Ottawa Senators off-season talk

SpezDispenser wrote:Why was the Islanders and the Rangers able to make a trade when the Cup hadn't been awarded yet BTW?

Does anyone know?

You can make trades when ever you want.

Kovalfie wrote:
I disagree. When you have inflated contracts like Spezza, Kuba, and Kovalev, and you're still buying out Emery, $1 million of cap space goes a long way. You may as well just bury him in the minors and keep him off the books. Having a vet in the AHL may rub off on the younger players, not to mention that $1 million is peanuts to the organization. If the Sens get their season ticket sales up from last year, that additional $1 million is easily wiped out. Think too, Bingo sales will likely spike given the increased talent there next year.

It would be stupid to buy Cheechoo out since you'd be paying him $2 million for no services and less cap space. You might as well pay the $3 million, have a vet playing with the prospects, and save the cap space. Even if Cheechoo carries Cowen's luggage from the bus to the hotel at least you're getting something for the money you spend. Seems like a pretty easy business decision to me...

Melnyk won't see it that way I don't think.

As a businessman he'll look at you and say: So my choice is to pay Cheechoo out at 2 million dollars over 2 years OR keep him and pay him 3 million dollars all at one time?

I'll take the one that lets me bank the extra million and collect interest on the other million.

However...I agree, it's gonna hurt badly if we buy Cheechoo out. 1 million dollars is 1/4 Michalek, 1/5 Hamhuis/Martin etc. It hurts.

N4L wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Why was the Islanders and the Rangers able to make a trade when the Cup hadn't been awarded yet BTW?

Does anyone know?

You can make trades when ever you want.

Why are GMs waiting around, how come there aren't deals happening left, right and center?

Kovalfie wrote:

N4L wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I guess the Sens are gonna buy Cheechoo out. That's a waste of cap space to me personally, but what can we do.

Not shocking at all but where did you hear it? Also it saves Melnyk 1 mil in real money and gets spread out over the course of two years. 1 mil in cap space isnt all that important when you are dealing with actually funds.

I disagree. When you have inflated contracts like Spezza, Kuba, and Kovalev, and you're still buying out Emery, $1 million of cap space goes a long way. You may as well just bury him in the minors and keep him off the books. Having a vet in the AHL may rub off on the younger players, not to mention that $1 million is peanuts to the organization. If the Sens get their season ticket sales up from last year, that additional $1 million is easily wiped out. Think too, Bingo sales will likely spike given the increased talent there next year.

It would be stupid to buy Cheechoo out since you'd be paying him $2 million for no services and less cap space. You might as well pay the $3 million, have a vet playing with the prospects, and save the cap space. Even if Cheechoo carries Cowen's luggage from the bus to the hotel at least you're getting something for the money you spend. Seems like a pretty easy business decision to me...

Depends, Melnyk just lost 4 million this season, 3 million of that is Cheechoo's salary. Buying him out basically cuts that loss by 1/2. I agree with you in prinicpal but the reality is, it is real money going out the door if he is indeed bought out.

The Sens will have a ton of cap space in a couple years when it really matters. Alfi, Emery, and Cheechoo's buy outs will all be off the books, Kovalev will be gone, Kuba more then likley will be too. That's over 10 million in salary free'd up right there.

Next year IMO one way or another, the idea is to keep building and keep improving. I dont think they will be ready for a run at the cup, but when they are ready 2, 3, maybe 4 years from now, that's when the cap space will be there, that's when it will matter.

SpezDispenser wrote:

N4L wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:Why was the Islanders and the Rangers able to make a trade when the Cup hadn't been awarded yet BTW?

Does anyone know?

You can make trades when ever you want.

Why are GMs waiting around, how come there aren't deals happening left, right and center?

No real rush and most seem to just let things play out until the finals. It's a long season, no reason to go right back to work during the playoffs if their teams are out of it.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

N4L wrote:Cowen could very well be a better NHLer then he was Jr, and that's saying something. When you are that big and can cover that much of the ice with the speed he actually has, he's going to be a force.

MPS's potential is no where near Cowen's.

If you offered Cowen to Edmonton for MPS straight-up, Kevin Lowe would tell Steve Tambellini to laugh at you.

Perhaps. To some extent, though, that's because they have a player in the Cowen mould (though not calibre) in Plante (and Smid, I guess).

Both guys have sick potential. Cowen, when physically healthy, really is a remarkable physical specimen, and he's a leader, and he's a winner. I feel like he's got more offensive potential than Phillips because his shot is already a weapon. Even if he only becomes an adequate puck-mover with a big shot, his defensive presence coupled with the offensive arsenals of Karlsson and Wiercioch is formidable, to put it mildly.

It's true that we're in dire need of some good forward prospects, but I don't think it's a bad thing to cement the back-end first. Neely is right to point out the defences of Chicago and Washington (and you can look at Detroit's D over the past few seasons as well), and if we can get a good offensive forward prospect (so, no Austin Watson) at this draft, we'll be alright given we already have Spezza, Michalek, Regin, Foligno, Petersson, Silfverberg etc.

Also, I have total faith in the Sens' Swedish scout contingent, and given that the Sens' subsequent two picks were Swedes, I have no doubt that they were consulted viz. MPS's ranking respective to Cowen's. They might have pointed out criticisms that perhaps his hockey IQ isn't very high, or that he doesn't go into the corners enough, or that he's not a great finisher. Granted I think at least the last two can and will be overcome.

I'm a little disappointed we didn't land Oliver Ekman-Lidstrom but Cowen's definitely a huge piece for us. I think the hockey world at large has something of a tainted perception because they've only seen Cowen play (post-draft, anyway) in the WJCs where he was both physically unready and totally mismanaged/miscoached.

Luckily, I read somewhere that Roman Wick is the poor-man's MSP. Or maybe I made that up to make myself feel better?

N4L wrote:
No real rush and most seem to just let things play out until the finals. It's a long season, no reason to go right back to work during the playoffs if their teams are out of it.

Fair enough.

asq2 wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

N4L wrote:Cowen could very well be a better NHLer then he was Jr, and that's saying something. When you are that big and can cover that much of the ice with the speed he actually has, he's going to be a force.

MPS's potential is no where near Cowen's.

If you offered Cowen to Edmonton for MPS straight-up, Kevin Lowe would tell Steve Tambellini to laugh at you.

Perhaps. To some extent, though, that's because they have a player in the Cowen mould (though not calibre) in Plante (and Smid, I guess).

Both guys have sick potential. Cowen, when physically healthy, really is a remarkable physical specimen, and he's a leader, and he's a winner. I feel like he's got more offensive potential than Phillips because his shot is already a weapon. Even if he only becomes an adequate puck-mover with a big shot, his defensive presence coupled with the offensive arsenals of Karlsson and Wiercioch is formidable, to put it mildly.

It's true that we're in dire need of some good forward prospects, but I don't think it's a bad thing to cement the back-end first. Neely is right to point out the defences of Chicago and Washington (and you can look at Detroit's D over the past few seasons as well), and if we can get a good offensive forward prospect (so, no Austin Watson) at this draft, we'll be alright given we already have Spezza, Michalek, Regin, Foligno, Petersson, Silfverberg etc.

Also, I have total faith in the Sens' Swedish scout contingent, and given that the Sens' subsequent two picks were Swedes, I have no doubt that they were consulted viz. MPS's ranking respective to Cowen's. They might have pointed out criticisms that perhaps his hockey IQ isn't very high, or that he doesn't go into the corners enough, or that he's not a great finisher. Granted I think at least the last two can and will be overcome.

I'm a little disappointed we didn't land Oliver Ekman-Lidstrom but Cowen's definitely a huge piece for us. I think the hockey world at large has something of a tainted perception because they've only seen Cowen play (post-draft, anyway) in the WJCs where he was both physically unready and totally mismanaged/miscoached.

Easily the most important part of that thread.

I think you mean Philly's D, not Washingtons, haha. ALthough, Washington is a good example of what happens if you dont have your blueline sorted out and ready to compete.

asq2 wrote:
Perhaps. To some extent, though, that's because they have a player in the Cowen mould (though not calibre) in Plante (and Smid, I guess).

Both guys have sick potential. Cowen, when physically healthy, really is a remarkable physical specimen, and he's a leader, and he's a winner. I feel like he's got more offensive potential than Phillips because his shot is already a weapon. Even if he only becomes an adequate puck-mover with a big shot, his defensive presence coupled with the offensive arsenals of Karlsson and Wiercioch is formidable, to put it mildly.

It's true that we're in dire need of some good forward prospects, but I don't think it's a bad thing to cement the back-end first. Neely is right to point out the defences of Chicago and Washington (and you can look at Detroit's D over the past few seasons as well), and if we can get a good offensive forward prospect (so, no Austin Watson) at this draft, we'll be alright given we already have Spezza, Michalek, Regin, Foligno, Petersson, Silfverberg etc.

Also, I have total faith in the Sens' Swedish scout contingent, and given that the Sens' subsequent two picks were Swedes, I have no doubt that they were consulted viz. MPS's ranking respective to Cowen's. They might have pointed out criticisms that perhaps his hockey IQ isn't very high, or that he doesn't go into the corners enough, or that he's not a great finisher. Granted I think at least the last two can and will be overcome.

I'm a little disappointed we didn't land Oliver Ekman-Lidstrom but Cowen's definitely a huge piece for us. I think the hockey world at large has something of a tainted perception because they've only seen Cowen play (post-draft, anyway) in the WJCs where he was both physically unready and totally mismanaged/miscoached.

Well written/said as usual Asq.

Mike Brodeur just re-signed apparently.

More to come (just kidding, I'll find a link).

Hmmm, interesting. I wonder what they do with Holt if Brodeur resigns.

1 year, 2-way, 600K.

What happens with Holt, he was great down there? Elmira or what?

Same thing they did with him at the beginning of last year, ECHL.

It's unfair to Holt since he had a pretty solid year and is at least and AHL level guy. (I know it's not a huge deal, but when is the last time the Sens had enough depth in net to send a competent guy to the E?)

http://www.capgeek.com/index.php

Best link I can find, it's there in the 'new signing' area after the charts.

SeawaySensFan wrote:Luckily, I read somewhere that Roman Wick is the poor-man's MSP. Or maybe I made that up to make myself feel better?

No, I think he just looks like MPS.

@N4L: Yeah, I did mean Philly.

stempniaksen wrote:Same thing they did with him at the beginning of last year, ECHL.

It's unfair to Holt since he had a pretty solid year and is at least and AHL level guy. (I know it's not a huge deal, but when is the last time the Sens had enough depth in net to send a competent guy to the A?)

Yup, I agree for sure. Brodeur might be a very good guy to have in Bingo to help Lehner learn the pro game and really mentor him down there. Brodeur is by no means an NHL goaltender but he's been through a lot in his time in the organization and he is probably repaying The Sens for allowing him to actually play a few games in The NHL. People dont realize just how much it means to players who get rewarded and get a chance to live out their dream.

Good signing, I feel bad for Holt but he made people take notice, that's all you can really ask.

stempniaksen wrote:Same thing they did with him at the beginning of last year, ECHL.

It's unfair to Holt since he had a pretty solid year and is at least and AHL level guy. (I know it's not a huge deal, but when is the last time the Sens had enough depth in net to send a competent guy to the E?)

A slight kick in the pants for Holt, but there will be injuries and call-ups, he just has to continue to work hard and he'll get a chance.

This is one of those patience will be rewarded things if Lehner moves up next year or if Brodeur isn't re-signed.