Sens Q&A - exclusive one-on-one with ESPN's John Buccigross

Hey everyone,
I was able to get in touch with ESPN's Jhn Buccigross, who is a Sportscenter anchor and one of their top hockey analysts. Obviously, his hockey-related work is limited to ther espn.com website lately, but he's a great writer. Anyway, hate to post a link to another site, but the Q&A has five good questions for Bucci and is available at www.anothersensblog.blogspot.com. Don't worry, I've got a link to gmhockey there

Anyway, he paints a bleaker picture than what we're all thinking, expressing concerns about Leclaire and the blue line. He also has a strange point of view on Heatley, sounding as if he's wanted to be traded for some time. Any thoughts on that?

Check it out.

Very interesting. He's pretty much bang on in most areas. I wouldn't say our D core is potentially as bad as he seems to think, but it could go either way I guess.

As for Leclaire, I agree, it's time to shine.

This guy brings up some fair points, but I do not agree with his statement saying "I somewhat sympathize with Heatley. He signed a contract he really couldn’t turn down in a place he didn’t really want to be.". If Dany did not want to stay in Ottawa when he signed the contract (right after their cup run), he would not have. He could have easily have waited the year out and went to free agency. Considering what Campbell got last year, Heatley would have made a killing. He did actually take a discount when he signed here. I remember he and Spezza talking about how they both agreed to take a little less so that they could both be signed long term. At the time, Heatley wanted to be here.

Duffy>great thread...thanks. I've pasted the article here so it's easiest for the members to reference. Kudos to you for getting the interview with JB.

FIVE MINUTE MAJOR
SENS Q&A WITH ESPN'S JOHN BUCCIGROSS
AnotherSensBlog, July 12, 2009

True story, we were able to connect for a one-on-one with ESPN's hockey expert, John Buccigross. If you aren't familiar with his work, you are missing out. Bucci is the only reason that the NHL still gets air time on ESPN and his columns are stellar in bridging the gap between hockey as we love it and popular society. Do yourself a big favour and bookmark Bucci's columns - the guy is a star. And best of all, he agreed to share his thoughts with Another Sens Blog in an exclusive one-on-one op ed. Thanks, Bucci! Don't stop until you get Gary Thorne and Bill Hands of Cement Clement back on hosting weekly hockey on ESPN, buddy!




Interview in full:


Another Sens Blog #1: Dany Heatley - what can he do both on the ice and off the ice this fall to repair his reputation and credibility? We aren't sure if he'll be in Ottawa or somewhere else, but this trade request has turned into a catastrophe for all parties. What advice would you provide to him to clear his name going forward?

John Buccigross: I somewhat sympathize with Heatley. He signed a contract he really couldn’t turn down in a place he didn’t really want to be. I imagine he has had trade in the back of his mind from the day he signed the contract. I don’t think it was as contrived as say Alex Rodriguez in Texas, but I do think he’s wanted to leave. He’s a good player and this should pass.
(ASB note - I've followed up with Bucci on this as it relates to some other rumours that persist that Heatley has ALWAYS wanted to play in the Western Conference instead of Ottawa. More to come on this gossip, for sure).

ASB#2: Alex Kovalev - superstar misunderstood or chronic underachiever? Ottawa is so mixed about this signing as we know the magic he possesses but also know the disappearing acts that he's accustomed to pullling. Will Ottawa embrace this enigmatic player?

Bucci: Alex Kovalev has more good things about him than bad. He is durable and his productive. He was tied for 48 in scoring in the NHL last year. That is good in a league of 600 skaters. He is also now a second line player on team with high expectations and he fits . He turns 37 during the season. His days as a productive five on five player and a first line player playing against shutdown defenses and road matchup situations, are over. So, if Heatley stays, Kovalev can fit as a second liner. Style-wise, he is not one of my favorite players. I like gritty, 100% engaged players on my team , especially when they are older. The older the player the more the younger players will follow their lead. Five million for two years seems excessive to me. But playing with good players, he will produce on the power play.

ASB# 3: Pascal Leclaire - goalie of the future or Martin Gerber 2.0? We've been burned before in giving a contract to a goalie fresh off of one good season. Leclaire is younger and appears far better suited for the media circus he's about to face. Have we solved our goaltending woes in Ottawa?

Bucci: 3.8 for two years is definitely tilted toward the risky side of things. Leclaire has only played 125 games and he played most recently for a tight checking, grinding team. That is not the Sens. But, he is entering the prime goalie years as a 27 year old. I would be skeptical.

ASB#4: Cory Clouston - the decision by the organization to keep him has led to a trade request from our top scorer. Is there an insurmountable amount of pressure about to be thrown on this guy? Ottawa has had a tough time with coaches - does Clouston need to make the playoffs? On that topic, does Murray need to make the playoffs?

Bucci: Murray definitely has to make the playoffs. Ray Emery is on their cap although it is pennies. Mike Fisher is making 4.2. The defensive corps and goaltending does not look like a playoff team. I don’t think we know enough about Cory Clouston aside from his healthy salad. (hair)


ASB# 5: Is this a team on the rise or a team on the decline? We're far different than the team that coasted through the East a few years ago and have retooled with rookies like Foligno and Lee and with vets like Kovalev and Kuba. Are we on our way up again or is this another year on the way down?
Bucci: 83 points last year seems about right again for this year, possibly more if they stay healthy and a young player surprises me. They are far from an elite team. Their goaltending is, again, questionable and their defense looks subpar to me. If Heatley does stay, and that will be a cap challenge, they will have two very good scoring lines. But they are top heavy on the offensive side. But, there is enough balance in the East that the Senators can expect to battle for a playoff spot with being delusional.

---

ASB: Like it or not, Bucci speaks the truth from an unbiased point of view. He says what a lot of us have thought - so much of our season depends on Leclaire. We aren't like Detroit, who can have terrible regular season goaltending and still walk through their division. We need to be strong from the net out and with the bodies we have on the blue line, that isn't a sure thing. I have more confidence in our defencemen than he does, it seems, but he's right in that it isn't an elite group. We just need guys like Campoli and Lee to take a big step forward in development this year and we'll be fine.

My sincere thanks to John Buccigross for the time. I hope to make it a regular feature with different profressionals in the industry so if you know of other analysts like Bucci, let me know and we'll reach out to them. If you want to keep reading his work, I highly recommend bookmarking his page. He's hilarious, he knows his hockey, and loves communicating with hockey fans. Check out his stuff.

Mojo wrote:This guy brings up some fair points, but I do not agree with his statement saying "I somewhat sympathize with Heatley. He signed a contract he really couldn’t turn down in a place he didn’t really want to be.". If Dany did not want to stay in Ottawa when he signed the contract (right after their cup run), he would not have. He could have easily have waited the year out and went to free agency. Considering what Campbell got last year, Heatley would have made a killing. He did actually take a discount when he signed here. I remember he and Spezza talking about how they both agreed to take a little less so that they could both be signed long term. At the time, Heatley wanted to be here.

Mojo> you bring up a good point about Heatley...and it gives rise to more questions.

If he supposedly didn't want to be in Ottawa, why did he sign the megadeal instead of playing out his option year?

Did Dany have second thoughts after signing the deal?

Did he therefore ask to be traded earlier, even much earlier, than the recent revelation?

Was there an ongoing conflict between him and Bryan Murray, going back beyond this past season, possibly because Dany wanted out and Murray would not/could not accomodate him with a trade?

These are questions that remain unanswered at this point.

I wouldn't blame Murray for not moving Heatley right away, considering Heatley did NOT have a gun to his head when he signed his recent contract.

Fact is, there is the possibility that this situation is mostly cut and dry: Heatley wants out, and that's that. No further conspiracy(ies) or anything, just he's upset with the slight loss of ice time and playing the 2nd PP unit, Clouston's tactics, etc...

Assuming my previous point(s) are true, then I am just as disgusted with Heatley as I was a month or so ago upon first hearing the 'leaked' news of his trade request.

One thing is for sure, while word is Heatley's talent is sought after, his character is SERIOUSLY in question with MANY league gm's and it's players I guarantee YOU that.

Bucci is full of something gross. He sympathizes with Heatley for a contract he couldn't turn down? What the hell does that mean??!

Heatley has had his best years in the league as a Senator, playing alongside Spezza. He signed his contract for what was probably about a $500K discount -- not a huge discount by any means.

Things went sour, mostly because of Heatley's over-reaction to how the latest guy playing musical coaches decided to demand more from his superstars. Spezza took the heat, while The Heat decided to get out of the kitchen.

Nothing there to sympathize with at all. Nothing. At. All.

The rest of the interview is OK, but just OK. Not to overcome that other part. I prefer my "Sympathy for the Devil" from the Stones, not from some ESPN writer.

I agree with his analysis.

Goaltending - PL has to prove himself. I think he will but we will see.

Defence - We have a lot of 5 -6 -(or 7) defencemen. Hopefully Campoli and Kuba some will set up up and play like top 4 D, on a nightly basis.

Forwards - Last year, we were not a high scoring team with Heatley. If we are without Heatley(which will have to happen before camp and the sooner the better), we will need others to put the puck in the net.

We may have improved but so has many other teams. I'm not sure that we have improved enough to make the playoffs in 2009-2010. However the future view with a top 3 D of karlsson, Wiercoch and Cowen is appealing.

davetherave wrote:

Mojo wrote:This guy brings up some fair points, but I do not agree with his statement saying "I somewhat sympathize with Heatley. He signed a contract he really couldn’t turn down in a place he didn’t really want to be.". If Dany did not want to stay in Ottawa when he signed the contract (right after their cup run), he would not have. He could have easily have waited the year out and went to free agency. Considering what Campbell got last year, Heatley would have made a killing. He did actually take a discount when he signed here. I remember he and Spezza talking about how they both agreed to take a little less so that they could both be signed long term. At the time, Heatley wanted to be here.

Mojo> you bring up a good point about Heatley...and it gives rise to more questions.

If he supposedly didn't want to be in Ottawa, why did he sign the megadeal instead of playing out his option year?

Did Dany have second thoughts after signing the deal?

Did he therefore ask to be traded earlier, even much earlier, than the recent revelation?

Was there an ongoing conflict between him and Bryan Murray, going back beyond this past season, possibly because Dany wanted out and Murray would not/could not accomodate him with a trade?

These are questions that remain unanswered at this point.

It's been something I've been trying to figure out, too. Why sign the deal if he didn't want to be hear. Even if he felt some sort of loyalty to Ottawa for treating him well in his first couple of years out of Atlanta, why take so many years and the NMC? I'm not really lining up with Bucci on his entire thought process on Heatley. Sympathy? Listen, I will agree that Heatley is perfectly within his contractual right to ask for a trade and to even say yes or no to where that trade sends him. We don't like it, but that's his contract. Because he turned down a trade, though, and because the entire request has been a PR nightmare, I have ZERO sympathy for him in this.

agreed, zero sympathy for an overpaid whiner that didn't like the fact the coach didn't feel he was putting in the right effort to deserve 1st line minutes, grow up Dany. as for the prospects of the team, well, barring an absolute amazing deal for Heatley where we completely fleece the other GM, we will be a middling team.

jawal wrote:I agree with his analysis.

Goaltending - PL has to prove himself. I think he will but we will see.

Defence - We have a lot of 5 -6 -(or 7) defencemen. Hopefully Campoli and Kuba some will set up up and play like top 4 D, on a nightly basis.

Forwards - Last year, we were not a high scoring team with Heatley. If we are without Heatley(which will have to happen before camp and the sooner the better), we will need others to put the puck in the net.

We may have improved but so has many other teams. I'm not sure that we have improved enough to make the playoffs in 2009-2010. However the future view with a top 3 D of karlsson, Wiercoch and Cowen is appealing.

The one thing that prevents me from being skeptical about this upcoming season is the growth that the Sens showed under Clouston. I agree that the other teams have (for better or worse) also made many changes, but the greatest source of hope is the dramatic shift that the "prospects" like Foligno and Shannon showed late in the season.

We keep counting Heatley's goals and trying to figure out who will replace them. I contend that Foligno and Shannon will combine to replace (that is, improve on their past numbers) about 10-15 of those goals. Coupled with Kovalev's 30-35 that is optimistic but plausible, there's Heatley's numbers. Now anything we get for Heatley is gravy.

I'm sure others will take issue with the 15-20, but I believe that Foligno will break out this year. He's not a 30 goal scorer IMO, but I think it's fair to expect 20-25 goals from him this year. Shannon can hit 15-20 if he continues the way he finished the season. He's probably on the lower end of that, but every goal counts and an increase, even to 15, will help with Heatley's absence.

What it comes down to is this: if the Sens can continue in the direction that Clouston pointed them in, this is already a much deeper team than Hartsburg coached. The players didn't change, but it sure seems like their play did. That's a theory I'm looking forward to seeing tested.

I'm still not overly optimistic. I will reserve judgment until I see how Karlsson fits in, if Campoli steps up, if Leclaire can shine (And stay healthy), If Elliott can continue to excel as a backup, and what we get for Heatley. I would also like to see if Clouston was just a mirage and can carry this over to the upcoming season.

Too many questions for me. Add in the fact that Phillips has had 2 bad seasons now and things are looking even worse.

Assuming the team as well (or better) under Cory Clouston they way we did the latter part of last season, I think everything rests on Leclaire and the Heatley situation.

Leclaire seems pumped to play and seems to be working very hard to get ready so at this point I'm impressed by his attitude. I watched some footage of him playing in Columbus and he looks solid, not very flashy but he seems to read the play very well and be in position.

Heatley, well what more can be said ? Either he plays for us or BM gets a real good deal for him. Either way we win although we'd be drama free if Heater leaves town and we get a couple of solid players in return.

I'm fairly optimistic for next season, Cory Clouston restored my faith in the team last season so if our team builds from that I think we will have a good year. While I may regret this I think we'll make the playoffs but we will not get far unless Leclaire is really that dependable #1 goalie that we need.

duffyforever wrote:

davetherave wrote:

Mojo wrote:This guy brings up some fair points, but I do not agree with his statement saying "I somewhat sympathize with Heatley. He signed a contract he really couldn’t turn down in a place he didn’t really want to be.". If Dany did not want to stay in Ottawa when he signed the contract (right after their cup run), he would not have. He could have easily have waited the year out and went to free agency. Considering what Campbell got last year, Heatley would have made a killing. He did actually take a discount when he signed here. I remember he and Spezza talking about how they both agreed to take a little less so that they could both be signed long term. At the time, Heatley wanted to be here.

Mojo> you bring up a good point about Heatley...and it gives rise to more questions.

If he supposedly didn't want to be in Ottawa, why did he sign the megadeal instead of playing out his option year?

Did Dany have second thoughts after signing the deal?

Did he therefore ask to be traded earlier, even much earlier, than the recent revelation?

Was there an ongoing conflict between him and Bryan Murray, going back beyond this past season, possibly because Dany wanted out and Murray would not/could not accomodate him with a trade?

These are questions that remain unanswered at this point.

It's been something I've been trying to figure out, too. Why sign the deal if he didn't want to be hear. Even if he felt some sort of loyalty to Ottawa for treating him well in his first couple of years out of Atlanta, why take so many years and the NMC? I'm not really lining up with Bucci on his entire thought process on Heatley. Sympathy? Listen, I will agree that Heatley is perfectly within his contractual right to ask for a trade and to even say yes or no to where that trade sends him. We don't like it, but that's his contract. Because he turned down a trade, though, and because the entire request has been a PR nightmare, I have ZERO sympathy for him in this.

I agree that Heatley has the right to ask to be traded. Anybody has the right to leave their employment. I disagree on the right to say yes or no on his NMC. The NMC clause is to protect the player if the GM intiates a trade and plans on moving a player. As we all know it was Heatley who asked to be moved. Personally I think that voids the NMC. Heatley cant have it both ways and hopefully after all this is settled the NHL looks at CBA works toward giving their teams some protection when a player with a NMC clause requests the trade.

[quote="Phoenix30"]

duffyforever wrote:

davetherave wrote:

Mojo wrote:This guy brings up some fair points, but I do not agree with his statement saying "I somewhat sympathize with Heatley. He signed a contract he really couldn’t turn down in a place he didn’t really want to be.". If Dany did not want to stay in Ottawa when he signed the contract (right after their cup run), he would not have. He could have easily have waited the year out and went to free agency. Considering what Campbell got last year, Heatley would have made a killing. He did actually take a discount when he signed here. I remember he and Spezza talking about how they both agreed to take a little less so that they could both be signed long term. At the time, Heatley wanted to be here.

Mojo> you bring up a good point about Heatley...and it gives rise to more questions.

If he supposedly didn't want to be in Ottawa, why did he sign the megadeal instead of playing out his option year?

Did Dany have second thoughts after signing the deal?

Did he therefore ask to be traded earlier, even much earlier, than the recent revelation?

Was there an ongoing conflict between him and Bryan Murray, going back beyond this past season, possibly because Dany wanted out and Murray would not/could not accomodate him with a trade?

These are questions that remain unanswered at this point.

It's been something I've been trying to figure out, too. Why sign the deal if he didn't want to be hear. Even if he felt some sort of loyalty to Ottawa for treating him well in his first couple of years out of Atlanta, why take so many years and the NMC? I'm not really lining up with Bucci on his entire thought process on Heatley. Sympathy? Listen, I will agree that Heatley is perfectly within his contractual right to ask for a trade and to even say yes or no to where that trade sends him. We don't like it, but that's his contract. Because he turned down a trade, though, and because the entire request has been a PR nightmare, I have ZERO sympathy for him in this.

I agree that Heatley has the right to ask to be traded. Anybody has the right to leave their employment. I disagree on the right to say yes or no on his NMC. The NMC clause is to protect the player if the GM intiates a trade and plans on moving a player. As we all know it was Heatley who asked to be moved. Personally I think that voids the NMC. Heatley cant have it both ways and hopefully after all this is settled the NHL looks at CBA works toward giving their teams some protection when a player with a NMC clause requests the trade.[/quote]

Sorry bout all the quoting, haven't figured out how to only quote the last post yet.

I think it's reasonable to assume that GM's will add a clause to new contracts indicating that the request of a trade voids the NMC. I don't know how long this process will take and how they go about it regarding the CBA, but this has been a pretty substantial black mark on the way contracts are currently worded. The fact that the NHL wants (if we believe the media stories) BM and the Sens to consider litigation is a sign that things will change after all is said and done.