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There'll be progress next year with Silfverberg and Zibanejad.

SpezDispenser wrote:There'll be progress next year with Silfverberg and Zibanejad.

All the progress with Pageau, Zibanejad, Silfverberg, Karlsson, and Conacher will come off the ice. They all need to get stronger.

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:There'll be progress next year with Silfverberg and Zibanejad.

All the progress with Pageau, Zibanejad, Silfverberg, Karlsson, and Conacher will come off the ice. They all need to get stronger.

That's a big part of it, yeah, but it's also huge for them to have gone through the trials and tribulations of the playoffs and be able to feed off that going into the next season.

Off season training is more important than anything they learned because if they can't hold their own it doesn't matter what kind of expierence they have.

It's all part of it. Getting stronger, getting the experience from playing in this league and knowing what to expect is a huge part of it as well.

who would eat 30 bags of lunches?

NEELY wrote:Gonchar has lots of hockey left and obviously the will to play. Sens may walk away from it but they will absolutely consider it. He was a huge reason the Sens had the season they did and was pretty solid aside from the last couple games in the playoffs.

Do they or don't they...? Giving Gonchar 2 years is probably the timeline they have for Ceci to be in the NHL as well. Makes sense and it won't break the bank.

He also said it wasn't really about the $$$...

shabbs wrote:So it seems Spezza tore an MCL during his back rehab... needs it to be scoped. That would explain his set back... man, they should have just shut him down at that point.

https://twitter.com/tsn_wally/status/339031443911102465

It was a meniscus.. not the MCL.. TSN is wrong..

Ev wrote:who would eat 30 bags of lunches?

Depends on what's on the menu IMO.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Ev wrote:who would eat 30 bags of lunches?

Depends on what's on the menu IMO.

It was a random Billy Madison reference and a damn good one.

sandysensfan wrote:

NEELY wrote:Gonchar has lots of hockey left and obviously the will to play. Sens may walk away from it but they will absolutely consider it. He was a huge reason the Sens had the season they did and was pretty solid aside from the last couple games in the playoffs.

Do they or don't they...? Giving Gonchar 2 years is probably the timeline they have for Ceci to be in the NHL as well. Makes sense and it won't break the bank.

He also said it wasn't really about the $$$...

I'm still nervous about giving him 2 years. He is still guilty of some brutal play at times and he takes some of the worst ill-timed penalties on the team.

He'd be a good buffer for Ceci but our defence got destroyed by Pittsburgh so I wonder if they'll want to go elsewhere. However there isn't much out there.

I think you tke the chance.

Gonchar proved he can still play when everyone said that 3rd year would be the killer... fact is his 3rd year was the best by a mile. Yah, he has his short comings but he's still a guy that can play 20 mins a night and not struggle one little bit.

I want them to sign him, not sure if they will though. He brings something to the back end that is hard to find and that's a guy who knows what to do with the puck at all times and knows how to play the game better than anyone else on the Sens other than Alfi. It's a very young team, a very young blueline, you need a guy like Gonchar. Fact is, if they let him walk they might be looking all off season and next year to try and find someone to replace him that isn't as good.

Depth on the blueline is what wins championships. Simple as that.

Methot/Karlsson
Phillips/Gonchar
Cowen/Gryba
Weircioch/Borowiecki

That's what they blueline should look like next year and who knows, there is probably a kid like Wideman, Ceci, or Claeson that will get a chance and could never let go of it.

The other thing that needs to be considered is if the Sens do make a trade this off season and a team wants a guy like Weircioch back or a block buster involving Cowen, something along those lines... who picks up those mins? It won't be Ceci, not right now anyways.

Signing Gonchar would allow for the Sens to be flexible going forward both on and off the ice not to mention the fact he brings a lot more to the table than just the way he plays the game. Hope he gets his 2 year deal at 3 mil per in Ottawa.

Look at the Bruins, there is a reason they went out and got Redden and he didn't look out of place at all. Depth, depth, depth, depth, depth. All Cup winning teams have depth and expierence on the blueline.

Live sens press conference:

http://www.tsn.ca/live/player.aspx#v=887581&i=887581

NEELY wrote:Gonchar proved he can still play when everyone said that 3rd year would be the killer... fact is his 3rd year was the best by a mile. Yah, he has his short comings but he's still a guy that can play 20 mins a night and not struggle one little bit.

I want them to sign him, not sure if they will though. He brings something to the back end that is hard to find and that's a guy who knows what to do with the puck at all times and knows how to play the game better than anyone else on the Sens other than Alfi. It's a very young team, a very young blueline, you need a guy like Gonchar. Fact is, if they let him walk they might be looking all off season and next year to try and find someone to replace him that isn't as good.

Depth on the blueline is what wins championships. Simple as that.

Methot/Karlsson
Phillips/Gonchar
Cowen/Gryba
Weircioch/Borowiecki

That's what they blueline should look like next year and who knows, there is probably a kid like Wideman, Ceci, or Claeson that will get a chance and could never let go of it.

The other thing that needs to be considered is if the Sens do make a trade this off season and a team wants a guy like Weircioch back or a block buster involving Cowen, something along those lines... who picks up those mins? It won't be Ceci, not right now anyways.

Signing Gonchar would allow for the Sens to be flexible going forward both on and off the ice not to mention the fact he brings a lot more to the table than just the way he plays the game. Hope he gets his 2 year deal at 3 mil per in Ottawa.

Look at the Bruins, there is a reason they went out and got Redden and he didn't look out of place at all. Depth, depth, depth, depth, depth. All Cup winning teams have depth and expierence on the blueline.

Yeah, all of this. Experience, minute-eating, still has is statistically, leader. Gonchar has unfinished business here. He didn't sign his 3 year deal not to win and the Sens are getting closer. 2 years, 6 million-6.5 and he'll work his arse off guaranteed. Ceci needs time, Wideman needs time, Rutowski (sp) needs time. I guess if he's moved it opens the door for Wiercioch to come in and claim that spot for himself once and for all, but I'm not sold on his play away from the puck and in the defensive zone yet.

Gonchar wants to be here, showed every sign of being able to play at a high level. It's a no-brainer IMO. He looked bad vs the Pens, but really...who didn't? Cowen looked atrocious and we all know he's not. Methot looked human - and he's not ( )

Don't trade Cowen, he is one of the most physical D-man we have and look at the division we are in.

I'd be really careful in judging Cowen(or anyone else) on this shortened, injury-plagued season.

Thing is we could use Wiercioch as well. This team got boxed into its own zone far too often and he is good at moving the puck out.

Michallica wrote:Live sens press conference:

http://www.tsn.ca/live/player.aspx#v=887581&i=887581

PMAC just spoke. Loved the growth of Z. Smith, Turris. Thinks alfie can come back. Stopped short of calling the sens contenders next season. Expects Zibby, Silfv to be much more ready for next season now that they know of the rigours of an nhl season. Biggest surprises were Gryba and Pageau who weren't even on the radar at the start of the year.

BMURR on at 10:30.

Interesting comments on the cap. Sens are operating under a bugdet that is under the cap. Murray says we're not at the point where we can spend to the cap. I guess when they feel they are ready to take that next step to become a serious contender, they'll spend to the cap.

In "rebuild/retool" mode, it's important to operate under a budget. Makes sense.