Spezza won't be traded.

MurderOnIce wrote:When I saw Clouston out there with his mini white board showing the players what they needed to do... saw him yell at Carvel when the PP had a horrible shift... saw him bench big names for long stretches in games when they weren't putting in enough.. I knew he was my kind of coach... LOVE THAT DUDE.. I admit I didn't like the hiring at first but I take that all back....

I didn't like the hiring at first because I knew nothing about him - and I damn well didn't want another POS Paddock or Hartsburg. The relief I felt when he started to motivate and coach was unreal. Especially when he turned to Carvel and tore a strip off him in that one game.

I like that he hates to lose - he simply won't tolerate it. I love that he's as competitive as we are. I love his aggressive system (dammit Hartsburg, smoke 'em if you got 'em). Faith in the players, total and complete belief in the system he's bringing in = happy, close-knit team = success.

For all the Spezza trade talk, this may have been a major turning point for his career. A real coach!!! Can you imagine that concept!!?

He is a workaholic too... He watches game film every night after the game. He dissects what went wrong. This is not a job or even a career for this guy. It is his life.

He kind of reminds me of John Gruden.... Different sport but similar guy.

MurderOnIce wrote:He is a workaholic too... He watches game film every night after the game. He dissects what went wrong. This is not a job or even a career for this guy. It is his life.

He kind of reminds me of John Gruden.... Different sport but similar guy.

That's another good point. It comforted me a lot to know that while I sat there after a loss, being a little pissed, but also trying to figure out what happened - we knew that Clouston was looking at film and dissecting the game. It's nice to know that he needs to win and needs to keep improving.

MurderOnIce wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:I dont even want him traded per-say but if the Sens dont get rid of some serious cap space up front and some real young players that the team can start to build a core around, they are in trouble.

My biggest problem with Spezza and The Sens is that EVERYTHING at this point has been built around Spezza and he is simply not the type of player or personality a team can be built around. He can't be THE GUY.

If The Sens could off load Heatley instead, then do it, I think he is the better player and so does 99% of the hockey world, but something needs to happen because if Murray is trying to go for a cup this year or next, get rid of him because it's basically not possible. The right guy for the job will build a team that can seriously compete in 3 or 4 years, not now.

All that said, I really didnt buy what Murray was selling yesterday, too much BS in there to be taken seriously especially if you remember his words before trading for Leclaire.

I disagree... if anything shows us how quickly things can turn around in this league it is Carolina... Cup winner to bed sh!tter to ECF... Anyone has a shot in this league now. I wouldn't trade our roster for Carolina's, would you? (I know you would trade Spezza for Stall....) I am just saying... Anahiem is the same and to be honest, I personally wouldn't trade our roster for Anahiem's (without Niedermeyer with him, myabe?) Sure we slumped for a full calendar year but let's not forget there were some monumental coaching mistakes in that calendar year. Coaching is more important than ever I think. Look at Pittsburg, Washington, Ottawa, Chicago... all of these teams did absolute 180's with a coaching change... truly different clubs... I predict this club will be playing in the third round next year... call me crazy (as you will) but mark it down.

I would trade our entire roster for Getzlaf (minus Karlsson) so... Getzlaf is a top 5 player in the league.

I like the Clouston hiring now, but I was still one of the people saying "just wait and see what he does". But still, lets wait and see what he does with a team that has now gained the reputation of being coach killers. There is still MAJOR questions about team leadership and character, we'll see if Clouston can change that or if it's a battle that cannot be won with this group.

The Sens are still AT BEST a 5th or 6th place team in the East at this point, Alfi isnt getting any younger, and again, the players that have to change as of yet, have no shown anything worth getting excitted for.

The goaltending is defently the bright spot on this team right now and will be the difference between making the playoffs and missing out IMO. The defense is a lot more mobile and offensive, BUT a team with a strong forcheck and some size may very well eat that defense alive. There are positives and negatives in extreme ways to our blueline.

Up front, we'll see. Way too much talk the last 2 off season's for me to actually believe a word anyone says, get it done for more than a 2 or 3 game stretch and into the playoffs, then my tune might change.

Neely4Life wrote:I like the Clouston hiring now, but I was still one of the people saying "just wait and see what he does". But still, lets wait and see what he does with a team that has now gained the reputation of being coach killers. There is still MAJOR questions about team leadership and character, we'll see if Clouston can change that or if it's a battle that cannot be won with this group.

The Sens are still AT BEST a 5th or 6th place team in the East at this point, Alfi isnt getting any younger, and again, the players that have to change as of yet, have no shown anything worth getting excitted for.

The goaltending is defently the bright spot on this team right now and will be the difference between making the playoffs and missing out IMO. The defense is a lot more mobile and offensive, BUT a team with a strong forcheck and some size may very well eat that defense alive. There are positives and negatives in extreme ways to our blueline.

Up front, we'll see. Way too much talk the last 2 off season's for me to actually believe a word anyone says, get it done for more than a 2 or 3 game stretch and into the playoffs, then my tune might change.

I respect the right to reserve judgement on Clouston, I am on the band wagon though, I will save you a seat.

I am not sure I agree with the assertion the team has a reputation as coach killers. I think there were two bad coaches.

1) Paddock was not good in the NHL plus he had the added dynamic of moving from buddy-buddy assistant to the guy in charge. He didn't handle that well and neither did the team. His career NHL numbers were not good coming in.

2) Hartsburg was a TRAIN WRECK. He was horrible from day 1. He had a single system that he couldn't adapt to the personelle. He did not walk the walk he talked. He wanted to be pal to the stars and a-hole to the 4th liners. Anyone could do that....

Before those two... Murray and Martin seemed to thrive as coaches with this team...

I know, love the players or hate the players, you will still be cheering. Here's hoping the optomistic version of events happens...

Neely4Life wrote:

I would trade our entire roster for Getzlaf (minus Karlsson) so... Getzlaf is a top 5 player in the league.

I am glad you are not the GM, we would save money on uniforms though....

MurderOnIce wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:

I would trade our entire roster for Getzlaf (minus Karlsson) so... Getzlaf is a top 5 player in the league.

I am glad you are not the GM, we would save money on uniforms though....

It's basically saying would you trade your team for Crosby. Getzlaf is at that level and is a way more physical force on top of that. Getzlaf may very well be the best player in the league in short time. You can build an entire franchise on that team. Short of Crosby, Ovechking, and MAYBE Datsyuk, I dont think there is a player in the league I would hesitate to give up for Getzlaf. The guy is that good.

If you want to compare Anahiem's top line center to Ottawa's... its not even a discussion.

MurderOnIce wrote:

Neely4Life wrote:I like the Clouston hiring now, but I was still one of the people saying "just wait and see what he does". But still, lets wait and see what he does with a team that has now gained the reputation of being coach killers. There is still MAJOR questions about team leadership and character, we'll see if Clouston can change that or if it's a battle that cannot be won with this group.

The Sens are still AT BEST a 5th or 6th place team in the East at this point, Alfi isnt getting any younger, and again, the players that have to change as of yet, have no shown anything worth getting excitted for.

The goaltending is defently the bright spot on this team right now and will be the difference between making the playoffs and missing out IMO. The defense is a lot more mobile and offensive, BUT a team with a strong forcheck and some size may very well eat that defense alive. There are positives and negatives in extreme ways to our blueline.

Up front, we'll see. Way too much talk the last 2 off season's for me to actually believe a word anyone says, get it done for more than a 2 or 3 game stretch and into the playoffs, then my tune might change.

I respect the right to reserve judgement on Clouston, I am on the band wagon though, I will save you a seat.

I am not sure I agree with the assertion the team has a reputation as coach killers. I think there were two bad coaches.

1) Paddock was not good in the NHL plus he had the added dynamic of moving from buddy-buddy assistant to the guy in charge. He didn't handle that well and neither did the team. His career NHL numbers were not good coming in.

2) Hartsburg was a TRAIN WRECK. He was horrible from day 1. He had a single system that he couldn't adapt to the personelle. He did not walk the walk he talked. He wanted to be pal to the stars and a-hole to the 4th liners. Anyone could do that....

Before those two... Murray and Martin seemed to thrive as coaches with this team...

I know, love the players or hate the players, you will still be cheering. Here's hoping the optomistic version of events happens...

It's not jumping on or off a band wagon, I question whether or not any coach can work with this team and its make up. Clouston IMO is a good coach who is getting a shot, but this is far from an easy job in Ottawa.

You can say all you want about them, but they had 4 coaches in less than a year, thats disturbing no matter what way you look at it. It's fine to be optimistic but there is still the reality that the 2 highest paid players on this team have failed in a large way the last 2 years and just pay the team and fans lip service for the most part.

It's a cliche, but walk the walk, I'm sick of hearing all the BS about "having to be better" and "wanting more responsibility" from the dynamic duo's mouths. Talk is indeed, cheap. Can Clouston get it out of them? You can be optimistic about it for sure, I'm a little more reserved as it has been 2 years of chirping and nothing else.

Love the goaltending though

Spezza is a great player I don't know why some people don't like him. His only 25 has 73 points which is great but the bad part is his -14. He lacks defensive skills. Ottawa has poor defense and they also lack goaltending. I also think the secondary scoring for the Sens isn't bad but it's just not good enough to help them out enough. I mean maybe the right coaching, a good defensemen and a decent goalie could just turn around the Sens.

How much cap do the Sens have to spend?

shield4life wrote:Spezza is a great player I don't know why some people don't like him. His only 25 has 73 points which is great but the bad part is his -14. He lacks defensive skills. Ottawa has poor defense and they also lack goaltending. I also think the secondary scoring for the Sens isn't bad but it's just not good enough to help them out enough. I mean maybe the right coaching, a good defensemen and a decent goalie could just turn around the Sens.

How much cap do the Sens have to spend?

Coaching: Clouston can hopefully improve on what he started
Good Defensemen: Working on it... need a PMD...
Decent Goalie: Leclaire may be the answer to that one...

bang on Shabbs.

As with most things these days, I'll believe that Spezza is either staying put or being moved AFTER July 1st of this year. Until then, it's anyone's guess really...

I think the best way to descirbe EVERYTHING Senators is... Talk is cheap. That should be the fans moto the from here on out.

shield4life wrote:Spezza is a great player I don't know why some people don't like him. His only 25 has 73 points which is great but the bad part is his -14. He lacks defensive skills. Ottawa has poor defense and they also lack goaltending. I also think the secondary scoring for the Sens isn't bad but it's just not good enough to help them out enough. I mean maybe the right coaching, a good defensemen and a decent goalie could just turn around the Sens.

How much cap do the Sens have to spend?

The problem with Spezza isn't a lack of defensive skill but a lack of defensive commitment. He's made a number of amazing defensive plays that showcase his technical ability.

The problem is that he simply doesn't fight enough on D, and this plays into the larger problem that while individual aspects of his game have all improved and are all, frankly, incredible, he doesn't bring half as much to the table as he could because he lacks determination.

This is why Zetterbergs and Alfredssons will always be more valuable than Spezzas and Kovalevs, even if the latter two are more gifted. Until Spezza begins using his big frame to battle and keeps his feet moving all the time while he's on the ice, he won't be a player that can lead this team anywhere. For whatever reason he doesn't, I don't know: I don't think it's a case of him having too big an ego because he has shown he works incredibly hard on his game, and trains pretty hard as well. He just needs to reconsider where to focus his efforts. If that means cutting his ice-time, so be it: his statistics will be the same or higher, and he'll get more accolades.

The same lack of determination seems to apply for Heatley, and this is why they can't produce without Alfredsson. I don't think it's that, as N4L posits, "teams have figured Spezza out," it's that Spezza is letting his opponents off too easy.

shabbs wrote:

shield4life wrote:Spezza is a great player I don't know why some people don't like him. His only 25 has 73 points which is great but the bad part is his -14. He lacks defensive skills. Ottawa has poor defense and they also lack goaltending. I also think the secondary scoring for the Sens isn't bad but it's just not good enough to help them out enough. I mean maybe the right coaching, a good defensemen and a decent goalie could just turn around the Sens.

How much cap do the Sens have to spend?

Coaching: Clouston can hopefully improve on what he started
Good Defensemen: Working on it... need a PMD...
Decent Goalie: Leclaire may be the answer to that one...

Especially if you look within the system. Karlsson + Wiercioch + potentially OEL, Cowen or Kulikov =

Neely4Life wrote:I think the best way to descirbe EVERYTHING Senators is... Talk is cheap. That should be the fans moto the from here on out.

They should take that stupid "A force united" logo and over-lay it with yours.

I think so! Good idea!

Neely4Life wrote:I think so! Good idea!

Definitely better than:

Rev up the Red

Be Red

A force United

Talk is Cheap? I like it.