Ottawa Citizen Senators supplment now on-line

The Citizen has put their Ottawa Senators Supplement on-line. Here are the relevant links:

A position by position look at the Senators:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Position+position+look+Senators/2053338/story.html

Top 6 Sens in need of a rebound:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/five+Senators+need+rebound/2053346/story.html

Sens must reach playoffs to reverse club's decline:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Keeping+their+eyes+prize/2053335/story.html

Murray lays it on the line:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/Murray+lays+line/2053342/story.html

It's all about balance for the Senators:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/about+balance+Senators/2053383/story.html

Worth the wait for Carkner:
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/sports/worth+wait/2053370/story.html

GO SENS GO!!!

Panzi has Ottawa in 8th and Montreal in 2nd...

What are these guys smoking? Ottawa is one thing, but to think Montreal can do anything but squeak in is astounding.

It seems that everyone is assuming that all goes well for every other club... except Ottawa.

Fine. We'll take that. And shove it back in their face.

shabbs wrote:It seems that everyone is assuming that all goes well for every other club... except Ottawa.

Fine. We'll take that. And shove it back in their face.

Exactly. That seems to be the consesus across the board. Apparently all teams in the Eastern Conference, except Ottawa, have improved their teams and so therefore Ottawa won't do well this year. .

I'm very happy with low expectations. Cinderella also had low expectations and look at how the story unfolded. The season is played one game at a time, one period at a time and one shift at a time. Let's show alll these buggers the error of their ways

I think all of the so-called pundits are putting a lot of weight into Ottawa's overall point count, and the trend of the last three years. What they fail to take into account is that:

1. The starting point should be how the team played in the last 30-odd games under Clouston, i.e. 104-point pace.

2. The downward trend, if looked at in half-season increments, was reversed in the second half (well, the last 30-odd games).

I'm obviously biased, but I am looking at a 104-point team, that traded a former 50 goal scorer and almost a lock at another 40 goals, for scoring depth in the persons of Kovalev and Michalek. Cheechoo versus Vermette is a downgrade until proven otherwise. The loss of Antoine's face off skills will be hard to overcome. The upgrade in goal is undeniable. Saying that Regin as a 2nd line center completely ignores the fact that Fisher wasn't exactly tearing it up as a second line center. I'd argue that it's a double-positive -- we get a better playmaking center, and one heck of a power forward winger. Our defense, I'll admit, is a huge question mark, but not any bigger than it was last year.

Yes, I'm biased, but I don't think I'm overly optimistic. The Sens should be hanging in tough with the Bruins all season long.

All the pieces are there to make a good showing in the regular season and into the playoffs but I don't want to get my hopes up too high so, I think that if a lot of things go there way they'll be a 3rd to 7th place team. Now if a few to a lot of things go wrong then I see them being 9th to 11th.

Yes I am firmly planted on the fence and will remain there until mid to late November I think.