murray to make changes to the roster?

Dash wrote:Why doesn't Clouston/Murray just give Gryba a shot? Tell him if he wants to play he has to go out and be that physical guy they are looking for. Tell him to block shots, make good hits and to clear the crease. Give him a game or two in place of Hale.

Why? Hale has been steady, and Gryba hasn't even been getting ice time in the AHL. Hale isn't the problem, by a long shot.

Look, we're not a quick fix or one player away from the answer. This is a team-wide issue. The guys need to come together, develop some chemistry, and all get on the same page. We're just not playing like a team yet, that's all.

rooneypoo wrote:

Dash wrote:Why doesn't Clouston/Murray just give Gryba a shot? Tell him if he wants to play he has to go out and be that physical guy they are looking for. Tell him to block shots, make good hits and to clear the crease. Give him a game or two in place of Hale.

Why? Hale has been steady, and Gryba hasn't even been getting ice time in the AHL. Hale isn't the problem, by a long shot.

Look, we're not a quick fix or one player away from the answer. This is a team-wide issue. The guys need to come together, develop some chemistry, and all get on the same page. We're just not playing like a team yet, that's all.

Why are we lacking chemistry though? The forward group isn't a whole lot different than last year. Defence I could understand somewhat, but is this team really that much different than last years?

hemlock wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

Dash wrote:Why doesn't Clouston/Murray just give Gryba a shot? Tell him if he wants to play he has to go out and be that physical guy they are looking for. Tell him to block shots, make good hits and to clear the crease. Give him a game or two in place of Hale.

Why? Hale has been steady, and Gryba hasn't even been getting ice time in the AHL. Hale isn't the problem, by a long shot.

Look, we're not a quick fix or one player away from the answer. This is a team-wide issue. The guys need to come together, develop some chemistry, and all get on the same page. We're just not playing like a team yet, that's all.

Why are we lacking chemistry though? The forward group isn't a whole lot different than last year. Defence I could understand somewhat, but is this team really that much different than last years?

It's starting from the back end, tho', that's the thing. Our breakout, our D-zone coverage, our puck distribution in the offensive zone. All that stuff starts with your D, and if they're not in synch, your team isn't either.

We need Phillips and Gonchar to get comfortable together (and there are signs of that already -- they looked good together in BUF, I thought), and we need Kuba to come back and stabilize that top 4. Then Campoli-Carkner can go back to a 5/6 spot -- which is where they belong. Right now, we're making those guys play in our top 4, and that's causing problems.

rooneypoo wrote:

hemlock wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:

Dash wrote:Why doesn't Clouston/Murray just give Gryba a shot? Tell him if he wants to play he has to go out and be that physical guy they are looking for. Tell him to block shots, make good hits and to clear the crease. Give him a game or two in place of Hale.

Why? Hale has been steady, and Gryba hasn't even been getting ice time in the AHL. Hale isn't the problem, by a long shot.

Look, we're not a quick fix or one player away from the answer. This is a team-wide issue. The guys need to come together, develop some chemistry, and all get on the same page. We're just not playing like a team yet, that's all.

Why are we lacking chemistry though? The forward group isn't a whole lot different than last year. Defence I could understand somewhat, but is this team really that much different than last years?

It's starting from the back end, tho', that's the thing. Our breakout, our D-zone coverage, our puck distribution in the offensive zone. All that stuff starts with your D, and if they're not in synch, your team isn't either.

We need Phillips and Gonchar to get comfortable together (and there are signs of that already -- they looked good together in BUF, I thought), and we need Kuba to come back and stabilize that top 4. Then Campoli-Carkner can go back to a 5/6 spot -- which is where they belong. Right now, we're making those guys play in our top 4, and that's causing problems.

Fair point, but I think it also stems from the fact that we lost a lot of toughness when Volchie and Sutton left. That's a lot of dirty work that others need to pick up. We could really use a Douglas Murray/Brooks Orpik type too.

Wasn't Shane O'Brien available?

hemlock wrote:

shabbs wrote:You should hear it here in Toronto... three game losing streak... fire everyone, blow it up... strip Phaneuf of the "C"... it's hilarious. The media is eating it up.

On the Fan 590 this morning, Crystal was asking everyone "what's wrong with the Leafs"... I was tempted to call in and say "Nothing, they've come back to earth and are playing as they were expected to now."

Heh.

Sometimes, living in TO has some perks doesn't it?

+1

TheAvatar wrote:Holy mother of god. Wagon jumpers all around;

I never jump on or off the wagon. I'm firmly a Sens fan and always will be, but I'm also realistic - and what I've seen so far is bad news. If it doesn't right itself soon, we're walking down a road that we've been down before - and it means no playoffs.

However...I still believe in this team. Maybe I'm TOO much of a fan, I still think they're damn good - and I'm surprised beyond words at this horrible start where they're basically not connecting on any passes or shots or forecheck...

rooneypoo wrote:You can't be serious. In the east, you need about 92-94 points to lock up a playoff spot. That's .500 hockey + 5-6 wins. OTT needs to get to .500, or thereabouts, by the end of 20 games, if you ask me. One 3 game winning streak right now rights the ship.

You guys are all panic and doom and gloom. It's like you actually believe the nonsense that TOR media feeds us about our team.

If you go by today's standings, of course Dung looks bad. But does anyone actually think that NJ, BUF, PHI, VAN, SJ, or PHO is going to miss the playoffs because of their first 8 games? Cuss no. And OTT is in the same boat.

This is exactly what I would say about this whole thing. You think over in NJ, Lou is making plans to blow up the team and start all over again because they have a bad record through the first 9 games?

Does he have a couple of players he'd like to rid himself of? Sure. What team in the league doesn't? But this talk of a lost season is premature.

We're still only 4 points back of the division lead and the Leafs have played their best hockey this year already and the Sens have played their worst.

You guys just need to take deep breaths and wait for this team to start performing to the standard they can before you start labeling them a bust.

TheAvatar wrote:

hemlock wrote:

shabbs wrote:You should hear it here in Toronto... three game losing streak... fire everyone, blow it up... strip Phaneuf of the "C"... it's hilarious. The media is eating it up.

On the Fan 590 this morning, Crystal was asking everyone "what's wrong with the Leafs"... I was tempted to call in and say "Nothing, they've come back to earth and are playing as they were expected to now."

Heh.

Sometimes, living in TO has some perks doesn't it?

+1

I'm hoping the Leafs lose a few more in a row and this place goes bonkers. It will be hilarious.

Beauchemin and Komisarek are already being thrown under the bus, Phaneuf is being called out and rightly so... their PP is a one-trick pony... it's awesome.

Do you know why you need to be worried? Because we basically made the playoffs because of 1 streak of games last year, our 11 game win streak. This team doesn't look like it will do this anytime soon.

Plus, I think we've had 1 good game so far, the Washington game, and we didn't even win it. All the other games we have looked shaky, and that's being nice.

Not time to panic, but time to worry.

and Dung, most of you have been saying that New Jersey is done and won't be making the playoffs this year. If you say that about them then you should be saying the same thing for Ottawa.

Big Ev wrote:Do you know why you need to be worried? Because we basically made the playoffs because of 1 streak of games last year, our 11 game win streak. This team doesn't look like it will do this anytime soon.

Plus, I think we've had 1 good game so far, the Washington game, and we didn't even win it. All the other games we have looked shaky, and that's being nice.

Not time to panic, but time to worry.

If people don't see this, then you might be wasting your breathe. At this point, I just hope to heck that last year was the launching point for a solid team - and that this year so far is only a setback. Realistically, I don't see it. I think we're down a Dany Heatley and an Andy Sutton - and I think this team is floundering in tremendous mediocrity. That is - we're not as bad as we look, but as of right now, we're far away from a playoff team, and nothing about last year or the year before makes me feel as if we're coming out of this.

No point in anyone arguing with that, I want desperately to be wrong - and yes, it's only 8 games in.

I just got back from holidays so I haven't followed hockey much.

Disappointing that the team is still playing so bad, they're better than that.

I certainly hope Murray doesn't make some desperate move as I don't think any trade can fix something that takes time (ie. team to gel together and Kuba/Spezza getting healthy).

Kind of discouraging that Kuba's absence is enough to throw the team so far out of whack though.

Hoags wrote:I just got back from holidays so I haven't followed hockey much.

Disappointing that the team is still playing so bad, they're better than that.

I certainly hope Murray doesn't make some desperate move as I don't think any trade can fix something that takes time (ie. team to gel together and Kuba/Spezza getting healthy).

Kind of discouraging that Kuba's absence is enough to throw the team so far out of whack though.

If Kuba is the answer, I don't want to know the question.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Big Ev wrote:Do you know why you need to be worried? Because we basically made the playoffs because of 1 streak of games last year, our 11 game win streak. This team doesn't look like it will do this anytime soon.

Plus, I think we've had 1 good game so far, the Washington game, and we didn't even win it. All the other games we have looked shaky, and that's being nice.

Not time to panic, but time to worry.

If people don't see this, then you might be wasting your breathe. At this point, I just hope to heck that last year was the launching point for a solid team - and that this year so far is only a setback. Realistically, I don't see it. I think we're down a Dany Heatley and an Andy Sutton - and I think this team is floundering in tremendous mediocrity. That is - we're not as bad as we look, but as of right now, we're far away from a playoff team, and nothing about last year or the year before makes me feel as if we're coming out of this.

No point in anyone arguing with that, I want desperately to be wrong - and yes, it's only 8 games in.

Don't forget about Matt Cullen. He was the bees knees for the most part.

hemlock wrote:
Don't forget about Matt Cullen. He was the bees knees for the most part.

Yeah, him too, but that's less specific IMO. Cullen is a nice player who played both ends of the ice amazingly, but we also have Fisher and to a less extent Kelly and even Michalek who can do some of what he brought. What we don't have is a Dany Heatley - a dude who is skilled in the art of breaking games open with timely goals (or just goals period). A guy who backs off D and sets up plays for himself - sort of like Spezza, but we need another one (sadly, Kessel, Cammelleri etc. would fit the bill) - and then we also need Andy Sutton - bad. Don't get me wrong, I loved Cullen, but there are more pressing needs.

SpezDispenser wrote:

hemlock wrote:
Don't forget about Matt Cullen. He was the bees knees for the most part.

Yeah, him too, but that's less specific IMO. Cullen is a nice player who played both ends of the ice amazingly, but we also have Fisher and to a less extent Kelly and even Michalek who can do some of what he brought. What we don't have is a Dany Heatley - a dude who is skilled in the art of breaking games open with timely goals (or just goals period). A guy who backs off D and sets up plays for himself - sort of like Spezza, but we need another one (sadly, Kessel, Cammelleri etc. would fit the bill) - and then we also need Andy Sutton - bad. Don't get me wrong, I loved Cullen, but there are more pressing needs.

we'd have a better chance of getting #24 back. #5 for #24 straight up. Devils are against the cap (but so are we)