OFFSEASON TALK: Forwards!

I like Cullen a lot, but I think signing a D-Man is much more important at this time.

Dash wrote:Fisher, Kuba, Kelly, Neil, Ruutu - all guys that are making slightly more than most players in their roles. Yes, Ruutu-Kelly-Neil is a sick line.

i could deal with fisher and/or kuba maybe even kelly leaving but i doubt fisher is leaving. i love what ruutu does and he makes only 1.3 doing it, so no i don't think a half mill savings is worth it. neil is going nowhere.

I was just answering your question

Actually, you can add Kovalev there too. I keep forgetting he's a Senator.

SDH89 wrote:I like Cullen a lot, but I think signing a D-Man is much more important at this time.

campbell/gonchar

Flo The Action wrote:i'm just not sure who we'd be moving... appart from foligno, Lee...etc basicaly the guys not making much. what high salary player will be moved? (cue the spezza talk)

i mean i rather not trade spezza personally since i doubt we'd get a decent value in return, kovalev isn't worth the money he's making and anyone can see that. i doubt they move fisher as murray puts him part of the immovable core...

who???

Addition by subtraction: no sutton, volchenkov, cheechoo, donovan, shannon (and dare I say Cullen). Combined salary: >$12 million

Let's not forget that Campoli is also an RFA. How much do we really want to pay a 5-6 defenceman coming off a crappy year (albeit a pretty decent playoff). Of the RFAs we have, the only one I'd really miss on our roster next year is Regin and there's no chance we're losing him. Can Wiercioch replace Campoli: probably. Can Gyrba play physical and block shots: yes.

Kuba is also a very tradeable player ($3.7 million) We showed in the playoffs that our powerplay can function without him, and outside of that, he's not that fantastic offensively and really not all that solid defensively. I'd have no problems packaging him with Lee, Campoli, Foligno, Winchester, etc for a legit #1 PMD (ie: Campbell). Realistically speaking, we only have three defencemen signed next year, with Gyrba, Wiercioch, and Cowen waiting in the wings, and a ton of cap space (if we want it).

Leclaire and Elliott are also both on contract years, with Brodeur showing he's a capable backup and Lehner quickly making a name for himself...

Long story short Murray has tons of decisions to make this off-season but if he plays his cards right, we can get that #1 PMD, move up in the draft and draft a franchise forward, and inject some hardworking kids into the line-up while not messing up the team's core.

Campoli I can see getting re-signed, thought it may go to arbitration. Either way, 2 years max, 1-1.5M per is your range.

SDH89 wrote:I like Cullen a lot, but I think signing a D-Man is much more important at this time.

I disagree for the simple reason that The Sens have a ton of tallent coming up on the blueline. They will be alright there IMO.

Cullen is such a large peice to the overall puzzle I would think that resigning his the number 1 priority in the off season.

Dash wrote:Campoli I can see getting re-signed, thought it may go to arbitration. Either way, 2 years max, 1-1.5M per is your range.

The playoff Campoli had I dont see how they dont resign him unless they use him to move up in the draft... his salary might double though, max. 1.5 is in no way going to happen. 1.2 is prob the max and if I had to guess, a mil is close to it.

Flo The Action wrote:i'm just not sure who we'd be moving... appart from foligno, Lee...etc basicaly the guys not making much. what high salary player will be moved? (cue the spezza talk)

i mean i rather not trade spezza personally since i doubt we'd get a decent value in return, kovalev isn't worth the money he's making and anyone can see that. i doubt they move fisher as murray puts him part of the immovable core...

who???

You can take this for what it's worth and people around here can as well, BUT from what I have heard Spezza basically doesnt have the respect of anyone in that room nor The Sens organization. It is getting worse by all accounts. Like I said, take this for what it's worth, an random poster on his favorite blog... but I'll say this, usually when I say someone in Ottawa is out the door or is having trouble, it happens.

Kovalfie wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:i'm just not sure who we'd be moving... appart from foligno, Lee...etc basicaly the guys not making much. what high salary player will be moved? (cue the spezza talk)

i mean i rather not trade spezza personally since i doubt we'd get a decent value in return, kovalev isn't worth the money he's making and anyone can see that. i doubt they move fisher as murray puts him part of the immovable core...

who???

Addition by subtraction: no sutton, volchenkov, cheechoo, donovan, shannon (and dare I say Cullen). Combined salary: >$12 million

Let's not forget that Campoli is also an RFA. How much do we really want to pay a 5-6 defenceman coming off a crappy year (albeit a pretty decent playoff). Of the RFAs we have, the only one I'd really miss on our roster next year is Regin and there's no chance we're losing him. Can Wiercioch replace Campoli: probably. Can Gyrba play physical and block shots: yes.

Kuba is also a very tradeable player ($3.7 million) We showed in the playoffs that our powerplay can function without him, and outside of that, he's not that fantastic offensively and really not all that solid defensively. I'd have no problems packaging him with Lee, Campoli, Foligno, Winchester, etc for a legit #1 PMD (ie: Campbell). Realistically speaking, we only have three defencemen signed next year, with Gyrba, Wiercioch, and Cowen waiting in the wings, and a ton of cap space (if we want it).

Leclaire and Elliott are also both on contract years, with Brodeur showing he's a capable backup and Lehner quickly making a name for himself...

Long story short Murray has tons of decisions to make this off-season but if he plays his cards right, we can get that #1 PMD, move up in the draft and draft a franchise forward, and inject some hardworking kids into the line-up while not messing up the team's core.

Addition by subtraction starts wth Spezza IMO. You look at The Habs and even Chicago, they dont have forwards who light it up on every level. Toews is a number 1 center but he isnt going to hit 100 points or score 50 goals, most of the offense in Chicago comes from a balanced attack starting on their back end.

If the deal is right and makes sense, you deal Spezza.

N4L wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:i'm just not sure who we'd be moving... appart from foligno, Lee...etc basicaly the guys not making much. what high salary player will be moved? (cue the spezza talk)

i mean i rather not trade spezza personally since i doubt we'd get a decent value in return, kovalev isn't worth the money he's making and anyone can see that. i doubt they move fisher as murray puts him part of the immovable core...

who???

You can take this for what it's worth and people around here can as well, BUT from what I have heard Spezza basically doesnt have the respect of anyone in that room nor The Sens organization. It is getting worse by all accounts. Like I said, take this for what it's worth, an random poster on his favorite blog... but I'll say this, usually when I say someone in Ottawa is out the door or is having trouble, it happens.

you have been right in the past, that's true. and i'm not against spezza leaving either. i just want to have a good deal in place that gives us a good center in return. (and a few more pieces could go either way).

i like M.Koivu(maybe not on a 1 for 1) but i doubt minny wants to part with him.

Ottawa will probably get a 2nd line center, youth, and a pick if they deal Spezza. In no way would Ottawa get a better player back, just a couple players with the potential to be better.

I think Spezza would absolutely bomb in a place like Edmonton or Atlanta so... it is kind of a mute points.

Anyways, it will be interesting to see what happens because what I have heard lately from some people would seem to indicate everything in Ottawa has changed but Spezza.

Who's our 1st line center without Spezza?

Dash wrote:Who's our 1st line center without Spezza?

Who's Montreal's?

It's amazing people think that Spezza is the be all and end all in Ottawa.

N4L wrote:

Dash wrote:Who's our 1st line center without Spezza?

Who's Montreal's?

It's amazing people think that Spezza is the be all and end all in Ottawa.

Scott Gomez and Tomas Plekanec who are both pretty good.

But look around the league. Most or all the best teams have a true number one center or have a couple really good centers.

Ok, people literally have said Gomez is the most over paid player in The NHL and I agree but now all of the sudden he is a number 1 center?

If Ottawa lost Spezza someone else would step up with that opportunity and it could very well be Regin. If not there is always someone else who does when given an opportunity.

N4L wrote:
Addition by subtraction starts wth Spezza IMO. You look at The Habs and even Chicago, they dont have forwards who light it up on every level. Toews is a number 1 center but he isnt going to hit 100 points or score 50 goals, most of the offense in Chicago comes from a balanced attack starting on their back end.

If the deal is right and makes sense, you deal Spezza.

Bleh. Towes, Kane, Keith, Byfuglien, Sharp, Bolland, Versteeg, Campbell, Seabrook. We have about half that firepower, what we need is some young talent to come in and make a serious impact. Regin's last 10 games or so were excellent, so was his playoffs, but we need that consistently next year, ditto Karlsson - and while we're at it we could use a Wiercioch or Cowen to come in.

Chicago sucked for a while, they have fresh vibrant talent. Ours is just starting to get piped in, trading Spezza now is a mistake, sends the wrong message IMO - let the young guys mature a bit, then re-evaluate in a year or two. We're not in a position to win a Cup now anyway - unless Leclaire, Elliott or Lehner decide to pull a Halak.

Don't let the NTC bother you so much, just forget it exists, if the Sens decide he'd be better off out of the organization, they'll work it out so he waives, it happens all the time.

Ok, Buff isnt a very good player, people who think he is need to take another look. He's a fat a** put on a line with Toews and Kane, that's it. He's like Dustin Penner but a lot worse.

They have fire power because of their back end. They have 4 great D men that move the puck better than any team in the league, that's where their offense is generated from.

If Spezza is hated by team mates, the coaches cant trust him, and is actually feeling sorry for himself because the fans boo'd him, why the hell would you keep him?

I would like to know when anyone that was ever making over 3 or 4 million dollars has ever been waived besides Avery. Spezza will never be waived.

Anyways, people just look at him and his skill in this case which is a problem. I have said this forever, players do not like Spezza, believe it if you want or choose not to.

The Sens still need to build their forwards up front and that could very well start with Spezza. He isnt going to improve at this point, that time has passed.