2014 Ottawa Senators Off Season Talk

SpezDispenser wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:i really hope that we can go after  a guy like stastny. that's depth down the center going forwards. turris, stastny, zib. then you have a possibility of lazar and smith. i know how highly lazar is being touted but in all reality he's an unknown commodity and will probably be asked to play on the wing to begin with. i'd rather not rely on him as our number 3 C. or pageau for that matter or even dacosta. i mean i think we'll survive without going after a C but we'd be in a different world with stastny... or ROR...   

ROR is going nowhere and I question what 'different' world we'd be in with Stastny.

one with crazy depth down the middle, one in which spezza brings a scoring winger back. one where we probably just need to start focusing on our D going forward. it insulates zib a little bit more and creates depth up front. i'd still see us making a move for stewart.
it's been said that this team will be very different going forward next year. i doubt the whole plan rests on just trading spezza but i expect them to do this one step at a time.

spezza will be traded by or on the draft, stewart will probably be moved by the draft or before FA. they will likely use this to convince a FA that the team is moving forward.

SpezDispenser wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:i really hope that we can go after  a guy like stastny. that's depth down the center going forwards. turris, stastny, zib. then you have a possibility of lazar and smith. i know how highly lazar is being touted but in all reality he's an unknown commodity and will probably be asked to play on the wing to begin with. i'd rather not rely on him as our number 3 C. or pageau for that matter or even dacosta. i mean i think we'll survive without going after a C but we'd be in a different world with stastny... or ROR...   

ROR is going nowhere and I question what 'different' world we'd be in with Stastny.

Why wouldn't the Sens be if they have the room within their budget to add him?  Despite what I have heard it makes complete sense.

how can we not be in better shape with stastny added for nothing + the return on spezza. i mean apart from budget discussion it's a win there. granted I don't think spezza helps this team much as far as how well they compete with him on board.

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:

NEELY wrote:Boedker out of Phoenix IMO would be the best possible return.

Rather have Hanzal. Stud two-way centre who hits a ton.

If the plan is to throw a ton of cash at Stastny you want a potential 30 goal winger IMO and some picks/prospects.

Boedker isn't as good as you think he is. No chance he ever scores that many goals. IMO.

I think Boedker scores 30 for sure but w/e, that type of winger if they don't get a center in a deal.

He has 53 goals in 6 NHL seasons. I don't think it's reasonable to expect 30 from him.

I don't care if we replace the Spezza line with kids from Bingo who will come in, follow the system and give 100% every night.
When I watch Stamkos, Krejci, Kopitar, Getzlaf, Couture etc all back check like crazy it just makes me sick to have talented lazy players on this team.

spader wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:

NEELY wrote:Boedker out of Phoenix IMO would be the best possible return.

Rather have Hanzal. Stud two-way centre who hits a ton.

If the plan is to throw a ton of cash at Stastny you want a potential 30 goal winger IMO and some picks/prospects.

Boedker isn't as good as you think he is. No chance he ever scores that many goals. IMO.

I think Boedker scores 30 for sure but w/e, that type of winger if they don't get a center in a deal.

He has 53 goals in 6 NHL seasons. I don't think it's reasonable to expect 30 from him.

He plays on the same Phoenix team Turris did and started at a younger age.  He almost hit 20 this year on a defense first team as well as putting up over 50 points, he's an impressive player that is going to break out.

WHere's Peter Mueller these days? That's the perfect player for Ottawa.

NEELY wrote:

SpezDispenser wrote:

Flo The Action wrote:i really hope that we can go after  a guy like stastny. that's depth down the center going forwards. turris, stastny, zib. then you have a possibility of lazar and smith. i know how highly lazar is being touted but in all reality he's an unknown commodity and will probably be asked to play on the wing to begin with. i'd rather not rely on him as our number 3 C. or pageau for that matter or even dacosta. i mean i think we'll survive without going after a C but we'd be in a different world with stastny... or ROR...   

ROR is going nowhere and I question what 'different' world we'd be in with Stastny.

Why wouldn't the Sens be if they have the room within their budget to add him?  Despite what I have heard it makes complete sense.

I dunno, Statsny never struck me as a complete player really. He has skills obviously, but if you're going by a strict criteria of 200 foot players only, I'm not sure he fits that bill.

Stastny is just fine all around the ice.

whatever happens i think this will be a summer where we get clearer indications of the level of commitment melnyk has to the team.
key upcoming FA resigned and their terms and whether they actually spend in FA not just to get cap compliant but make the team better. i don't expect us to spend a ton more but you do hear about which players the organization was busy trying to sign. they have better be in on some of them.
I don't buy everything that's being said but i can certainly read between certain lines.

I want Glencross really badly, which is a shame because I doubt it happens.

SpezDispenser wrote:I want Glencross really badly, which is a shame because I doubt it happens.

it's hard to know what the plan is in calgary right now. jirke isn't exactly the GM and we know how he likes to try and stay "competitive" so i'm not sure if that's a player they'd move.

A glimpse of spezza's last moments at his last home game.....?



lol some fans are hilarious. 'we love you jason!' 'sign my sweater andy!'

The biggest issue with moving Spezza is we'd apparently be replacing him with Zibanejad. Spezza took more face offs than Turris this year -- I was a bit surprised by that, to be honest. Given his level of play, the only thing I can think of to explain this is PMac leaned on him in certain situations. It was very close, but Spezza was ahead. Third on the team was Zach Smith. Zibanejad was a distant third (he had less than one-third of the face offs that Smith had).

So if you move Spezza then clearly Turris will take on the bulk of the draws, but unless Smith is your 2LC Zibanejad has to take 3-4 times as many draws as he did this year.

We can't have a 2LC winning 46% (and that number would likely go down given he'd be going up against better competition as the #2 guy). You're talking about 1-2 additional lost face offs per game!

One solution of course is put Smith on that second line as a winger and have him take the bulk of the draws. But what does that do to the offensive output of the second line?

Zibby better be spending some extra time practicing and perfecting his face off technique.

LeKing wrote:WHere's Peter Mueller these days? That's the perfect player for Ottawa.

I think Switzerland.

Michallica wrote:A glimpse of spezza's last moments at his last home game.....?



lol some fans are hilarious.  'we love you jason!' 'sign my sweater andy!'

oh dear... that's convincing.... urghhh...

NEELY wrote:

Hoags wrote:

NEELY wrote:And they are probably letting Spezza, Michalek, and Hemsky go along with at least another 2 mil on the back end.  Would you not call that a very similar situation?

It is all the same.  Money out, money in, total $ spent on salary not much different from previous year.

Hopefully the team will be better.

Well that's exactly my point right now.  I don't agree with a lot of what Melnyk says but in terms of spending right now he's right, throwing money out the window for guys who are just available and don't really have a fit in Ottawa is stupid.  They will be spending money on a UFA and they probably have a target (I know one is Stastny) and if the deal they make for Spezza involves wingers and D then they have money to use to get the center they need.

Wouldn't it be something if the Sens could walk away with a guy like Boedker, Samulsson, and a 1st?  Something along those lines?  Trade for Stewart.  Go out sign Stastny.  Salary would end up being around 56-57 mil, right where the Sens and Melnyk wanted to be.  Team is also way better than it was in game 82 as well.

IF he would have spent on Alfie last season.. still traded for Ryan and signed McArthur... that would have been two very good top lines for the entire season at about 5.5-6M more in salary... Which would have been offset by playoff revenue.

Alfie-Spezza-Michalek
Ryan-Turris-McArthur

So you think those top 6 could have helped the Sens to 3 more wins... They missed the playoffs by 5 bloody points after a terrible season.. I get the defense was bad... but that top 6 would have offset that bad defense with more goals..

I would most likely be going to playoff games... Now I'm just watching it on TV.