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Mike Fisher was always a big part of the Senators. As the years went on and we reached this nightmare place we’re in now, he became an even bigger part of the Senators - and not in a positive way. Fisher would go through major stretches of the year ice cold. Very few goals, very few points, oft injured, couldn’t initiate contact - basically useless out there. So, why keep him? That’s the question that has to be asked to people who have an emotional connection with him - or maybe it’s the question to ask anybody unhappy with this move.
Fisher averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time a night, he would get power-play time, penalty killing time, even strength time and yet the best he could do was 14 goals and 25 assists for 4.2 million is cap space and 4 million in actual salary (Fisher’s salary decreases to 3 million in his final year, making him much more attractive to a budget team like Nashville). Is anyone suggesting that Chris Kelly couldn’t do more with that amount of ice time/PP time etc.? And then if Kelly moves up, couldn’t Jesse Winchester take his place? Then couldn’t Zach Smith take his place on line 4? The answer is yes, yes and yes.
So the question remains: is this a rebuild move, or is this just a smart hockey decision? Get back an asset that you can use going forward, the Nashville 1st round pick. Use it to draft a big, scoring forward, or use it to get the player you want in the top 5, or use it to try to acquire some young, strong talent up front. Any way you slice it, it opens up money, a roster spot and a sense of ‘it’s not good enough’. And it’s not good enough - and that goes for Chris Phillips as well. As the former core of this team, we needed those guys to step up more than they ever have in their careers, instead, we hear of a bunch of guys who dislike another coach. Another coach? When does it cease to be coaches’ fault and start to be players’ fault? Right now.
Rebuild my foot, the Sens now have an admirable chunk of money to use when they see fit. Does that mean go out and spend it all in one swoop? No, of course not. It means you wait until the opportunity presents itself and you take cap dumps - much like Atlanta did to Chicago. You get good players and you simply take on cap dollars. It works and it happens a lot. There will be several teams, including the Flyers, the Devils and the Flames who just won’t have any room to maneuver unless they shed salary. Does this mean the Sens should help them? No, but they should listen to what those teams are willing to dump. Who knows, it could be someone like Daniel Briere, a highly skilled player than would slide right into an Ottawa ‘rebuild’.
What Bryan Murray did yesterday is very admirable, he moved one of the most beloved figures attributed to the Senators - but Mike Fisher’s worth to the club on ice was much, much less than the memories that linger in fans heads. He moved a guy with a lot of miles on his body, who frankly was useless for long, long stretches and replaced him with the wonderful option of cap space and a 1st round pick- which can be used for a bevy of things. The cap space opened up can provide the Sens an opportunity to overspend on a real number one goalie - a Bryzgalov that we pay 6.5 X 4 (don’t worry, Lehner needs 2 more years in the AHL, then I want him to back up the new number one for two years), or Vokoun, or they investigate the market for goalies via trade. But one thing’s for certain, this is where Fisher’s money needs to go. Why? Because with the new crop of youngsters coming into the Sens lineup - and really, now’s the time, there will be astonishing mistakes. Rundblad and Cowen will likely be given big minutes to chew up, which will mean some excitement, but will also mean some big mistakes. If you hand Brian Elliott another chance, he’ll be eaten alive. If you promote Lehner too quickly, he’ll be eaten alive, so you go out and you do what you’ve only done once: bring in an elite level goalie who can cover up some of these mistakes as the team grows.
People call it a rebuild, the newspapers scream it, the callers into the Team 1200 are in 6s and 7s. I call it a wonderful opportunity to change some of the stagnant pieces of this team - and it all started with Mike Fisher.
Fisher averaged just under 20 minutes of ice time a night, he would get power-play time, penalty killing time, even strength time and yet the best he could do was 14 goals and 25 assists for 4.2 million is cap space and 4 million in actual salary (Fisher’s salary decreases to 3 million in his final year, making him much more attractive to a budget team like Nashville). Is anyone suggesting that Chris Kelly couldn’t do more with that amount of ice time/PP time etc.? And then if Kelly moves up, couldn’t Jesse Winchester take his place? Then couldn’t Zach Smith take his place on line 4? The answer is yes, yes and yes.
So the question remains: is this a rebuild move, or is this just a smart hockey decision? Get back an asset that you can use going forward, the Nashville 1st round pick. Use it to draft a big, scoring forward, or use it to get the player you want in the top 5, or use it to try to acquire some young, strong talent up front. Any way you slice it, it opens up money, a roster spot and a sense of ‘it’s not good enough’. And it’s not good enough - and that goes for Chris Phillips as well. As the former core of this team, we needed those guys to step up more than they ever have in their careers, instead, we hear of a bunch of guys who dislike another coach. Another coach? When does it cease to be coaches’ fault and start to be players’ fault? Right now.
Rebuild my foot, the Sens now have an admirable chunk of money to use when they see fit. Does that mean go out and spend it all in one swoop? No, of course not. It means you wait until the opportunity presents itself and you take cap dumps - much like Atlanta did to Chicago. You get good players and you simply take on cap dollars. It works and it happens a lot. There will be several teams, including the Flyers, the Devils and the Flames who just won’t have any room to maneuver unless they shed salary. Does this mean the Sens should help them? No, but they should listen to what those teams are willing to dump. Who knows, it could be someone like Daniel Briere, a highly skilled player than would slide right into an Ottawa ‘rebuild’.
What Bryan Murray did yesterday is very admirable, he moved one of the most beloved figures attributed to the Senators - but Mike Fisher’s worth to the club on ice was much, much less than the memories that linger in fans heads. He moved a guy with a lot of miles on his body, who frankly was useless for long, long stretches and replaced him with the wonderful option of cap space and a 1st round pick- which can be used for a bevy of things. The cap space opened up can provide the Sens an opportunity to overspend on a real number one goalie - a Bryzgalov that we pay 6.5 X 4 (don’t worry, Lehner needs 2 more years in the AHL, then I want him to back up the new number one for two years), or Vokoun, or they investigate the market for goalies via trade. But one thing’s for certain, this is where Fisher’s money needs to go. Why? Because with the new crop of youngsters coming into the Sens lineup - and really, now’s the time, there will be astonishing mistakes. Rundblad and Cowen will likely be given big minutes to chew up, which will mean some excitement, but will also mean some big mistakes. If you hand Brian Elliott another chance, he’ll be eaten alive. If you promote Lehner too quickly, he’ll be eaten alive, so you go out and you do what you’ve only done once: bring in an elite level goalie who can cover up some of these mistakes as the team grows.
People call it a rebuild, the newspapers scream it, the callers into the Team 1200 are in 6s and 7s. I call it a wonderful opportunity to change some of the stagnant pieces of this team - and it all started with Mike Fisher.
Last edited by SpezDispenser on Fri Feb 11, 2011 2:25 pm; edited 1 time in total
