shabbs wrote:Well, I'm proud of my Sens and what they did in the post season... they gave the defending Cup champs a run for their money... all without Kuba, Kovalev and Michalek... we'll always wonder what we could have done with all those guys in the line-up. No one gave them any respect at the start of the year... predicting a bottom of the East style finish, behind the Leafs but they rallied around Clouston and played a team-first game. We'll see who ends up sticking around over the summer... but as long as the focus is on keeping players who buy into the team mentality and commit, we should be OK.
GO SENS GO!!!
Yeah man, we're gonna be more than okay. This was Clouston's first time with the reigns for the full year and he took us to the 5th seed. He got out-coached a couple of times in the post-season, but it was by the defending SC winning coach - he'll work on what needs to be improved.
I never gave Michalek, Kuba and Kovalev much more than a 2nd thought because they had all played so streaky, I wasn't sure if they could have made a difference, but as someone pointed out, that third line gets exponentially better with Michalek and Kovalev on it being centered by Winchester. Kuba subbing in for Campoli is also a massive upgrade, so yeah, in the end our depth got tested and we still made the Pens crap their loons.
Next year, the depth will be just as good, the character should be great, the coaching that much better, the goaltending that much better. And if guys like Cowen, Wiercioch, Gryba, Butler, Z.Smith - and to a lesser extent Hoffman, Cowick, Petersson etc. don't make the NHL, then they'll be getting primed in Bingo, same with Lehner, which to me makes the future very, very exciting. We tried, we lost, the lessons are there to never get down 3-1 - avoid it at all costs, make the 4th and 5th games like they were Game 7s and try to always be up one or even.
Regin, Karlsson and Elliott spearhead what will be a dynamic attack for the next 15 years, not to mention the excitement that fans should have over Wiercioch, Cowen and Lehner. No matter how much you like or dislike Spezza, he's a number one center and he's under contract, Alfie, Kovalev, Michalek, Fisher, Foligno, Kelly, Ruutu, Neil. This is not a pop-gun offense, this is serious stuff - and with the puck moving getting even better next year with a year older Karlsson and Kuba hopefully being healthy - we can expect some really, really good things.
All that to say...
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