GDT: Penguins @ Senators, Dec. 26, 7:30 pm, SNET

asq2 wrote:Well, apart from the Devils we can also look at the 2008-2009 Senators, replete with Spezza, Heatley, Alfie, Vermette, Fisher, 17-goal Foligno, etc. We had decent forwards (we were like second/first in the league in offence the year prior), but remember how awful it was with Brendan Bell and Ryan Shannon running our powerplays? A blue-line with Phillips, Volchenkov, Kuba, Smith, Picard, Bell, Schubert, Campoli (for a few games) and Richardson/Carkner (for a couple games) meant missing the playoffs for the first time in however many seasons.

I think the point to take home is that Cup-winners/Cup contenders are hard to build and generally they're terrific at all positions. If hypothetically you subtracted Cowen or Rundblad and added a Paajarvi or Tarasenko, we'd be talking about how we were OK in all areas but not really awe-inspiring in any of them.

In Rundblad's case, they saw him as an opportunity to really strengthen the potential for this team's future blue-line down as one of the best in the league, and also saw him as a potentially elite asset that was also a safer acquisition. Maybe this team + Tarasenko > this team + Rundblad, but this team + Rundblad >>> this team without either, and they must have felt that the risk was too significant. So, apparently, did a number of other teams. My position hasn't wavered from my one on draft day: I really hoped they'd take Tarasenko but I'd definitely understand if they didn't.

I know there's a certain amount of frustration at the moment because Spezza's down and there's no one who can really step in to replace him. Part of that stems from Regin and Foligno not taking steps forward offensively this season. But even if we had Paajarvi or Tarasenko, neither of them would be filling the void left by Spezza right now anyway (MP has 14 points; VT isn't in the NHL).

So cheer up; there are plenty of bigger problems in the Sens' organization than Rundblad.

Had the pleasure of watching Silfverberg tonight, that kid has progressed so much since I first saw him play in U18 hockey. Regarding his potential I called him a poor mans Alfredsson earlier this year, I think I have to withdraw that statement because there's nothing 'poor' about him at all.

SeawaySensFan wrote:Justice?

asq2 wrote: OK, well after I said Silfverberg to Alfie isn't the greatest comparison, here's what KRM had to say on HF:

Had the pleasure of watching Silfverberg tonight, that kid has progressed so much since I first saw him play in U18 hockey. Regarding his potential I called him a poor mans Alfredsson earlier this year, I think I have to withdraw that statement because there's nothing 'poor' about him at all.

http://hfboards.com/showpost.php?p=29819742&postcount=879

KRM is the poster who did yeoman's work keeping us up to date on EK's progression during the 2008-2009 season. He's also not really a huge prospects homer guy because he can be pretty hard on Rundblad, so that's high praise for Silver Mountain.