–Milan Michalek is having minor surgery to repair an abdominal injury suffered during training last month.

-I’m not the only one bemused by how eagerly GM’s were signing players under the old CBA, as Lyle Richardson notes the frenzy just prior to the lockout.

-In Elmira (ECHL) news the team has re-signed Artem Demkov (67-20-37-57).  If the lockout eats into the start of the season expect four or five players to be loaned from Binghamton to the Jackals (who now have 11 players signed).

-I have some early thoughts on EA Sports NHL 2013.  As a long time player of the game I spend most of my time playing in GM mode–I like the idea of building a team through the draft and the way EA has allowed for that has been tweaked over the years.  My thoughts thus far:
-the current version solves the problem of AI GM’s dumping of NHL all-stars in the minors due to cap restrictions (it was amusing to see Sidney Crosby play half his career in the AHL)
-the draft makes more sense in terms of how players are assessed, although the draft lottery is poorly stilted (so far 80% of the time the 30th place team has not had the first overall pick) and it’s exceedingly difficult to get broad, useful feedback from scouting; it’s also (thus far) been heavily slanted towards weak drafts (I’m at seven years in a row)
-free agency makes more sense; in previous versions the best players were almost always available as free agents due to unrealistic salary demands
-EA seems to have solved an issue they’ve had for a decade where the best way to score was always a cross-ice pass for a one-timer (if my memory serves this was virtually the only way to score in 2003)
-the declining level of goals scored is carried on faithfully in the game (realistic, but depressing)
-one glitch that continues from previous years is that prospects will disappear in the off-season (never a top prospect, but depth players will sometimes vanish)
-player development for prospects has been slowed considerably
-trading has been simplified in that what other teams’ want are highlighted and they actually follow those indications when trades are proposed (I was always amused when I tried to make a trade with the type of player a team wanted only to be turned down because they wanted that exact kind of player)
That’s all that springs to mind at the moment.  I’m definitely enjoying it.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

September 17, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-The lockout is here, but how long it lasts remains to be seen.  I still don’t envision the league missing many games, but that sadly hasn’t prevented it from having an impact on workers tied to the arena.

–Kevin Forbes believes the lockout provides a great opportunity for development leagues like the CHL.  It will make the quality of the hockey of junior, minor, and some European professional leagues step up for an abbreviated time, but it also means players who don’t belong in those leagues are taking minutes away from others who really need them.

-One of the most amusing aspects of the CBA negotiations is that while the NHL pumped out rhetoric about their financial woes and the need of a new deal, general managers were desperately trying to sign any and every player they could under the old CBA.  Unlike the missed 2004-05 season, where ownership cut back on the number of players signed (Boston had to sign an entire team post-lockout), there’s no sense of the status quo effecting GM’s or organisations.

–Nichols writes a critique of an ESPN article, but I’m less interested in that than the stats behind the article he’s critiquing.  Matthew Coller used the VUKOTA system of projection in the NHL (the VUKOTA Projection System uses statistical data to project what an  NHL player would do in their next season by comparing them to similar,  post-1967 NHL players (1967 being the year that the NHL first officially  recorded statistics to calculate GVT [goals-versus-threshold] data).   This kind of projection can’t hope to succeed because it uses data over different eras (it’s also exceedingly vague).  I caution hockey fans to be very careful when using projection metrics until they look into them–context is everything.

–Bruce Dowbiggin offers the interesting theory that the NHL must come to terms with the NHLPA no later than November 22nd in order to meet their commitments to HBO’s Winter Classic (which also ties in with the league’s deal with NBC).  I’m not sure how much stock to put into the theory, but I encourage you to check out the full article.

-If the lockout extends into the NHL season I will still be posting regularly about Binghamton and Sens prospects in Elmira, the CHL, and Europe.  There will be much food for thought no matter what happens.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

September 16, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

-The quiet that is the NHL right now can mercifully be interrupted by latest EA Sports NHL offering.

–Peter Raaymakers wonders who will lead the Binghamton Senators in scoring this year, suggesting it could be any one of Stephane Da Costa, Mike Hoffman, Andre Petersson, Shane Prince, Jakob Silfverberg, Mark Stone, or Mika Zibanejad.  Every one of those suggestions is sensible except for Prince, who will likely be back with the Ottawa 67s.  Dave Young wrote the follow-up piece on the defense and suggested Mark Borowiecki, Patrick Wiercioch, and Andre Benoit as the leaders (his list includes the assumption that Jared Cowen will lead them); the idea here does not seem to be about numbers (as Raaymakers is).  Benoit will lead the Binghamton blueline in points if he stays healthy.  My own projections are forthcoming.

–John Henkelman gives us his updated top-20 Sens prospects (with some comments of my own included):
1. Mika Zibanejad – the blurb suggests he needs to work on his faceoffs, which is an odd task for a winger
2. Jakob Silfverberg – assumes he will play in the top-six in the NHL this season, which is a reasonable assumption, but must be taken with a grain of salt
3. Robin Lehner
4. Stefan Noesen
5. Cody Ceci
6. Mark Stone – I agree with Henkelman that he likely tops out as a top-nine forward who can play on the powerplay
7. Mark Borowiecki
8. Andre Petersson
9. Patrick Wiercioch
10. Matt Puempel
11. Jim O’Brien – I’m not fond of the HF formula that includes a player like this as a “prospect”
12. Shane Prince – sensibly suggests that he’ll likely be returned to the junior ranks
13. Mike Hoffman
14. Stephane Da Costa – points out that the expectations were too high for him
15. Derek Grant
16. Eric Gryba
17. Jean-Gabriel Pageau
18. Fredrik Claesson
19. Ben Blood
20. Chris Driedger
Prospects of interest that didn’t make the cut: David Dziurzynski, Cole Schneider, Jarrod Maidens, and Michael Sdao.
When I first discovered Hockey’s Future years ago it was like mana from heaven–complete lists of prospects with analysis and grades for all of them.  These days, when I read actual scouting reports and paying attention to organisational comments, the shine isn’t quite the same, but it continues to be a useful resource.

–Chris Phillips is suing his former agent (the same being sued by Dany Heatley)

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

September 13, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

-There has been a dearth of Sens news of late–even the blogosphere is quiet.  What’s on everyone’s mind is the CBA and Bob McKenzie has weighed in with his thoughts in a brilliant (albeit long) column.  I can only add what I said months ago–the doom and gloom rhetoric existed in the NBA and NFL stalemates and their seasons happened anyway (a condensed one in the NBA’s case); I don’t see the NHL losing significant time over the negotiations.

-In CBA news, Swedish courts appear to be opening the door to NHL players playing in Sweden (in contrast to what the leagues themselves declared not long ago).

-Here are my profiles of Daniel Alfredsson, Craig Anderson, and the organisation’s fifth goaltender Marc Cheverie.

-Elmira has signed two more players: former Calgary Flames pick Kevin Harvey (LW, 9-270/03), who split his team between Toledo and Elmira last season (34-3-8-11), putting up 139 PIMs; and undrafted CIS grad Jean Bourbeau (RW) who spent last season with Elmira (49-10-16-26).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

September 11, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Marc Cheverie, G, Contract: AHL, 7-193/06 Mike Keenan
6’2, Catches L, 1987, Cole Harbour, NS
2009-10 NCAA Denver 24-6-3 2.08 .932
2010-11 ECHL Cincinnati 13-9-5 3.11 .896
2010-11 AHL Rochester 2-7-1 3.91 .888
2011-12 ECHL Gwinnett 10-4-8 2.71 .910
2011-12 AHL Portland 4-3-0 3.29 .893

Drafted by Mike Keenan the year after the lockout, Cheverie was a teammate of Patrick Wiercioch‘s for two seasons at the University of Denver.  Cheverie left college early to sign with Florida, but his rookie season was a disaster and he spent most of his time toiling in the ECHL.  He was traded to the Phoenix this past season and spent limited time in Portland (Phoenix’s affiliate), playing behind Jeff Jakaitis in Gwinnett (ECHL).  The Coyotes let him walk at season’s end.  An excellent collegiate player, Cheverie is not yet an established ECHL starter.

There’s no chance that Cheverie will challenge either Robin Lehner or Nathan Lawson for playing time in Binghamton; he lacks the pedigree of former fifth goaltenders like Barry Brust (10-11) and Chris Holt (09-10).

September 7, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

–Bryan Murray spoke briefly about the contracts for Kyle Turris and Zack Smith:

These are young men that, under current rules, (would have) become free agents in the not too distant future. We’re trying to draft well, or trade for good young players and trying to keep them. It’s hard to keep them for a long time if you don’t make the commitment.

So as I mentioned previously the extra cash is to buy them out of years of free agency.

-Ottawa has finally signed their fifth goalie in the form of Marc Cheverie, a former 7th round pick (7-193/06) of the Florida Panthers.  He spent three years in the NCAA at the University of Denver before turning pro and most of his time has been in the ECHL (52 games versus 24 in the AHL).  He’ll start for Elmira.  He’s likely on an AHL two-way deal.

-A reader asks Adam Proteau why the Sens bought out Bobby Butler and his answer is 100% accurate:

Sens GM Bryan Murray clearly wanted the cap room created by Butler’s buyout and you can see why: although the salary payout to the player is $200,000 both this and next season, the cap hit (as per the invaluable capgeek.com site) is actually only $50,000 this season and $200,000 next year. In this day and age, that’s a negligible amount of money to spend on opening up a roster spot. Why not trade him for a low pick? First, you have to assume there’s a market for the player. And if other GMs were aware Murray was shopping Butler aggressively (as you’d have to imagine he did), they likely realized they might be able to acquire Butler without giving up any assets whatsoever. You can never assume that, just because something didn’t happen – in this case, a trade – nobody attempted to make it happen.

-There have been several stories of late discussing how players on ELC’s would report to Binghamton if the NHL season doesn’t start on time.  I have no idea why these are stories–the players have to report somewhere and the team who owns their rights wants them in the AHL.  The one piece of information floating around in the context of these articles that’s of interest is that Mika Zibanejad is envisioned as playing left wing as a pro.

-On the random side of things, in the midst of a straightforward article Nichols decides that Andre Petersson‘s future in Binghamton would somehow be jeopardized by the flood of players (Jared Cowen and Jakob Silfverberg) who would play there instead of Ottawa.  This is based on…well, it’s just speculation, but even that comes from nowhere.  Petersson, who is coming off an excellent rookie season, might have to play behind Silfverberg if he plays on the right side, but otherwise there’s no discernible impact.

–James offers this chestnut:

Sure there are a couple of big strapping dudes like Ben Blood kicking around but speaking frankly, he was drafted in 2007 and Blood probably would have made the team by now if he was going to

James hasn’t made the connection that Blood just graduated from college–this upcoming season is his rookie year, rather like Colin Greening in 10-11, so no one knows if he has NHL potential or not.  Varada, in the same article, thinks players like Zack Smith are readably available and so he doesn’t like the term of the contract.  I don’t think that’s the case–physical players who can do other things are not common (if they were no one would offer Matt Carkner and his two bad knees 3 years/1.5).

–ESPN Magazine has picked the Toronto Maple Leafs as the worst team in all the North American pro leagues.  This isn’t an all-time ranking (the Chicago Cubs presumably win that title easily) and frankly doesn’t mean much of anything, but it does give hockey fans something to talk about.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

September 7, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment