Sens trying to dump Picard? Whaaat??!

Read this over on Sixth Sens:
http://the6thsens.blogspot.com/2009/06/updates-weve-got-updates.html

While preparing to hit the road for
Montreal and the NHL draft, I'm hearing a couple of things regarding
Brendan Bell's status with the Senators.

For one, that the team
wants to re-sign the Ottawa blue liner, but is trying to figure out a
way to dump blue liners Jason Smith and Alexandre Picard, first.

I must be slow or something. In the next paragraph he mentions that Bell did not receive a qualifying offer on Monday, becoming a UFA. Makes no sense, sixth or otherwise.

Hradek must be up to his old tricks...

But is this anymore reliable than SenBuzz's "Auld for Russel" rumour?

I, for one, don't buy it. Picard was the sticking point on the Meszaros trade. After one year -- during which the team was all over the map and he was injured most of the time -- we're just going to ship him out? And with a salary of less than $1 mil?

Not buying it.

Of course, I have been the most vocal Picard supporter around here for quite some time...

And if we are indeed "interested" in Bell, why wouldn't we make him a qualifying offer and at least keep his rights...?

SeawaySensFan wrote:Hradek must be up to his old tricks...

Just to clarify, what's your beef with Hradek?

I mean, I have the NHL channel and I listen to the guy on NHL Live just about everyday, and I think he's a bit of a tool, I agree (Don LeGreca, his usual partner, is an even bigger tool in my books -- I wish he'd put that Diddle pen down!). But he did break the Heatley news. And there's no question he has legitimate hockey sources. It's his job.

If Hradek is reporting something on NHL Live, then it's got a lot of weight behind it.

I think the problem with today's bogus rumour was the the guy who started the thing was claiming that this was being talked about on NHL Live. That is, he tried to pass it off as Hradek's stuff when it wasn't. At least that seemed to be what's happened.

Besides agreeing completely with Rooney's pov, I'm a little surprised that we're actually falling for any of this stuff.

I mean, I brought up the Sensbuzz crap because it was something to talk about in a slow week, but I prefaced it each time with: "ignoring the legitimacy of..." or something of that nature.

The reality is that no one - not Sensbuzz; not the 6th Sens; not Senschirp - no Sens blogger has any insider information into the workings of Murray's organization or his mind.

There's no issue with hearing a rumour and bringing it up for discussion, but the past year or so has proven nothing more than that we have no credible insight into Murray's workings prior to a transaction being handed to the league office.

We've seen plenty of rumours come and go, but not one of them has been accurate (or even remotely accurate) with the actual transactions made by the Senators. No one saw Shean Don coming back. No one saw the Smith signing. No one saw the Auld signing. No one saw the Corvo trade; the Mez trade; the Vermette trade; etc. etc...

Let's just all sit back and enjoy the fact that our best guess is as good as anyone out there.

rooneypoo wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:Hradek must be up to his old tricks...

Just to clarify, what's your beef with Hradek?

I mean, I have the NHL channel and I listen to the guy on NHL Live just about everyday, and I think he's a bit of a tool, I agree (Don LeGreca, his usual partner, is an even bigger tool in my books -- I wish he'd put that Diddle pen down!). But he did break the Heatley news. And there's no question he has legitimate hockey sources. It's his job.

If Hradek is reporting something on NHL Live, then it's got a lot of weight behind it.

I think the problem with today's bogus rumour was the the guy who started the thing was claiming that this was being talked about on NHL Live. That is, he tried to pass it off as Hradek's stuff when it wasn't. At least that seemed to be what's happened.

I don't have a beef with Hradek. I just say stuff sometimes.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:Hradek must be up to his old tricks...

Just to clarify, what's your beef with Hradek?

I mean, I have the NHL channel and I listen to the guy on NHL Live just about everyday, and I think he's a bit of a tool, I agree (Don LeGreca, his usual partner, is an even bigger tool in my books -- I wish he'd put that Diddle pen down!). But he did break the Heatley news. And there's no question he has legitimate hockey sources. It's his job.

If Hradek is reporting something on NHL Live, then it's got a lot of weight behind it.

I think the problem with today's bogus rumour was the the guy who started the thing was claiming that this was being talked about on NHL Live. That is, he tried to pass it off as Hradek's stuff when it wasn't. At least that seemed to be what's happened.

I don't have a beef with Hradek. I just say stuff sometimes.

Come on, I've see like 4 or 5 posts from you making fun of Hradek and his hrumours, etc., etc. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

rooneypoo wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:Hradek must be up to his old tricks...

Just to clarify, what's your beef with Hradek?

I mean, I have the NHL channel and I listen to the guy on NHL Live just about everyday, and I think he's a bit of a tool, I agree (Don LeGreca, his usual partner, is an even bigger tool in my books -- I wish he'd put that Diddle pen down!). But he did break the Heatley news. And there's no question he has legitimate hockey sources. It's his job.

If Hradek is reporting something on NHL Live, then it's got a lot of weight behind it.

I think the problem with today's bogus rumour was the the guy who started the thing was claiming that this was being talked about on NHL Live. That is, he tried to pass it off as Hradek's stuff when it wasn't. At least that seemed to be what's happened.

I don't have a beef with Hradek. I just say stuff sometimes.

Come on, I've see like 4 or 5 posts from you making fun of Hradek and his hrumours, etc., etc. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

That's some mighty warm rain...

Heh heh.

rooneypoo wrote:
Come on, I've see like 4 or 5 posts from you making fun of Hradek and his hrumours, etc., etc. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

No hreally. I don't have a problem with Hradek.

You're hright about the posts, but you'll notice I was demanding verification and substantiation on Hradek's reporting of the Heatley trade request long after it was confirmed by Heatley's agents and Bryan Murray.

Just some madcap silliness.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:
Come on, I've see like 4 or 5 posts from you making fun of Hradek and his hrumours, etc., etc. Don't pee on my leg and tell me it's raining.

No hreally. I don't have a problem with Hradek.

You're hright about the posts, but you'll notice I was demanding verification and substantiation on Hradek's reporting of the Heatley trade request long after it was confirmed by Heatley's agents and Bryan Murray.

Just some madcap silliness.

I did notice that. And I did think it was madcap.

I don't know what to say beyond that. To each his own, I guess.

Bell was already an unrestricted free agent, that is how we signed him... so that should make you question this.

Bell is an RFA right now.

this makes no sense but it is acutally the 6th sens quoting brennan so that makes it a whole lot less credible

I have to say it makes some sense.

We have:

Kuba - Campoli
Volchenkov - Phillips
Lee - Smith

Picard
Schubert
Bell (potentially)

I've heard nothing about Smith retiring, so that leaves Picard out of the top 6 - and if Murray re-signs Bell to the league minimum, I don't see where Picard fits. Not to mention the pending Heatley trade might see a D-man coming in, the UFA period and Karlsson may get 10 games or so.

I like Campoli, I don't mind the trade to acquire him, but I question it to this day considering we have guys like him in the mix already.

That said, I always though he was one of the glue on the Isles backend that kept them semi-alive. When he was injured, their season officially tanked. So...