–Mark Borowiecki was named the hardest working player at the Sens development camp for the second year in a row.

-The three-on-three finale at the Sens development camp ended with victory for team orange, consisting of Mika Zibanejad, Shane Prince, Corey Cowick, Jordan Fransoo, and Darren Kramer.

-Here are my reactions to Ottawa’s moves yesterday beginning with part one, part two, and a recap.  In terms of moves by other teams rather than truly crazy money what stood out was the term given to players (Jason Garrison for six years?  Sheldon Souray for three?), but on the other hand there were smart acquisitions (Jordan Tootoo was one of a few good signings by Detroit).  The crazy money awaits the Parise decision.

–The Hockey News liked the Sens free agent acquisitions.  They assess Guillaume Latendresse “It was only a few years ago Guillaume Latendresse was an up-and-coming left winger who scored at least 25 goals in two straight seasons. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, health woes – including a concussion that knocked him out of Minnesota’s final 50 games in 2011-12 – limited him to 27 games the past two years and drove down his free agent asking price. So it was no real surprise to see Latendresse sign a one-year, $1.25-million contract – a more than 50 percent drop in salary – with Ottawa. He’s a smart gamble at that price and could give them the scoring depth they’re looking for if he can stay in the lineup.”  And for Mike Lundin, “Expected to lose the services of UFA veteran Filip Kuba, the Senators made a smart, affordable blueline pickup when they signed Mike Lundin to a one-year, $1.15 million contract. The 27-year-old defenseman played just 17 games for Minnesota (after spending the previous four in Tampa Bay) and had sports hernia surgery in March, but he’s a steady-if-unspectacular performer who should fit in well and help Ottawa’s penalty kill.”

–Mark Parisi weighs in on the Sens moves yesterday, concluding “while the moves may be unpalatable by themselves, what he [Bryan Murray] has done is add players who will help the team transition through the season at a very reasonable cap hit without an appreciable loss of talent with the expectation that the true talent–drafted last year and developed internally–will be ready to step into those roles full-time in the following season. The only player not on a transitory deal, Marc Methot, is highly regarded as a strong defensive defenseman, and addresses a major need in the team’s defensive corps–most of the team’s best defensemen are better known for their offensive talents. Ottawa’s play in its own zone was a liability in 2011-12. Methot will change that.” And “It’s disappointing to think about the players the Senators lost yesterday–they were some fan favorites. It’s equally disappointing to realize the Senators did not get much better yesterday, until you recognize they did not get worse either. Sure, it would have been fun to see Murray go all-in in pursuit of a Stanley Cup, but is it ever practical to abandon a plan the second it starts to show success? Pluck the leaves from a young plant before it has time to take root and it dies.”  I agree that overall the Sens haven’t changed all that much and that improvement will have to come internally.

–Jeremy Milks is unhappy with the moves writing “they got worse. Not terminably worse, but they lost a lot of character and toughness and only brought in one player – Methot – to balance out their losses in that area.”  Milks was most hurt by the loss of Carkner, not quite echoing the faction of the fanbase that felt Carkner and Konopka‘s threatening glower from the pressbox intimidated their opponents (for those wondering the record with Carkner in the lineup was 14-12-3 (27-19-7 without), minus Konopka 15-13-2 (26-18-8 with)).  It’s not entirely clear what it is Milks thinks is lost via Carkner other than “it doesn’t feel right” and “intangibles“.  The fact that those intangibles didn’t get the Sens into the playoffs last year, or land any of Konopka‘s previous teams in the post-season, or how neither player moved the Sens to the next round doesn’t factor into things.  Milks is happier with the acquisition of Methot who he see’s as a 4-5 defenseman.  He was unsurprised by the departure of Foligno, “if you’d been watching, you could have seen something like this coming a mile away. Foligno never truly found a role on the Senators and despite having good stats this past season, he was still shuffled around from line to line, often ending up on the fourth unit and being a spare part. It just never happened for Foligno and it wasn’t surprising to see him part of a package to strengthen their weakened back end.”  His comments about Lundin and Latendresse are echoed elsewhere (low risk sums it up).

–Varada takes a look at yesterday’s moves and like most of the other bloggers was not shocked when Foligno was traded.  He see’s the trade going either way, “Methot played a career high average of about 17 minutes a night last season, having previously hovered around 16. His CORSI is all over the damn place – Relative CORSI is a terrible -16.3, but QOC was positive (even if it was only 0.920). So he was one of the worst players on a very poor team, basically. He’s also already 27, so he probably doesn’t have much room to grow. There are plenty of questions about how he was used by coach Scott Arniel, so I’ll reserve judgement. But to me, this move seems about what Murray can afford. If the Senators need to be a team close to the cap floor, then maybe he couldn’t afford a new deal for Foligno and the defenseman he needed. Still, I hate to see Foligno go this way. It’s like trading a likeable guy with some upside just as he’s entering his prime for new carpeting in the dressing room.”  I think Varada, like most of the bloggers (including me), doesn’t know what to expect from Methot because we haven’t seen him play much.  The only certainty is that he won’t put up points, but he’ll have better footspeed than Carkner and he’ll have more emotion than Matt Gilroy/Brian Lee.  In that sense, it’s a positive move, but he isn’t meant to replace Kuba.  That missing production will have to come internally.

-The only element that neither I nor any of the bloggers above specifically mentioned was Ottawa’s abysmal penalty kill.  Both Lundin and Methot are considered good players on the PK and that should help improve Ottawa’s special teams play.

July 2, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 4 Comments

-Reactions to the Sens’ moves have been filtering in from the disappointed (Crozier), mixed (Jeremy Milks and the The 6th Sens), yet to be determined (The Silver Seven), and contented (Stefan G:son).  Gone from the roster are Nick Foligno (T- Clb), Filip Kuba (FA – Flo), Matt Carkner (FA – NYI), Zenon Konopka (FA – Min), Matt Gilroy (FA – unsigned), and Jesse Winchester (FA – unsigned).  Only Foligno‘s departure was somewhat unexpected, so most of the reaction is based on who the Sens have brought in.  The four players who weren’t regulars only played 130 games combined last season.  Filip Kuba is on the wrong side of 30 and is unlikely to replicate his success from this year.  Nick Foligno is a tangible asset, but with so many forward prospects in the wings (Zibanejad, Silfverberg, Stone, Noesen, Puempel, etc) I think the clock was ticking on him regardless.  Given that, I don’t think much has been lost.

What about the players added?  Mike Lundin (FA – Min), Guillaume Latendresse (FA – Min), and Marc Methot (T – Clb)?  Ottawa has added between 5.515-6.265 million to their payroll (depending on Latendresse‘s bonuses), while losing 6.85.  Other than Methot there’s no term attached to the contracts, so the team hasn’t made a big commitment to them.  I find it difficult to assess the acquisitions given how little I’ve watched all three players.  Regardless, here are the bare bones (stats) and a few thoughts.

Guillaume Latendresse (RW/LW, 6’2, DOB 1987, 2-45/05)
2009-10 Mtl/Min 78-27-13-40 16pim +3
2010-11 Min 11-3-3-6 8pim +2
2011-12 Min 16-5-4-9 20pim +6

Jonathan Willis is a fan of the signing, saying “He’s young, big, often physical, and more importantly he’s a pretty good possession player who has consistently been a high-percentage goal-scorer over his NHL career (on 568 career shots, Latendresse is a 14.3% shooter; he’s never been below 12.0% in a single NHL season).”  Talking about himself, Latendresse said “It’s going to be a new, fresh start. If I look at top six (forwards), I think that could be a good spot for me. I’m not the coach, so maybe you can ask him, but I think I’m an offensive guy and I can bring that (scoring) for sure. I know what kind of player I am. I know what I can bring to a team. I think Ottawa is a really good fit for me. As far as my injuries go, I’m 100 per cent now. I know I can be the player I was when I first went to Minnesota. I can bring a lot to this team.”  I think management is going to expect Latendresse to be a top-six forward, but the question remains open if he can provide that.

Marc Methot (DL, 6’3, DOB 1985, 6-168/03)
2009-10 Clb 60-2-6-8 51pim -8
2010-11 Clb 74-0-15-15 58pim +2
2011-12 Clb 46-1-6-7 24pim -11

He’s played for Team Canada at the last two World Championships.  Bryan Murray said “We felt that getting a quality guy that everybody in our organization thought a lot of … He’s a big guy, he’s a local guy, he plays really good defence and he’s very happy to get on board with us. There’s a price to be paid when you have to do something like that.”  Bruce Garrioch (via the link) says the Sens tried to get Methot last year, but couldn’t get the deal done.  The general sentiment is that he’s a solid player, but not flashy.  If he can fill top-four minutes then I think the deal to get him is worth it.

Mike Lundin (DL, 6’2, DOB 1984, 4-102/04)
2009-10 TB 49-3-10-13 18pim -4
2010-11 TB 69-1-11-12 12pim -3
2011-12 Min 17-0-2-2 4pim -1

He played for the US World Championship team in 2010 and was one of the NHL’s “young stars” in 2008.  Describing himself, Lundin said “I’m more of a defensive specialist, I’m not real flashy. I’m thrilled, it wasn’t one of the greatest year for me last year with injuries and everything. I’m excited to come and play for a Canadian team, with the potential they have following last season and only looking to get better.”  He’s a low risk acquisition and seems capable of filling a hole in the bottom pairing.

–Andre Benoit was signed after a year in the KHL (53-5-12-17) and needs no introduction given his previous stint in 10-11 (73-11-44-55) with the organisation.  He’s a great acquisition for Binghamton.

July 2, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

-Yet more Sens’ news has come down the pipe.

-Like most people I’m confused by the Nick Foligno trade for Columbus blueliner Marc Methot.  I understand parting with Foligno and as an unsigned (but qualified) RFA there isn’t as much value to be gained in the return, but I’m not sure what to make of the return.  I have not seen Methot play much, but he’s a big defensive blueliner who doesn’t put up many points.  He has three years left on his deal (3.0).  Bryan Murray talks about Methot here.  Scott writes “he’s only really played on a bad teams, in this case Columbus – and like Lundin he’s played against hard competition the last few seasons. His past season was marred by injury, most noticeably by an “exploded thumb” impacted by a puck. There was also a plunge in his possession numbers which seems logically related to that injury, for Ottawa’s sake let’s hope so.”  And adds an interesting point, “While the Senators defensive depth-chart isn’t exactly great now, it is considerably improved from where it stood three hours ago. Also interesting to take note of the kinds of players moved out today, all skaters you wouldn’t exactly call disciplined. The Senators were among the most penalized teams in the league last year, is this an indication they’re taking remedies to correct that?”  Surely the other conclusion from this trade (confirmed by Murray) is that there are enough forward prospects in the organisation to replace Foligno and I think that’s without question even if it does not come to fruition this upcoming season.

-Murray also indicated in the press conference that the team has enough forwards and isn’t specifically looking to add any.

-The Shane Prince signing has been confirmed (no Capgeek numbers yet).

-Here’s Guillaume Latendresse talking about signing with the Sens.

–Filip Kuba signed a two-year deal with the Florida Panthers.

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

–Justin Schultz has made his decision and signed with the Edmonton Oilers.  It’s not much of a surprise given how thin the Oiler blueline is–there’s probably no other team that provides as much opportunity.

-Apparently Matt Carkner felt a one-year deal without a raise was something he could afford to reject.  Nichols rightly points out how Carkner‘s impact has decreased each year with the Sens with no sign of that changing.  His TOI has decreased, his penalty killing time has decreased, and “Moreover, he plays soft minutes against the opposition’s worst players. His Corsi relative quality of competion was the worst amongst the Senators’ d-corps regulars for each of the past two seasons.”  Nichols also points out that his salary is in line with similar players, but I do not share his hope of a happy compromise between Ottawa and Carkner.  It’s time to move on.

-Randy Lee talks about Jean-Gabriel Pageau and indicates he’s bound for either the AHL or ECHL, “He’s never going to be a huge player, but he’s better at the stuff we want him to be better at, like being able to contain bigger players, like battling. He’s such a skilled guy. In (Thursday’s) scrimmage he did a pretty good job against bigger guys, and we like that. The puck follows him and he does a really good job that way. But he’s got to be able to be an offensive guy in the AHL, so it’s going to be a challenge. The biggest thing we want to do with our players is put them in a position to succeed. There’s no use going to a level where they can’t play. If you’re an offensive guy, you have to play in offensive situations.”

-Talking about himself, Pageau said “I think I’m ready for that step. I know I have to be stronger and put on some weight. I’m not a big guy, so I have to be more powerful, so my training will be a big part of it. If I’m going to make the next step, I have to be ready mentally and physically.”  There are a lot of undersized forwards bound for Binghamton so it will be tough for Pageau to make space for himself in that lineup.

-Randy Lee also commented on Frederik Claesson in the same article, “We had a nice meeting at the hotel in Calgary, and he looked at me and said, ‘I need to play in the AHL next year. To make the transition, I need to play on that ice surface, I need to play that number of games, I need to play in that type of environment.’ Which was really refreshing to hear. A lot of guys say, ‘I’m just going to come when I can play pro.’ But you know what? You have to invest in yourself, and you’re going to be further along in the end if you take those steps along the way.”  Lee compared Claesson to Mark Borowiecki in terms of his competitiveness (high praise indeed).

–Shane Prince talks about his prospects for the upcoming season, “After four years in the OHL, I think I’ve kind of grown out of that league a little bit and I’m looking to move my game on to the professional level and work my way up to the NHL. You always have to prove something. There are always guys coming into the system, different guys each year. You’ve always got to show yourself because there are guys ready to take your spot. I’m never going to take a session off and I’ve going to do everything I can to make team (in training camp). I’m definitely going to strive to make the (big-league) team. I’m not going to sell myself short, but if I do get sent down to Binghamton, I’m going to do my best to help that team win and give it everything I have to work my way up.”

-Here’s a look at the first four days of the development camp.

-Rob Brodie writes about Chris Driedger; there’s not much new here, other than the Sens had not talked to him before drafting him.

-Brodie also wrote about Francois Brassard, which, like the Driedger above, doesn’t contain anything new of substance.

June 30, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

–Darren Kramer talks about his approach to becoming a pro, “I want to come in with a positive attitude and try to make Ottawa. But as a realist I know I’m going to have to spend some a little bit of time in the minors to develop. I have to improve my strength and conditioning. But mostly it’s my foot speed and my skating, and if I can get that up to par, then I think I have a really good chance of one day being an Ottawa Senator. I’d like to contribute and be considered trustworthy to be on the ice in the defensive zone. Times are changing. Guys who can only fight are starting to get weeded out. And if you look at my (6-2, 210-pound) frame, I’m not a big 6-7 guy. I’m an average-size player, so I have to be able to contribute offensively and be trustworthy in the defensive zone.”  Randy Lee talked about him saying, “He wasn’t there [in Spokane] as a thug. He played in important situations. He knows he’s got to be quicker off the mark and he’s got to be a faster skater. But he’s a big strong kid and he’s got a Chris Neil-type work ethic. He cares, he’s a team guy. He doesn’t like to fight just for the sake of fighting. He does it to protect his teammates. Or if something needs to be taken care of, he’ll do that. He’s a project, for sure. “But he’s got enough tools that he’s hopefully going to evolve, but it may not be overnight.”

-Tim Murray spoke briefly about Michael Sdao, “He plays a hard, physical game, he’s hard to play against. Because those are the guys you win with.”  Sdao himself said, “We have a great coaching staff at Princeton. All three of our coaches played college hockey and then went on to play pro. I think I’m learning a lot from them. This is my last year at school and I’m going to take a leadership role on the team. I’m looking forward to that and having a good year. You always want to finish strong. I like to think that back in the day I could [fight]. But I’ve got to sharpen up on those skills, too.”  Sdao was considered one of the best fighters in his draft year (2009).

–Stu Hackel looks at what teams in the Eastern Conference need and for Ottawa he says “It remains unclear if captain Daniel Alfredsson will return, but even if he does, the Senators will be in the hunt for a top-six forward (and they’ve been mentioned in conjunction with the Rick Nash sweepstakes). But with pending UFA Filip Kuba likely not returning, they’ll also be looking for an experienced defenseman, preferably a stay-at-home-type, perhaps to partner with Norris Trophy-winner Erik Karlsson (Kuba’s old gig), or a shutdown guy.”  So Hackel simply reiterates what we’ve heard before: stay-at-home blueliner and a top-six scoring (for the right price).  I still think it will only be one of the two via free agency and that will be the defenseman.

–DaveYoung throws his two cents into the Justin Schultz sweepstakes (picking up on the Bob McKenzie Tweeted news that the Minnesota Wild are also on his list) and comes to the conclusion that Ottawa is the best fit for him.  While I disagree (he could play 30 minutes a night with Edmonton), he does remind us why the Schultz sweepstakes are different than Matt Gilroy, Fabian Brunnstrom, or Bobby Butler: “Schultz was drafted [#43], was identified early as being a player with a serious ceiling.”  This is exactly why teams wet themselves when they found out he was going to become a free agent.

-There have been a lot of bio’s of players at the development camp, but most have simply reiterated what’s been said before so I haven’t commented on them.  For those interested here’s Mark Stone, Mark Borowiecki, Mika Zibanejad and Matt Puempel.

-My first look at the development camp should come out today (including a look at last night’s scrimmage).  For those who didn’t attend or watch it being streamed it was a lot of fun and while there’s very little seating and the PA system is incomprehensible, fans should definitely check it out if they have the opportunity.

June 29, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment