Pronger to Ott?

I think I'm gonna drive down to Minny this weekend, strap Backstrom to my roof and bring him to town. We absolutely need a Number 1 goalie...OMG! I think that might be our main concern right now after getting Campoli. We still need a bonafide PMD, but I'm starting to think our goalie situation needs to be rectified and quickly. We ain't going nowhere if we don't address that need as well.

504Heater wrote:It's actually a neat little trade when you think about it. Nashville has Hamhuis to step in for Suter - and now they have Spezza as their top line center.

I still begrudge losing Spezza, but I would think about this - and I'm sure so would they.

Are we turning into the B's of the Thornton days? Will it take us moving Spezza in order to contend again? I've been thinking about this a lot lately...I'm not sure if it's the same..but it kinda feels like it is. The only difference (and it's a big one) is that the B's never went to the Final with Thornton...so I guess I answered my own question...

SensGirl11 wrote:
Are we turning into the B's of the Thornton days? Will it take us moving Spezza in order to contend again? I've been thinking about this a lot lately...I'm not sure if it's the same..but it kinda feels like it is. The only difference (and it's a big one) is that the B's never went to the Final with Thornton...so I guess I answered my own question...

Dunno. Logic perceives that one of the 7 million dollar players should be an elite D-man for us to win it all, but we made the Finals, so it's hard to say.

Maybe? I can't bring myself to endorse many Spezza trades, or Heatley for that matter, but if someone comes to us with Weber or Phaneuf, I'm all ears.

504Heater wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:
Are we turning into the B's of the Thornton days? Will it take us moving Spezza in order to contend again? I've been thinking about this a lot lately...I'm not sure if it's the same..but it kinda feels like it is. The only difference (and it's a big one) is that the B's never went to the Final with Thornton...so I guess I answered my own question...

Dunno. Logic perceives that one of the 7 million dollar players should be an elite D-man for us to win it all, but we made the Finals, so it's hard to say.

Maybe? I can't bring myself to endorse many Spezza trades, or Heatley for that matter, but if someone comes to us with Weber or Phaneuf, I'm all ears.

It's so tough to figure out eh? you have a good point about one of the $7M contracts...I've never really been on the bandwagon to trade any of the big 3 (briefly Heatley this year) but I'm off that one now. I guess if you've got a guy like Weber coming back along with a pick or prospect...or just straight up...but I don't know...it's so weird now with the acquisition of Comrie and Campoli. I know we haven't signed Comrie yet, but I'm pretty confident we will...our secondary scoring is cured if that happens. But...who goes? Vermette? Kelly? (I can't see someone paying him what we're paying him)

BTW Auld is in tonight, confirmed. http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Senators/2009/02/24/8513351.html

Good god i hope we dont do this first we shoot ourselves in the foot and then we get pronger his wife will probably hate it hear so he will go running away.... we got the hot hockey bunnies now we dont need her

SensGirl11 wrote:
It's so tough to figure out eh? you have a good point about one of the $7M contracts...I've never really been on the bandwagon to trade any of the big 3 (briefly Heatley this year) but I'm off that one now. I guess if you've got a guy like Weber coming back along with a pick or prospect...or just straight up...but I don't know...it's so weird now with the acquisition of Comrie and Campoli. I know we haven't signed Comrie yet, but I'm pretty confident we will...our secondary scoring is cured if that happens. But...who goes? Vermette? Kelly? (I can't see someone paying him what we're paying him)

BTW Auld is in tonight, confirmed. http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Senators/2009/02/24/8513351.html

I can't figure out how to get rid of Kelly, I can't make myself believe that trading Vermette is smart though.

I think we might be okay - but I'd like to see Murray pull off a big trade for a real D-man - if only for next year, that's fine. I can't stand these 'tweeners' like Kuba - a guy who isn't good enough to be top pairing, but kicks arse as a number 3 or 4 guy. We have enough of those to sink a ship.

504Heater wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:
It's so tough to figure out eh? you have a good point about one of the $7M contracts...I've never really been on the bandwagon to trade any of the big 3 (briefly Heatley this year) but I'm off that one now. I guess if you've got a guy like Weber coming back along with a pick or prospect...or just straight up...but I don't know...it's so weird now with the acquisition of Comrie and Campoli. I know we haven't signed Comrie yet, but I'm pretty confident we will...our secondary scoring is cured if that happens. But...who goes? Vermette? Kelly? (I can't see someone paying him what we're paying him)

BTW Auld is in tonight, confirmed. http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Senators/2009/02/24/8513351.html

I can't figure out how to get rid of Kelly, I can't make myself believe that trading Vermette is smart though.

I think we might be okay - but I'd like to see Murray pull off a big trade for a real D-man - if only for next year, that's fine. I can't stand these 'tweeners' like Kuba - a guy who isn't good enough to be top pairing, but kicks arse as a number 3 or 4 guy. We have enough of those to sink a ship.

Whether by trading Spezza for a Stud Dman or moving him to free up cap space to sign one, he has to go.

One of the two has to go for sure.

The thing I don't understand about all of this is, why did Murray sign these guys to such large and long contracts if he didn't want to keep them here as part of the future of this team? It's just strange to me that he would trade one of them away right after signing them...as much as it looks like we 'might' have to move one of them, it just seems odd.

SensGirl11 wrote:The thing I don't understand about all of this is, why did Murray sign these guys to such large and long contracts if he didn't want to keep them here as part of the future of this team? It's just strange to me that he would trade one of them away right after signing them...as much as it looks like we 'might' have to move one of them, it just seems odd.

I don't think you do. Spezza and Heatley are two guys who can steal you games going forward. With a proper PMD or 2 in the system, they will have a chance to shine. Other teams are in the same situation with $$ tied up in 3 or 4 guys, what can you do? It's the way the NHL operates with the cap now. You cross your fingers and hope that Spezza, Heatley, Fisher, Alfie can lead you to the promised land when our D matures.

Or you go out and do what Murray's doing and get cheaper, younger guys who haven't been paid the big $$ yet.

Or you skimp on goal to pay the D. It's a revolving circuit. Eventually every team will have to pay the cap piper, there's no way around it.

SensGirl11 wrote:The thing I don't understand about all of this is, why did Murray sign these guys to such large and long contracts if he didn't want to keep them here as part of the future of this team? It's just strange to me that he would trade one of them away right after signing them...as much as it looks like we 'might' have to move one of them, it just seems odd.

The alternative was to just watch them walk away for nothing. Sometimes signing a player to a long term contract is better because you can at least trade him for something.

Heater and DW are absolutely right.

Hockey is a business, through and through, and part of business is having an edge over your competition, (ie, signing a player long term that you may NOT want to keep long term but it's easier and preferable to watching him sign with a competitor) and also being sure you're getting some kind of return on an investment, period.

Nobody wants something for nothing, and you certainly never like to be in a position to eat a loss, so to speak. You have make a move in order to make a bigger move or get a bigger payoff down the road.

504Heater wrote:

I can't figure out how to get rid of Kelly, I can't make myself believe that trading Vermette is smart though.

I think we might be okay - but I'd like to see Murray pull off a big trade for a real D-man - if only for next year, that's fine. I can't stand these 'tweeners' like Kuba - a guy who isn't good enough to be top pairing, but kicks arse as a number 3 or 4 guy. We have enough of those to sink a ship.

Look Heater, I've had enough of your bashing of Kelly. PM me and send me your digits. Or you can come meet me in my office.... :x :x :x :x

hahaha


Seriously though. Vermette has a higher value than Kelly on the market, and could therefore fetch more. Why not trade him? Getting rid of Kelly does nothing but make our PK worse and scrap a decent term and $ contract for one that's going to expire next year, in which he won't resign for a discount.

I think everyone knows I'm going to say this, but I'll say it anyways- Kelly is the better option for the big picture of this team.

Think of it this way. Would you rather have

Vermette and a 3rd round pick

OR

Kelly and Hamhuis

Jordo wrote:I haven't heard anything- but Ek posted it, and something of this magnitude does deserve some comment.

Perhaps this is why Dean got moved out? haha.

What do people think? What kinda deal would be in place to bring him here?

He may have posted it, but this is coming from the same guy who thinks Jacque Martin was the one who traded Luongo. And who thinks Richard Park is a good young player...

he just destroys his own credibility (if he ever had much to begin with) more and more each day

that being said... I'm sure it's been mentioned numerous times, but that deal just wouldn't make much sense for Ottawa. Spezza being young and locked up for 6 years and Pronger being older (much closer to retirement than Spezza) and only having a year left on his deal. The other names mentioned (however likely or unlikely) have me drooling. I can't see it being Phaneuf though as Calgary is reasonably well set up up front and I'd sooner try to resign Cammellari than trade Phaneuf for Spezza. Weber seems a more likely possibility as Nashville is lacking a true superstar forward, although they do have a nice collection of good forwards. More likely, I would think Nashville would try to move some combo of Ryan Suter and picks or prospects before they moved Weber in any such deal for Spezza though, at least if they were smart.

PKC wrote:

SensGirl11 wrote:

marakh wrote:Are we back in Dreamland again?

The best we can hope is, IMO, Campoli having a breakout carreer. Weber, Phaneuf, green, they are as close as Franchise players as Ovechkin and Crosby. It would take one of the big 3 and a 1st rounder just to get the attention of those teams.
Bryan Murray won't move any of the big 3. If he does, he won't start the year in a Sens organization (unless he accepts to drive the zamboni).

So, let's get down to earth, and see what we can have for Chris Neil and Philip Kuba, may be Kelly and Vermette and the borderline NHL players that fill half our roster.

Agreed. All we can really get at the deadline is hopefully a 1st (late first) or 2nd for Kuba. Neil will get us a 2nd or 3rd (probably 3rd), Schubert would be a player for player kind of deal or a 4th...Now if Vermette is on the block, we can package him and Kuba up and see what we can get. That could probably get us an early 1st and prospect...

I could definitely see a trade between us and Edmonton.

Vermette and Schubert for Smid, Schremp and a draft pick (possibly first).

Smid and Shremp are garbage. No thanks.

As for Weber, I think thats the pipedream of all pipedreams...
Phaneuf: Have you ever seen a smile on Sutter's face like the one he had when he drafted Phaneuf? Keep dreaming.

Jordo wrote:

504Heater wrote:

I can't figure out how to get rid of Kelly, I can't make myself believe that trading Vermette is smart though.

I think we might be okay - but I'd like to see Murray pull off a big trade for a real D-man - if only for next year, that's fine. I can't stand these 'tweeners' like Kuba - a guy who isn't good enough to be top pairing, but kicks arse as a number 3 or 4 guy. We have enough of those to sink a ship.

Look Heater, I've had enough of your bashing of Kelly. PM me and send me your digits. Or you can come meet me in my office.... :x :x :x :x

hahaha


Seriously though. Vermette has a higher value than Kelly on the market, and could therefore fetch more. Why not trade him? Getting rid of Kelly does nothing but make our PK worse and scrap a decent term and $ contract for one that's going to expire next year, in which he won't resign for a discount.

I think everyone knows I'm going to say this, but I'll say it anyways- Kelly is the better option for the big picture of this team.

Think of it this way. Would you rather have

Vermette and a 3rd round pick

OR

Kelly and Hamhuis

uh oh it sounds like it's on now lol, Jordo, are you a CEO? okay I am done before I get in trouble. Good game by Kelly last night, was proving his worth from the highlights I saw last night, missed the game as I was trying to fix the rescue vehicle for the fire department last night. I think I saw him curse when he hit the post/crossbar in the 3rd period lol.

What about jovonoski in Phoenix he is a former all star do u guys think he would be worth acquiring.He would probably be a little cheaper to get than most of the names mentioned here given the state of Phoenix,s finacial problems, could give us a good top 4 .Just a thought :D

I am not completely sold on Jovanoski either, but mind you, to improve the shoddy defense, Murray has to be open to anything decent.