What's Next For The Senators?

marakh wrote:

Zoolander wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Diddle that, I'd take Phaneuf with no questions asked. Calgary would be insane to do it though.

Not straight up I wouldn't. Dion is bad defensively. We have enough guys who are talented offensively but lack defensively. If we are trading the 3rd highest goal scorer in the league since the lockout, I want a d-man who excels at both ends. I'd like a kid like Boyd from Calgary too though.

Of course, this wouldn't do anything to help our cap situation.

Hence my Burns or Weber suggestion.

SpezDispenser wrote:http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=80458

Where did this guy go? I don't even see him on any depth charts for prospects or anything.

rooneypoo wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:
Yep.

I've been saying this for weeks now, with very few listeners, but here it is again in its briefest form:

With the Kovalev signing, the Senators pretty much set themselves up so that they CAN'T take back a big fat contract in any deal for Heatley. Period.

We're all Sens fans here (for the most part), but seriously, do yourself a favour and top fantasizing about taking $5+ mil contracts back unless you want to see the team put itself in a near-impossible position for 2010-11.

However, for the first time in a long, long time, the contracts are spread out somewhat evenly. With 3 rookies coming up to complete the D. It would mean the end of Phillips probably, and probably a trade of Kuba, but in the long run a top 5 of Cowen, Wiercioch, Phaneuf, Karlsson, Volchenkov is the best in the business IMO.

Yeah, trading Kuba the moment his NTC is off the books in 2010 would be a must if you wanted to trade Heatley for a big contract and still have the cap space to retain Volchenkov.

Moving Kuba is only an option, tho', if someone like Campoli or Karlsson has a major breakthrough year, OR if the big contract coming back our way is a D (like Phaneuf). If you trade Heatley for a forward and then move Kuba to retain that forward, then you've significantly weakened the Senators' overall D. Kids like Campoli, Karlsson, and Wiercioch are nowhere near ready to do what Kuba does -- play 20+ minutes a night, kill penalties, QB the PP, etc., etc. If you think otherwise, then you don't understand how long it takes for defenceman to break into the league. Guys like Phaneuf and Doughty, who made the adjustment to the NHL quickly, are the exception and not the rule. Most D prospects take years to adjust.

Anyway, anyway you spin it, getting another expensive forward contract for Heatley is more of the same and so a mistake. It's front-loading, and directly and noticeably at the expense of our D. Michalek's $4.3 mil is about the biggest contract I'm ready to take back.

SpezDispenser wrote:http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=80458

Where did this guy go? I don't even see him on any depth charts for prospects or anything.

notch4077 wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=80458

Where did this guy go? I don't even see him on any depth charts for prospects or anything.

Playing 6 full seasons in the "Q"...I think he off'd himself.