murray to make changes to the roster?

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)

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.

When you say "timely", do you mean scoring most of his goals when the game is already won or lost? Cause that's the Heatley I remember.

We do need a sniper, someone we can count on to score more often than not. Hoffman or Butler will fill this role in the future (hopefully).

Sutton was slow, his one contribution was the big on Leopold and even then that only woke the Penguins up. I don't remember him doing much else for us. We don't need a 35+ contract on the books for that. This is where Cowen/Gryba will come in.

I think we need more consistent forwards we have far too many streaky scorers.

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

Meh..that ship sailed. Volchie can be replaced by guys like Sutton (as an example).

Hoags wrote:We do need a sniper, someone we can count on to score more often than not. Hoffman or Butler will fill this role in the future (hopefully).

Sutton was slow, his one contribution was the big on Leopold and even then that only woke the Penguins up. I don't remember him doing much else for us. We don't need a 35+ contract on the books for that. This is where Cowen/Gryba will come in.

I think we need more consistent forwards we have far too many streaky scorers.

Yeah, someone consistent and someone who can score 40. Hoffman and Butler might one day be those guys - they might even be close, but we're in trouble if we don't find one of those guys soon.

EDIT: ....mind you, I think very highly of Regin and think he could soon be the guy who makes things happen.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Hoags wrote:We do need a sniper, someone we can count on to score more often than not. Hoffman or Butler will fill this role in the future (hopefully).

Sutton was slow, his one contribution was the big on Leopold and even then that only woke the Penguins up. I don't remember him doing much else for us. We don't need a 35+ contract on the books for that. This is where Cowen/Gryba will come in.

I think we need more consistent forwards we have far too many streaky scorers.

Yeah, someone consistent and someone who can score 40. Hoffman and Butler might one day be those guys - they might even be close, but we're in trouble if we don't find one of those guys soon.

EDIT: ....mind you, I think very highly of Regin and think he could soon be the guy who makes things happen.

I hope you're right. Out of that group (Regin, Foligno, Hoffman, Butler) I think Regin's got the best shot at becoming a 25-30 goal scorer. Not so sure about 40, those guys are few and far between. Here's hoping though.

SpezDispenser wrote:
EDIT: ....mind you, I think very highly of Regin and think he could soon be the guy who makes things happen.

When the team is playing badly we need someone who can single handedly affect the outcome. Alfie can only do this for so long. Spezza is maybe the only other player who can do this right now. Others like Fisher, Regin, Kovalev and Foligno are just too inconsistent right now.

Right now the entire team needs to play near-perfect hockey in order to win, other teams have top-end talent that can win games for them when the rest of the team decides to take a night off.

Regin, Foligno, Shannon ..... one of these forwards is going to have to step up and prove they're a top-6 NHL forward.

Karlsson needs to get back to where he was last year.

I don't really think a roster change can fix this, nor are we in a position to make a trade. Calling up Butler would be a possibility but I don't know how he's playing in Bingo and how the cap situation would work out.

We live and die by this roster.

Hoags wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:
EDIT: ....mind you, I think very highly of Regin and think he could soon be the guy who makes things happen.

When the team is playing badly we need someone who can single handedly affect the outcome. Alfie can only do this for so long. Spezza is maybe the only other player who can do this right now. Others like Fisher, Regin, Kovalev and Foligno are just too inconsistent right now.

Right now the entire team needs to play near-perfect hockey in order to win, other teams have top-end talent that can win games for them when the rest of the team decides to take a night off.

Regin, Foligno, Shannon ..... one of these forwards is going to have to step up and prove they're a top-6 NHL forward.

Karlsson needs to get back to where he was last year.

I don't really think a roster change can fix this, nor are we in a position to make a trade. Calling up Butler would be a possibility but I don't know how he's playing in Bingo and how the cap situation would work out.

We live and die by this roster.

We don't need to live and die by this roster, but it's gonna be really, really tough to get that sniper during a season. The "Sutton" style guy can be had, not easily, but relatively easy, the sniper's the tough part because who's gonna let go a 40 goal man unless he's a UFA - and Washington isn't letting Semin go until they trade his rights I would guess. Brad Boyes was always a guy that we thought might be the kind of natural sniper we need - who's stock had dropped because of one horrendous season and one average season, but now St.Louis is killing it, so I doubt they want to let him go.

I was fooled as well, we all were I think, we thought we could score by committee this year - and most of us saw a breakout for Regin, Foligno and even Michalek - and while it's far from too late, the clock is ticking on a guy who can 'break a game open'. Some would say that Alfredsson is one of those game-breakers, but I wouldn't go that far. I'd say he's one of the best two-way players in the league and a dangerous player, but not a game-breaker. As you said it's basically Spezza or bust at forward in terms of a guy who can command a game with purely his skill - and IMO, that needs to change before the Sens can challenge night in and night out.

Hoffman needs to season in the AHl for at least this season, while Butler will probably be in Ottawa by January latest (although, he's not really scoring in the AHL after a nice start).

We need a sniper - and it's gonna take some fancy footwork by Murray to pry one away - if he even can.

spader wrote:I hope you're right. Out of that group (Regin, Foligno, Hoffman, Butler) I think Regin's got the best shot at becoming a 25-30 goal scorer. Not so sure about 40, those guys are few and far between. Here's hoping though.

Hoffman needs this year and next in the AHL to build up his strength and confidence, but he's the 40 goal guy IMO. Speedy, quick release, soft hands, he could do it if all things line up for him. Butler looks really nice as well, we have to hope and pray that these two guys along with Regin mature quick.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Hoags wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:
EDIT: ....mind you, I think very highly of Regin and think he could soon be the guy who makes things happen.

When the team is playing badly we need someone who can single handedly affect the outcome. Alfie can only do this for so long. Spezza is maybe the only other player who can do this right now. Others like Fisher, Regin, Kovalev and Foligno are just too inconsistent right now.

Right now the entire team needs to play near-perfect hockey in order to win, other teams have top-end talent that can win games for them when the rest of the team decides to take a night off.

Regin, Foligno, Shannon ..... one of these forwards is going to have to step up and prove they're a top-6 NHL forward.

Karlsson needs to get back to where he was last year.

I don't really think a roster change can fix this, nor are we in a position to make a trade. Calling up Butler would be a possibility but I don't know how he's playing in Bingo and how the cap situation would work out.

We live and die by this roster.

We don't need to live and die by this roster, but it's gonna be really, really tough to get that sniper during a season. The "Sutton" style guy can be had, not easily, but relatively easy, the sniper's the tough part because who's gonna let go a 40 goal man unless he's a UFA - and Washington isn't letting Semin go until they trade his rights I would guess. Brad Boyes was always a guy that we thought might be the kind of natural sniper we need - who's stock had dropped because of one horrendous season and one average season, but now St.Louis is killing it, so I doubt they want to let him go.

I was fooled as well, we all were I think, we thought we could score by committee this year - and most of us saw a breakout for Regin, Foligno and even Michalek - and while it's far from too late, the clock is ticking on a guy who can 'break a game open'. Some would say that Alfredsson is one of those game-breakers, but I wouldn't go that far. I'd say he's one of the best two-way players in the league and a dangerous player, but not a game-breaker. As you said it's basically Spezza or bust at forward in terms of a guy who can command a game with purely his skill - and IMO, that needs to change before the Sens can challenge night in and night out.

Hoffman needs to season in the AHl for at least this season, while Butler will probably be in Ottawa by January latest (although, he's not really scoring in the AHL after a nice start).

We need a sniper - and it's gonna take some fancy footwork by Murray to pry one away - if he even can.

Again, this is not a one-player problem or solution. It's a team-wide thing. Stop looking for quick, one-off fixes. What this team needs is to get its D in order -- that is, its Dmen / pairings, its transition from the backend, and its D-zone coverage. It has to start with that. Add Kovalchuk to the mess we have now, and it won't do anything. You have to sort the basic team aspects out first.

Just took a look at the B-Sens stats page. Neither Wick not Hoffman recorded a point in 7 games.

On the flipside, Butler and Locke are both producing at a good rate, 5 and 7 points respectively.

Benoit, Keller, Condra and big, bad, Jimmy O are all producing as well.

rooneypoo wrote:
Again, this is not a one-player problem or solution. It's a team-wide thing. Stop looking for quick, one-off fixes. What this team needs is to get its D in order -- that is, its Dmen / pairings, its transition from the backend, and its D-zone coverage. It has to start with that. Add Kovalchuk to the mess we have now, and it won't do anything. You have to sort the basic team aspects out first.

I've said it as well - the system hasn't clicked yet - why it hasn't no one can possibly know considering we have the same roster and coach as last year.

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the fact that we don't have a player capable of hitting 40 goals (I'll reserve judgment on Spezza until he does it as he's been close, but hasn't actually hit that number) - and it's starting to cause problems. For the most part, a 40 goal man is consistent in that he's a threat at all times and he's usually making something happen.

Foligno and Fisher took turns smacking the puck from the point to behind the net, then back to the point, then behind the net versus Montreal. They didn't seem to want to drive the net and make opportunities for themselves - and frankly that's been going on WAY too long with Fisher especially. We need someone who takes the puck and tells everyone to get the Cuss out of the way while he takes it to the net with speed and skill and scores a damn goal. It sounds really simple, but I repeat: it'll take some fancy footwork for Murray to find that guy- and we need that guy SOON.

SpezDispenser wrote:

rooneypoo wrote:
Again, this is not a one-player problem or solution. It's a team-wide thing. Stop looking for quick, one-off fixes. What this team needs is to get its D in order -- that is, its Dmen / pairings, its transition from the backend, and its D-zone coverage. It has to start with that. Add Kovalchuk to the mess we have now, and it won't do anything. You have to sort the basic team aspects out first.

I've said it as well - the system hasn't clicked yet - why it hasn't no one can possibly know considering we have the same roster and coach as last year.

I'm not talking about that, I'm talking about the fact that we don't have a player capable of hitting 40 goals (I'll reserve judgment on Spezza until he does it as he's been close, but hasn't actually hit that number) - and it's starting to cause problems. For the most part, a 40 goal man is consistent in that he's a threat at all times and he's usually making something happen.

Foligno and Fisher took turns smacking the puck from the point to behind the net, then back to the point, then behind the net versus Montreal. They didn't seem to want to drive the net and make opportunities for themselves - and frankly that's been going on WAY too long with Fisher especially. We need someone who takes the puck and tells everyone to get the Cuss out of the way while he takes it to the net with speed and skill and scores a damn goal. It sounds really simple, but I repeat: it'll take some fancy footwork for Murray to find that guy- and we need that guy SOON.

Reminds me of a similar issue. Has anyone else noticed that Regin seems to look for the pass first? I've seen it happen quite a few times where he enters the zone with the puck and doesn't even look to the net. Instead, he's looking beside and behind him for the pass.

I think he has a ton of skill, but until he learns to look for the shot first, he's sure not gonna solve our lack of a 40-goal scorer problem.

spader wrote:
Reminds me of a similar issue. Has anyone else noticed that Regin seems to look for the pass first? I've seen it happen quite a few times where he enters the zone with the puck and doesn't even look to the net. Instead, he's looking beside and behind him for the pass.

I think he has a ton of skill, but until he learns to look for the shot first, he's sure not gonna solve our lack of a 40-goal scorer problem.

I definitely have noticed that, yes. Regin needs to take a shoot first mentality ASAP.

SpezDispenser wrote:

spader wrote:
Reminds me of a similar issue. Has anyone else noticed that Regin seems to look for the pass first? I've seen it happen quite a few times where he enters the zone with the puck and doesn't even look to the net. Instead, he's looking beside and behind him for the pass.

I think he has a ton of skill, but until he learns to look for the shot first, he's sure not gonna solve our lack of a 40-goal scorer problem.

I definitely have noticed that, yes. Regin needs to take a shoot first mentality ASAP.

I think, if he does, he's got a shot at living up to your tagline SD.

Trevor Daley is a UFA. Maybe a trade with Dallas can be made if they do not think they can re-sign him?