GAME DAY:Boston Bruins @ Ottawa Senators - 7:30pm ET - Tues. Mar. 1, 2011

Michallica wrote:I'm loving the play of our prospects like Greening and Condra. Interesting that both these guys are Muckler picks...

Perhaps Muckler's era isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be? Wasn't O'Brien and Foligno also Muckler's doing?

Who ever his college scouts were, were not all that bad. Elliott, Greening, Condra, and Grybe, all guys who have a legit shot. Credit where credit is due.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Forgot about Greening. He's been impressive as well. I'm excited to see how Rundblad and Cowen do in front of a solid goalie, assuming they can re-sign Anderson and he continues to at least play like a number one goalie.

Anderson is going to have to be REALLY solid with Karlsson, Rundblad, and a rookie in Cowen there next year. The improved play of Lee is a huge blessing playing along side Phillips... I think having Kuba there may be a decent option going forward as well despite his struggles. There will be ups and down, both figurativly and literally (going to Bingo) for both Rundblad and Cowen, like there is with any young D man.

Next year will be exciting if nothing else.

I agree about Anderson. He's going to have to be Really solid to great at times to give the young D a chance to develop and gain confidence for sure. I'm actually very happy for Lee and hope, for his sake, he can finally stick with the team because he's been pretty good about his being scratched most of the season quietly going about his business.

He's shown character a lot of people, including myself, never thought he had. He's turned himself into a shutdown D man in the making with the help of Richardson and Clouston, and he has found chemistry with Phillips.

I think a lot of credit has to be given to Clouston and his staff for the way they have brought along Karlsson and Lee.

NEELY wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Forgot about Greening. He's been impressive as well. I'm excited to see how Rundblad and Cowen do in front of a solid goalie, assuming they can re-sign Anderson and he continues to at least play like a number one goalie.

Anderson is going to have to be REALLY solid with Karlsson, Rundblad, and a rookie in Cowen there next year. The improved play of Lee is a huge blessing playing along side Phillips... I think having Kuba there may be a decent option going forward as well despite his struggles. There will be ups and down, both figurativly and literally (going to Bingo) for both Rundblad and Cowen, like there is with any young D man.

Next year will be exciting if nothing else.

I agree about Anderson. He's going to have to be Really solid to great at times to give the young D a chance to develop and gain confidence for sure. I'm actually very happy for Lee and hope, for his sake, he can finally stick with the team because he's been pretty good about his being scratched most of the season quietly going about his business.

He's shown character a lot of people, including myself, never thought he had. He's turned himself into a shutdown D man in the making with the help of Richardson and Clouston, and he has found chemistry with Phillips.

I think a lot of credit has to be given to Clouston and his staff for the way they have brought along Karlsson and Lee.

I'm glad Lee's finally getting some love. His improvement has been pretty impressive this season, particularly the last third or so. He'll be a solid D-man.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

Michallica wrote:I'm loving the play of our prospects like Greening and Condra. Interesting that both these guys are Muckler picks...

Perhaps Muckler's era isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be? Wasn't O'Brien and Foligno also Muckler's doing?

Foligno and Regin were. O'Brien was Murray's first draft pick. But the point remains, he did have some decent picks, but nothing that will blow ppl out of the water though (like Murray's picks: karlsson, Rundblad, Cowen, silfverberg, lehner, etc)

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
Perhaps Muckler's era isn't nearly as bad as it's made out to be? Wasn't O'Brien and Foligno also Muckler's doing?

O'Brien was Murray's first pick - although he's gone on record as saying he wasn't prepared with his own team.

Muckler deserves some credit for sure, but then you look at the guys we drafted in these three drafts and you realize that the credit is all but used up:

2002:
Atyushov
Vavra
Hooton
Bjork
Dobben
Luttinen
Kaigorodov
Klepis

2003:
Louhivaara
Elliott
Gimayev
Colbert
Cook
M.Karlsson
Mirnov
Seydoux
Eaves

2005:
Megalinsky
Greening
Kudelka
Zubov
Kolehmainen
Bass
Anikeyenko
Lee

And you file Greening and Elliott under the "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while".

NEELY wrote:
Anderson is going to have to be REALLY solid with Karlsson, Rundblad, and a rookie in Cowen there next year. The improved play of Lee is a huge blessing playing along side Phillips... I think having Kuba there may be a decent option going forward as well despite his struggles. There will be ups and down, both figurativly and literally (going to Bingo) for both Rundblad and Cowen, like there is with any young D man.

Next year will be exciting if nothing else.

Yeah, the excitement level should be way up, the speed of our players should also be way up, the energy, the desire. This is now a baby young team - and I love it, but that comment about Anderson (or whoever it ends up being) has been something a lot of us have been warning about for a while. First off, this organization must be sick of average goaltending, I am for one, so hopefully Melnyk and management vow NEVER to let goaltending be the Achilles heal of this club again.

Secondly, oh boy, will there ever be a lot of rookie mistakes that Anderson will have to try to cover up. And Anderson's mental game will have to be amazing as well, he'll get lit up some nights because of mistakes + the general youth and inexperience, so he'll have to be ready for that and not get too upset when it happens. Can you imagine a lineup with Rundblad (as a rookie no less!) + Cowen (as a rookie no less!) + Karlsson? Yikes, mistakes WILL happen.

Cool, apparently Greening's on a line with Spezza and Butler, me likey!

The thing that has surprised me the most with Anderson is how well he moves and handles the puck. That is one thing Ottawa has never had in a goaltender and it makes life a lot easier on the defence. Just another reason to get him locked up long term.

NEELY wrote:The thing that has surprised me the most with Anderson is how well he moves and handles the puck. That is one thing Ottawa has never had in a goaltender and it makes life a lot easier on the defence. Just another reason to get him locked up long term.

Yeah, I've noticed that as well, really good with the puck.

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:The thing that has surprised me the most with Anderson is how well he moves and handles the puck. That is one thing Ottawa has never had in a goaltender and it makes life a lot easier on the defence. Just another reason to get him locked up long term.

Yeah, I've noticed that as well, really good with the puck.

The guy is on a ridiculous roll right now and it's an extremely small sample size. I'll begin to get a bit more excited if he can at least sustain capable number one netminding or better the rest of the way and into next season.

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
The guy is on a ridiculous roll right now and it's an extremely small sample size. I'll begin to get a bit more excited if he can at least sustain capable number one netminding or better the rest of the way and into next season.

He did it in Colorado so he is certainly capable.

Questions on Anderson:

1) How does he handle a long slump/losing streak and the boo birds sitting by the glass who won't someone else to boo not named Spezza
2) How will he react when the fine gentlemen of impeccable journalistic integrity at Sun Media start writing articles about him during said slump
3) What sort of contract/salary demands does he have in mind ?

Cap'n Clutch wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:The thing that has surprised me the most with Anderson is how well he moves and handles the puck. That is one thing Ottawa has never had in a goaltender and it makes life a lot easier on the defence. Just another reason to get him locked up long term.

Yeah, I've noticed that as well, really good with the puck.

The guy is on a ridiculous roll right now and it's an extremely small sample size. I'll begin to get a bit more excited if he can at least sustain capable number one netminding or better the rest of the way and into next season.

That small sample is bordering on 4 years now.

Hoags wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
The guy is on a ridiculous roll right now and it's an extremely small sample size. I'll begin to get a bit more excited if he can at least sustain capable number one netminding or better the rest of the way and into next season.

He did it in Colorado and Florida so he is certainly capable.

Questions on Anderson:

1) How does he handle a long slump/losing streak and the boo birds sitting by the glass who won't someone else to boo not named Spezza
2) How will he react when the fine gentlemen of impeccable journalistic integrity at Sun Media start writing articles about him during said slump
3) What sort of contract/salary demands does he have in mind ?

Fixed

Hoags wrote:
3) What sort of contract/salary demands does he have in mind ?

The 2-year, $4.5M contract Howard signed yesterday will be a decent comparable if Anderson is to sign before the end of the season. I would think we would all agree that this would be a good figure to get Anderson signed to, although he might come in a little higher. My bet is on something like $5-5.5M for two years.

NEELY wrote:

Hoags wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:
The guy is on a ridiculous roll right now and it's an extremely small sample size. I'll begin to get a bit more excited if he can at least sustain capable number one netminding or better the rest of the way and into next season.

He did it in Colorado and Florida so he is certainly capable.

Questions on Anderson:

1) How does he handle a long slump/losing streak and the boo birds sitting by the glass who won't someone else to boo not named Spezza
2) How will he react when the fine gentlemen of impeccable journalistic integrity at Sun Media start writing articles about him during said slump
3) What sort of contract/salary demands does he have in mind ?

Fixed

He did it for one full season in Colorado as a starter. Did he do it as a starter in Florida?

He stole that starter spot from Vokoun one year, yes. He was playing better hockey in Florida then he was in Colorado has hard as that is to believe.

If you go back into some of the archieves here, I bring him up as a goalie Ottawa should target while he was down in Florida.

This isn't a fluke what Anderson is doing, he is really this good.

On the topic of Anderson, there is an article in the Sun today which makes it seem like he wants to be in Ottawa for a while and if The Sens want him, there is a match made in heaven. I think The Sens have their elite goaltender that can turn a bad team into a playoff team.

tim1_2 wrote:

Hoags wrote:
3) What sort of contract/salary demands does he have in mind ?

The 2-year, $4.5M contract Howard signed yesterday will be a decent comparable if Anderson is to sign before the end of the season. I would think we would all agree that this would be a good figure to get Anderson signed to, although he might come in a little higher. My bet is on something like $5-5.5M for two years.

I think a guy like Anderson will take a little less for a little more term. Personally, I don't see Ottawa signing him for anything less than a 3 year deal coming in around 7.5-9 mil. Guessing 8.5 total.