GAME DAY: Ottawa Senators @ Carolina Hurricanes :: 12:00pm ET :: Sat. Jan. 25th, 2014

I agree with that as well. MacLean has done a piss poor job with the goaltending this year without question. Pretty easy decisions going forward though. Anderson the rest of the way for no other reason then Lehner doesn't have a chance right now.

Spezza on the other hand does not have the ability to play 5 on 5 and he's a black hole on this Senators team. No winger on the planet will make Spezza skate harder, better, or with some sort of conviction. He's brutal and I can't remember the last time he scored a 5 on 5 goal. He's a PP specialist that is the captain of a team who's system he can't possibly play in. Flo is right, move him for anything when the time comes.

Ev wrote:

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:He's not the backup that's the entire point.  He's the guy being groomed to be the franchise goaltender.  Confidence is the most important thing in the world right now.

I think Mac killed his confidence when he sat him after winning three in a row and getting the NHL star of the week.  Kid hasn't played with the same swagger since then.

Don't think so

That was a turning point no question.

Don't care what side of the fence you are on but if you can't look at Spezza and see he doesn't have the ability to be a 5 on 5 player you are living in lala land.

In honor of Robbie Burns' birthday the Sens delivered a big pile of haggis.

Well that was a whole team minus Turris playing horribly. Don't understand why Zibanejad doesn't get more time at centre.

Also, Spezza = Kovalev at this point. Maybe he's injured, but man is he ever injured a lot then. Can't build around that.

Not knowing when to pull Lehner is on Mac. Lehner sucking is on Lehner. Pretty even otherwise.

Poor Michalek can't do Dung out there. It's sad to watch.

Safe to say the team started going downhill when Mark Stone got injured and we had to put someone on Spezza's wing which also destroyed our 3rd line and the entire flow of the team.

NEELY wrote:I agree with that as well.  MacLean has done a piss poor job with the goaltending this year without question.  Pretty easy decisions going forward though.  Anderson the rest of the way for no other reason then Lehner doesn't have a chance right now.

Spezza on the other hand does not have the ability to play 5 on 5 and he's a black hole on this Senators team.  No winger on the planet will make Spezza skate harder, better, or with some sort of conviction.  He's brutal and I can't remember the last time he scored a 5 on 5 goal.  He's a PP specialist that is the captain of a team who's system he can't possibly play in.  Flo is right, move him for anything when the time comes.

Yup I was!
But the point is he still has value! Trade deadline would be perfect. Teams are deaperate!

Exactly that yeah. Send down da costa and call up Schneider or Petersson.

asq2 wrote:Well that was a whole team minus Turris playing horribly. Don't understand why Zibanejad doesn't get more time at centre.

Also, Spezza = Kovalev at this point. Maybe he's injured, but man is he ever injured a lot then. Can't build around that.

The guy can't play 5 on 5... it's gone beyond the point where you dislike the guy (personally). I actually feel bad for him because he can't do it.

Yes he can do it. We saw him do it the game before. Not sure what happens to him game to game. Either his body is taking a beating or he's not preparing properly by taking too many 'maintenance days'.

Frustrating game, but I still really like the direction this team is taking.

MacArthur - Turris - Ryan

-fantastic line. Even without Ryan scoring it's effective.

Michalek - Zibanejad - Conacher

Michalek just can't do it right now, I feel legitimately bad for him. I wish we could get rid of him and look at Petersson or Schneider - or acquire someone at the deadline.

Conacher I like personally, but he has to produce to be considered a value.

Greening - Spezza - Condra

Greening is clearly redundant, but good luck to us in moving that contract (that I personally thought was great value).

Spezza is the biggest decision Murray has to make in his tenure here. Who knows what he's gonna do with him.

* - Smith - Neil

* is for Stone. When he comes back Condra shifts down, or Greening.

We have some work to do with the forwards, but it's a nice foundation.

SpezDispenser wrote:Frustrating game, but I still really like the direction this team is taking.

MacArthur - Turris - Ryan

-fantastic line.  Even without Ryan scoring it's effective.

Michalek - Zibanejad - Conacher

Michalek just can't do it right now, I feel legitimately bad for him.  I wish we could get rid of him and look at Petersson or Schneider - or acquire someone at the deadline.

Conacher I like personally, but he has to produce to be considered a value.

Greening - Spezza - Condra

Greening is clearly redundant, but good luck to us in moving that contract (that I personally thought was great value).  

Spezza is the biggest decision Murray has to make in his tenure here.  Who knows what he's gonna do with him.

* - Smith - Neil

* is for Stone.  When he comes back Condra shifts down, or Greening.

We have some work to do with the forwards, but it's a nice foundation.

zib is that light in the dark right now, a much better pick the couturier right now. Murray;s showing they know best... but cmon, know when to trade spezza

SpezDispenser wrote:Yes he can do it.  We saw him do it the game before.  Not sure what happens to him game to game.  Either his body is taking a beating or he's not preparing properly by taking too many 'maintenance days'.  

5 on 5?  No you didn't.  He saw him not be a factor (positive or negative) 5 on 5 and that's more than likely the very best you will get out of him.  Dude, face it he's lost a serious step that he couldn't afford to lose and even if it's injuries or a bad back that's not going to get better after 30.  The guy has 7 ES goals in 47 games... Zack Smith has more.

You ever wonder why Heatley, Spezza, Emery have all declined at around the same age?  They screwed around when they were young, didn't take care of their bodies, and here we are.  Spezza basically looks like Heatley out there right now and you are pretty quick to jump on that.  

It's not even a choice at this point, you can't commit anything other than MAYBE a 3 year deal at best for Spezza and that's me trying to be positive.

And like I said yesterday the biggest problem and why IMO the team is starting to lose it's way again is Spezza getting more and more mins and MacLean moving guys around the lineup to try and get him going.  Michalek is now on the 2nd line again where he doesn't belong, Zibanejad who was playing fantastic at center is now expected to go back to the wing and carry Spezza and Michalek at the age of 20... Yet the result ares the same with Ryan/Turris/MacArthur carrying the offense.  

The team loses because Spezza is the #1 center and the team focus' around him.  It's wrong and it needs to change.  This is now on management and the coaching staff.  You watch what happens at home games when Spezza gets the puck and if the Sens are losing, boo birds will be out in full force.

Phillips is another issue and he's lost a step as well.  Thing is you can get something out of Phillips as the #6,  7 guy for a year or two and if they do move away from Spezza he can take the "C", take the heat, and let the other players play and develop.  Same with Neil.

With Spezza at this point it's not even a choice, you can't pay him huge money to be at best a 3rd line player who gets 1st unit PP time. Turris can clearly handle teams top lines and produce. I am glad that people that say "duh huuh Spezza takes heat off Turris" have finally shut up though because it has never been true.

The team is close to contending and has shown that when Spezza is out of the lineup. Long winning streaks, won a playoff round pretty easily, and more effort, drive, and responsible hockey without Spezza as well. Obviously faster, up tempo hockey as well as Spezza slows a puck possession team with tons of speed down to a crawl.

They havrnt shut up though, go look at hfboards and a certain user   

Haha he doesn't count. As long as Spezza still has the ability to ejaculate he will swallow all of it

SpezDispenser wrote:Exactly that yeah.  Send down da costa and call up Schneider or Petersson.  

That or start looking at a trade, Spezzer.