Senators Forward Prospects

SpezDispenser wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:
Either Regin blows open the doors at camp and makes the team, or he goes back to Bingo. No other options for him.

You don't keep young kids on 2-way deals around the team if you're not going to give them consistent ice-time. It just doesn't make sense for the perspective of the organization: why pay a player to sit when you can send him down to play in the AHL for 1/10th of the price? and why make a young player sit and so possibly hinder his development, when he could be playing big minutes and key roles and so grow as a player?

Are we carrying a 13th forward?

Pretty sure the deals Murray mad last year with Vermette and Mccamond (although he was a UFA) were made assuming young guns like Regin would be able to replace them this year.  Now, with Heatley asking to be moved, things are much more complicated, especially with the proposed package of two forwards coming our way.  Murray is probably going nuts with this Heatley situation because if he does get a deal done, once it is completed, he's going to have to make more moves to A) get under the cap and/or B) deal some depth players to free up spots for at least Regin and Bass.  Bass did very well before his injury and should be on the 4th line this year.  It's amazing how one player is completely holding this team hostage.  We really have no idea what this team will look like at the start of the season! 

SpezDispenser wrote:

Are we carrying a 13th forward?

Right now, Schubert, if you count him as a forward. That's 12 forwards on 1-way deals, plus Foligno.

And 6 D (Phillips, Volchenkov, Kuba, Smith, Campoli, and Picard) on 1-way deals, plus Lee. Add in Leclaire and Elliott, and you have the 2009-10 Senators as they will look at the end of training camp.

There's just no room for anyone else at the moment. People can talk about how great Regin, Bass, etc. look and how much we want them in the line-up, but until we see some roster movement, they're not making this team. Period. End of story.

Will something change? Probably, especially with the Heatley situation. But whether that or any other move-to-be-made frees up a roster spot or not remains to be seen. We can all assume that Smith, Schubert, or whomever you don't like isn't here come October -- Picard, to name one guy some people just haven't given enough time -- but until it happens, there's not much more to be said. Getting rid of contracts that no one wants is a lot harder than people make it out to be.

Just like last year when everyone was "competing for jobs"... Man! That's still funny.

Speaking of Picard, my 11-year-old is in a skating camp (part of the Ottawa Senators Summer Hockey Camps program) in a few weeks, and Picard is the guest that week. I suppose the could change if he's dealt, but the e-mail notification about this just went out last night. If Picard was on the block, would the Sens organization still let him be a guest?

wprager wrote:Speaking of Picard, my 11-year-old is in a skating camp (part of the Ottawa Senators Summer Hockey Camps program) in a few weeks, and Picard is the guest that week. I suppose the could change if he's dealt, but the e-mail notification about this just went out last night. If Picard was on the block, would the Sens organization still let him be a guest?

Personally, I don't believe it for a second. I think the only people in a position of responsibility who are saying this are Booboo and Brennan -- neither of whom I trust for a second because they often seem like amateur hockey fans rather than professional reporters when they're commenting on such matters.

Reporters get their hockey hard-ons for favourite players, just like anyone else. It becomes embarrassing for everyone, however, when they put these things in print and pass them off as ideas being legitimately thrown around by the team's managerial staff. Look at Larry Brooks over in NY insisting that DAL is shopping Richards, and that the NYR have interest. Pure speculation, with the only source being Brooks's wet dreams.

Don't worry, Picard is staying. I have no idea why he would be on the move. At 800K, we'll see what he can do before trading him for a box of playing cards.