLer, he just had to change his game.

O'Brien worked hard because the next step for him was The ECHL, not The NHL and good for him, he deserved to get a look, but that's all he deserves and he go it... did nothing with it. Long way to go for that guy.

spader wrote:Shannon scores. Just for SSF.

On the PP too. Even a blind squirrel will find a nut every now and then.

Meh, don't see how you can hate on Shannon at this point. He has a place on The Sens going forward as the 13th forward. He can fill in on the PK, PP, and on any given night any given line. If they don't resign him then w/e but I don't see a whole lot of risk to signing a guy that has earned his next contract through his play.

Next years line will probably look something like this.

Michalek/Spezza/Butler
Alfi/Regin/Landeskog
Neil/Smith/Foligno
Greening/Winchester/Condra
Shannon

That's just my guess. Obviously a lot can change with signings, draft picks, so on but as it stands right now, that's how I see things shakking out up front.

We have a thread for 2011/12 lines.

Cool beans.

Agent Smith: Never send a human to do a machine's job.