Final answer: Do the Sens make another move?

Flo The Action wrote:
i see no love for leclaire...

seriously we might be whistling a different tune at the end of next season.
elliott has shown he can be good, but he hasn't proven he can take the team into the playoffs.
leclaire has still lots to prove but he's shown lots too. if only he can remain injury free this season

Until Pascal Leclaire steps up and plays consistently lights out, I will continue to have reservations about him. I know he got injured a lot - and that it mostly wasn't his fault etc. etc. etc., but he still wasn't good enough before the injuries. He had some nice runs where I thought maybe he was gonna be 'the guy', but then he let in back-breaking goals that sunk games for the Sens almost single-handedly.

I'm not even sure Leclaire has the talent to bring his level up to one that's upper echelon. I want to be wrong so badly, but I find his positioning very questionable in terms of rebounds and in terms of him flopping around and getting himself out of position.

What Wamsley was saying is pretty accurate. Leclaire needs to focus on making the routine saves and try to pick his spots to go gumby in there and get himself out of position.

Anything less than a 2.40 and a .915 and I'm disappointed in Leclaire for the amount of money he got and what he cost (Vermette had value for sure). This is it - and I'm scared crapless for him and for the team.

I want badly to be surprised though, maybe I will be.

I hope this season we don't waste draft picks on free agents who walk after the season is over. I would have rather had those second rounders, as a lot of good talent dropped to the second round this year.

I am not at all sold on Leclaire-flashes of brilliance and then duds dosen't cut it. I want solid, not spectacular, just solid. The cup can be won with solid goaltending if recent history is any indication. As well, I would love to see Brodeur get a few more chances with the big team this year. Is it at all possible Lehrner gets a game or two?

"Flashes of brilliance and then duds"... sounds an awful lot like Roberto Luongo, who hasn't won anything outside the NHL.

Dash wrote:"Flashes of brilliance and then duds"... sounds an awful lot like Roberto Luongo, who hasn't won anything outside the NHL.

Please don't even compare Leclaire to Luongo!

Dash wrote:"Flashes of brilliance and then duds"... sounds an awful lot like Roberto Luongo, who hasn't won anything outside the NHL.

Hmmm....I'm not a fan of Luongo after his choking lately, but that's a bit harsh for him to be compared to Leclaire, no?

Who's comparing? I was just pointing out that statement can be attributed to any single person.

What I think is harsh is the constant abuse that Leclaire takes from people who are supposed to be fans of the team. Have some faith and a little confidence in the guy who has battled through injuries and bad luck, and almost single-handedly saved our team. Give credit where it is due. The 2010-11 season hasn't even gotten underway and he's already taking abuse from "fans".

What? I wrote a huge, long reason why I feel the way I do about Leclaire. I'm not gonna blindly show support for him, I need to see it happen - and no I don't hold much hope for it - but I do hope obviously. What has he done besides have a good year in Columbus and a couple of good games in the playoffs for us?

Career regular season stats:
Leclaire GP 159 GAA 2.89 SV% .903
Luongo GP 612 GAA 2.57 SV% .918

Career playoff stats:
Leclaire GP 3 GAA 2.84 SV% .920
Luongo GP 34 GAA 2.46 SV% .919

Given the greater number of games played, the numbers are not all that different.

Yes I think we have at least one move left. While we have tons of 'depth' we have way too many 3rd and 4th line guys. IMO Fisher is a third line player as is Kelly. Shannon has no spot on this team, and Winchester is an unneeded asset upfront with guys like Smith, Butler, and Wick likely ready to go.

On defence, we have too many guys signed to one-way deals and too many guys just about ready to crack the lineup.

Ideally, my team would look something like:

Regin-Spezza-Alfredsson
Michalek-xxxx-Kovalev
Butler-Fisher-Kelly
Ruutu-Smith-Neil

Phillips-Gonchar
Kuba-Karlsson
Cowen-Campoli

I'd like to go after someone like Derek Brassard. Young, from the area, and signed to a relatively good deal. We have a good trading history with Columbus, and if they don't trade for Kaberle, need a puck moving defenceman pretty badly. I don't know what it'd take to get him; Maybe Foligno, Campoli, and a 2nd rd pick?

Funny, when you mentioned Shannon, it occurred to me that the most likely trade would be sending him for some AHL depth, but I can't even see that happening. With him on a 1-way contract, finding a team that is willing to take him on as a 4th liner/healthy scratch will be difficult.

I like your thinking with that trade, but I really don't think it is a deal Columbus makes. Foligno's not really that special right now. He's a good, young, promising player, but just about every team's got one of him. And while Columbus' need for a PMD is there, Campoli's at most a top 4 guy, when they need a #1 guy.

There are better options for them, some that are a higher risk, but could pay off big, like Kaberle, Souray, or maybe even McCabe.

Dash wrote:Career regular season stats:
Leclaire GP 159 GAA 2.89 SV% .903
Luongo GP 612 GAA 2.57 SV% .918

Career playoff stats:
Leclaire GP 3 GAA 2.84 SV% .920
Luongo GP 34 GAA 2.46 SV% .919

Given the greater number of games played, the numbers are not all that different.

Luongo's # are pretty damn good for somebody who started his career with a sad Florida team. Even if they look close, I'll have Luongo in my net way before Leclaire (and I like Leclaire and hope he is our # this year).

It can be said that Columbus is/was a sad team too

I think the only way to judge a goalie is by the number of backbreaking goals they let in. Sadly, there isn't a way to track that.

Throughout the season, if your team is always up 3-0 and the goalie lets in 2 tough goals and you win the games 3-2, fans will still like you, regardless if your save % was 0.725.

on the opposite side, if your team is always down 2-0, they rally back to 2-2, you have the momentum and your goalie gives up a softy and you lose the games 3-2, your goalie could end up with a 0.920 save % and the fans would still want to run you out of town....

I'll go on record as saying that I *think* with the right circumstances, Leclaire can be a guy who can have a nice season - but it's hardly a slam dunk for us. That's it, that's all.

Look at Leclaire
now look at Ryan Miller,
now back at Leclaire,
now back to Miller
sadly he isnt Miller,
but if he stopped getting hurt and using little pads
he could play and look like he's Miller.

i'm a fan of leclaire and i could see how someone could compare him to miller when he's hot(like a few of those games in the playoffs). but in all honesty, i don't think we could ever hope leclaire gets that good.

the best we can hope for is Wamsley comes in here and gets leclaire back into the shape and mind set that got him that contract in that season he got the 9 shutouts.
by the way he was a very respectable .920 in the playoffs last year.

obviously i know he's no sure thing but i think he's the closest we've gotten in recent years to a guy that can be "the guy". (including elliott)

Miller didn't become the star he is until his mid-20s.