GAME DAY:Ottawa Senators @ Atlanta Thrashers - 7:00pm ET - Thur. Mar. 3, 2011

I'm always the voice of reason. I call a spade a spade.

NEELY wrote:I'm always the voice of reason. I call a spade a spade.

How about mild mannered?

Yup, I'm always watching my manners!

NEELY wrote:Yup, I'm always watching my manners!

NEELY wrote:So seriously, can they just sign Anderson tonight? The guy is 100% the real deal. Greening with a fantastic game, unreal. Spezza with a great game too.

EDIT: Guess the guys on TV agree with me, Would have had Greening 2nd and Spezza 3rd but w/e, both were great. Spezza is impressing the hell out of me and notice, he had no points tonight.

Certainly a good bounce-back game after Tuesday's, which was one of his worst in a long while, that's for sure. He will have no critics if he just keeps playing like that.

Didn't someone mention that Anderson wants to play a few more games before he is willing to talk contract? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Didn't someone mention that Anderson wants to play a few more games before he is willing to talk contract? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Umm, don't you mean "Is it good for us or bad for us?"

wprager wrote:

Cap'n Clutch wrote:Didn't someone mention that Anderson wants to play a few more games before he is willing to talk contract? Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Umm, don't you mean "Is it good for us or bad for us?"

Ask these guys.

Versage speculating that Anderson will start tonight for whatever that's worth.

Anderson playing as many games as both he and the coaches are fine with makes the most sense. He is the one being auditioned. He needs to figure out if this is the place for him, and so do the Sens.

McElhinney was simply a guy they could bring in so they could send Lehner down.

Anderson is the most likely guy available come July 1 for the Sens and many other teams. Vokoun will be the top FA goalie, but it will come down to team availability and price. Nabokov is the same story - there was just not enough interest and the price was too high. Now look where he is.

If you also look at Ottawa's history, there is a very obvious need and demand to fill the goalie position with a guy that is and can be a real #1. Time and time again Ottawa's tried to fill the void and everytime they think they have their guy, they are heavily disappointed.

Gerber got $3.7M, Leclaire was making an annual cap hit of $3.8M. So logically, Anderson who has been better than both of them in way fewer games is surely to be asking for more, right?

Ottawa has the money and the position to fill. Not doing it over money would be tragic for the team and fans. To not only find a guy who wants to play on a team that is going to be struggling in all likelihood is not easy.

Would anyone seriously object to $4Mx3 years?

Dash wrote:Anderson playing as many games as both he and the coaches are fine with makes the most sense. He is the one being auditioned. He needs to figure out if this is the place for him, and so do the Sens.

McElhinney was simply a guy they could bring in so they could send Lehner down.

Anderson is the most likely guy available come July 1 for the Sens and many other teams. Vokoun will be the top FA goalie, but it will come down to team availability and price. Nabokov is the same story - there was just not enough interest and the price was too high. Now look where he is.

If you also look at Ottawa's history, there is a very obvious need and demand to fill the goalie position with a guy that is and can be a real #1. Time and time again Ottawa's tried to fill the void and everytime they think they have their guy, they are heavily disappointed.

Gerber got $3.7M, Leclaire was making an annual cap hit of $3.8M. So logically, Anderson who has been better than both of them in way fewer games is surely to be asking for more, right?

Ottawa has the money and the position to fill. Not doing it over money would be tragic for the team and fans. To not only find a guy who wants to play on a team that is going to be struggling in all likelihood is not easy.

Would anyone seriously object to $4Mx3 years?

You can't use past Senator contracts as the basis of Anderson's new contract. Different times, different situatons.

I think $4 is too much but if that's what he demands then do it .

But you can use them. And most certainly he will use them. Why wouldn't he? The most he has ever made as an NHL goalie is (have to go by NHLnumbers b/c CapGeek is nonoperational) $2.125M. He is surely due for a pay raise, and as I said, given Ottawa's need and available cap space, they are the team to give him what he is looking for... unless it is a Stanley Cup he wants. 3 year deal, $4M per year, NMC for first 2 years.

Dash wrote:But you can use them. And most certainly he will use them. Why wouldn't he? The most he has ever made as an NHL goalie is (have to go by NHLnumbers b/c CapGeek is nonoperational) $2.125M. He is surely due for a pay raise, and as I said, given Ottawa's need and available cap space, they are the team to give him what he is looking for... unless it is a Stanley Cup he wants. 3 year deal, $4M per year, NMC for first 2 years.

I wouldn't bat an eyelash at that deal. Just sign him & let's move forward with working on all the other holes that need plugging.

Dash wrote:But you can use them. And most certainly he will use them. Why wouldn't he? The most he has ever made as an NHL goalie is (have to go by NHLnumbers b/c CapGeek is nonoperational) $2.125M. He is surely due for a pay raise, and as I said, given Ottawa's need and available cap space, they are the team to give him what he is looking for... unless it is a Stanley Cup he wants. 3 year deal, $4M per year, NMC for first 2 years.

I don't think he is due for too much of a raise though as Ottawa can use his terrible season in Colorado aganist him. He's still not 100% proven.

I know, it's a great deal. The NMC ensures he will be staying put as long as he wants to for the first 2 years then gives them team the option of trading him as his contract is about to expire. And I think someone mentioned Murray was going after one UFA this year.... well technically that is Anderson, so maybe that is who he is talking about?

Even after that deal, Ottawa would have a lot of space still, for now or the future.

As far as the team goes, I am really liking the forwards we have now. Butler is becoming our best scorer, and we have two other rookies who have recorded their first career goals recently.

Ottawa can't use anything against him. He is a UFA, he hold all the marbles. It's either agree to his terms or he will go elsewhere. If Ottawa's going to be cheap they are going to lose arguably the best goalie they have ever had.

Anderson confirmed to start according to Dailyfaceoff.com

We have 3 real players in Bobby Butler and Colin Greening and Erik Condra. Young, full of piss and vinegar and some nice skill sets - each one different. Bobby B is enough to start getting excited about on his own, last night was a snipe.