TBOFS- Ottawa Senators

504Heater wrote:

hemlock wrote:
Yeah. He was leading the league is most goaltending categories at the time of his injury. We were a stronger adductor muscle away from a cup that year.

I'm convinced it wouldn't even have been close. Cam Ward, meet Dominik Hasek, Hasek, Ward. Let's get it on.

That was, in my opinion, the best lock-out team assembled so far.

Look at these stats:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000542006.html

Dominant Hasek in nets, Chara, good Redden & Meszaros, Phillips, Volchenkov and Pothier on the blue-line and an offence that scored over 100 goals (314, a post-lock-out record) more than it allowed (211).

If you look at the production (ignoring the big 3), Fisher, Schaefer, Vermette and Eaves all broke 20, Smolinski had 17, Neil 16, and many others had 10+. Did those players (apart from Smolinski) get magically worse with age? Of course not. It was the defence that kick-started that offence.

If that's not the greatest sell for Victor Hedman, then I don't know what is. Hedman, Karlsson, Lee, Picard, Wiercioch and Volchenkov would get this offence back on its feet in no time. Secondary scoring would be bursting out of the wood-work. I mean, Martin Havlat was injured the whole season and we still had some of the greatest scoring depth the New NHL has seen.

asq2 wrote:

504Heater wrote:

hemlock wrote:
Yeah. He was leading the league is most goaltending categories at the time of his injury. We were a stronger adductor muscle away from a cup that year.

I'm convinced it wouldn't even have been close. Cam Ward, meet Dominik Hasek, Hasek, Ward. Let's get it on.

That was, in my opinion, the best lock-out team assembled so far.

Look at these stats:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000542006.html

Dominant Hasek in nets, Chara, good Redden & Meszaros, Phillips, Volchenkov and Pothier on the blue-line and an offence that scored over 100 goals (314, a post-lock-out record) more than it allowed (211).

If you look at the production (ignoring the big 3), Fisher, Schaefer, Vermette and Eaves all broke 20, Smolinski had 17, Neil 16, and many others had 10+. Did those players (apart from Smolinski) get magically worse with age? Of course not. It was the defence that kick-started that offence.

If that's not the greatest sell for Victor Hedman, then I don't know what is. Hedman, Karlsson, Lee, Picard, Wiercioch and Volchenkov would get this offence back on its feet in no time. Secondary scoring would be bursting out of the wood-work. I mean, Martin Havlat was injured the whole season and we still had some of the greatest scoring depth the New NHL has seen.

It's a mighty fall from grace. That seems like 100 years ago.

We've already got a nice to start to getting the defense back to where it was then. Hedman could be our Chara (obviously, I don't expect him to be the intimidating force that Z is), only better offensively. I maintain once he is accustomed to the smaller rink and the NHL game, he will take advantage of his size more.

hemlock wrote:

asq2 wrote:

504Heater wrote:

hemlock wrote:
Yeah. He was leading the league is most goaltending categories at the time of his injury. We were a stronger adductor muscle away from a cup that year.

I'm convinced it wouldn't even have been close. Cam Ward, meet Dominik Hasek, Hasek, Ward. Let's get it on.

That was, in my opinion, the best lock-out team assembled so far.

Look at these stats:

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/seasons/teams/0000542006.html

Dominant Hasek in nets, Chara, good Redden & Meszaros, Phillips, Volchenkov and Pothier on the blue-line and an offence that scored over 100 goals (314, a post-lock-out record) more than it allowed (211).

If you look at the production (ignoring the big 3), Fisher, Schaefer, Vermette and Eaves all broke 20, Smolinski had 17, Neil 16, and many others had 10+. Did those players (apart from Smolinski) get magically worse with age? Of course not. It was the defence that kick-started that offence.

If that's not the greatest sell for Victor Hedman, then I don't know what is. Hedman, Karlsson, Lee, Picard, Wiercioch and Volchenkov would get this offence back on its feet in no time. Secondary scoring would be bursting out of the wood-work. I mean, Martin Havlat was injured the whole season and we still had some of the greatest scoring depth the New NHL has seen.

It's a mighty fall from grace. That seems like 100 years ago.

We've already got a nice to start to getting the defense back to where it was then. Hedman could be our Chara (obviously, I don't expect him to be the intimidating force that Z is), only better offensively. I maintain once he is accustomed to the smaller rink and the NHL game, he will take advantage of his size more.

Karlsson is good-Redden-like in terms of passing and decision-making, with a better shot.

Lee is like Phillips only less physical but better offensively. Wiercioch is an unknown for me (haven't watched him play much) but I've read and heard a lot of good things.

We certainly have the ability to build one helluva blue-line from an offensive perspective.

Easily The Alfie. Losing Chara for nothing undid most of the good the Yashin deal brought us.