-The Sens rookies rolled Pittsburgh’s 4-1 in the first game of the rookie tournament (prior to the game I took a look at all the lineups here). Ottawa spent a lot of time shorthanded, but dominated the game nonetheless. None of the individual performances were outstanding, but Andre Petersson looked a step ahead in skill and Fredrik Claesson was solid on defence. Ludwig Karlsson was invisible, but he wasn’t alone in that category (the mystery that is Wacey Hamilton continues). Jakub Culek, Vincent Dunn, Mark Stone, Daniel New, Ben Harpur, and Andrew Hammond sat this game out.
–Travis Yost looks at the numbers and determines he’s not a big fan of re-signing Colin Greening (or at least, not at a big price). I’ve always seen Greening as a useful player who can move up and down the lineup, but ultimately doesn’t belong in the top-six; Yost’s numbers underscore that feeling. I’d like to keep Greening, but as with any player it depends on the cost.
-There’s a lot of discussion about the Jared Cowen negotiations, but whether he misses camp or not isn’t relevant to me. Until he starts missing regular season games it’s all just posturing.
–Jared Crozier previews the Sens and predicts they will finish second in their division, saying:
The addition of Bobby Ryan and the return of Karlsson, Spezza and Michalek could add a full goal per game or more to the lineup. Combine that with the defensive track record and the solid goaltending duo of Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner, and the Senators should continue to surprise.
I think I’d frame this opinion by saying the Sens will be at their best if all those players are healthy and have good seasons. To my mind, the likelihood of Spezza and Michalek enjoying healthy seasons is suspect, which should impact predictions.
-Sens prospect Tim Boyle has left Union College to join the South Shore Kings of the EJHL. No specific reasons were given for the change, but likely playing time and going to another college (which requires a year away from the NCAA) is why.
-I updated my article on free agent success stories out of Europe. It features a much smaller group than the NCAA, but arguably the best of this lot are more impactful than those from college.
This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)
eyeonthesens 