–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch suggests Kyle Turris won’t be coming to Ottawa any time soon (link), quoting an anonymous executive who said “Maybe before the trade deadline, but he’s going to have to play some games and contribute so teams are able to find out where he’s at.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren writes about the Sens working on their powerplay (link), where the universal sentiment is that they need to shoot more

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Wayne Scanlan looks at individual winners and losers at the league’s quarter pole (link), picking Milan Michalek as one of the winners, “Maybe the revelation here is not Michalek’s goal totals, just one shy of being halfway to his career best, but the fact he has stayed healthy enough to realize his potential. The quiet winger, acquired in the Dany Heatley deal, was slowed by two knee procedures during his first two Ottawa seasons, but is flying this fall. With their go-young roster, the Senators needed a veteran to snipe consistently, and Michalek has done that.”

–Hockey Futures‘ John Henkelman takes a look at Ottawa’s CHL prospects (link).  The article worth reading in its entirety, but here’s what he says about lesser known prospect Jordan Fransoo, “A defenseman with size who does a little bit of everything. Along with teammate Stone, the 6’2 Saskatchewan native suited up for the WHL in the Subway Super Series and had an even plus/minus rating versus the Russian Selects. The Senators realize he’s a raw prospect who will develop slowly and fill out in order to become the feared physical defensive presence they envision. There is a lot to like about Fransoo, who plays a pivotal role in the Wheat Kings’ blue line as part of their shutdown pairing, including his work ethic, competitiveness and willingness to drop the gloves.   Quietly going about his business, he’s a great kid who will need to work on honing his skills over the remainder of his junior hockey career. He’ll need to build on his first NHL training camp experience and work on playing a solid game in his own zone while looking to contribute offensively. The long-term prospects for the Saskatchewan native are that of a mobile defensive defenseman.”

-Joy Lindsay Tweets Binghamton’s lines at practice (link): Hoffman-O’Brien-Petersson, Filatov-Grant-Parrish, Dziurzynski-Cannone-Bartlett, Cowick-Hamilton-Gratchev.  She also reports that Brian Stewart has been returned to Elmira

-Joy also Tweets that Nikita Filatov expects his conversation with Bryan Murray about his future to happen next week

November 24, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch writes about NHL discipline (link), but there’s nothing new here, just Garrioch’s hope that Shanahan will look at the Burrows incident (see below)

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Allen Panzeri writes about how Daniel Alfredsson is feeling after his back surgery (link), which isn’t new, but adds, “Through Monday, there was no indication that league disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan was going to review a dangerous hit by Maxim Lapierre, aided by Alexandre Burrows, on Ottawa centre Jesse Winchester during Sunday’s game in Vancouver. As Lapierre hit Winchester along the boards at the Vancouver bench, Burrows opened the bench door and Winchester fell through.” And “Another dangerous hit, by Canucks defenceman Andrew Alberts on Kaspars Daugavins, was also not reviewed. Alberts drove Daugavins head first into the boards and got two minutes for boarding.”

-TSN, ESPN, and THN’s power rankings are out (link and link and link) with Ottawa 23rd in all three

–The 6th Sens Nicholls goes to bat for Ottawa’s journalists over their treatment of Nikita Filatov (link), whose members are whining about fans complaining about their attitude towards Filatov.  Nicholls would be better served going into the specifics of why fans are unhappy about the reporting to make his point–what is being complained about?  Are the complaints fair?  Are the reporters fairly representing the situation?  He does cite Daniel Alfredsson‘s comments about Filatov, “As Daniel Alfredsson mentioned on yesterday’s Healthy Scratches, if the decision were up to him and he could play close to friends and family while earning a few million overseas as opposed to the $65K that he would earn in the AHL, he’d probably do the same thing.”

-Joy Lindsay Tweets the following Binghamton injuries (link): Armstrong – back (day-to-day), Conboy – knuckle (probable for Thursday), Godfrey – groin (day-to-day).

-Joy also says Mike McKenna will start on Thursday, but Robin Lehner should play on the weekend.  The lines today: Hoffman-O’Brien-Petersson, Filatov-Grant-Parrish, Dziurzynski-Cannone-Bartlett, Cowick-Hamilton-Gratchev

–In Lou We Trust‘s C. J. Richey takes a look at defining what a scoring chance is (link), saying “A scoring chance is defined as a shot directed toward the opposing net from a dangerous scoring area (shown below, it’s the area within the black line).  Missed shots count but blocked shots do not.”  For the most part I agree with this definition (although I think the scoring area is more fluid, depending on the situation).

November 22, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch writes about last night’s game (link), talking about the incident with Jesse Winchester and Alex Burrows along with the boarding of Kaspars Daugavins by Andrew Alberts.  He writes, “It appeared Burrows opened the door and Ottawa players weren’t pleased.”  I doubt there will be discipline on either play (Shanahan will likely say Daugavins turned just prior to the hit, while with Burrows there will remain the ambiguity of intent–Burrows has already said he was trying to latch the door, not open it).

-Garrioch looks at Ottawa’s blueline and changes that could be coming (link), writing “The Senators aren’t in a cash crunch since their payroll is nowhere close to the salary cap. Once defenceman Matt Carkner is ready to return from a knee injury, the club will have eight healthy blueliners,” therefore, “The Senators have the option of sending defenceman David Rundblad to Binghamton. He’s on a two-way contract, was a healthy scratch again in Vancouver and has had difficulties adjusting to the North American game.”  Garrioch doesn’t mention Rundblad‘s option of returning to Sweden rather than going to Binghamton (something I consider unlikely).  I could see Rundblad sent down temporarily, but I’m not sure even that will happen.  I believe what the Sens would like to do is move Brian Lee, but so far no one will trade for him.

–The Silver Seven‘s Mark Parisi looks at the week that was for Ottawa (link), with most players trending upward.  Stephane Da Costa and Nick Foligno are the only players going the wrong way).  I think Foligno‘s yoyo play is what he is, but I agree he’s been on the downward swing this week.  Da Costa (who, outside of faceoffs, wasn’t bad last night) is someone who would benefit from time in Binghamton, but the Sens don’t have enough forwards to send him down at the moment.  Where I think Parisi misses out is listing Erik Condra and Zack Smith as being average–I was impressed with both on the road trip.

-Joy Lindsay Tweets (link) that Derek Grant has recovered from his shoulder injury and is back at practice; Brian Stewart and Maxime Gratchev were recalled from Elmira.  Corey Locke, Francis Lessard, Tim Conboy, and Robin Lehner are out with various injuries

–Hockey Futures‘ has listed NHL organisational depth and slots Ottawa at #2 behind the Florida Panthers (link), writing “The Senators have top-end talent at every forward position, headlined by wingers Matt Puempel and Stefan Noesen, and center Mika Zibanejad. The organization possesses one of the best one-two punches on defense in physical stalwart Jared Cowen and puck-mover David Rundblad. There are also a deep group of players who can fill a variety of roles and provide depth at the NHL level including Stephane Da Costa, Jim O’Brien, and Bobby Butler.  Robin Lehner is a quality goaltending prospect but there is no one behind him. Many of their mid-tier prospects such as Butler and Colin Greening are set to graduate this season and leave a hole in the prospect pool. Top 5 Prospects: 1. David Rundblad, D, 2. Jared Cowen, D, 3. Mika Zibanejad, C, 4. Robin Lehner, G, 5. Jakob Silfverberg, C.”  I don’t agree that Ottawa will be left with a lack of mid-tier prospects, but the Sens do need to draft a goalie at some point.

–The Hockey News has an article from Ross MacLean (of ISS) about the impact of injury on draft-eligible prospects (link).  It’s worth reading in its entirety, but here’s part of it, “But an injury to a player in his draft year can be devastating to their career. The ideology here is that kids in the 17-year-old range are in their prime developmental years. This is not just a sport concern, but a personal and physiological concern. The ultimate and unfortunate truth to the matter is that if you are a prospect, and there is any sort of concern surrounding you, it will effect your draft stock.”

-Prospect updates (their position in team scoring is noted in brackets, defence compared to defence; I’ve also indicated if the player’s scoring position has change (with a + for up, – for down, and = for unchanged):
CHL
Mark Stone (Brandon, WHL) 24-21-29-50 (1st=)
Jean-Gabriel Pageau (Gatineau, QMJHL) 17-18-13-31 (1st=) (injured)
Matt Puempel (Peterborough, OHL) 23-15-11-26 (t-1st+)  
Shane Prince (Ottawa 67s, OHL) 17-9-16-25 (3rd=)
Stefan Noesen (Plymouth, OHL) 20-6-17-23 (4th-)
Jakub Culek (Rimouski, QMJHL) 22-5-11-16 (5th+)
Darren Kramer (Spokane, WHL) 17-9-6-15 (3rd-)
Jordan Fransoo (Brandon, WHL) 24-0-4-4 (6th=)
SEL
Jakob Silfverberg (Brynas) 19-7-7-14 (4th=) (injured)
Fredrik Claesson (Djurgarden) 22-1-3-4 (4th=)
Marcus Sorensen (Boras) 8-2-2-4 (10th+)
Mika Zibanejad (Djurgarden) 6-1-0-1 (19th=)
NCAA
Ryan Dzingel (CCHA-Ohio State) 13-5-8-13 (2nd+)
Bryce Aneloski (WCHA-Nebraska-Omaha) 14-1-8-9 (2nd-)
Chris Wideman (CCHA-Miami) 14-1-6-7 (1st+)
Michael Sdao (ECAC-Princeton) 9-4-1-5 (t-1st=)
Max McCormick (CCHA-Ohio State) 6-2-3-5 (10th)
Ben Blood (WCHA-North Dakota) 11-1-3-4 (2nd+)
Jeff Costello (CCHA-Notre Dame) 8-0-3-3 (12th+)
Brad Peltz (ECAC-Yale) 1-0-0-0 (=)

November 21, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch thinks tonight’s game against Vancouver will be a litmus test for the Sens (link).  He quotes Paul MacLean, “Against the other teams in the league that are closer to us, we’ve played pretty well. This is an opportunity for us to measure ourselves against the Stanley Cup finalists from last year and see where we are. The last time we played the Stanley Cup champions it didn’t go very (well), so this is going to be another test for us. I think we’re going to be ready for it because (the Canucks are) a good team.”  Garrioch goes on to note Ottawa’s 3-3-1 record against team’s above them in the standings, which to me answers his question. Ottawa is a .500 team that runs hot and cold.  How they perform against Vancouver isn’t going to change that perception.

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Allen Panzeri writes about much the same thing (link), saying “What Murray likes even more is that the Senators are starting to be more  consistent. The wild swings have been levelled out, and players are paying  greater attention to what they’re supposed to be doing.”  It’s not a direct quote so I won’t pick on Murray too much, but I’m not sure I see the difference between going 1-5, 6-0 and then 0-5, 3-0.  If that isn’t a continuation of “wild swings” I don’t know what is.

-Rob Brodie, writing for the Sens website, also looks at how the team is trending (link), but uses a better quote from Paul MacLean, “If we can find consistent play with our team and our work ethic continues to grow, and our attention to detail on how we want to play continues to grow, who knows where it’s going to go? We’re not predicting we’re going to be doing anything or playing anywhere. We’re just going to go out and take it game by game and when it’s all said and done, we’re going to be where we’re going to be.”

–The Ottawa Citizen‘s Ken Warren’s article isn’t worth reading (link), but is worth correcting: he says Andre Petersson had shoulder problems last year–it’s his back Ken, his back; he thinks Jakob Silfverberg leads Brynas in scoring (he does not).  In another article Warren can’t help but snipe at Nikita Filatov (comparing him to Mark Stone), but the meaningless comparison is not worth getting into.

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Jason York writes about Nikita Filatov (link), appropriately after the story has died.  I’ve listened to York’s opinion on Filatov evolve over the past week, but he still can’t quite understand the reasoning that’s so obvious to teammates (Daniel Alfredsson) and management (Bryan Murray).  The argument itself is nothing new, but I thought I’d look at the comparisons York has made to Filatov‘s situation (York doesn’t realise that an accurate comparison would be to another highly drafted Russian on a rebuilding team–there are none below):
–Ryan Getzlaf (borrowed from Garrioch’s story two days ago, my thoughts are here link)
–Bobby Ryan (2nd overall in 2005, he played 48 games in Portland before making the defending Stanley Cup champion lineup)
–Jason Spezza (2nd overall in 2001, excluding the lockout he played 43 games in Binghamton before permanently making the 2003 Ottawa lineup that came one game short of the Cup final)
–Zdeno Chara (3-56/96, played parts of two seasons (48 and 23 games) in the AHL)
–Shea Weber (2-49/03, played 46 games in Milwaukee before joined the 05-06 Predators)
–Martin St. Louis (Undrafted; in Calgary organisation 1997-2000)
–Tim Thomas (9-217/94, unsigned by Quebec/Colorado)
–Danny Briere (1-24/96, spent the bulk of the 97-98 and 99-00 in the AHL, along with half of 00-01)
There are all sorts of problems with these comparisons, but briefly: both Ryan and Spezza were trying to make Stanley Cup rosters filled with veterans (and they still only played half the year in the minors).  Chara was not a high draft pick so there were no expectations of him bursting into the lineup (and yet he never played a full season in the minors).  Weber beat the odds in Nashville by not spending a full year in the minors.  St. Louis wasn’t drafted and along with Briere played in an era when small players didn’t play–both were added to veteran laden teams and had no option other than waiting their turn.  Finally, Thomas was a goaltender with no pedigree at all.  To summate: none of them are Russian, only half are first round picks, and none of the high draft picks were on rebuilding teams.

–SenShot‘s Jared Crozier takes a look at the Sens after 20 games (link) where he illustrates how the Sens have cut down their goals against and improved their penalty killing while their powerplay declines.  He cites Kaspars Daugavins as his biggest surprise and Jason Spezza as his biggest disappointment–I don’t agree with either.  Spezza‘s play hasn’t changed; he’s just not seeing the same results.  Daugavins continues to improve, but the only surprise is how much trust he has from the coaches (presumably in part because assistant Dave Cameron had him in the OHL).

-Binghamton assigned Maxime Gratchev and Brian Stewart back to Elmira and both participated in Elmira’s 3-1 win over Kalamazoo (Stewart earned the win, while Caporusso had an assist and Downing a goal).

November 20, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

–The Ottawa Sun‘s Bruce Garrioch writes about last night’s game (link), where Paul MacLean praised his bottom-six group, “They’ve been very good on all three games on this road trip. Now, we’re getting some goals out of them and that takes an awful lot of weight off of Spezza’s line and (Daniel Alfredsson’s) line to score multiple goals. If we can continue to get that kind of contribution from our third and fourth lines it’s going to make us a way better team.”

-Garrioch picks up the Aaron Portzline story (link) that’s been buzzing around about Nikita Filatov (link). I don’t doubt that he was told the story, but I have two problems with the story: 1) why didn’t Portzline report it at the time (or at least when he was traded in the summer)?  2) I find it hard to believe that Filatov was dumb enough to say that (referring to himself in the third person and telling the coaches he wasn’t going to go for rebounds?).  If he lacked that much common sense this wouldn’t be the only story indicating it–he also would not be getting the kid-glove treatment from the Murray’s, MacLean, or Kleinendorst. In the same vein, Garrioch can’t help but quote Zenon Konopka who makes yet another irrelevant comparison (Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry (the former played 17 games and the latter 19 in 2005-06)).

-Yesterday Brian Stewart was recalled from Elmira; Louie Caporusso and Jack Downing were sent down

November 18, 2011
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments