Are the Sens done making moves?

Hoags wrote:Why would Semin come here ? he'll get a longer term deal elsewhere (Detroit for example).

Holland says they have no interest(for what that's worth).

hemlock wrote:
Buffalo, TB and Carolina all had much better second halfs after slow starts. TB and Carolina are appreciably better, with Staal going to Carolina and TB shoring up it's goaltending (which really couldn't get worse). TB has no scoring depth? They had 5 20 goal scorers, and scored the 5th most goals in the East last year. Scoring wasn't their problem last year.

And yes, Ottawa overachieved last year. They scored more than they probably should have based on their talent, which covered up some real shortcomings in their defensive game. Are they supposed to be bad? No, I suppose not. But that question goes both ways. What is it that you see that makes you think that Ottawa will be any better than last year?

Toronto has had hot second half seasons for years, many people keep predicting them for the playoffs. I don't think being good for part of a season is much of an indicator on its own, especially when the pressure is off after you're eliminated.

Pretty much all of TB's scoring comes from Stamkos' line, not much beyond that.

As for Ottawa where's the overachievement ? Spezza was PPG, like he has most of his career, Karlsson had a breakout season and it's unlikely he'll do 78P again, but who knows what his ceiling is, he'll continue to be a major factor. Alfie wasn't finished like people thought after surgery fixed his back issues, the Bingo kids played well as they did in their short stint the season before. Anderson posted a respectable .914 SV%

As for where the improvement will come from, a good chunk of our roster (Bingo kids) hit a wall in the 2nd half and disappeared due to the 82-game schedule. They should be better next year now that they'll be used to it. Who knows if we'll actually be better I don't see why we are worse and need to overpay some FA.

Then there's Bishop (no more guaranteed losses with Auld) and no early season blowouts because the team is still learning MacLean's system.

I'm just saying people are focusing on other teams shiny new toys and are forgetting what we do have here, a pretty solid foundation. It could be better, but that's always the case.

tim1_2 wrote:No one can logically argue that the Sens, as they stand now, aren't just as big a question mark now as they were heading into last season.

Latendresse. The Alfie. Methot. Prospects. Injuries.

Lots of things can go right or wrong. Last year, lots of things went right for us (ridiculous wins during the season coming from behind, lack of injuries, 9MM lit it up at times, etc).

Health was massive for us last year. Spezza was relatively healthy, Michalek had issues, but wasn't lost for huge periods, Alfie wasn't lost for long stretches, Karlsson was a deity.

On the flip side, Turris hadn't really hit his stride, Greening was our top line LW, Foligno was our 2nd line LW, Gilroy sucks.

Anderson didn't find his groove until November or December, can't recall when, but we all know he's a good goalie now.

hemlock wrote:

Hoags wrote:

hemlock wrote:
This seems incredibly optimistic to me. Buffalo will be better (and were in the latter part of last season) so it's dismissive to assume that the division is a two-horse race.

Tough to play against and winning enough to make the playoffs aren't mutually exclusive. Despite the fact that NJ will probably be worse, Carolina and TB will be better almost assuredly than they were last year.

The Sens are in tough to make the playoffs even if they overachieve like they did last year. Let's not kid ourselves here.

Not sold on Buffalo, Ennis and Hodgson as their top 2 centres ? LOL
I think Neely has a point, TB isn't that much better, Carle is overrated he's not going to drastically change things there. Except for defence and goaltending they had no depth in scoring last year as well.
I think Carolina needs more than to add J.Staal.
I think it'll still be a tough battle to get into the playoffs but WTF does "overachieve" mean ? Is that because we finished 8th in the East but we should have been a lottery team ? Are we just supposed to be bad ?

Buffalo, TB and Carolina all had much better second halfs after slow starts. TB and Carolina are appreciably better, with Staal going to Carolina and TB shoring up it's goaltending (which really couldn't get worse). TB has no scoring depth? They had 5 20 goal scorers, and scored the 5th most goals in the East last year. Scoring wasn't their problem last year.

And yes, Ottawa overachieved last year. They scored more than they probably should have based on their talent, which covered up some real shortcomings in their defensive game. Are they supposed to be bad? No, I suppose not. But that question goes both ways. What is it that you see that makes you think that Ottawa will be any better than last year?

As opposed to Ottawa who was looking like they were going to get the #1 overall? Ottawa was one of the best teams in the NHL from Nov to April... they are a team that will only get better being as young as they are.

So basically people are saying what Ottawa did last year was just a fluke but other teams were great when they were out of it? Always the same thing over and over and over.

Ottawa didn't improve? Says who? Karlsson might not repeat his offensive dominance but he will be a better player. Spezza will be around that 70-80 point mark. Turris is only going to build on a very solid year. Bishop will come in and play more games than Auld ever could and probably win the majority of them.

Even if Ottawa isn't "better" they are certainly not worse. They will be in that #6-8 hole once again and challenge for the division once again like I said they would last year around this time.

The Sens are a good team that will probably make the playoffs because I didn't see one team around them in the East improve all that much if at all.

tim1_2 wrote:Let's envision a scenario where The Alfie retires (blasphemy, I know), Spezza gets injured, 9MM gets injured, Latendresse gets injured, Silf doesn't find his groove, and our D struggles.

I think the one thing we know for sure at this point is that will be rock solid. As we saw at the start of last year, though, that can only get you so far if the D in front of you is a mess.

Sure. If Pitts loses Malkin, Crosby, and Neal they might be in trouble too.

Yes, I agree, if everything goes wrong for the Sens like it did 2 seasons ago they are in trouble. Might as well plan to replace the team just incase the plane crashes too while everyone is at it.

SpezDispenser wrote:
Health was massive for us last year. Spezza was relatively healthy, Michalek had issues, but wasn't lost for huge periods, Alfie wasn't lost for long stretches, Karlsson was a deity.

I think we were so healthy because under MacLean physical fitness has become super important. He skated the team in training camp til they were blue in the face and then skated them some more. It'll be interesting to see how Latendresse responds.

Clouston ran a lax training camp, nobody was pushed or challenged in any way, just went through the motions.

I think the Sens are better based solely on Methot being better in the defensive zone than Kuba. Kuba had a really solid year for us, I enjoyed having him and wouldn't have been upset if he re-signed, but he's really easily handled in the defensive zone as evidenced by the Rangers playoff series.

It was time for a defensive D-man - and a big one who won't be pushed off the puck easily and can retrieve the puck for Karlsson and feed it ahead.

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:Let's envision a scenario where The Alfie retires (blasphemy, I know), Spezza gets injured, 9MM gets injured, Latendresse gets injured, Silf doesn't find his groove, and our D struggles.

I think the one thing we know for sure at this point is that will be rock solid. As we saw at the start of last year, though, that can only get you so far if the D in front of you is a mess.

Sure. If Pitts loses Malkin, Crosby, and Neal they might be in trouble too.

Yes, I agree, if everything goes wrong for the Sens like it did 2 seasons ago they are in trouble. Might as well plan to replace the team just incase the plane crashes too while everyone is at it.

I think there's a major difference between 2 years ago and now. Turris, Zibanejad, Silfverberg, Stone, Hoffman, Blood, Gryba, Da Costa, Wiercioch, Petersson. There's a lot of talent waiting to grab their opportunity and run with it, while 2 years ago that may have been really difficult to say with confidence.

Hoags wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:
Health was massive for us last year. Spezza was relatively healthy, Michalek had issues, but wasn't lost for huge periods, Alfie wasn't lost for long stretches, Karlsson was a deity.

I think we were so healthy because under MacLean physical fitness has become super important. He skated the team in training camp til they were blue in the face and then skated them some more. It'll be interesting to see how Latendresse responds.

Clouston ran a lax training camp, nobody was pushed or challenged in any way, just went through the motions.

I hope that had a lot to do with it. I hope we didn't just have a really lucky stretch.

NEELY wrote:

hemlock wrote:

NEELY wrote:If the Sens can make the playoffs and avoid the Pens... could be a solid run. They are not far off from going after the Bruins in the division and really making some noise. They are a good team.

One big time winger and the Sens will be ultra tough to play against.

This seems incredibly optimistic to me. Buffalo will be better (and were in the latter part of last season) so it's dismissive to assume that the division is a two-horse race.

Tough to play against and winning enough to make the playoffs aren't mutually exclusive. Despite the fact that NJ will probably be worse, Carolina and TB will be better almost assuredly than they were last year.

The Sens are in tough to make the playoffs even if they overachieve like they did last year. Let's not kid ourselves here.

Oh yah... Leino is for sure a #1 center. Their defense is "meh". Might be a little grittier but that's about it. Don't see how TB is going to be better... their defense is awful and they have no idea how Lindback is going to perform.

Carolina... marginally better IMO but that's a team that can grow a little. Staal isn't a huge upgrade over Sutter.

Everyone keeps saying "this team will be better, that team will be better" year after year... it's always the same thing. Philly is already worse, NJ is already worse, Tampa did nothing but add big contracts with little value attached to them, Montreal, Toronto, and NYI won't be much better.

The East sucks.

It's impossible to make accurate predictions on how a season will unfold, especially at THIS time of year, for god's sake. The east is as big a crapshoot as ever, and we're a part of that.

SpezDispenser wrote:I think the Sens are better based solely on Methot being better in the defensive zone than Kuba. Kuba had a really solid year for us, I enjoyed having him and wouldn't have been upset if he re-signed, but he's really easily handled in the defensive zone as evidenced by the Rangers playoff series.

Kuba had 1 good year after the injuries and he's 35, how confident are you that he'd do it again at 36? how about 37 ? We'd have to replace him then anyway, might as well do it now if we found Methot. I think that was the major fluke in the season, if there's anyone who is really likely to fall down next year it's him.

I feel a lot better better about EK being on the ice with Methot not Kuba, do you think Kuba would stand up for him in anyway, the only physical contact he initiates is with the bench and penalty box doors.

He made some bad plays as well, I still remember a Winnipeg goal against us where instead of covering his man he knocked the net off the moorings instead

tim1_2 wrote:
It's impossible to make accurate predictions on how a season will unfold, especially at THIS time of year, for god's sake. The east is as big a crapshoot as ever, and we're a part of that.

I think his point is that everyone is playing up the other teams and dismissing our own team. Truth is somewhere in the middle.

SpezDispenser wrote:

NEELY wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:Let's envision a scenario where The Alfie retires (blasphemy, I know), Spezza gets injured, 9MM gets injured, Latendresse gets injured, Silf doesn't find his groove, and our D struggles.

I think the one thing we know for sure at this point is that will be rock solid. As we saw at the start of last year, though, that can only get you so far if the D in front of you is a mess.

Sure. If Pitts loses Malkin, Crosby, and Neal they might be in trouble too.

Yes, I agree, if everything goes wrong for the Sens like it did 2 seasons ago they are in trouble. Might as well plan to replace the team just incase the plane crashes too while everyone is at it.

I think there's a major difference between 2 years ago and now. Turris, Zibanejad, Silfverberg, Stone, Hoffman, Blood, Gryba, Da Costa, Wiercioch, Petersson. There's a lot of talent waiting to grab their opportunity and run with it, while 2 years ago that may have been really difficult to say with confidence.

Of course there is. Unlike the small minority people in the organization and obviously a very select group of fans (even less outside of Ottawa) believe in this team. The makeup is right, the youth is there, they have solid character vets, and they have a couple of unknows (Lats and Silfverberg) like every single other team in the NHL.

The goaltending depth might be the best in the NHL, the blueline has the Norris Trophy winner as well as a lot more snarl and foot speed with Methot and Borowiecki coming in, 2 solid vets in Gonchar and Phillips. At center they are deep with Turris, Spezza, Regin, Smith, JOB, tons of physicality up front as well, and a decent amount scoring.

That's right, last year was a fluke, the year before wasn't right. Totally forgot. MacLean's first year was a fluke, Anderson's solid play was a fluke, etc etc.

People act like everything went right last year which is BS. Pretty sure they were the worst team in the NHL with Columbus for the 1st month.

It's ok though, I can argue all day and then spit it in people's face when I am right about the team again. Wish I was on the other side because then people can't say "I am so happy to be wrong". Idiots.

tim1_2 wrote:

NEELY wrote:

hemlock wrote:

NEELY wrote:If the Sens can make the playoffs and avoid the Pens... could be a solid run. They are not far off from going after the Bruins in the division and really making some noise. They are a good team.

One big time winger and the Sens will be ultra tough to play against.

This seems incredibly optimistic to me. Buffalo will be better (and were in the latter part of last season) so it's dismissive to assume that the division is a two-horse race.

Tough to play against and winning enough to make the playoffs aren't mutually exclusive. Despite the fact that NJ will probably be worse, Carolina and TB will be better almost assuredly than they were last year.

The Sens are in tough to make the playoffs even if they overachieve like they did last year. Let's not kid ourselves here.

Oh yah... Leino is for sure a #1 center. Their defense is "meh". Might be a little grittier but that's about it. Don't see how TB is going to be better... their defense is awful and they have no idea how Lindback is going to perform.

Carolina... marginally better IMO but that's a team that can grow a little. Staal isn't a huge upgrade over Sutter.

Everyone keeps saying "this team will be better, that team will be better" year after year... it's always the same thing. Philly is already worse, NJ is already worse, Tampa did nothing but add big contracts with little value attached to them, Montreal, Toronto, and NYI won't be much better.

The East sucks.

It's impossible to make accurate predictions on how a season will unfold, especially at THIS time of year, for god's sake. The east is as big a crapshoot as ever, and we're a part of that.

I'll go out on a limb and say a team with Leino as their #1 center won't make the playoffs.

Can someone do me a favour and add up the points of all of Buffalo's centers from last year and see if they even matched Spezza. Thanks.

tim1_2 wrote:
It's impossible to make accurate predictions on how a season will unfold, especially at THIS time of year, for god's sake. The east is as big a crapshoot as ever, and we're a part of that.

Are we ever...

Montreal = gonna be really good, challenge for a spot (I think get in personally)
Ottawa = lost Kuba, Foligno, gained Methot, Lundin, Latendresse, Silfverberg = just as solid, challenging for playoff spot
Carolina = look out, they're coming into a playoff spot IMO
Buffalo = lost their C, added gritty winger, not a huge fan of the makeup of that team personally, still challenge for a spot
Toronto = was challenging until Reimer got hurt, can they get a goalie, or will they have better luck with Reimer?
Pittsburgh = got worse, no question about it, we'll see what they do
Philly = not an 'elite' team anymore, but should make the playoffs
Tampa Bay = do not like anything they did. Don't think Lindback is the answer when you don't have anything else, don't like the D very much, don't like the secondary scoring there, don't really like Vinny.
Winnipeg = again, they should be challenging for a spot...
Boston = they're obviously good
NY Rangers = they're obviously good
New Jersey - big problems here as well IMO, no Parise, VERY questionable D, they'll challenge for a spot, but I think they might fall out
Islanders = same old story. They might be getting better, but I doubt they're there yet
Florida = primed to win the SE again IMO, I like the makeup of this team a lot - quite like the Sens
Washington = who knows....

SpezDispenser wrote:

tim1_2 wrote:
It's impossible to make accurate predictions on how a season will unfold, especially at THIS time of year, for god's sake. The east is as big a crapshoot as ever, and we're a part of that.

Are we ever...

Montreal = gonna be really good, challenge for a spot (I think get in personally)
Ottawa = lost Kuba, Foligno, gained Methot, Lundin, Latendresse, Silfverberg = just as solid, challenging for playoff spot
Carolina = look out, they're coming into a playoff spot IMO
Buffalo = lost their C, added gritty winger, not a huge fan of the makeup of that team personally, still challenge for a spot
Toronto = was challenging until Reimer got hurt, can they get a goalie, or will they have better luck with Reimer?
Pittsburgh = got worse, no question about it, we'll see what they do
Philly = not an 'elite' team anymore, but should make the playoffs
Tampa Bay = do not like anything they did. Don't think Lindback is the answer when you don't have anything else, don't like the D very much, don't like the secondary scoring there, don't really like Vinny.
Winnipeg = again, they should be challenging for a spot...
Boston = they're obviously good
NY Rangers = they're obviously good
New Jersey - big problems here as well IMO, no Parise, VERY questionable D, they'll challenge for a spot, but I think they might fall out
Islanders = same old story. They might be getting better, but I doubt they're there yet
Florida = primed to win the SE again IMO, I like the makeup of this team a lot - quite like the Sens
Washington = who knows....

Yah, I'll be a big fat 100 dollar bill that won't happen. I'll double it and say they won't make the playoffs.

I agree that last year's performance was a truer indication of where the Sens stand than the year before. Fine. Still, we made it through the year without suffering from the injury bug. If Spezza had missed twenty games, we don't make the playoffs.

I like our team's makeup, and I agree that we'll be highly competitive this year.

Our top 6 currently includes Spezza, Michalek, and Latendresse, and all three could be considered an injury risk (moreso than the average player). Also in our top 6 is the One and Only Mr The Alfie. He may not play a single more game for us.

All I'm saying is that, with a BIT of bad luck, we could easily be in a hurt locker.

SpezDispenser wrote:Pittsburgh = got worse, no question about it, we'll see what they do

If Crosby stays healthyish, Pittsburgh got a whole lot better. Sutter is also very good. I don't see how they are that much worse off, just because they lost Staal.

We're making predictions about the season on July 5th, when the Frenzy is Far From Finished. Ludicrous.