GAME DAY:Toronto Maple Leafs @ Ottawa Senators- 7:30pm ET -Sunday, October 30th, 2011

SpezDispenser wrote:I like Winchester. I had forgotten how effective he is until recently, but I realize now I've always liked him.

Greening and Condra did it last year, but there were for sure observations that they were doing it when the team was out and playing loose. Now Mac has them playing loose all the time.

No doubt. But there's people that thought the Konopka signing made him expendable. Should I remind people about the demand to trade Michalek for a draft pick?

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I also have a weird question...

If this is the real Kuba - and we won't know until Feb or March...does he get re-signed? Who the hell would have asked that....two weeks ago?

If they make the playoffs he absolutely should be resigned for a year or two. The left side is weak in Ottawa and they would be going out and getting a UFA anyways so it might as well be Kuba. You make guys steal a job, you don't hand it to them. I like Borowiecki as much as the next fan but he has to earn that postion and fact of the matter is he is very limited in what he can do as opposed to Kuba who literally does it all back there.

Maybe...I'd have to see how he does for the rest of the year, but he seems to have settled back into the solid NHLer he was before his injuries. The beauty thing about Boro and Gryba is that there's time for them to learn in the AHL, there's no rush there. They'll make it, it's a matter or time IMO, but there's no rush.

SeawaySensFan wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I like Winchester. I had forgotten how effective he is until recently, but I realize now I've always liked him.

Greening and Condra did it last year, but there were for sure observations that they were doing it when the team was out and playing loose. Now Mac has them playing loose all the time.

No doubt. But there's people that thought the Konopka signing made him expendable. Should I remind people about the demand to trade Michalek for a draft pick?

I may have been guilty of that with Winchester. With Michalek, I think people were really, really frustrated. How many times was he gonna have surgery on his knees. People were frustrated and probably scared. I was.

SpezDispenser wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I like Winchester. I had forgotten how effective he is until recently, but I realize now I've always liked him.

Greening and Condra did it last year, but there were for sure observations that they were doing it when the team was out and playing loose. Now Mac has them playing loose all the time.

No doubt. But there's people that thought the Konopka signing made him expendable. Should I remind people about the demand to trade Michalek for a draft pick?

I may have been guilty of that with Winchester. With Michalek, I think people were really, really frustrated. How many times was he gonna have surgery on his knees. People were frustrated and probably scared. I was.

People are just so in love with draft picks and prospects they just couldn't see that Michalek actually played over 70 games (counting the WC). He didn't miss that much. He's twenty-Cussing-six for crying out loud.

Michallica wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I also have a weird question...

If this is the real Kuba - and we won't know until Feb or March...does he get re-signed? Who the hell would have asked that....two weeks ago?

I think re-signing is still out of the question. You gotta make some space for upcoming Dmen IMO, if you want to get younger. You'll still have gonchar and phillips on the back end for the next two years

Young guys have to make the room themselves. It isn't given to them. A long term contract is obviously out of the question like the one he previously signed but a one or a two year deal, absolutely.

Daugvanins is an example right now, he is earning his spot by his play. Everyone else should have to as well.

I don't see Kuba being resigned at this point, but stranger things have happened. It will obviously depend on his $$ demands, how our prospects are doing at that point in time, and who else is available in free agency.

SeawaySensFan wrote:People are just so in love with draft picks and prospects they just couldn't see that Michalek actually played over 70 games (counting the WC). He didn't miss that much. He's twenty-Cussing-six for crying out loud.

I bet you San Jose would trade Havlat straight up for Michalek right now...completing the circle.

tim1_2 wrote:I don't see Kuba being resigned at this point, but stranger things have happened. It will obviously depend on his $$ demands, how our prospects are doing at that point in time, and who else is available in free agency.

Doesn't matter how the prospects are doing, they need to win a job. Kuba will be tough to beat out at this point. Daugvanins may have won a job with the small opportunity he got, that's what everyone else will be forced to do as well. Konopka brought in that competition by being a guy that's ready to play every night.

As for the UFA thing, I would rather go with a guy who has been on the team for 4 years, knows the players, knows the system over a guy that might be marginally better than will demand a ton more cash.

Anyway, don't want to discuss someone being resigned when it's 10 games into the season. A lot can change. It's nice to see him playing well, even if it only ups his trade value come the deadline.

tim1_2 wrote:Anyway, don't want to discuss someone being resigned when it's 10 games into the season. A lot can change. It's nice to see him playing well, even if it only ups his trade value come the deadline.

People will know if Ottawa is a playoff team before Christmas.

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:Anyway, don't want to discuss someone being resigned when it's 10 games into the season. A lot can change. It's nice to see him playing well, even if it only ups his trade value come the deadline.

People will know if Ottawa is a playoff team before Christmas.

Is this some sort of new rule? Did the NHL shorten the schedule?

Your statement is ridiculous.

How is that ridculous. By Christmas everyone knows exactly who the good teams are, who the bad teams are, and who exactly is going to dominate the rest of the year.

If the Sens keep playing the way they are right now (not keep up the same winning pace) they will be in the playoffs. Obviously injuries can happen and turn things upside down but all things being equal, if they carry thing play into the new year, we will be watching playoff hockey in Ottawa.

Last year is a perfect example of how you know your team is dead by Christmas. I forget the exact date but when they lost to Dallas at home 2-1 last year, that was when they were done.

NEELY wrote:How is that ridculous. By Christmas everyone knows exactly who the good teams are, who the bad teams are, and who exactly is going to dominate the rest of the year.

Ugh. Why bother arguing.

Come Christmas, you post your list of all the playoff teams. Then, come April, we'll review.

NEELY wrote:

Michallica wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:I also have a weird question...

If this is the real Kuba - and we won't know until Feb or March...does he get re-signed? Who the hell would have asked that....two weeks ago?

I think re-signing is still out of the question. You gotta make some space for upcoming Dmen IMO, if you want to get younger. You'll still have gonchar and phillips on the back end for the next two years

Young guys have to make the room themselves. It isn't given to them. A long term contract is obviously out of the question like the one he previously signed but a one or a two year deal, absolutely.

Daugvanins is an example right now, he is earning his spot by his play. Everyone else should have to as well.

Yeah its a fair point. But you can also create internal competition with Boro, Gryba, and Weircioch. Not sure how high we are anymore on the latter two but it would be foolish to give up on them already. But a 1-year contract would be ideal if kuba has to be re-signed.

Michallica wrote:
Yeah its a fair point. But you can also create internal competition with Boro, Gryba, and Weircioch. Not sure how high we are anymore on the latter two but it would be foolish to give up on them already. But a 1-year contract would be ideal if kuba has to be re-signed.

Yeah, a 1 year might be ideal. Again though, everything's coming up roses for the Sens right now, we'll have to wait and see how Kuba rebounds when there's some adversity. Like he goes -5 and is responsible for all 5 goals. It's clear he can still play the game, but now it'll be about how he responds to rough outings, because before recently, he didn't respond very well.

tim1_2 wrote:

NEELY wrote:How is that ridculous. By Christmas everyone knows exactly who the good teams are, who the bad teams are, and who exactly is going to dominate the rest of the year.

Ugh. Why bother arguing.

Come Christmas, you post your list of all the playoff teams. Then, come April, we'll review.

Look at the history of the league since the lockout, the standing change very little from October on let alone December on.

15% of teams out of it by this very date don't make it to the playoffs. I'm not stating anything other than the facts. You can tell by on ice play as well.

I'm gonna allow myself 20 seconds of daydreaming...

Man...can you imagine if Anderson played like Anderson again - not that he's been bad, he hasn't, but he hasn't been the Anderson that most of us have watched for years. That .915+ guy who steals games. And imagine if Greening continued and Michalek was finally healthy, and Karlsson continued, and Rundblad got better as the season went on...and Regin came back and was as good as he was before....

NEELY wrote:15% of teams out of it by this very date don't make it to the playoffs. I'm not stating anything other than the facts. You can tell by on ice play as well.

You need to make sense if you want to be taken seriously. Re-read the statement I quoted. You figure it out.