2014 Ottawa Senators Off Season Talk

This is the biggest off season in Ottawa Senators history. The moves made this summer coming up will determine the direction of Senators for the next 5 to 10 years and could very well make or break the Stanley Cup chances they are striving for 2, 3, maybe as far as 4 years down the road. Michalek, Kassian, and Hemsky are UFA's, Spezza, Methot, MacArthur, Ryan, and Anderson are all going into the last year of their deals, and RFA's in Lehner, Gryba, Hoffman, and Da Costa.

What should happen? More importantly what will happen?

I just read an article at the Score about the 5 NHL coaches on the hot seat. Trotz, Carlyle, Torts, Muller, and MacLean were pegged.

I don't know about you lot, but I really don't think he belongs in that group. Especially when you look at his 101-79-30 record.

Michalek: re-signed.
Spezza: traded.
Hemsky: not resigned.
Kassian: who cares?
MacArthur: re-signed (next captain?)
Methot: re-signed (Murray's boy)
Anderson: gone at the deadline
Gryba:traded
Da costa: traded (or waived, neither do I like)
Lehrer: bridged

spader wrote:I just read an article at the Score about the 5 NHL coaches on the hot seat. Trotz, Carlyle, Torts, Muller, and MacLean were pegged.

I don't know about you lot, but I really don't think he belongs in that group. Especially when you look at his 101-79-30 record.

I agree with you but we must admit that he was awful this season

spader wrote:I just read an article at the Score about the 5 NHL coaches on the hot seat. Trotz, Carlyle, Torts, Muller, and MacLean were pegged.

I don't know about you lot, but I really don't think he belongs in that group. Especially when you look at his 101-79-30 record.

I think everyone will have a better idea tomorrow what will happen. Don't think MacLean deserves to get canned but who knows?

Ryan and MacArthur extended! spezza traded, no Michalek, no hemsky, sign Boyle, pursue callahan hard but fail to sign him, keep lazar

Until we have a new leadership group within the room nothing else matters.

I honestly have no earthly idea what they do.

LeKing wrote:Until we have a new leadership group within the room nothing else matters.

I agree in a big way BUT IMO the biggest thing is having a unquestioned #1 goalie that you know is going to be in the nets each and every night. That would create a lot more consistency than MacLean provided this year who wouldn't let the guy with the hot hand play (Lehner).

To think, the red wings ended up with two more wins than the sens, and 1 more win than the caps and leafs....

As for the off season, that finish felt like the end of spezza and it's a fitting way to end. I see him and methot traded. I think they will try their best to sign hemsky. Would like to see michalek back as a third liner

That said, with stone and Zibanejad becoming more prominent, I'm worried the sens will have become very injury prone for next season.

You can't just say let's play the hot hand when you still have your veteran number one goalie. It's a ridiculous notion, just like LA didn't keep playing Martin Jones when Quick came back from injury, the Rangers didn't play Talbot over Lundqvist, etc. those are extrapemes but you couldn't just toss your number one goalie, who makes way more money than Lehner, to the curb.

Now it is different, after a poor year you can unload him.

Under Bryan Murray's tutelage, the sens have never exceeded 94 points....2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. Seven seasons. Seven.

I used to love Murray but gotta call spade a spade.....hes been spectacularly mediocre. 4 playoff appearances in 7 seasons.

Ev wrote:You can't just say let's play the hot hand when you still have your veteran number one goalie. It's a ridiculous notion, just like LA didn't keep playing Martin Jones when Quick came back from injury, the Rangers didn't play Talbot over  Lundqvist, etc. those are extrapemes but you couldn't just toss your number one goalie, who makes way more money than Lehner, to the curb.

Now it is different, after a poor year you can unload him.

Anderson is not Lundqvist and even then they let Talbot play a ton of games this season while Lundqvist found his game. It's not game in a playoff series we are talking about here, it was game 20 something in the regular season and they needed to get a role... MacLean screwed with it and there is nothing that can convince me that wasn't absolutely the biggest turning point in the season.

Michallica wrote:Under Bryan Murray's tutelage, the sens have never exceeded 94 points....2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. Seven seasons. Seven.

I used to love Murray but gotta call spade a spade.....hes been spectacularly mediocre. 4 playoff appearances in 7 seasons.

This is going to be a long but short off season, a lot will happen.

Michallica wrote:Under Bryan Murray's tutelage, the sens have never exceeded 94 points....2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014. Seven seasons. Seven.

I used to love Murray but gotta call spade a spade.....hes been spectacularly mediocre. 4 playoff appearances in 7 seasons.

Yeah but look at our cost per point those years. Gotta be good since he's still here.