GDT - Ottawa @ Detroit: 7:30PM, TSN, TSN1200

sandysensfan wrote:

Hoags wrote:

Michallica wrote:Perhaps alfie didn't believe the players or the coaching staff were as serious about winning as he was?  That's my thinking about why he said 'probably not'.  He was frustrated at his team, no question about it.  

When ownership invests more money and spends to the cap or close to it, it's a sign of confidence that ownership believes this team can win and is willing to put their money where their mouth it.  It's a vote of confidence

When they don't, it means the budget is more important than winning and/or that ownership doesn't truly believe in the team (at least not yet).

That might not necessarily be true but it can be perceived as such by some players.

Exactly..  Of course the players and the coaches want to win the Cup.  But Melnyk wants to do it on a shoestring budget... and that won't work.  You have to keep up to the other teams in the division.  

Mason Raymond was available for cheap... as it turned out.  Speed and can score.  The Sens right now are not where they should be.  Something is off.  Is it still adjusting to their team without Alfie?  Their PP is an absolute joke.. yet Dave Cameron is still  in charge of it.  That man appears to have no creativity..  The PP is too slow and predictable.. and it fails the team.  Their transition game isn't what it was in the first couple games of the season..  Then again, they have been playing the top teams in the West.  But the Leafs beat one of those teams last night?  Why?  Because they can put a puck in the net quite frequently.  Some nights the Sens can't put a puck in the ocean... see Edmonton game..  Too many shots from the outside.  Not too many players going to the front of the net..

Crossing fingers they win.  IF the pesky Sens show up.. they have a good chance of winning tonight.. Andy will have to be stellar.  If it is the team that played the Oilers... then it's another loss...

wprager wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:5 points for Joe Scorevo.

No, 5 points for Karlsson ... to catch PK.

wprager wrote:

sandysensfan wrote:

Hoags wrote:

Michallica wrote:Perhaps alfie didn't believe the players or the coaching staff were as serious about winning as he was?  That's my thinking about why he said 'probably not'.  He was frustrated at his team, no question about it.  

When ownership invests more money and spends to the cap or close to it, it's a sign of confidence that ownership believes this team can win and is willing to put their money where their mouth it.  It's a vote of confidence

When they don't, it means the budget is more important than winning and/or that ownership doesn't truly believe in the team (at least not yet).

That might not necessarily be true but it can be perceived as such by some players.

Exactly..  Of course the players and the coaches want to win the Cup.  But Melnyk wants to do it on a shoestring budget... and that won't work.  You have to keep up to the other teams in the division.  

Mason Raymond was available for cheap... as it turned out.  Speed and can score.  The Sens right now are not where they should be.  Something is off.  Is it still adjusting to their team without Alfie?  Their PP is an absolute joke.. yet Dave Cameron is still  in charge of it.  That man appears to have no creativity..  The PP is too slow and predictable.. and it fails the team.  Their transition game isn't what it was in the first couple games of the season..  Then again, they have been playing the top teams in the West.  But the Leafs beat one of those teams last night?  Why?  Because they can put a puck in the net quite frequently.  Some nights the Sens can't put a puck in the ocean... see Edmonton game..  Too many shots from the outside.  Not too many players going to the front of the net..

Crossing fingers they win.  IF the pesky Sens show up.. they have a good chance of winning tonight.. Andy will have to be stellar.  If it is the team that played the Oilers... then it's another loss...

I don't think anyone here is dreaming of winning the Cup this season.  In 2-3 years guys like Wiercioch and Cowen will be seasoned vets, Conacher/Pageau/etc. will be older and more experienced.  Lehner will be getting the lion's share of the starts.  That is when we will be competing.  Is there really any need to spend money needlessly now?

wprager wrote:[
I don't think anyone here is dreaming of winning the Cup this season.  In 2-3 years guys like Wiercioch and Cowen will be seasoned vets, Conacher/Pageau/etc. will be older and more experienced.  Lehner will be getting the lion's share of the starts.  That is when we will be competing.  Is there really any need to spend money needlessly now?

sandysensfan wrote:
Exactly..  Of course the players and the coaches want to win the Cup.  But Melnyk wants to do it on a shoestring budget... and that won't work.  You have to keep up to the other teams in the division.  

Crossing fingers they win.  IF the pesky Sens show up.. they have a good chance of winning tonight.. Andy will have to be stellar.  If it is the team that played the Oilers... then it's another loss...

Hoags wrote:

wprager wrote:
I don't think anyone here is dreaming of winning the Cup this season.  In 2-3 years guys like Wiercioch and Cowen will be seasoned vets, Conacher/Pageau/etc. will be older and more experienced.  Lehner will be getting the lion's share of the starts.  That is when we will be competing.  Is there really any need to spend money needlessly now?

From Alfie's point of view he doesn't have 2-3 years to wait, which has to be at least one reason why he left.

And we are competing now, we  Montreal pretty good.  The question now is if/how we will improve over the next 2-3 years.

Trading for Ryan reminds us that not every player on the team will be a player drafted by the Sens and that not every player may develop into what they project.

Building a Cup winner isn't an exact science, and it's more luck than anything IMHO.

Flo The Action wrote:no we're not thinking of winning the cup but at least making the playoffs has to be in the cards now. I'm very unsure of spezza's leadership qualities and that remains a big question mark. there doesn't seem to be the same intensity that there was behind Alfie. this team kind of needs to find it's new rallying identity. some growing up from the kids will be good in order to see some of them take on more leading responsibility. IMO in theory we're 2 years I'd say before we can reach the conf finals... then again, anything is possible when a team gets hot.

wprager wrote:
I was only commenting on why Melnyk would not spend now, and how his stance this season does not mean this will be the status quo regardless of anything else.  When Bryan/PMac tell him they're close, he'll take off his shoe and sock and there will be a nice wad of bills in there that his ex-wife's lawyer didn't know about.

wprager wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:no we're not thinking of winning the cup but at least making the playoffs has to be in the cards now. I'm very unsure of spezza's leadership qualities and that remains a big question mark. there doesn't seem to be the same intensity that there was behind Alfie. this team kind of needs to find it's new rallying identity. some growing up from the kids will be good in order to see some of them take on more leading responsibility. IMO in theory we're 2 years I'd say before we can reach the conf finals... then again, anything is possible when a team gets hot.

It wasn't very long ago, after several years of playoff underachievement under Alfie's leadership that a fairly vocal majority wanted to run him out of town.  Even I was suggesting that, while I can't fault his individual performance -- he always gave 100% percent -- that perhaps this team needed a different kind of leader, a real prick of a guy who would grab you by the collar and scream in your face if he thought you were dogging it.  Alfie wasn't that kind of leader.  I doubt Spezza is that type, either but Spezza is more vocal than Alfie.  I always see him on the bench talking to the others, whereas Alfie was the epitome of "lead by example".

Who knows.  8 games into Spezza's captaincy, where he spent most of camp nursing an injury, perhaps a bit early to question his leadership.

NEELY wrote:Did that 3 days off ever make a difference.  Wow.