GAME DAY: Washington Capitals @ Ottawa Senators - 7:30pm Jan. 20th, 2009

Now Forsberg is looking at a comeback. I don't think he's healthy enough, he should probably just think of hanging them up, or he'll end up hurting himself more.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=263977&lid=sublink01&lpos=headlines_nhl

Washington is 1-0-1 against the Senators this year, having dropped an overtime decision in Ottawa on November 4 before recording an easy 5-1 home decision on December 12. The Caps have won five of six and eight of the last 11 meetings overall in the series, but Washington has dropped three of five and six of its last nine in Ottawa.

How have they dropped six of their last nine against us? They won all 4 last year...

504Heater wrote:

asq2 wrote:

Remember when we were first in the league in goals scored? When was that? Last season, you say? It seems so long ago.

Not even. It was more like we stock-piled all these goals until right after the All-Star Break and then we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

Very strange. A stud D-man would do wonders - and I'm really not into rushing Karlsson.

Wait just a minute. When did we trade Corvo?

wprager wrote:

504Heater wrote:

asq2 wrote:

Remember when we were first in the league in goals scored? When was that? Last season, you say? It seems so long ago.

Not even. It was more like we stock-piled all these goals until right after the All-Star Break and then we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

Very strange. A stud D-man would do wonders - and I'm really not into rushing Karlsson.

Wait just a minute. When did we trade Corvo?

I think it was at the deadline, or a bit before.

SensGirl11 wrote:

wprager wrote:

504Heater wrote:

asq2 wrote:

Remember when we were first in the league in goals scored? When was that? Last season, you say? It seems so long ago.

Not even. It was more like we stock-piled all these goals until right after the All-Star Break and then we couldn't hit the broad side of a barn.

Very strange. A stud D-man would do wonders - and I'm really not into rushing Karlsson.

Wait just a minute. When did we trade Corvo?

I think it was at the deadline, or a bit before.

It was actually February 11, which is roughly two weeks after the All Star break, maybe a bit less. Given that Heatley got injured just before, and Alfie wasn't 100% either, it could very well be that trading Corvo had an immediate and devastating effect on our ability to consistently generate offense.

Maybe it really *is* as simple as that.

wprager wrote:It was actually February 11, which is roughly two weeks after the All Star break, maybe a bit less. Given that Heatley got injured just before, and Alfie wasn't 100% either, it could very well be that trading Corvo had an immediate and devastating effect on our ability to consistently generate offense.

Maybe it really *is* as simple as that.

Pretty close to that simple, yeah. We let an electric offensive player walk and then another good puck mover in Redden walk, then we traded Mez - which is a wash with us getting back Kuba and Picard.

But we lost Preissing the summer before. How many D - especially offensive D - can one team lose and still be competitive?

Now we have the answer in living proof. Not this many.

I'll be the first to admit that I think trading Corvo was a big mistake on our part. They should've told him to suck it up and be a man.

SensGirl11 wrote:I'll be the first to admit that I think trading Corvo was a big mistake on our part. They should've told him to suck it up and be a man.

me too. I watched him against the Leafs last night.

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:I'll be the first to admit that I think trading Corvo was a big mistake on our part. They should've told him to suck it up and be a man.

me too. I watched him against the Leafs last night.

And for 2.65 for last year, this year and I believe next year...how can you argue with that?

Terrible choice, just terrible.

Although, just getting Stillman back in that trade was worth it, but...Murray should've tried to sign him to an extension right away, that really screwed us out of this one.

SensGirl11 wrote:
And for 2.65 for last year, this year and I believe next year...how can you argue with that?

Terrible choice, just terrible.

Although, just getting Stillman back in that trade was worth it, but...Murray should've tried to sign him to an extension right away, that really screwed us out of this one.

Should've signed Stillman the moment he stepped into Ottawa. WTF? You don't wait, that's a major piece of the puzzle - secondary scoring. Re-sign...now at 2.9 million, deal? Deal.

Okay, next, you have to replace Joe Corvo. You have no choice...but then...Murray decided he'd play it 'cool' and wait until the summer. Well...look what happened.

SensGirl11 wrote:

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:I'll be the first to admit that I think trading Corvo was a big mistake on our part. They should've told him to suck it up and be a man.

me too. I watched him against the Leafs last night.

And for 2.65 for last year, this year and I believe next year...how can you argue with that?

Terrible choice, just terrible.

Although, just getting Stillman back in that trade was worth it, but...Murray should've tried to sign him to an extension right away, that really screwed us out of this one.

I think the biggest problem with that trade was that we got a different type of defenseman in return. Granted, Commodore didn't play well here, but even if he did we would still be down one puck-mover. And given that we pretty much knew at that time that Redden would be gone, that was not the best move.

Then in the off-season we lost Meszaros, and we gained Smith, Kuba and Picard. Picard was pretty much a rookie, and Kuba, while being *our* best puck-moving defenseman, really was nowhere near Corvo as a puck mover. Plus I don't think I see Picard as a puck mover even now, that he's playing better.

wprager wrote:
I think the biggest problem with that trade was that we got a different type of defenseman in return. Granted, Commodore didn't play well here, but even if he did we would still be down one puck-mover. And given that we pretty much knew at that time that Redden would be gone, that was not the best move.

Then in the off-season we lost Meszaros, and we gained Smith, Kuba and Picard. Picard was pretty much a rookie, and Kuba, while being *our* best puck-moving defenseman, really was nowhere near Corvo as a puck mover. Plus I don't think I see Picard as a puck mover even now, that he's playing better.

Now I'm sad. Corvo's a better offensive D-man than Kuba and Picard put together. Diddle his problems in his own zone, Jason Smith would've taken care of that.

We got caught up in the Corvo doesn't want to be here anymore gibberish, when I'm sure he would've taken the pain and played out his contract - and well. Dung. Did Murray ever Diddle this whole thing up badly. And I say that realizing full well that I was ecstatic about the trade when it went down: it was a horrible mistake.

504Heater wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:
And for 2.65 for last year, this year and I believe next year...how can you argue with that?

Terrible choice, just terrible.

Although, just getting Stillman back in that trade was worth it, but...Murray should've tried to sign him to an extension right away, that really screwed us out of this one.

Should've signed Stillman the moment he stepped into Ottawa. WTF? You don't wait, that's a major piece of the puzzle - secondary scoring. Re-sign...now at 2.9 million, deal? Deal.

Okay, next, you have to replace Joe Corvo. You have no choice...but then...Murray decided he'd play it 'cool' and wait until the summer. Well...look what happened.

It's great when he plays it cool isn't it?! He plays it too cool and we end up with scrubs.

Problem is that dude is fragile. Corvo couldn't handle the media pressure here (they are mostly hacks anyway). He wanted out.

I always liked him though, skillwise and the 'Uh-Oh' stuff they started at Sun was just stupid. Sure he made some mistakes in his own end but so did everyone on the team, his were no more glaring than Redden or Meszaros. He was fast, slick with the puck and had a hard point shot. All things we are missing now.

Oh well he is gone, as is Chara, we will have to put someone else in with that skillset and see if it turns the ship around. Plus that contract is looking mighty nice for a PMD in today's NHL. Only potential flaw, other than fragile ego, perhaps he isn't good in the room?

wprager wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:

Number Twenty Nine wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:I'll be the first to admit that I think trading Corvo was a big mistake on our part. They should've told him to suck it up and be a man.

me too. I watched him against the Leafs last night.

And for 2.65 for last year, this year and I believe next year...how can you argue with that?

Terrible choice, just terrible.

Although, just getting Stillman back in that trade was worth it, but...Murray should've tried to sign him to an extension right away, that really screwed us out of this one.

I think the biggest problem with that trade was that we got a different type of defenseman in return. Granted, Commodore didn't play well here, but even if he did we would still be down one puck-mover. And given that we pretty much knew at that time that Redden would be gone, that was not the best move.

Then in the off-season we lost Meszaros, and we gained Smith, Kuba and Picard. Picard was pretty much a rookie, and Kuba, while being *our* best puck-moving defenseman, really was nowhere near Corvo as a puck mover. Plus I don't think I see Picard as a puck mover even now, that he's playing better.

It's great how that one move alone set us back about 2 seasons. I was SUPER PSYCHED when we made that deal, just in the sense that we were getting Stillman, and what I thought was one tough Diddle on the blue line. BUT, I was devastated to lose Corvo, and I mean devastated. He had become one of my favorite players, easily. Just watching him break out of our zone with the puck, time after time, was a beautiful thing to watch. And it usually ended up being a goal for us. He was AWESOME at moving the puck, AWESOME! I know he sucked in our zone, and wasn't the toughest of characters, but just his skill with the puck alone, made all of the bad go away for me. I can't believe he's gone. It really is sad.

Sens will be dominated, but the game kept close.

I think you're being too kind to Corvo.

First of all, his decision-making sucked. Both in the defensive and offensive zone.

He was easily rattled, he infrequently hit the net with his shot, he wasn't a very good passer and he wanted out.

I'm not upset he's gone. He's doing nothing in Carolina, except when they play us.

Plus we got Karlsson out of the bargain.