Ottawa Senators (present and past) TIDBITS & QUICK HITS!

I still like the idea of giving Phillips the "C" but at some point you gotta roll with Karlsson and his team... now is as good as any time.  Karlsson will also get a lot of rope being a 23, 24 year old captain.

Maybe we'll see "co-Captains" or something... not sure... not a fan of that though.

I'm fine with BigRig getting it for the coming season, then pass it on to Kid K.

Hate co-captains.  One guy leads your team, simple as that.  From day 1 I have always thought Karlsson did have a lot of leadership qualities and the biggest one being confidence.  Some people think he's cocky, I don't.  If you have a guy that believes he is the best player on the ice and believes in the guys around him, no matter how that guy plays the game everyone will be better for it. 

Karlsson is a born leader but people will poke holes in his game and say "well captains don't do this" or w/e else.  He's young and he will grow into that role for years... IMO best player in the history of the Sens and he should be treated as such.  He will be a complete player at some point and he's well on his way there now.

NEELY wrote:Hate co-captains.  One guy leads your team, simple as that.  From day 1 I have always thought Karlsson did have a lot of leadership qualities and the biggest one being confidence.  Some people think he's cocky, I don't.  If you have a guy that believes he is the best player on the ice and believes in the guys around him, no matter how that guy plays the game everyone will be better for it. 

Karlsson is a born leader but people will poke holes in his game and say "well captains don't do this" or w/e else.  He's young and he will grow into that role for years... IMO best player in the history of the Sens and he should be treated as such.  He will be a complete player at some point and he's well on his way there now.

Like they did to Staspadzza.

I've never seen Karlsson dog-it.  He makes mistakes which is fine, he always tries to make up for them and 99% of the time he's moving his feet and putting in the effort needed.  Karlsson also doesn't start yapping just for the sake of yapping and saying "I'm the leader of this team" or hell, don't think Karlsson would lay blame on another player for his own mistake through the media either. 

Only thing Spezza and Karlsson have in common is they are both offensive guys, comparisons stop there.

Ryan, Turris, Karlsson, all good options. Don't care who gets it really, as long as they are here for a while.

Ev wrote:Ryan, Turris, Karlsson, all good options. Don't care who gets it really, as long as they are here for a while.

Love Ryan, love Turris, both legit 1st liners IMO... one guy is going to carry the team though and has for 3 or 4 years now.

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:Ryan, Turris, Karlsson, all good options. Don't care who gets it really, as long as they are here for a while.

Love Ryan, love Turris, both legit 1st liners IMO... one guy is going to carry the team though and has for 3 or 4 years now.

Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty carry the Kings more than Dustin Brown, doesn't matter.

I don't think Karlsson is ready to be the Captain personally. Phillips should get it and hand it off.

Meh, all depends.  I am of the opinion Phillips should get it as well but I have no idea how ready Karlsson is or isn't to carry that load.  Not gonna argue the merits of a team decision like that one based on very little first hand knowledge.

I'm not sure about Karlsson getting it, but no one can argue that Spezza did one of the worst jobs imaginable at captaining this team. When a team is in complete disconnect from what the coaches are trying to do, it reflects terribly on the captain and the assitants.

For that reason I'm not sure Phillips or Neil are the guys. Can Karlsson take what MacLean is saying in private meetings and relay that message to the team? Only MacLean knows - and this time it's his choice.

Karlsson needs to mature a bit. Stop the yapping at refs, stuff like that, but if MacLean thinks he's captain material, then there's never a better time.

I would choose Turris, but that's just me. Karlsson might need it for his ego, the same way Spezza needed it.

All players would love to be captain and yah, a lot of it is ego.  It's what they do when they get it and IMO Karlsson would take the next step.  Like I said, the way I hear him talk, present himself, and play the game, he's a born leader even if there is some immaturity there.  Rather have an immature, Norris Trophy winning, Olympic best D man, 24 year old than an immature, 31 year old, overrated, selfish player like Spezza.

Getting the "C" will ensure Karlsson matures in a big way right off the hop.  He also will always have Alfie to lean on. This was Karlsson's team the moment he won that Norris Trophy.

I mean...it couldn't get worse than Spezza not giving a crap about any system. That was the craziest Dung I've ever seen. System? What system? I just wanna score goals!

SpezDispenser wrote:I mean...it couldn't get worse than Spezza not giving a crap about any system.  That was the craziest Dung I've ever seen.  System?  What system?  I just wanna score goals!

ok this is kind of ridiculous lol. It's good that he's leaving but let's not just go all hyperbolic.

Honestly sick of talking about Spezza in any way other than what he will bring back in a trade.  Crappy captain and career underachiever.

As for Karlsson, he works hard, he's as skilled as anyone in the world, he talks with maturity and confidence in the media, and he carries himself in a very professional way.  Yah, off the ice he will have to smarten up a bit but that will come with time and on the ice he has smartened up and stopped the diving for the most part.  He has drive, he has determination, and he has a will to always get better and that should be obvious to most.  He's meant to be an NHL captain and leader and if it comes soon then so be it.