A+: The very best
Cory Clouston. I was initially gonna put him at the end, but he should be spearheading this with Alfie. He's finally balanced the aggressive play with the defensive play and made every single player better IMO. He's proving he's not slouch at coaching - a beautiful song to Sens fans ears.
Alfredsson. The best of the best of the best on this team. When he's playing, the Sens look like they can weather any storm, when he's out 9 times out of 10 the Sens wither. He controls the play and makes Ds back up, creating space and opportunities for different plays in the offensive zone.
A: Huge staples to the team
Phillips and Volchenkov. Both of these guys have provided amazing defense since the very start of the year. Lapses at times and a couple of injuries have put them at As instead of A+s, but both players willingness to buy into the Clouston system of taking some calculated risks and providing more offense = a renewed sense of belonging and the true anchors on our blue line.
Peter Regin. Damn ya! This kid had some ups and downs at the beginning of the year, but has since taken to making smart, crisp passes in the offensive zone while also having the creative instincts and the courage to make plays on his own from time to time - all wrapped in a neat bow of excellent 2-way play.
Milan Michalek. Had it not been for a slump, he'd be an A+, but even when he's slumping offensively, you can't take his wheels or his determination away. Lovely addition to a Clouston coached team.
Chris Kelly. HUGE props to Kelly for turning a somewhat awkward scenario here in Ottawa into a lovefest. Had everyone wondering why we spent the kind of money we did on him, but now, he's shown that he's a key piece in this team's success.
Sharko Ruutu. Same as Kelly, he's shown exactly what he's worth in terms of a strong defensive game, the willingness to mix it up and surprisingly is having one of his best offensive years as well.
Chris Neil. All year Neil has been the catalyst for physical play, forechecking and intimidating opponents into coughing up the puck. The latest example was against the mighty Blackhawks when he made Seabrook, Keith and Campbell all panic and give up the puck at different times in the game. Two of these resulted in goals.
Matt Carkner. Pretty close to an A+. For what we're paying him, he's delivering big time. He's an anchor back there, he's big, he's nasty, he's aggressive and he's one of the more feared fighters now. One of the feel good stories of the year.
The rest....
Jason Spezza: C+. He's been on again, off again the whole year. Most thing it has to do with injuries, some think he's lost his shine completely. His GWG on Saturday is a nice start to what we can hope will be a great 2nd half.
Alex Kovalev: B. The exact definition of a streaky, average player, but no mistakes, if he continues to play the way he is now (which is unlikely), he'll be a major reason for the Sens success.
Nick Folgino. B-. I've been disappointed in Foligno personally. I thought he might have a chance to be a legitimate 25 goal man this year, but he's struggled with consistency and his battle level at time leaves something to be desired.
Pascal Leclaire. C-. Sometimes good, sometimes not great, always injured. We'll all have to wait until he can play a string of 15-20 games in a row before any final judgments can be made. As of now? A mistake acquisition.
Brian Elliott. C. Inconsistent as the day is long. Was tepid during the month when Leclaire was out, but electric this past 5 games.
Filip Kuba. C. Boy I wish he'd regain his form of last year after we re-signed him. He made us all look silly when he was playing so well and so many of us wanted him traded at the deadline, but now...he's looking like the player we wanted traded.
Ryan Shannon. B-. Has recovered enough to get a B, but his early year struggles cannot be forgotten yet. Needs to continue his fine play in order to get another contract from the Sens.
Last edited by SpezDispenser on Mon Jan 25, 2010 1:23 pm; edited 1 time in total
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