2009/10 Sens Roster predictions

So, with the Season coming fast, of the current roster, who do you predict will be on the roster at the start of the regular season?

Here are the players I feel will still be Senators at the beginning of the regular season.

Alfie
Spezza
Kovalev
Fisher
Foligno
Shannon
Neil
Kelly
Ruutu
Donovan
Winchester
Bass

Kuba
Campoli
Phillips
Volchenkov
Karlsson
Lee
Picard


Here are the players I predict will no longer be Senators by the beginning of the season.

Jason Smith
Christoph Schubert
Dany Heatley

What we get for them and how they leave is anyones guess but those are the players I suspect will be gone with possibly Lee and/or Picard added in there as well depending on how a deal works out for Heatley.

what, no love for Regin or just couldn't fit him into the mix? I would really like to see that guy with the big club, but we just might not have the room for him.

SensFan71 wrote:what, no love for Regin or just couldn't fit him into the mix? I would really like to see that guy with the big club, but we just might not have the room for him.

Who do you take out or do you carry an extra Forward and an extra D?

This is just a list of who I feel are definite members of the Sens but will likely change after a Heatley trade depending on how many roster players come back our way. I'm personally hoping for 1 roster player, 1 prospect, and Picks.

This just demonstrates the excess one-way contracts we are carrying. As you say, we may be better off taking no more than one NHL player back in a Heatley deal. Unless, of course, we manage to deal other bodies with him or seperately somehow.

SeawaySensFan wrote:This just demonstrates the excess one-way contracts we are carrying. As you say, we may be better off taking no more than one NHL player back in a Heatley deal. Unless, of course, we manage to deal other bodies with him or seperately somehow.

Well said. Assuming we do end up with 1 roster player then I still stand by the roster I posted with Donovan or Bass as the extra forward on any given night. With that lineup below I'm starting to dislike Neil's contract more and more unless he can pot 10 to 15 goals being parked in front of the net on the PP.

Alfie - Spezza - (??)

Kovalev - Fisher - Foligno

Shannon - Kelly - Ruutu

Winchester - Bass - Neil

Extra D: Donovan

Kuba - Campoli

Phillips - Volchenkov

Karlsson (with some time on PP and with Kuba 5 on 5) - Picard

Extra D: Lee

Extra forward would be Donovan or Ruutu. Donovan would be great as a 4th liner on a team that needs a veteran. We need to promote our rookies. Donovan's roster spot can be replaced at a very equivalent salary by a Bass or Regin. Different players, I realize that. If we were contending and could not afford the risk of too much inexperience then, yeah, keep the veterans. But that's not our situation. Ruutu -- similar reasoning. We don't really need his "game", and he's certainly not helping out on offense. Unless we have a rookie that wants to learn the fine art of being a pest?

I don't see Ruutu being an extra forward. The pest roll is still considered important. Donovan for sure will be the extra as he was last season, rotating in with either Bass or Regin depending on who the Sens prefer.

As of right now, with Heatley still in the lineup, I have our lines as:

Foligno - Spezza - Heatley
Alfie - Regin - Kovalev
Kelly - Winchester - Shannon
Ruutu - Bass - Neil
Donovan

D with Smith:
Phillips - Kuba
Volchenkov - Campoli
Smith - Picard
First call-up Lee

D without Smith:
Phillips - Picard
Kuba - Karlsson
Volchenkov - Campoli
First call-up Lee

Depending on who Heatley gets traded for, the lines could drastically change. Although I feel strongly about the second line of Kovalev, Regin and Alfie.

I actually feel pretty strongly about that 4th line. Together, during the preseason, they absolutely punished opponents, and were solid pests that would stick up for each other, and the team. This line would instill fear in our opponents.

On D, I'd much rather keep Kuba and Picard separate. Picard would learn much from Smith, although in terms of style, could become a more offensive, slightly less defensive Phillips, in style alone.

And lastly, last year, Campoli and Volchie played a couple of games as D partners, and I thought they played really well together... I'd like to see them reunited.

I don't get why you have Karlsson in the no-Smith scenario, but he is not the first call-up in the other case. While Lee may be bigger, he does not play a physical game. He is expected to be a puck-mover, not a shut-down guy, and Karlsson has a much better skillset in that area.

Bass Destruction wrote:As of right now, with Heatley still in the lineup, I have our lines as:

Foligno - Spezza - Heatley
Alfie - Regin - Kovalev
Kelly - Winchester - Shannon
Ruutu - Bass - Neil
Donovan

D with Smith:
Phillips - Kuba
Volchenkov - Campoli
Smith - Picard
First call-up Lee

D without Smith:
Phillips - Picard
Kuba - Karlsson
Volchenkov - Campoli
First call-up Lee

Depending on who Heatley gets traded for, the lines could drastically change. Although I feel strongly about the second line of Kovalev, Regin and Alfie.

I actually feel pretty strongly about that 4th line. Together, during the preseason, they absolutely punished opponents, and were solid pests that would stick up for each other, and the team. This line would instill fear in our opponents.

On D, I'd much rather keep Kuba and Picard separate. Picard would learn much from Smith, although in terms of style, could become a more offensive, slightly less defensive Phillips, in style alone.

And lastly, last year, Campoli and Volchie played a couple of games as D partners, and I thought they played really well together... I'd like to see them reunited.

Where's Fisher?

Bass Destruction wrote:As of right now, with Heatley still in the lineup, I have our lines as:

Foligno - Spezza - Heatley
Alfie - Regin - Kovalev
Kelly - Winchester - Shannon
Ruutu - Bass - Neil
Donovan

Did we trade Fisher?

At the cottage with Carrie.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:I don't see Ruutu being an extra forward. The pest roll is still considered important. Donovan for sure will be the extra as he was last season, rotating in with either Bass or Regin depending on who the Sens prefer.

Agreed. Way too much money ($1.3 mil) to have sitting out, too.

Anyway, I appreciate the effort to get everyone talking about next year's team, but this exercise seems rather out there until we sort out the Heatley situation. Whether we take back 1, 2, or 3 roster players in any deal, plus whatever moves we make involving guys like Smith and Schubert, is going to significantly change the face of the team, our cap situation, and what next year's roster might look like.

oh Dung!!!! I even love Fisher, i don't know how i forgot him... This is why i'm not a parent!! anymore...

Since Edmonton is the only place that wants Heatley, I will go with that scenario:

Alfie-Spezza-Penner
Foligno-Fisher-Kovolev
Cogliano-Kelly-Neil
Ruutu-Winchester-Shannon

Phillips-Kuba
Volchenkov-Campoli
Smid-Karlsson
Smith/Lee/Picard