DAY #15: Sens @ Predators - 8:00pm - Tuesday Nov. 10 2015

LeCaptain wrote:Just looked at the stats. 5th best offense in the league, 3rd worst defense.
Please tell me Murray is working the phones.

My sources say he's going "All in."

wprager wrote:So Anderson has two great games in a row (Montreal and Winnipeg) and, without a back-to-back game in sight, Cameron goes with Hammond.  I don't think anyone understood that move at the time.  Shades of MacLean with Lehner?  Doubt it had much to do with Anderson's performance tonight, but it's still a strange move to make.

Two wins, then two losses.  Two chances to run a 3 game winning streak with a loss each time.  This team is eerily similar to MacLean's team last year.

Why are you even talking about goaltending when it hasn't been a problem? Hammond stole a point for us in Carolina and Anderson's been very good with the exception of last night. Your fixation on the goalies sometimes is so far off it's just silly. The problem is our team defence, and that's that.

LeCaptain wrote:Just looked at the stats. 5th best offense in the league, 3rd worst defense.
Please tell me Murray is working the phones.

Yeah, it's time to get going. We're a strong offensive team with 2 legitimate D-men and 1 up and comer in Ceci. We have a good number 6, but this team is missing a number 3 man in a huge way.

Problem is...they're hard to get.

Ev wrote:

wprager wrote:

Ev wrote:

LeCaptain wrote:Yeah no need for a 1st round pick right now with Chabot and White, Paul etc. I'd trade it any day because I believe in our prospects.
Cowen was good until he was paired with Boro.
Wiercioch and Boro are not NHL D-men.

I think Boro is and he's just a sophomore, but he's obviously just an average to below average one and he's getting paid like it

Boro is what he is. Cameron is trying to use him as if he was something else.

Play him on the third pairing, on his left side, against teams that are bigger and slower.  Sit him against smaller, faster teams.  *DO NOT* make him play his wrong side.  *DO NOT* pay him with another non-puck-moving defenseman.

It's not all on Weircioch, either.  He wasn't great last night, true, but is he really playing any differently than he did last year or is it Ceci who has regressed a bit?  Perhaps a little from both.  Maybe they need to play a little less?  Maybe it's time to split up Karlsson and Methot and play 65-46 and 5-3 as the 1A/1B pairings, then 43-75 or 45-2 at the bottom.  

Short-term, though, Weircioch needs to come out after last night.  Move Cowen up to play with Ceci and Wideman-Borowiecki in the bottom pairing.

Cowen played with Ceci yesterday, Boro played with Wiercioch.

He should have played with Karlsson, if that's the only way Cameron will play him on his correct side.

tim1_2 wrote:

wprager wrote:So Anderson has two great games in a row (Montreal and Winnipeg) and, without a back-to-back game in sight, Cameron goes with Hammond.  I don't think anyone understood that move at the time.  Shades of MacLean with Lehner?  Doubt it had much to do with Anderson's performance tonight, but it's still a strange move to make.

Two wins, then two losses.  Two chances to run a 3 game winning streak with a loss each time.  This team is eerily similar to MacLean's team last year.

Why are you even talking about goaltending when it hasn't been a problem?  Hammond stole a point for us in Carolina and Anderson's been very good with the exception of last night. Your fixation on the goalies sometimes is so far off it's just silly. The problem is our team defence, and that's that.

I'm saying coaching is fast becoming a problem. So Cowen played with Ceci last night. Weircioch played with Boro and both were -3. Boro has a small excuse, playing on his off-side while we had the AHL defenseman of the year, and a RHS, playing with himself in the press box.

SpezDispensed wrote:

LeCaptain wrote:Just looked at the stats. 5th best offense in the league, 3rd worst defense.
Please tell me Murray is working the phones.

Yeah, it's time to get going.  We're a strong offensive team with 2 legitimate D-men and 1 up and comer in Ceci.  We have a good number 6, but this team is missing a number 3 man in a huge way.

Problem is...they're hard to get.

Calgary has 4 guys who play over 23 mins a game, and that doesn't include Dougie Hamilton who can probably play top 4. They would probably take our 1st round pick.

Ev wrote:

asq2 wrote:Yeah Russell was a great pick-up for my fantasy team. At the same time you kind of wonder how long a player that size could keep up sacrificing his body like that.

Who would you offer for Russell? I wouldn't touch our top-line, and I'm reticent to move Zibanejad or Lazar (less so Lazar). I doubt Wiercioch + Puempel/Prince + a pick gets it done though -- isn't he an alternate captain for Calgary? I think they're more likely to try to move Wideman. I guess you could package Lazar and hope that Colin White can step in soon (and Nick Paul I suppose).

I'd rather trade zibanejad over lazar. But I wouldn't want to trade either at this point. I think you just package your 1st round pick and Wiercioch to grab a d.

See I completely disagree. I'd rather stick with Zib. Lazar is looking like the player ID move if I'd have to choose between both. I'd rather eep him but if it can net us a top 4 D to play with Ceci that is very decent then yes. And I don't mean Russell. As it's been stated its a lot of abuse for one player to take.
But this is pointless. Murray is never trading lazar.

That said I think giving up less for a guy like streit as philly is trying to shed a Dman. It's a stop gap for a couple of years until another damn is ready to take his spot. But I'm sure he'd do a good job on the second pairing and wouldn't cost us an harm and a leg. Problem is, they wouldn't want a Dman back and we'd be overcrowded.

LeCaptain wrote:

SpezDispensed wrote:

LeCaptain wrote:Just looked at the stats. 5th best offense in the league, 3rd worst defense.
Please tell me Murray is working the phones.

Yeah, it's time to get going.  We're a strong offensive team with 2 legitimate D-men and 1 up and comer in Ceci.  We have a good number 6, but this team is missing a number 3 man in a huge way.

Problem is...they're hard to get.

Calgary has 4 guys who play over 23 mins a game, and that doesn't include Dougie Hamilton who can probably play top 4. They would probably take our 1st round pick.

There's no need to part ways with a 1st.

Flo The Action wrote:

LeCaptain wrote:

SpezDispensed wrote:

LeCaptain wrote:Just looked at the stats. 5th best offense in the league, 3rd worst defense.
Please tell me Murray is working the phones.

Yeah, it's time to get going.  We're a strong offensive team with 2 legitimate D-men and 1 up and comer in Ceci.  We have a good number 6, but this team is missing a number 3 man in a huge way.

Problem is...they're hard to get.

Calgary has 4 guys who play over 23 mins a game, and that doesn't include Dougie Hamilton who can probably play top 4. They would probably take our 1st round pick.

There's no need to part ways with a 1st.

Of course there is a need unless you have another solution.

Who would we be parting with a first for?

SpezDispensed wrote:Who would we be parting with a first for?

What about the former NHL D-men we have in Bingo -- Kostka (RHS) and Fraser (LHS).

Biggest thing that stands in the way of a trade is the current roster. We have 7 D (plus Chris "I'm not dead yet; I'm feeling better; I think I'll go for a walk" Phillips) with a few more pushing for a spot. It's one thing to say we can upgrade Cowen or Weircioch, but who would take either one? With Cowen, his contract would make him hard to move to a team that's looking to shed cap space. Weircioch is not really that far behind. Any many-for-one deal we've been contemplating is not going to include either of them. So that leaves Borowiecki and Wideman.

Wideman+Borowiecki plus forward prospect (Prince or Puempel) for Scandella. Bring up Kostka as the RHS on the third pairing. Throw in a pick if that's not enough.

Karlsson-Methot
Ceci-Scandella
Kostka-Cowen/Weircioch

Cap-wise this clears $2.6M for Minny and reduces the roster log jams by 1 up front and on the back-end for the Sens.

It certainly wouldn't hurt to try both Kostka and Fraser at this point. I don't think either one is a long-term solution, but what is there to lose? Our defence can't really get much worse.

Cameron has Weircioch back with Ceci at practice. Wideman still out. After pairing up Cowen with Ceci in the game they did pretty well, while Weircioch/Boro were -3 each. How more obvious can this be? This is like MacLean all over again -- ignoring the obvious and stubbornly going with what has not worked in over a dozen games.

wprager wrote:

SpezDispensed wrote:Who would we be parting with a first for?

What about the former NHL D-men we have in Bingo -- Kostka (RHS) and Fraser (LHS).  

Biggest thing that stands in the way of a trade is the current roster.  We have 7 D (plus Chris "I'm not dead yet; I'm feeling better; I think I'll go for a walk" Phillips) with a few more pushing for a spot.  It's one thing to say we can upgrade Cowen or Weircioch, but who would take either one?  With Cowen, his contract would make him hard to move to a team that's looking to shed cap space.  Weircioch is not really that far behind.  Any many-for-one deal we've been contemplating is not going to include either of them.  So that leaves Borowiecki and Wideman.  

Wideman+Borowiecki plus forward prospect (Prince or Puempel) for Scandella.  Bring up Kostka as the RHS on the third pairing.  Throw in a pick if that's not enough.

Karlsson-Methot
Ceci-Scandella
Kostka-Cowen/Weircioch

Cap-wise this clears $2.6M for Minny and reduces the roster log jams by 1 up front and on the back-end for the Sens.  

Come on. Neither of those guys could be a top 4 and that's our need.

tim1_2 wrote:It certainly wouldn't hurt to try both Kostka and Fraser at this point.  I don't think either one is a long-term solution, but what is there to lose?  Our defence can't really get much worse.

Kostka sure, Fraser is an absolute no way.

Kostka was a guy that caught my eye in the first place in pre-season, but I doubt he's an upgrade to Wiercioch.

I feel legitimately bad for Wier. Obviously he's making a lot of money, obviously he'll probably get another contract, but you can see his long term career in jeopardy here. There's all the room in the world for a puck moving defenceman, but there's very little room for a relatively slow, weak puck mover like he is. I don't know what's gonna happen with him...

Cowen's a bit different in that he's played well for the majority, but what an expensive price for a number 5 D-man. He'd being paid 4.5 million next year and he's by and large a bottom pairing D-man. When/if Murray steps down, I would imagine that would be one of the first moves the incoming GM makes.

wprager wrote:

SpezDispensed wrote:Who would we be parting with a first for?

What about the former NHL D-men we have in Bingo -- Kostka (RHS) and Fraser (LHS).  

Biggest thing that stands in the way of a trade is the current roster.  We have 7 D (plus Chris "I'm not dead yet; I'm feeling better; I think I'll go for a walk" Phillips) with a few more pushing for a spot.  It's one thing to say we can upgrade Cowen or Weircioch, but who would take either one?  With Cowen, his contract would make him hard to move to a team that's looking to shed cap space.  Weircioch is not really that far behind.  Any many-for-one deal we've been contemplating is not going to include either of them.  So that leaves Borowiecki and Wideman.  

Wideman+Borowiecki plus forward prospect (Prince or Puempel) for Scandella.  Bring up Kostka as the RHS on the third pairing.  Throw in a pick if that's not enough.

Karlsson-Methot
Ceci-Scandella
Kostka-Cowen/Weircioch

Cap-wise this clears $2.6M for Minny and reduces the roster log jams by 1 up front and on the back-end for the Sens.  

Nah to all this.

Wiercioch can be moved easily.  I'm sure there's a few teams that would take him.

Cowen is a CAP HIT of 3.1 million (real money 4.5), so a contender might look at him if we eat an expiring contract.  

I doubt they move Cowen*, it's Wiercioch that's just sucking the life out of the lineup right now as a 'top 4' and frankly he's killing Ceci.

Boro is the perfect number 6 guy and Methot/Karlsson are obviously good to go.

It's the Wiercioch position that has to change, it's just not good enough.

*unless Murray steps down, then it's game on.

Mendes is saying Karlsson is probably not 100%

Blow it up?