GAME DAY: Montreal Canadiens vs. Ottawa Senators -- Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 -- 7pm ET (CBC)

111519 wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:

marakh wrote:

111519 wrote:The major problem as I see it is, we have no blue chip prospect forwards and next year's draft and UFA's are going to be weak even though we have money to spend. Most teams don't let their top end scoring talent walk so the only way to get some top 6 players is through drafting.
We are set on defense over the next 3 years and Elliott/Lehrner seem solid but our forward ranks are very thin. Add to this Alfie is probably gone within the next couple years, and you have a team with major scoring issues.
If we do have to rely on the draft for scoring if we are a mid level team we will get mid level picks-and those hardly develop into elite players. I think the last time we got that lucky was when we picked up Alfredsson.
The more I think about it, the more I believe we should be prepared to give up one of our young d-prospects (cowen, wiercoch, rundblad) to get a young elite forward-i just cant see any other way to move this team forward within the next 2-3 years.

Also I love the fact that Phaneuf is a -5 to lead all Leafs. Great pick for captain.

I think with KArlsson, Cowen, and Probably Rundblad as well as Lehner making very little for the next 5 years, we can afford to pay 7+ MIllion to Brad Richards for 5 years.
Whether he wants to come or not, we should do anything possible to acquire him.

i was reading that an offersheet to parise for 7 mill would cost us 2 1st rounder a 2nd and a 3rd.... something to think about?

If we have to give up 2 ist rounders who will likely be mid range picks, for Parise to pair with Spezza and make a true top line again, I am all for it. We HAVE to do something drastic to boost the forward lines

Hows this look for 2011:

Michalek Spezza Parise
Alfie Fisher Cole
Rutuu Kelly Neil
Smith Winchester Butler

Gonchar Karlsson
Phillips Wiercoch
Kuba Cowen
Elliott
Lehrner

rooneypoo wrote:

Big Ev wrote:44 wins out of 82 = .536

You count OT losses as losses.

Maybe you do, but the NHL doesn't. An OT/shootout lose = 1 point. 94 points earned / 164 possible points = .580.

Sorry for being 2 hundredths of a decimal point off in my projections.

111519 wrote:ufa next summer

111519 wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:

marakh wrote:

111519 wrote:The major problem as I see it is, we have no blue chip prospect forwards and next year's draft and UFA's are going to be weak even though we have money to spend. Most teams don't let their top end scoring talent walk so the only way to get some top 6 players is through drafting.
We are set on defense over the next 3 years and Elliott/Lehrner seem solid but our forward ranks are very thin. Add to this Alfie is probably gone within the next couple years, and you have a team with major scoring issues.
If we do have to rely on the draft for scoring if we are a mid level team we will get mid level picks-and those hardly develop into elite players. I think the last time we got that lucky was when we picked up Alfredsson.
The more I think about it, the more I believe we should be prepared to give up one of our young d-prospects (cowen, wiercoch, rundblad) to get a young elite forward-i just cant see any other way to move this team forward within the next 2-3 years.

Also I love the fact that Phaneuf is a -5 to lead all Leafs. Great pick for captain.

I think with KArlsson, Cowen, and Probably Rundblad as well as Lehner making very little for the next 5 years, we can afford to pay 7+ MIllion to Brad Richards for 5 years.
Whether he wants to come or not, we should do anything possible to acquire him.

i was reading that an offersheet to parise for 7 mill would cost us 2 1st rounder a 2nd and a 3rd.... something to think about?

If we have to give up 2 ist rounders who will likely be mid range picks, for Parise to pair with Spezza and make a true top line again, I am all for it. We HAVE to do something drastic to boost the forward lines

Hows this look for 2011:

Michalek Spezza Parise
Alfie Fisher Cole
Rutuu Kelly Neil
Smith Winchester Butler

Gonchar Karlsson
Phillips Wiercoch
Kuba Cowen
Elliott
Lehrner

Michallica wrote:

wprager wrote:Did *everyone* completely miss my first post of the morning? Your Captain scores a hat-trick to get to 1,000 points -- there *was* celebrating, ont top of a bus ride back to town -- a very, very late night. If the Sens' transportation manager had any common sense they would have kept them in Buffalo overnight and traveled the next day; you don't need a morning skate when you play back-to-back.

Anyhow, they might have another celebration after the next game (Gonchar's 1,000th) but it's not going to be anything like Friday night. I'm OK with them celebrating their Captain's accomplishment even if it means losing the next night. But they have to do better next game.

Oh, and let's not forget we were missing our top-line center, to boot.

no way. That can't be tolerated at all. If we're talking near the end of the season with a playoff berth secured, its still a fine line. And are you sure they took a bus? Buffalo and Ottawa aren't that close...

I think the whole argument of playing the night before in buffalo and traveling back home isn't a good excuse. Montreal had to go through the exact same scenario last Saturday night yet they still found a way to beat a 'rested' ottawa squad in their own barn. When it's proven that it can be done by other teams, the senators really have no excuse.

Urkie wrote:

wprager wrote:Not out hit last night. Not out shot-blocked, either. They're still doing it in face offs.

Well then the clear answer is that we just don't have the talent anymore.

Years of bad drafting is finally starting to really show and once more holes open up, which they soon will, then we won't have anybody to replace them.

A rebuild is coming whether anyone wants to admit it or not. The fact is that our forward prospect depth is probably the worst in the league.

wprager wrote:I was thinking along similar lines, last night -- we are the Bad News Bears, on some nights. So are half the teams in the league, though. There's not enough elite talent to go around and fill 30 rinks. So I disagree that the only way to build a winning team is to have a Crosby or Ovechkin up-front.

Call me an optimist, but I think we'll be fine in 2-3 years, even without a top-three pick.

wprager wrote:One assist in 8 games -- I think *I* could replace Kovalev.

Big Ev wrote:

111519 wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:

marakh wrote:

111519 wrote:The major problem as I see it is, we have no blue chip prospect forwards and next year's draft and UFA's are going to be weak even though we have money to spend. Most teams don't let their top end scoring talent walk so the only way to get some top 6 players is through drafting.
We are set on defense over the next 3 years and Elliott/Lehrner seem solid but our forward ranks are very thin. Add to this Alfie is probably gone within the next couple years, and you have a team with major scoring issues.
If we do have to rely on the draft for scoring if we are a mid level team we will get mid level picks-and those hardly develop into elite players. I think the last time we got that lucky was when we picked up Alfredsson.
The more I think about it, the more I believe we should be prepared to give up one of our young d-prospects (cowen, wiercoch, rundblad) to get a young elite forward-i just cant see any other way to move this team forward within the next 2-3 years.

Also I love the fact that Phaneuf is a -5 to lead all Leafs. Great pick for captain.

I think with KArlsson, Cowen, and Probably Rundblad as well as Lehner making very little for the next 5 years, we can afford to pay 7+ MIllion to Brad Richards for 5 years.
Whether he wants to come or not, we should do anything possible to acquire him.

i was reading that an offersheet to parise for 7 mill would cost us 2 1st rounder a 2nd and a 3rd.... something to think about?

If we have to give up 2 ist rounders who will likely be mid range picks, for Parise to pair with Spezza and make a true top line again, I am all for it. We HAVE to do something drastic to boost the forward lines

Hows this look for 2011:

Michalek Spezza Parise
Alfie Fisher Cole
Rutuu Kelly Neil
Smith Winchester Butler

Gonchar Karlsson
Phillips Wiercoch
Kuba Cowen
Elliott
Lehrner

Parise will be a Devil for life.

Dash wrote:I would NOT pay Brad Richards $7M or more. That's crazy. I know Ottawa HAS to overpay people to play, but that's insane.

Thornton just re-signed for $7M. Marleau for $6.9M. At most Richards will get $7M exactly.

marakh wrote:

Dash wrote:I would NOT pay Brad Richards $7M or more. That's crazy. I know Ottawa HAS to overpay people to play, but that's insane.

Thornton just re-signed for $7M. Marleau for $6.9M. At most Richards will get $7M exactly.

You have to realize you're gonna need to overpay for a UFA.
We just paid Kovalev and Leclaire for 8.8M, I certainly wouldn't mind giving 7.2 or something like that for a N1 center...

Flo The Action wrote:

marakh wrote:

Dash wrote:I would NOT pay Brad Richards $7M or more. That's crazy. I know Ottawa HAS to overpay people to play, but that's insane.

Thornton just re-signed for $7M. Marleau for $6.9M. At most Richards will get $7M exactly.

You have to realize you're gonna need to overpay for a UFA.
We just paid Kovalev and Leclaire for 8.8M, I certainly wouldn't mind giving 7.2 or something like that for a N1 center...

you don't think a 6 or 7 year contract at 6.5 would do it? he's made so muchmoney as it is, maybe he'd like to play for a canadian team. toronto will probably try hard to land him but who knows? lots of people hate the leafs

shabbs wrote:Rooney with the GDT! Sweet. Let's hope the Sens can continue their improvement and build on the Buffalo game. Spezza a game-time decision, but I doubt we'll see him play. Habs are coming off being shut out by the Devils... let's kick 'em while they're down.