Friday night was another win for the BSens, as Thomas Chabot returned to the lineup. It was also an entertaining game to watch, even on AHL Live’s potato vision. Before my observations, here are the basics (you can see the box score here):
Shots: 28-35
PP: 1-6 (one that lasted about thirty seconds)
PK: 6-6 (including a brief 5-on-3)
Goaltender: Danny Taylor (I had him making eight key saves); Andrew Hammond was the backup

The Opposition
A good lineup with a couple of BSens connections in Matt Puempel (who was traded to Detroit after the game) and Cole Schneider.

The Goals
1. Rodewald bangs in a Jaros rebound
2. Hartford: broken play defensively–Englund went behind the net to retrieve the puck and both Chabot and Gagne went to the boards as the outlets–Chlapik collapsed behend the net to help Englund while Ciampini stood and no-man’s land leaving the front of the net wide open
3. Gagne with a nice tip
4. Jaros PP with a bullet (he and Lajoie had attempted the exact same play twice before; this time Perron made the pass)
5. Reinhart mini breakaway/deke off Ciampini steal
6. Randell into the empty net

Scoring chances (12): Paul (x2), Rodewald (x2), Reinhart (x2), Gagne, Perron, Englund, Jaros, Chlapik, Werek

The Roster
Chris Didomenico was called up to Ottawa (he played 5 minutes against Toronto), Mike Blunden returned from suspension (he was injured early in the game and is out long term), both Max McCormick and Vincent Dunn sat out due to suspensions, Francis Perron returned from the flu, Max Reinhart dressed (he missed the last game presumably due to injury or illness), Chabot returned and Jordan Murray was scratched. I also finally had it confirmed that Kyle Flanagan is out due to injury (concussion), as is Ben Sexton (not specified, but he’s with the team on the trip). Burgdoerfer, incidentally, was hurt in the first period and did not return.

Lines
Werek-O’Brien-Blunden
Perron-Paul-Rodewald
Ciampini-Chlapik-Gagne
Reinhart-Randell

Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Englund-Chabot
Lajoie-Jaros
Erkamps
With 11 forwards and the early injury to Blunden the forward lines changed–Chlapik joined the first line with Reinhart taking his spot on the third (Burgdoerfer’s injury meant more playing time for Chabot and Jaros, with Erkamps getting a more regular rotation).

Special Teams
Powerplay
Werek-Blunden-Chlapik/Burgdoerfer-Chabot
Perron-Paul-Rodewald/Jaros-Lajoie (scored)
Werek-Reinhart-Gagne/Chabot-Jaros
Werek-Chlapik-Gagne/Chabot-Erkamps (once)
Perron-Paul-Rodewald/Lajoie-Erkamps (once)
Werek-Chlapik-Gagne/Chabot-Jaros (once)
4-on-4
Reinhart-Ciampini/Chabot-Lajoie (scored)
Penalty Kill
O’Brien-Blunden/Sieloff-Jaros
Paul-Rodewald/Englund-Erkamps
Paul-Rodewald/Sieloff-Jaros
Paul-Rodewald/Englund-Chabot
Perron-O’Brien/Englund-Chabot
Paul-Perron/Sieloff-Jaros (once)
Reinhart-Randell/Englund-Chabot (once)
Rodewald-Randell/Englund-Chabot (probably meant to be Reinhart-Randell, but Rodewald couldn’t get off for the change)
O’Brien/Englund-Sieloff (5-on-3)

Notable Plays
Paul made a steal that gave him a mini breakaway in the first (the play ultimately lead to Rodewald’s goal); Chlapik made a great cross-ice feed on the PP in the first, but the shot didn’t get to the net; he and Chabot had a nice give and go play later in that period; Chabot saved a goal, stopping a shot while Taylor was down and out; Chlapik set up O’Brien in the clear in the third, but he couldn’t get the shot off

Notable Blundens/Errors
Sieloff made a bad pinch in the first resulting in a 2-on-1 against; Burgdoerfer’s injury was entirely self-caused, as he went leg-on-leg with the Hartford player in the neutral zone; Werek couldn’t score on an empty net

Player Notes
Burgdoerfer: before he got hurt the only notable thing was a turnover
Erkamps: didn’t play a ton even when it dropped to six defenseman, but he did make a great defensive block late in the third
Sieloff: only notables were a bad pinch in the first and a failed clear in the third
Englund: mixed bag for the big Swede, with a bit of good and bad
Lajoie: bit of a quiet game for him; made a pass too hot to handle on a 3-on-1 along with a nice defensive play
Jaros: a strong game all around for him and he benefited from additional playing time
Chabot: wasn’t as dominant as his opening two AHL games, but didn’t need to be here and he was just as involved
Ciampini: two notable plays: asleep at the wheel defensively on the goal against, and then made the play that resulted in Reinhart’s goal
Blunden: hurt early without having done anything notable (his absence on the PK and PP didn’t hurt the team at all)
Randell: his empty net goal matches his production from all of last season–Randy Lee knows how to pick ’em!
Werek: league’s best player is passed a gimme by Chlapik but can’t figure out the empty net
O’Brien: typical Jimothy game–took a dumb penalty, failed to capitalized on offensive chances, but was solid defensively
Perron: looked a bit rusty and made a terrible turnover in front of his own net in the second, but there were a lot of positive signs
Gagne: starting to play a bit more and made a great tip on the goal, but otherwise largely invisible
Reinhart: did not play a whole lot, but the offensive tools are there
Chlapik: deserves a better fate–made a number of excellent passes that did not wind up in the back of the net–also pushed his scoring chance streak to five games
Rodewald: I was critical of signing him to a two year deal, but the early returns have been good–not just offensively, but defensively (albeit I’m sure he’d like an opportunity he had in the first back, where he shot the puck over the net from the slot)
Paul: rounding into form–showing good speed, puck control, and an ability to steal the puck from the opposition

This was a solid win for the BSens–while they didn’t dominate (despite the score) they were able to parlay strong goaltending and capitalizing on their chances into a convincing victory. The win came without many of their veterans (McCormick was suspended, Blunden and Burgdoerfer were both hurt in the first) and I’d like to hope Kleinendorst will refrain from his veteran-addiction that was so problematic in the opening two games (there was no sign of this in Saturday’s game, but I can hope whether it makes sense or not).

Saturday’s game saw more lineup changes (due to injury, returns from suspension, etc), but the winning streak came to an end as the BSens blew a 2-0 lead late in the third and lost in a shootout. The team showed signs of fatigue, but before my observations, here are the basics (you can see the box score here):
Shots: 27-41
PP: 1-3
PK: 4-4 (almost a minute of 5-on-3)
Goaltender: Andrew Hammond (I had him making six key saves); Danny Taylor backed him up

The Opposition
The Bruins are a talented team and dominated almost the entire game; of benefit to the BSens is that Providence started their third-string goaltender (for those keeping track this is the second time in six games where the BSens have faced a third-stringer–the other was their win against Hershey)

The Goals
1. PP Chabot bounces the puck off of Werek and in
2. Rodewald bangs in McCormick’s rebound
3. Providence: top of the circle shot beats Hammond high
4. Providence: broken play where Sieloff can’t control the stick of his man in front
Shootout
Third Bruin scores, BSens go 0-3

Scoring chances (13): O’Brien (x2), Werek (x2), Perron (x2), Chabot, Paul, Chlapik, Rodewald, Lajoie, Jaros, Gagne

The Roster
Blunden, Flanagan, and Sexton are out with injuries (as are the almost forgotten Driedger and Colin White). McCormick and Dunn returned from suspension, while Burgdoerfer was also able to return; Erkamps was scratched and the team went with six defensemen for the first time since game three in Syracuse.

Lines
McCormick-Paul-Rodewald
Werek-Chlapik-O’Brien
Ciampini-Reinhart-Gagne
Dunn-Perron-Randell
Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Englund-Chabot
Lajoie-Jaros
Perron spent most of the game on other lines, particularly replacing Ciampini on the third line. Chabot had the most ice time among defensemen, playing with a wide variety of partners (I think Sieloff is the only one he didn’t have a shift with).

Special Teams
Powerplay
Reinhart-Chlapik-Werek/Burgdoerfer-Chabot (scored)
McCormick-Paul-Rodewald/Lajoie-Jaros
Reinhart-Chlapik-Werek/Englund-Chabot
4-on-4
Reinhart-Gagne/Lajoie-Chabot
Perron-Ciampini/Sieloff-Englund
Perron-Ciampini/Englund-Jaros (Burg was penalized at the time so Eng remained)
Paul-Rodewald/Lajoie-Chabot
OT 3-on-3
Paul-Rodewald/Chabot
Chlapik-McCormick/Jaros
O’Brien-Gagne/Chabot (Perron replaced Gagne with the other two unable to get off until a stoppage in play)
Paul-Rodewald/Lajoie
Penalty Kill
O’Brien-McCormick/Sieloff-Englund (Burgdoerfer was penalized so couldn’t be part of his usual rotation)
Paul-Rodewald/Chabot-Jaros
Paul-Rodewald/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Paul-Rodewald/Chabot-Burgdoerfer
Perron-McCormick/Chabot-Jaros
O’Brien-McCormick/Chabot-Jaros
Perron-Randell/Sieloff-Englund (same notation as above)
McCormick/Sieloff-Englund (5-on-3)
Shootout
McCormick (stopped), O’Brien (stopped), Rodewald (missed the net)
This is the most Chabot has been used on the PK and Jaros playing with him in that role is also new (the Slovak played with Sieloff in Burgdoerfer’s absence against Hartford, and with Englund prior to that). I’m not sure why Jaros hasn’t been moved to play with Chabot on the powerplay (Burgdoerfer is like a fish out of water on the powerplay and should be nowhere near the first unit or, really, the man advantage at all).

Notable Plays
Chabot saves a goal in the first (his second game in a row stopping a shot while his goaltender is out of the net–in this case Hammond lost the puck behind the net)

Notable Blunders/Errors
Despite being hemmed in their own zone for much of the game and committing a lot of turnovers, nothing in particular stands out as especially egregious

Randell was hurt early in the third, but eventually returned to action. Also of note, Providence had a goal in the third waived off for a high stick (this was before their first goal that counted).

Player Notes
Burgdoerfer: probably should have taken the night off after getting hurt the previous game (two bad turnovers and a dumb penalty on the night)
Sieloff: pretty standard game from him–nothing flashy, but largely dependable defensive play
Englund: also standard play (a turnover, a good defensive play–otherwise invisible)
Lajoie: quiet but solid
Jaros: other than a bad penalty had a very strong game
Chabot: a strong game offensively and defensively
Randell: what does he achieve?
Dunn: utterly invisible (played the least by far)
Ciampini: didn’t make any mistakes, so there’s that; one good steal
Gagne: not very noticeable other than a clear breakaway in OT
Reinhart: much like Dunn above he didn’t warrant any notation
Perron: best game of the year for him–fully healthy and showing off good hands and instincts; had a couple of steals along with scoring chances
O’Brien: good speed, zero hands–the song remains the same (no idea why he was used in the shootout)
McCormick: I still don’t think he belongs on the first unit powerplay or as an early shooter in the shootout, but he had a solid game
Chlapik: kept his scoring chance streak alive, but his game felt a bit hampered by his linemates
Werek: I’ve seen him enough to understand the kind of player he is–not a possession driver, but a net-crasher; he isn’t noticeable defensively and tends to turn the puck over if he holds onto it too long, but the former isn’t awful
Rodewald: average game for him–continued his goal scoring streak (he has a great shot)
Paul: a solid game from him, but not as dominant as the night before

Like a heroine addict Kleinendorst couldn’t resist putting McCormick on the ice as much as possible; there was also more O’Brien than made sense and it will be interesting to see if/when he plays them an appropriate amount (they ought to be in second line TOI territory–both are fine on the PK wherever you want them). It’s worth noting the three rookie defensemen were the strongest on the blueline. Because neither Dunn or Randell played much the team essentially played three lines for the second game in a row and I can only imagine how exhausted they will be for this afternoon’s tilt against Springfield.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 22, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

I’m a little late in posting this as I’m dealing with the joy of having my wallet stolen (commiserations to others who have gone through this process).

After three straight loses the BSens put one in the win column by beating the injury-depleted Bears. Christian Jaros was back from Ottawa and PTO Ethan Werek (who has one very devoted Twitter fan) joined a slightly different lineup and proved very productive. Before my observations, here are the basics (you can see the box score here):
Shots: 35-19
PP: 1-7 (the first was abbreviated)
PK: 5-6 (one 5-on-3, which resulted in the goal)
Goaltender: Danny Taylor, who I had making six big saves; Andrew Hammond served as the back-up

The Opposition
The injury-deleted Bears were forced to start their third goalie and it showed; Hershey had good puck movement on the powerplay, but once they got behind in the game they struggled to generate much sustained pressure.

The Goals
1.  Hershey 5-on-3 PP McCormick doesn’t collapse back far enough to take the man in the slot who bangs in the rebound
2. DiDomenico picks up a loose puck at the blueline and throws it at the net–Werek bangs in a juicy rebound
3. PP Paul banks it off Werek in front
4. Hershey clean faceoff win over Chlapik results in a one-timer
5. Gagne finishes off a 2-on-1 (great shot short side)–Englund with the pass
6. Rodewald scores off a loose puck right in front (phantom assists were awarded to O’Brien and Paul)
7. McCormick hits the post of the empty net and DiDomenico scores off the rebound

Scoring chances (11): Rodewald (x3), Werek (x2), DiDomenico (x2, including a breakaway), Randell, Chlapik (pp), Gagne, O’Brien (breakaway)
The BSens scored on nearly half their chances and despite the win the number is similar to their loss to Syracuse and their Chabotless numbers in general

The Roster
I’d suspected Francis Perron was injured rather than scratched, but nothing published said one way or another about it until I heard the BSens broadcast for this game (AHL Live finally figured that out)–were it not for that I’d still not know (he’s out with the flu apparently). I’m still assuming Sexton is out due to injury or illness, but again, nothing official (this may be true of Flanagan and Reinhart as well, but that’s speculation). Donaghey was a healthy scratch and was sent to Brampton subsequently (Hogberg was sent down before the game–he played the following night, losing 4-2 with a .903 save percentage and earning the game’s third star). Mike Blunden sat out the game due to a suspension, which created space for Werek to play.

Lines
Paul-O’Brien-Rodewald
McCormick-DiDomenico-Werek
Ciampini-Chlapik-Randell
Dunn-Gagne
Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Englund-Jaros
Lajoie-Erkamps
Murray
Special teams and 11 forwards meant these combinations weren’t kept consistently, although the so-called first line remained largely intact, as did the first D-pair. Murray played more than Erkamps and Lajoie logged similar 5-on-5 TOI to Englund.

Special Teams
Powerplay
McCormick-Chlapik-DiDomenico/Murray-Jaros
Werek-Paul-Rodewald/Lajoie-Burgdoerfer (scored)
McCormick-Chlapik-DiDomenico/Lajoie-Jaros (used once)
Werek-Paul-Rodewald/Murray-Burgdoerfer (used once)
Ciampini-Paul-Rodewald/Lajoie-Burgdoerfer (used once)
4 on 4
Paul-O’Brien/Lajoie-Burgdoerfer
Penalty Kill
Paul-McCormick/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Paul-O’Brien/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Paul-McCormick/Sieloff-Jaros
O’Brien-Rodewald/Englund-Erkamps
Paul-McCormick/Englund-Jaros (used once)
Paul-O’Brien/Sieloff-Erkamps (used once)
Paul-O’Brien/Englund-Jaros (used once)
DiDomenico-Rodewald/Englund-Jaros (used once)
DiDomenico-Randell/Englund-Erkamps (used once)
McCormick/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer (5-on-3) (scored on)
This looks chaotic, but the principal forwards aren’t that different from the last game other than Blunden is absent with Rodewald as the primary replacement; on defense there were three main pairings who were rotated through various forwards.

Notable Plays
Chlapik (x2), Ciampini, and DiDomenico had nice steals in the first (the former leading to one of Rodewald’s scoring chances); both Englund and Burgdoerfer made key defensive plays in the second and Paul made one in the third

Notable Blunders/Errors
McCormick and Burgdoerfer took selfish penalties in the first; Murray had a pretty brutal turnover in that period, as did Burgdoerfer in the second and Werek with a pair in the third

McCormick fell awkwardly into the boards early in the second

Player Notes
Burgdoerfer: I’m still not sure what he’s doing on the powerplay, although it’s at least infrequent; otherwise he continued to play his vanilla style
Sieloff: hasn’t shown the physical dimension we saw in game one and while there’s no offensive ability at all he doesn’t make many mistakes
Englund: a better game from him, in large part because he was played less
Murray: pretty quiet night, but over the three games he’s played he’s made at least one catastrophic defensive error in each, so there are issues
Erkamps: most of his TOI is on the PK, which is interesting, but also makes him really hard to assess
Lajoie: I wish he played more–makes mistakes from time-to-time, but I like the offensive creativity and drive
Jaros: I’ve been really impressed with him–all those comparisons to Borowiecki and I keep waiting for him to run around, but he’s been picky about throwing hits and he’s far more aggressive offensively than I’d imagined
Randell: outside of taking bad penalties he’s brought nothing to the table
Dunn: didn’t make any mistakes, so that’s something
Ciampini: I was very happy he only got only one PP shift in the game; should be fourth-line support–I feel like Kleinendorst is forcing him into a scoring role he can’t really fulfill
Gagne: still very raw around the edges, but maybe the goal will give him confidence and earn him a bit more TOI
O’Brien: after logging an insane amount of ice time against Syracuse, Kleinendorst cut him back a little bit and it helped; absolutely clueless offensively, but competent defensively
McCormick: has been caught a couple of times this year cheating high on the PK, which is an issue; he also doesn’t belong on the first PP unit
Rodewald: no idea why he’s on the PK (that’s not a criticism–it just seems random) and he’s not really a puck carrier, but he can finish given the opportunity
Chlapik: for those paying attention he’s generated at least one scoring chance on the powerplay every game this year–you have to wonder how much more production there would be with that unit if it wasn’t anchored by McCormick; he’s got great offensive drive and I think the production will come sooner than later
Paul: his best game of the year–I still expect more, but he was carrying the puck and was starting to drive the play
DiDomenico: sometimes holds on to the puck too long (a habit playing in Europe wouldn’t have helped), but consistently gets offensive chances, which is what you want
Werek: it’s a difficult debate–better than Lemieux, assuredly, but better than Gretzky? It’s a close call. In all seriousness, it’s his first 3-point game in the AHL since January 12th, 2016, when he played for Charlotte; as a veteran player he’ll quickly regress to the mean (defensively he was a nightmare)

It’s great for the BSens to get a win and this is exactly the kind of team they have to beat, since without Chabot they are no match for the elite talent in the league. Speaking of Chabot, he has been returned to the roster (for now), which will make a huge difference on Friday (if he’s still there). As for coaching decisions, Kleinendorst made an adjustment I like (Ciampini off the PP), but is still heavy-handed in his addiction to particular veteran players. We’ll see if he loosens up a bit going forward–I’d like him to scratch Randell, but I’m not expecting it.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 17, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 3 Comments

After getting steamrolled by Laval last week the BSens lost two of their best defensemen from those games (Chabot and Jaros) coming in to face the Crunch. The new lineup struggled against the more talented Syracuse roster, who had their way most of the game (only spectacular goaltending from Hammond kept things close). Before my observations, the basics (you can see the box score here):
Shots: 26-43 (four players were tied for the most shots with 3)
PP: 0-4 (includes a 5-on-3)
PK: 10-11 (includes a 5-on-3 and 4-on-3)
Goaltender: Andrew Hammond (39-42) who made ten great saves in my estimation; Taylor backed up

The Opposition
Syracuse has an excellent AHL lineup which includes a former Sen and BSen (Jason Akeson and Cory Conacher). The Crunch are a good puck-possession team and dominated every period except the third (which was roughly even).

The Goals
1. (PP) Burgdoerfer loses a board battle and Paul can’t control a stick off the rebound
2. Erkamps can’t get it out (failed bank off the boards) right as a penalty expires and McCormick had left the zone leaving his man wide open
3. Lajoie starts the rush and DiDomenico scores off a sweet Murray cross-ice pass
4. McCormick scores on a shorthanded breakaway
5. Lajoie can’t tie up the man
6. Long range empty-neter

Scoring Chances (7): DiDomenico (2), McCormick, Chlapik (pp), Rodewald (pp), Paul (hits the post), Randell
Keep in mind that Chabot was responsible for 11 of 27 scoring chances in the previous two games (or 40%, if you prefer), and the volume in this game is almost exactly the average of what you’d have without him in the previous two

The Roster
Recalling all their prospects in Brampton, including tryout Ethan Werek who was given a PTO, there were some interesting decisions made. I’m assuming Sexton was injured rather than scratched, but also out were Perron, Flanagan, Donaghey, and the aforementioned Werek. Dunn (!) played his first game of the season, Rodewald returned from injury, and both Erkamps and Ciampini saw their first action.

Lines
DiDomenico-Chlapik-Rodewald
McCormick-Paul-Gagne
Ciampini-O’Brien-Blunden
Dunn-Reinhart-Randell
Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Englund-Erkamps
Lajoie-Murray
Unlike the last two games Kleinendorst stayed close to his opening lines when the team was 5-on-5 (although Randell’s 10 minute misconduct created some variation in the third). The main note here is that Gagne did not consistently play on the second line (replaced by either Blunden, O’Brien, or more rarely, Reinhart). The defense pairings were actually very consistent throughout.

Special Teams
Powerplay
McCormick-Chlapik-Ciampini/Murray-DiDomenico
Rodewald-Paul-Blunden/Murray-Lajoie
On the 5-on-3 Burgdoerfer played the point, DiDomenico slid down, and there was no Ciampini
4 on 4
Chlapik-DiDomenico/Murray-Lajoie (both times this occurred)
Penalty Kill
Paul-McCormick/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer (scored on)
O’Brien-Blunden/Englund-Erkamps
Paul-McCormick/Englund-Erkamps
O’Brien-Blunden/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Paul-Blunden/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
O’Brien-McCormick/Englund-Erkamps
O’Brien-McCormick/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
McCormick-Blunden/Englund-Erkamps (scored shorthanded)
O’Brien-Randell/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer (once)
Reinhart-Dunn/Lajoie-Murray (once at the end of a PK)
Dunn-Randell/Englund-Erkamps (final 30 seconds of the game)
Paul/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer (for the 4-on-3)
Blunden/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer (for the 5-on-3)
This looks like a mountain of combinations, but the defense pairings never changed and the same four forwards (Paul, McCormick, Blunden, and O’Brien) played the vast majority of the time, simply in varying combinations.

Notable Plays
Good defensive play: Murray (x2), Englund (shot block on a 3-on-1), O’Brien, Lajoie, Erkamps, Blunden
Offensive play: McCormick batted in a puck on the BSens first powerplay, but it was ruled a high stick
Crossbar: saved a goal in the second

Notable Blundens/Errors
Bad penalties: Randell (x4!), O’Brien, Murray, McCormick
Dangerous turnovers: McCormick (x2), Murray, Lajoie (he blocked the attempt it resulted in)

Hammond was tripped (no call) and fell awkwardly in the first, seemingly shaken up initially, but it clearly didn’t impact his overall performance

Player Notes
Macoy Erkamps: it was interesting seeing him deployed largely as a penalty killer; mostly invisible, which is a plus–he made a great block in the slot in the second and then was part of the play responsible for the second goal against; no sign of his inexplicable positive effect seen in Binghamton
Andreas Englund: I’m not the biggest fan of him, but on the whole he was solid; made a great shot block on a 3-on-1 in the first, while making a pair of pretty bad turnovers (one in the second and the other in the third; fortunately none resulted in scoring chances against)
Erik Burgdoerfer: gets a ton of ice time and has precious little to show for it; his only notable play in the game was losing the puck battle that resulted in the first goal
Patrick Sieloff: it’s hard to remember a time where the puck was on his stick, but he didn’t make any notable mistakes so that’s a win for him
Maxime Lajoie: the game had its ups and downs for him–the kind of thing you expect from a rookie–I still think he should play more given the team’s struggles to move the puck without Chabot; notable moments were creating the rush that resulted in the team’s first (and so far only) 5-on-5 goal; had a bad turnover that he made the save on; a pair of good defensive plays; finally not being able to tie up his man for the third goal against
Jordan Murray: no one noticed, including me, that I didn’t give him a breakdown in his first game (oops!); he played a lot tonight when the team wasn’t shorthanded and it was largely positive; he made an excellent pass for the first goal along with two good defensive plays–the only thing marring his evening was a dumb penalty in the first
Tyler Randell: took four unprovoked minors–lazy, selfish penalties; he should be benched because of it, but I doubt he will be
Vincent Dunn: one of his major issues is skating–you can’t be an effective pest if you can’t skate; other than taking a man with him to create a 4-on-4 in the first he did nothing
Daniel Ciampini: why he was on the powerplay is beyond me–completely invisible
Max Reinhart: why is he on the fourth line (play him or don’t)? Barely played making it really hard to assess (the only note I made was a turnover)
Gabriel Gagne: speaking of barely played, although he was on the ice a bit more than Reinhart, he’s someone else who was only noticeable for a turnover–why not put him on the powerplay? Do something with him at least
Jack Rodewald: returned from injury and was largely invisible (nothing negative at least)
Filip Chlapik: needs to play more–for a team with anemic offense you have to let your horses run and Kleinendorst has been a bit too tight with the reins; most notable moments of the game were a scoring chance on the PP and then a backhander into the slot that was loose in Leighton’s feet (net empty, game is 3-2), but no one could get to it
Nick Paul: missed the second game, but played an absolutely ton tonight; did very little offensively (did hit a post), wears the goat horns on the first goal against and was responsible for a 3-on-1 against–also took a pair of minors; not the worst night of his life, but you expect more
Max McCormick: the org sensation scored–shorthanded naturally, as he still looks like a fish out of water on the powerplay; technically he did score on the PP, but it was banged in with a high stick; defensively there were some issues–surrendering a 2-on-1, passing to the wrong team in his own zone (Syracuse missed the net), and taking a dumb penalty while already shorthanded. He is what he is–a grinder who can chip in–but he gets far more ice time than is warranted
Chris DiDomenico: I’m becoming convinced he can contribute regularly, albeit it’s hard to do so when his team is shorthanded for half the game; two scoring chances (including a goal) mixed with two turnovers isn’t bad for what he does
Jim O’Brien: there is no escaping Jimothy, although thankfully he wasn’t put on the powerplay tonight; he played a ton and that TOI resulted in: a good defensive play and a dumb penalty. I didn’t note it at the time, but on an odd man situation in the zone he inexplicably skated out beyond the blueline with the puck to go change–Jimothy does what Jimothy does
Michael Blunden: there’s also no escaping the captain, who was oddly good on the draw in the game; in his ungodly amount of TOI he made a good defensive play (a nice little stick lift)–c’est tous. Does he need to play in all situations? No. Does he? Absolutely.

The BSens were inordinately undisciplined this game (very Luke Richardson-style), which included a brawl near the end of the game (not bench-clearing, but bench-involving). This was not a particularly physical game–a few big hits, sure, but there really wasn’t an obvious inciting incident. I’d like to think Kleinendorst will clamp down on it–no team can afford to give up as many powerplays as they did–and so many lazy penalties as well.

With Christian Jaros sent back down I expect not just defensive changes (presumably Erkamps sits), but shifts in the forwards as well. I’d guess Perron and Flanagan will draw back in (Ciampini and Gagne likely scratched, although I’d dump Randell in a heartbeat). Werek presumably will play as well, given his newly signed PTO.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 14, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

I grew up watching hockey in the 1980s, so whenever there’s a brief bump in scoring I want to get excited about it, but I’m not. We saw something similar to this in 2005, but the conservative folk who run the league freaked out and after a couple of months things reverted to the modern version of the dead puck era. How long will this scoring surge last? Your guess is as good as mine, but I’d imagine not very long.

Kurt Kleinendorst made some interesting comments in the wake of the weekend loss. The ones that stood out:

we have a very, very young team — and I’m not making excuses

He is making excuses and it’s not even true–Belleville is the 10th oldest team (the oldest is Texas, the youngest Tucson), but the variation is very small (22-25 is the entire range). The only core element that’s youth dependent is the blueline–the goaltending is veteran, the forward group is experienced–making it an odd thing for him to say.

(Marcus) Hogberg is a young guy with a phenomenal future and we’ll try to get him some games at some point in the ECHL

So as expected Belleville will go with the Taylor-Hammond duo to start (the latter’s AHL numbers have never been good, but there’s no option to send him to the ECHL, so Kleinendorst’s hands are tied as long as he’s on the roster).

But we’re here to win too. I’ve got to be very clear about that. … But winning allows our team to develop farther, rather than losing. We’re committed to winning and making the playoffs.

In a way this is exactly what you’d expect him to say, but given the last two horrendous seasons for the Sens AHL affiliate (59-82-11) this is a bold task, especially given the veteran detritus GM Randy Lee has shoved into the lineup. It suggests that Kleinendorst will lean on veterans in lieu of prospects–although without a certifiable scorer and a thin blueline, I’m not sure there’s much point to such a push. I’d rather see young players play.

Belleville’s already thin blueline got a lot thinner when both Thomas Chabot and Christian Jaros were recalled by Ottawa. The BSens don’t play again until Friday (the 13th), so it’s possible one or both could be returned by then (given Boucher’s predilection for veterans, Jaros‘ is almost assured), but in the meantime Macoy Erkamps was recalled from Brampton (the ECHL team’s season hasn’t started yet). [After I initially posted this Cody Donaghey and Daniel Ciampini were recalled.]

In other roster moves, Brendan Woods, now healthy, was released by Belleville (as expected) and signed a PTO with Utica.

Speaking of Belleville, Spencer Blake has taken up Jeff Ulmer’s AHL mantel over at The Silver Seven and in the midst of his first effort he said this:

[Standouts] McCormick also threw five pucks towards the net and performed his usual role of gritty forechecker as well as he’s always done.

I get the feeling Spencer looked at the stat sheet trying to find something of interest about the game and focused in on one of the few for the BSens given the shutout (my suspicions were raised when he got Binghamton’s powerplay units wrong for the game). McCormick had five shots, which is great, but he played a ton and it didn’t result in anything. With eight powerplays in the game and a ton of TOI, he should be putting pucks on net–it’s par for the course, especially for a guy who isn’t a passer (46 career goals versus 40 career assists). At best he was average and his invisibility in the second game doesn’t help his cause–I expect a lot more from a veteran player like that.

Confirmation of the Brampton affiliation has come, albeit not officially. The Sens have cut their ties to Wichita, apparently including the promise of a goalie. How much latitude they’ll have with Montreal’s affiliate is unknown, but given Belleville’s limited depth there’s only so many to send there anyway.

The powerhouse that is Kevin Lee (not the UFC fighter) urged the people on Twitter to follow me, which was very kind of him. I wondered what the impact would be–turns out it was pretty close to the potency of Brianne from years ago. Thanks to him and to anyone who doesn’t follow him, you should!

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 11, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving to those of us living in the frozen north–I bring you more thoughts via 60 minutes of grainy AHL Live en francais. Coach Kleinendorst’s minimal tweaks to the lineup couldn’t solve the mismatch (Laval is fun to watch). In two full games the team has yet to score 5-on-5, managing just one shot on goal in the third period. While the result wasn’t pretty, there were still positives we can look at, but first, the basics (the box score):
Shots: 19/46 (Chabot lead the way with 6; DiDomenico was next with 3)
PP: 2-6 (gave up a shorthanded goal; first and last pp’s abbreviated; there was a 5-on-3)
PK: 3-4 (first cut very short by a Laval penalty)
Goaltender: Danny Taylor (40-46), who by my count made 5 great saves; I’m curious why Kleinendorst played him back-to-back with both Hammond and Hogberg as options

The Goals

1. Chabot scores on a one-timer on the powerplay (set up by Jaros)
2. DiDomenico bangs in Chabot’s rebound on the powerplay (5-on-3)
3. Laval: Perron doesn’t pick up the late man who is wide open in front
4. Laval: DiDomenico turns it over and O’Brien doesn’t pick up his check who is wide open in front
5. Laval: bang-bang play–McCormick a little out of position on the PK, but I’m not sure how much blame to give him
6. Laval: Murray turns the puck over which leads immediately to the goal
7. Laval: Sexton pass is intercepted leading to a 2-on-1
8. Laval: DiDomenico pinches after rotating to defense leading to a 3-on-1 shorthanded

Scoring chances (14): Chabot 3 (goal-pp), DiDomenico 3 (goal-pp, sh), Chlapik 2 (ppx2), Blunden, Sexton, Jaros (pp), Murray, O’Brien, Reinhart

The Roster
Nick Paul was scratched and I believe (but haven’t seen it confirmed) that he is injured; Vincent Dunn was scratched again, Hogberg sat as the third goalie, while defenseman Jordan Murray played in his first game as the seventh defenseman. Jack Rodewald, Chris Driedger, and PTO Brendan Woods remain injured.

Lines*
Chlapik-DiDomenico-Sexton
McCormick-O’Brien-Blunden
Flanagan-Reinhart-Randell
Gagne-Perron-DiDomenico
*Most common combos–once again Kleinendorst moved away from his initial lineup fairly early (O’Brien played a ton, Reinhart significantly less)
Chabot-Jaros
Lajoie-Burgdoerfer
Englund, Sieloff, Murray
Chabot, Jaros, and Burgdoerfer got the lion’s share of the ice time; Englund played most frequently with Chabot, but just like the previous game his ice time slipped away as the game went on; Sieloff didn’t see a lot of 5-on-5 time, as in the previous game; Murray didn’t get a shift until halfway through the game and then was sprinkled in regularly with varying partners

Special Teams
Powerplay
Chlapik-DiDomenico-Sexton/Chabot-Jaros (scored both pp goals and gave up a shortie)
McCormick-Reinhart-Blunden/Lajoie-Burgdoerfer (Perron centered this unit once during the last 30 seconds of the game)
The first unit received the lion’s share of the ice time
Penalty Kill
Sexton-McCormick/Sieloff-Burgdoerfer
Sexton-McCormick/Englund-Chabot
Reinhart-Blunden/Englund-Chabot
O’Brien-Blunden/Englund-Jaros
Sexton-McCormick/Englund-Jaros (gave up the pp goal)
Sexton-McCormick/Englund-Sieloff
O’Brien-Randell/Murray-Burgdoefer
O’Brien-DiDomenico/Chabot-Jaros
Yes, this many PK combinations during just 4 shorthanded situations

Notable Plays
For those tracking at home, Chabot had or was responsible for six of the team’s fourteen scoring chances
Sieloff made a great defensive play in the first to deny a scoring chance
Chlapik makes a steal which provides Sexton his scoring chance of the evening
Jaros’ scoring chance on the powerplay in the second period is followed by a great defensive play by him to prevent one the other way
Chabot denies a 2-on-1

Notable Blundens/Errors
Chlapik misses a pass from Chabot on the powerplay that leads to a breakaway (off the save Chlapik gets scoring chance of his own)
In the first period on the same sequence Englund had three brutal giveaways in his own zone leading to two quality scoring chances against
DiDomenico turnover in the first leads to a scoring chance against
Sexton does the exact same thing shortly afterwards

Player Notes
Thomas Chabot: I only hope fans in Belleville get to see him before Ottawa takes him away; I’m not sure how this team functions without him (something I’ve been saying for awhile); Kleinendorst actually cut his ice time half way through when the game was close–I’m not sure if he felt he was overplaying him, needed to give the other blueliners more TOI, or what
Maxime Lajoie: although he wasn’t as good as he was in the previous game, I still think he should play more as he’s the only player other than Chabot who can reliably move the puck
Christian Jaros: a little quieter than the previous game, but he isn’t hurting the team (with all the comparisons to Borowiecki I was expecting him to run all over the ice trying to hit people–instead he’s very conscientious about his positioning)
Erik Burgdoerfer: for a guy who doesn’t do much he gets a lot of ice time–granted, he doesn’t make many mistakes either
Patrick Sieloff: decent defensively, but doesn’t do anything with the puck
Andreas Englund: the struggles continue–it isn’t pretty
Tyler Randell/Kyle Flanagan: played more than the previous tilt, but just like it, did nothing notably good or bad (there was one play that almost resulted in an offensive chance, but that’s it)
Gabriel Gagne: played even less than yesterday and did nothing of note
Francis Perron: didn’t play much and, other than a defensive gaffe on the third Laval goal, did nothing of note
Jim O’Brien: we saw far too much of Jimothy–his instincts are pretty bad, but in terms of specifics he made two good offensive plays (a nice pass to Chabot and a scoring chance of his own), along with a defensive gaffe on the second Laval goal
Mike Blunden: better than last game due to fewer mistakes, but given all the ice time he gets didn’t add anything
Max McCormick: played a ton with nothing to show for it
Max Reinhart: I’m not sure what Kleinendorst is doing with him–he played third-line minutes and while he’s not dominant he at least shows up offensively
Chris DiDomenico: while I don’t think he’s as advertised and has struggled defensively, the offense was more apparent
Filip Chlapik: he’s a fun player to watch–more speed than I was expecting (given the scouting when he was drafted) and good instincts
Ben Sexton: has had a ton of ice time and plays in all situations–I think that might need to be tweaked a bit

Kleinendorst continued to stick with veterans and it just didn’t work. Five-on-five the team really struggled, with virtually non-existent offense when Chabot is off the ice. I’d like him to give Perron and Gagne more ice time–they have offensive potential, after all, so why not see what they can do? McCormick, Blunden, and possibly Sexton should play less. And why keep Dunn around? Recall Ciampini and leave Dunn to rot in Brampton. On defense I’m not sure what he does–I’d sit Englund and try someone else (Murray for a full game or call-up Erkamps or Donaghey), and I’d play Lajoie more and take Burgdoerfer off the powerplay (replace him with a forward or one of the seventh defensemen, all of whom are nominally good with the puck). What do I expect to happen? Probably not a lot, barring a Chabot recall. I still think Kleinendorst will give the status quo a month before starting to rattle the cages. At the least someone other than Taylor will get a start next week.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 8, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

It was interesting watching Belleville’s inaugural game (the grainy AHL Live feed reminded me of my parents 12′ colour TV from the 70s; the streaming service failed to attach the Belleville radio feed so it was en francais or silence–allez les Bleus! for me last night). In many ways the game was exactly what I expected: an early reliance on veterans (in terms of playing time), difficulty in scoring, and some exceptional play from particular rookies. Before my observations, the basics (you can see the box score here):
Shots: 26/25 (Chabot and McCormick lead the way with 5 shots each; Jaros had 4)
PP: 0-8 (two of these lasted about 30 seconds)
PK: 2-3
Goaltender: Danny Taylor (22-24), who made four great saves; Hammond backed up

The Opposition
Laval has an excellent AHL-lineup, including a top defenseman (Taormina) and former NHLer Peter Holland; they were very fast and outside of special teams activity the BSens struggled to keep up, leading to a lot of odd-man situations

The Goals
1. Burgdoerfer loses his check who is wide open to score
2. Chabot gets beat, so Englund comes over to cover for him and Blunden doesn’t pick up the late man
3. Sexton tries to pass through the player with an empty net behind him

The Roster
Ben Harpur was recalled to Ottawa prior to the start of the game (I’m not sure if Englund or Sieloff would have been scratched if he stayed). The only actual scratches for the game were Marcus Hogberg, Vincent Dunn and Jordan Murray–Jack Rodewald, Chris Driedger, and PTO Brendan Woods are all injured.

Lines*
Chlapik-DiDomenico-Sexton
McCormick-Reinhart-Blunden
Paul-Gagne-Perron
Randell, O’Brien, Flanagan
*the most frequent combinations; with the latter three mixed in haphazardly due to all the special team play (Flanagan and Randell played the least)
Chabot-Jaros
Lajoie-Burgdoerfer
Sieloff/Englund
Defense combos also varied throughout the game; Chabot was sometimes saddled with Englund, while Sieloff would rotate in with Burgdoerfer (he played the least, followed by Englund)

Special Teams
Powerplay*
Chlapik-DiDomenico-Sexton/Jaros-Chabot
McCormick-Reinhart-Blunden/Lajoie-Burgdoerfer
Perron-Gagne-Paul/Lajoie-Burgdoerfer
*the third option was used only once; there was also a slight variation of the second unit to start, with Gagne playing instead of McCormick;, Perron joined the the second unit late in the seventh powerplay (the beginning of a line change that presumably would have been the third group when completed)
Penalty Kill
McCormick-Sexton/Burgdoerfer-Englund (on-ice for the goal against)
McCormick-Sexton/Sieloff-Englund
Paul-Flanagan/Jaros-Englund
Blunden-Reinhart/Jaros-Englund

Scoring chances (13)
Chlapik 2 (both pp), Sexton 2. McCormick 2 (one sh), Reinhart (post), Burgdoerfer (pp), Perron (pp), Jaros, Blunden, Reinhart, DiDomenico

Notable Plays
Five of the team’s thirteen scoring chances were due to great passes by Chabot or (in one case) a deliberate rebound
Lajoie stops Holland 1-on-1 in the second; he also made a great pass for Blunden’s scoring chance
Jaros made a great block in the third to prevent a scoring chance
Sieloff threw a huge hit in the second which immediately resulted in a fight; he was then run in the third period because of it (whether you see this activity as useful or not is up to you)

Notable Blundens*/Errors (excluding goals)
Blunden – gave up a 2-on-1 in the first; later gave the puck away in his own zone resulting in a scoring chance
Englund – gave up a 2-on-1 looking for a big hit
Jaros – gave up a 3-on-2 via an errant pass
DiDomenico – two turnovers in his own zone on the same play which lead to a scoring chance
*trademarked

Player Notes
Thomas Chabot: far and away the best player on the team; showed no nerves at all in carving up the opposition; great speed, great hands, and great instincts
Maxime Lajoie: I think he should have played him more; good hands and instincts
Christian Jaros: was more active offensively than I was expecting and didn’t get carried away trying to hit guys
Erik Burgdoerfer: adequate, but not impressive; I wouldn’t have him on either special team
Patrick Sieloff: the only notable thing he did was hit and get hit
Andreas Englund: struggled; needs to keep things simple
Nick Paul: clearly not 100% coming off his injury and he didn’t play as much as you’d expect
Tyler Randell/Kyle Flanagan: barely played and largely invisible (the latter isn’t necessarily bad–they did nothing to hurt the team)
Gabriel Gagne: didn’t play much, but no defensive mistakes and was involved a couple of times offensively
Francis Perron: I noticed him twice in the game–I’m not sure if it’s a case that he should have played more or that’s where he’s at right now
Jim O’Brien: if you’ve seen Jimothy play then he did exactly that–good speed with no instincts and no delivery; I thought the fact that Kleinendorst kept him off special teams is a sign that he’ll be released sooner than later
Mike Blunden: was awful; putting aside his scoring chance, he was lazy on the back check and just generally terrible defensively (something apparent last year); I’d prefer him to get third-line ice time and be kept off the powerplay
Max McCormick: adequate, but he doesn’t belong on the powerplay
Max Reinhart: I feel like I didn’t get a full sense of what he can do last night, as he was anchored offensively with Blunden and McCormick
Chris DiDomenico: pretty vanilla performance for someone who is supposed to help the offense–could have been worse, however
Filip Chlapik: had a lot of jump offensively, with no hesitation in getting his nose dirty
Ben Sexton: great speed and tenacity, but there wasn’t enough to gauge his ability to carry and move the puck

Kurt Kleinendorst: last year he gave the vets and management about a month–a month to show what they could do–and then he changed things around for the better. It will be interesting to see what he does this season. He played Chabot a ton–something surely management wanted, but it also made a lot of sense; he also relied heavily on four defensemen after the first period (which again, made sense). I wasn’t a fan of the second powerplay unit (keep Reinhart and dump the other two), and I think he had alternatives, but he’s clearly trying to see if the combination works. How things will be changed for game number two I’m not sure (other than Hammond will start). I’d guess Murray will slide into the lineup (for Englund or Sieloff), but I’m not sure if he’ll actually dress Dunn.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 7, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

For the first time in years Ottawa’s ECHL situation is confusing–there’s no official affiliate, so what are the Sens doing with players demoted down to the E? It’s certainly not a situation unique to them, but it is highly unusual (all 27 ECHL teams have affiliates, a change since I last looked in July). So what arrangements have the Sens made?

Part of the problem is the org has made no official announcements–all we know are through comments from elsewhere. The answer has two parts:
-since the off-season the Wichita website has referred to Ottawa as a partner; comments from the coach in July indicated that the commitment consisted of providing one goaltender to the Edmonton affiliate
-less than a week ago Belleville began to send players to Brampton (Montreal’s affiliate), with it reported that Ottawa will share the affiliation with the team

The only question remaining is: do the Sens still owe Wichita a goaltender? I think they do and, given the relative status of the netminders between the Thunder and the Beast, it’s far better to maintain that arrangement. That said, there’s no confirmation–it’s possible this shared affiliation with Brampton means the Wichita relationship is over–we simply won’t know until the org says something officially. For now all demotions have been to Brampton and we’ll have to wait and see what happens with the extra goalies.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 6, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

I could write paragraphs about how dumb re-signing Mark Borowiecki is, but everyone outside Sens management agrees, so why bother?

The Sens signed second round pick Alex Formenton who can spend a little time with the Sens before going back to junior. A more interesting signing was fourth-rounder Drake Batherson, who is already back in the Q–this decision was made presumably to keep his price down.

Intellectual juggernaut Ken Warren can’t figure out why the Sens don’t sell out. The master sleuth offers the following theories:

The biggest handicap has, and always will be, the arena’s location in Kanata … To some observers, the Senators didn’t do enough to promote themselves during the summer … There’s unquestionably frustration at Melnyk for … not keeping pace with the NHL’s biggest spending clubs.

Warren is suggesting almost everything, other than a lack of confidence in management and ownership. I’ve never bought into the location argument–it’s a mild impediment, but one fans have overcome in the past. Promotion is also ridiculous–coverage of the Sens is virtually 24/7, so it’s not like locals are unaware of the team or what it’s up too. What escapes Warren’s grasp all boils down to ownership (the internal budget and his periodic public insanity) and management (with outdated ideas and an unwillingness to modernize or accept responsibility for failures).

I had notes from the Belleville/U of Ottawa game, but that’s old news now (the only thing still worth mentioning is that Jack Rodewald suffered a leg injury early on and I haven’t seen an update on when he’ll be back; Nick Paul, who hurt his ankle at the beginning of camp, was back in time for the other exhibition games). Tryout Brendan Woods is also injured, so his inevitable release from the roster will wait until he’s cleared (fellow tryout Ethan Werek is gone). The only remaining tryout is Jim O’Brien, who has made the opening roster, but it’s unclear if he’s still on a PTO, been signed to a two-way deal, or signed an AHL-deal. If I had to guess he’s on a PTO and will be kept around until Rodewald has healed.

The Sporting News suggests Patrick Wiercioch could be assigned to Belleville by Vancouver after being waived. Utica is the Canucks’ affiliate, so I’m not sure if this is in error or related to the number of veteran contracts the AHL-team is carrying (certainly he’s not on Belleville’s opening night roster).

With Chris Driedger suffering from a groin injury and Andrew Hammond still around, the speculation is that Marcus Hogberg will go down to the ECHL (to Brampton or Wichita remains up in the air). If this is true it’s a short-term solution, because Driedger will return at some point and it makes no sense at all to have both prospects buried in the ECHL.

I’d been wondering where else the Sens would assign players in the ECHL given that Wichita was officially an Edmonton affiliate. The answer is the Brampton Beast, Montreal’s ECHL affiliate–that’s where Cody Donaghey, Macoy Erkamps, and Daniel Ciampini have been loaned. Does this mean the arrangement with Wichita is over? It’s simply not clear and may only be for a goaltender.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 5, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

It’s difficult to call something this brief (Sept.22-Oct.5) a training camp, but it’s what Kurt Kleinendorst (and befuddled AHL GM Randy Lee) get to work with. The BSens only have three exhibition games, one of which (against U of O) is already in the books (the other two are both against Laval, Sept.30/Oct.1). I took an early look at the potential roster and lineup before (in June and July). So without further ado, let’s go over changes since and explore the likely permutations.

Unsigned
As expected draft picks Chris Leblanc (Orlando, ECHL) and Robbie Baillargeon (South Carolina ECHL) were not signed once they finished their NCAA careers

Signed Elsewhere or Remain UFA
-Matt O’Connor (Nashville, two-way)
-Scott Greenham (UFA)
-Chris Carlisle (HC Bolzano, EBEL)
-Brandon Gormley (UFA; in Toronto’s camp)
-Chris Rumble (Fischtown, DEL)
-Guillaume Lepine (Wichita, ECHL)
-Jason Akeson [Syracuse, AHL]
-Casey Bailey (UFA; was in NYI’s camp)
-Marc Hagel (Lorenskog, Norway)
-Alex Krushelnyski (Lehigh Valley, AHL)
-Chad Nehring (Fischtown, DEL)
-Ryan Rupert (Indy, ECHL)
-Phil Varone (Lehigh Valley, AHL)

From this assortment the only thing lost is scoring. There’s no one on the BSens roster who can dependably put up the points produced by Akeson and Varone. The team still has space to add a veteran, but as it stands Randy Lee has done a lousy job shoring up the offense (last in their conference the previous season).

Re-Signed
-Max McCormick (UFA, June 27th)
-Jack Rodewald (UFA, June 30th; AHL deal)
-Chris Driedger (RFA, July 5th)
-Patrick Sieloff (RFA, July 11th)

While I predicted they might keep Sieloff it’s still an odd decision given how crowded they’ve made their blueline. I’m also not sure why they thought Rodewald needed a two-year deal.

Newly Signed
-Daniel Ciampini (Sept.15, AHL deal)

He adds depth I suppose, but there’s nothing exciting about the 26-year old.

Tryouts
–Charles-David Beaudoin (CIS)
Played a few games for Binghamton last season and participated in both the development camp and rookie tournament–clearly someone in the org loves the guy, but nothing about the 23-year old defenseman stands out
–Guillaume Asselin (CIS)
Signed by ECHL “partner” Wichita, the 25-year old former QMJHLer isn’t a serious contender at camp (albeit he is a useful ECHL player)
–Jim O’Brien (AHL)
Avg AHL ppg 0.55; last season’s AHL ppg 0.45
Yes it’s that Jim O’Brien–the 28-year old former first-rounder (1-29/07) is coming off a miserable season with San Antonio (53-9-15-24) and is going to be hard-pressed to find any org that wants to waste a veteran slot on him
–Ethan Werek (AHL)
Avg AHL ppg 0.36; last season’s AHL 0.49
Former Ranger second-rounder  (2-47/09), whom Arizona acquired for Oscar Lindberg (another genius move from ex-GM Don Maloney) before he turned pro; while failing as an NHL-prospect, the 26-year old has mostly kept himself in the AHL as a depth player; there should be no chance the BSens sign him, albeit he’s in Randy Lee’s wheelhouse
–Brendan Woods (AHL)
Avg AHL ppg 0.33; last season’s AHL 0.25
Drafted as an overager by Carolina (5-129/12), the lumbering 25-year old has the same middling production as Werek above and ought to find himself left outside the dance when camp ends (although, again, he’s a Randy Lee-type player)

The Roster
Goaltenders
Danny Taylor (1986, 6’0, 7-221/04 LA, Sibir Novosibirsk/Medvescak (KHL) 1.93 .931)
Signed as a free agent this off-season out of the KHL, Taylor is a true journeyman, never spending more than two seasons with any organisation since he was drafted. His numbers from his mid-20s have been solid, with the 14th best save percentage in the KHL last year (among ‘tenders who played at least 10 games–for reference the KHL had 29 teams this past season). The last time he was in the AHL (12-13 season) his .922 placed him 8th in the league. His playoff history is unimpressive, but that’s hardly a concern at this point. He was signed to start in Belleville so barring injury he’ll get the lion’s share of the work. This is the first time the Sens affiliate has had an established veteran starter since Nathan Lawson in 2013-14.

Chris Driedger (1994, 6’4, 3-76/12, Binghamton (AHL) 3.22 .900)
A forgotten man in Ottawa’s system, he survived getting buried in the ECHL his rookie year (13-14) and then he outplayed highly touted NCAA FA Matt O’Connor in back-to-back seasons; in the two years he’s spent in Binghamton the team has played better in front of him than O’Connor, but in both those years he’s collapsed late in the season (long after Binghamton was eliminated from any contention), impacting his final numbers significantly. He’s supposed to be competing against Hogberg for the backup position, but the Sens typically just say there’s a competition when they’ve already made up their minds, so I think he’ll be sent to the ECHL to start and from there it will depend on how the Swedish rookie performs (you can read old draft reports on him here–FC’s comment about consistency seems prescient).

Marcus Hogberg (1994, 6’5, 3-78/13, Linkoping (SHL) 1.89 .932)
The second best young goaltender out of Sweden (behind Islander pick Linus Soderstrom), there’s a lot to like about Hogberg (big and athletic), so the question will be how long it takes him to adjust to the AHL and just what his ceiling is when he makes that adjustment. Fans need to remember that of all positions goaltenders tend to take the longest to develop, so patience is a virtue with him (you can reading scouting reports on him when he was drafted here). In what I’ve been able to watch (rookie tournament etc) he’s looked good thus far.

Summary: I haven’t listed Andrew Hammond, since neither I nor the org have any idea what’s going to happen to him. There are clearly no plans for him to play in Belleville–at a guess I think he’ll stick around as Ottawa’s unused third goalie until they can move him (perhaps a loan to Europe after he inevitably clears waivers). Otherwise it will be Taylor starting, Hogberg backing up, and Driedger going to Wichita. In my opinion this is the best goaltending group the BSens have had since the 2012-13 season (albeit it’s not equal to the Robin Lehner/Ben Bishop combo).

Blueline
Thomas Chabot (1997, R. 6’2, 1-18/15, Saint John (QMJHL) 34-10-35-45)
Avg QMJHL 0.76, last season 1.28
Projection: 0.61 (I looked at other recent top picks to get a sense of the numbers, using Travis Sanheim, Anthony DeAngelo, and Shea Theodore)
Given Ottawa’s habit of rushing prospects I’m not sure he’ll suit up in the AHL, but if he does he’s a huge boon to the team and takes a lot of pressure off what otherwise is a mediocre group. While the Sens inflate expectations for prospects, he is a very good one and for fans in Belleville I hope they get to see him. I can’t emphasize enough how he’s the only excellent puckmover on this blueline. You can read scouting reports when he was drafted here–the sainted Pronman didn’t like his defensive play (I can only imagine the supporters in the Sens fanbase crying out elohim elohim lama sabachthani! about that).

Maxime Lajoie (1997, L, 6’0, 5-133/16, Swift Current (WHL) 68-7-35-42)
Avg WHL 0.59, last season 0.61
Projection: 0.38 (it was very difficult to find prospects similar to him–the closest I could find were Dylan DeMelo and Reece Scarlett)
Ottawa signed him with alacrity after they drafted him and because of his DOB he’s eligible to play in Belleville. Looking at his numbers I didn’t understand the hype until I saw him play recently (scouts‘ praise and criticism was muted when he was drafted). I’m not sure what his ceiling is, but unlike the majority of players here he can reliably move the puck and that ability is in short supply on this roster. Whether there’s any room for him amongst the mass of mediocrity is a different question and I’m not sure if jumping to Belleville is the best thing for his development.

Ben Harpur (1995, L, 6’6, 4-108/13, Binghamton (AHL) 63-2-25-27)
Avg AHL 0.30, last season 0.42 (OHL Avg 0.29)
Projection: 0.30 (regressing to the mean)
While I’ve not completely changed my mind about him, the big man did show improvement under Kleinendorst, which was a surprise given his play the previous season. Can he maintain his unexpected offensive production? Does he have the ability to push the play at this level? Belleville is going to have to count on it (scouting reports–link above–saw him topping out as a 5-6 D who kills penalties)

Christian Jaros (1996, R, 6’3, 5-139/15, Lulea (SHL) 36-5-8-13)
Avg SHL 0.22, last season 0.36
Projection: 0.25 (I’m giving him the same mild increase Englund experienced his rookie year)
The big Slovak has spent much of his junior and all of his pro career in Sweden; the org keeps comparing him to Mark Borowiecki due to his physical play, but how truly apt that is remains to be seen. My concern with Jaros is his ability to move the puck, but at least against his peers in the SHL he showed improvement this past season (scouting reports, link above, also compared him to the Boroflop, although not universally).

Erik Burgoerfer (1988, R, 6’1, undrafted, Rochester (AHL) 52-1-16-17)
Avg AHL 0.24, last season 0.32
Projection: 0.24
Every year the Sens sign someone for reasons that no one can understand and this is another one. An NCAA grad who worked his way through the ECHL (Edmonton’s system) to the AHL, there’s nothing remarkable about his numbers at any stage of his career (0.15 NCAA, 0.28 ECHL, 0.24 AHL)–he’s not a scorer, he’s not a fighter–at best he’s a safe right-hand shot, but for a team lacking puck-movers it’s an odd addition.

Patrick Sieloff (1994, L, 6’1, 2-42/12 Cal, Binghamton (AHL) 52-2-10-12)
Avg AHL 0.18, last season 0.23
Projection: 0.21 (matches his number the previous season)
Acquired via the Chiasson deal, the former USDP player’s production flatlined in junior (0.17 USDP, 0.18 AHL); that said, he’s fairly safe defensively and a “tough” player; the Sens didn’t have to qualify him (although it’s something I thought was likely), but they did, so he adds some unremarkable depth. Given how crowded their blueline is he seems pretty superfluous.

Andreas Englund (1996, L, 6’3, 2-40/14, Binghamton (AHL) 69-3-7-10)
Avg SHL 0.12, last season 0.14
Projection: 0.16 (I think we can expect a very modest increase)
A classic Sens defensive defenseman–big, “tough”, etc. He had an adequate rookie year given those parameters, but he’s just a cog in the wheel–decent support if his partner is going to take care of the puck, but not much else (scouting reports largely put him in the same category of Harpur, so the hope would be he has hidden depths).

Macoy Erkamps (1995, R, 6’0, FA, Wichita (ECHL) 58-6-19-25)
Avg WHL 0.55, last season 0.43
Projection: ECHL
The org has a terrible trackrecord signing FA’s from the CHL, but got excited by Erkamps’ inflated production in his final junior year. He was among the better defensemen on Wichita’s (ECHL) abysmal blueline, but couldn’t crack Binghamton’s equally awful defensecorps, so can he be a regular in Belleville? Nothing I’ve seen suggests he can, although he’s slightly better than a tryout like Beaudoin.

Cody Donaghey (1996, R, 6’1, FA Tor, Charlottetown/Sherbrooke (QMJHL) 52-11-29-40)
Avg QMJHL 0.58, last season 0.76
Projection: ECHL
A CHL FA that Toronto signed and then included as part of the Phaneuf trade, the Sens burned a year of his ELC to send him back to junior and he remains on the fringes of the roster. While I like that he’s primarily a puckmover, he hasn’t been overly impressive when I’ve seen him so the odds are he’ll be sent down to Wichita.

Jordan Murray (1992, L, 6’1, FA, U New Brunswick (CIS) 30-14-26-40)
Avg CIS 1.00, Avg QMJHL 0.51
Projection: ECHL
The CIS grad had a short (five game) stint with Binghamton and apparently that was enough for the org to lock him in for two years. I have no idea what the need for the longer deal was and they are free to bury him in the ECHL if they want, but it’s an odd decision. I do like that he’s an offensively minded defenseman, but he hasn’t stood out in what I’ve (or others) have seen.

Summary: there are 10 players listed here, so even if Chabot remains in the NHL it’s quite crowded. The numbers aren’t an indication of quality however, as without Chabot there’s no one who slots in reliably as better than a 3-4 with virtually no strong puckmovers. On paper it’s a slightly better blueline than last season, but it still leaves much to be desired. I’d expect Donaghey and (if Lajoie is retained), Murray, and Erkamps to be going down to Wichita or remain in the pressbox.

Forwards
Colin White (1997, R, 6’1, 1-21/15, Boston College (NCAA) 35-16-17-33)
Avg NCAA 1.06, last season 0.94
Projection: 0.70 (hard to find comparables for him, but I used Nick Schmaltz and Alex Tuch) 
He’s currently injured and will miss at least the first month of the season; much like Chabot above there’s a good chance he never suits up in Belleville, but if he does he’s a top-six forward who adds a great deal to the lineup (scouts, link above, questioned his ability to score at the NHL-level, otherwise seeing him as a very good two-way forward)

Nick Paul (1995, L, 6’2, 4-101/13 Dal, Binghamton (AHL) 72-15-22-37)
Avg AHL 0.46, last season 0.51
Projection: 0.64 (roughly the same amount of increase from year one to year two)
Currently recovering from an ankle injury, he’s expected to be ready soon. He was much improved this past season and he’ll need to continue to grow offensively to help the team. How much he’s capable of producing remains an open question (just as his NHL ceiling is).

Chris DiDomenico (1989, R, 5’11, 6-164/07 Tor, SCL Tigers (NLA) 48-10-28-38)
Avg NLA 0.81, Avg AHL 0.23
Projection: 0.60 (this would be similar to Roman Wick’s drop, see below)
He’s an interesting player in that he failed out of the AHL initially (74-2-15-17) and rebuilt his career in Europe; on-faith the Sens are assuming his production in Switzerland will translate at a level he’s never experienced success in (I think it’s reasonable to compare him to former Sens prospect Roman Wick, in whose lone AHL season he went from 0.83 to 0.60 production). I haven’t found him impressive in limited viewings, but that could change–if not, the already offensively challenged group is going to struggle even harder

Max Reinhart (1992, L, 6’1, 3-64/10 Cal, Kolner Haie (DEL) 52-6-17-23)
Avg AHL 0.59, last season 0.44
Projection: 0.59
Son of former NHLer Paul, while a fairly pedestrian AHL player, Reinhart is someone you’d expect to fill a top-nine or top-six role, albeit bombing out in the German league is cause for alarm–fortunately the Sens only gave him a one-year deal.

Francis Perron (1996, L, 6’0, 7-190/14, Binghamton (AHL) 68-6-20-26)
Avg QMJHL 1.02, last season 0.38
Projection: 0.59 (based roughly on Mike Hoffman’s trajectory, taking into account Perron’s lesser Q-production)
It was a quiet season for the QMJHL star, but a fairly consistent one where we can hope for growth this coming season (assuming he doesn’t get buried behind free agents). He has a lot of skill and the question is simply whether those tools can translate at this level and beyond (scouting reports, link above, decried his size & nothing else). I haven’t been that impressed by his pre-season performance, but it’s a small sample size.

Filip Chlapik (1997, L, 6’1, 2-48/15, Charlottetown (QMJHL) 57-34-57-91)
Avg QMJHL 1.27, last season 1.59
Projection: 0.59 (for comparables I used Marek Zagrapan, Tomas Kubalik, Ondrej Palat, and Marek Hrivik)
Was able to prove he can produce without Pittsburgh pick Daniel Sprong, although not as much. His upside as a pro is up in the air and as a rookie I wouldn’t expect too much this year, but I like his presence simply because he’s a player who brings offensive creativity to the table; scouts (link above) were most concerned about his skating.

Max McCormick (1992, L, 5’11, 6-171/11, Binghamton (AHL) 66-21-15-36)
Avg AHL 0.46, last season 0.54
Projection: 0.53 (this is between his second and third year production)
The org loves him–a physical, grinding player–and I think in an AHL-context he’s very useful (albeit misplaced on the powerplay); I don’t see an upside (his AHL production has flatlined).

Ben Sexton (1991, R, 5’11, 7-206/09 Bos, Albany (AHL) 54-19-12-31)
Avg AHL 0.39, last season 0.57
Projection: 0.46 (assuming last year was not an aberration)
Son of former Sens exec Randy, he failed out of the Boston org and was forced to sign an AHL-deal with Albany, where he pushed himself into a top-nine role. Somehow this translated into a two-year deal for big (in AHL terms) money–it’s hard not to think there’s something more than his performance going into that as there’s every reason to expect him to regress to the mean (73-8-11-19 are his AHL numbers prior to last season).

Mike Blunden (1986, R, 6’4, 2-43/05 Chi, Binghamton (AHL) 67-14-15-29)
Avg AHL 0.52, last season 0.43
Projection: 0.43 (he’s on the decline so he’s not going to crawl back to his AHL average)
A bust last year (reminded me a lot of Mark Parrish‘s year with Binghamton), but as a “tough character player” he doesn’t need to produce to get Randy Lee excited. I’d expect similar production from him this year, ideally in the bottom-six role he’s suited too.

Kyle Flanagan (1988, L, 5’9, FA, Binghamton (AHL) 68-9-20-29)
Avg AHL 0.41, last season 0.42
Projection: 0.41
I’m not sure what it is the org likes about Flanagan (who is on an AHL-deal)–I don’t think he’s a bad player, but he’s not someone they needed to commit too. That said, he’s only expected to play on either the third or fourth line so expectations are low.

Jack Rodewald (1994, R, 6’2, FA Tor, Binghamton (AHL) 66-18-9-27)
Avg AHL 0.35, last season 0.40
Projection: 0.30 (his AHL avg has to be taken with a grain of salt given the GP)
Signed by Toronto as a CHL FA (much like Donaghey above), he was an early recall from the ECHL and a two-month hot streak was enough for a two-year AHL-deal; why the Sens felt the urgency for such a commitment I have no idea, as his second half production (37-6-2-8) seems like what’s reasonable to expect from him (I can pat myself on the back for predicting his stay I suppose). He hurt his leg in an exhibition game and I’m not sure what the time table for his return is.

Gabriel Gagne (1996, R, 6’5, 2-36/15, Binghamton (AHL) 41-2-4-6)
Avg QMJHL 0.75, last season 0.15
Projection: 0.22 (it was very hard to find recent comparables–big forwards with decent CHL numbers taken outside the first round–Hunter Smith is what I had to settle for)
The Sens rushed him into turning pro thinking it would help, but that was not evident at all last season. Even at the ECHL level he struggled to produce (19-6-5-11), meaning it’s difficult to know what to expect out of him this season–he was drafted as a scorer, but that hasn’t manifested yet (when drafted, link above, there were red flags about him virtually everywhere). There needs to be some signs of life in him this season or we can saddle him with the “bust” tag (I think there’s wiggle room to hope for more as bigger players can take a little longer to fill out and mature).

Tyler Randell (1991, R, 6’1, 6-176/09 Bos, Providence (AHL) 59-1-9-10)
Avg AHL 0.19, last season 0.16
Projection: 0.19
Coming off one of his worst AHL-seasons the Sens are paying him a hefty AHL salary (200k!) to punch people (he’s among the most active fighters in the league). This signing has Randy Lee written all over it. The only positive is, unlike when they signed Stortini, we won’t see Randell on the powerplay and it’s just a one-year deal (his ppg average is 0.19).

Daniel Ciampini (1990, L, 6’0, FA, Manchester (ECHL) 28-12-16-28)
Avg ECHL 0.87, Avg AHL 0.25
Projection: ECHL
A productive ECHL player (76-26-40-66) since he finished his college career, he’s a useful depth at forward if nothing else (he doesn’t really address the needs of the roster however).

Vincent Dunn (1995, L, 6’0, 5-138/13, Wichita (ECHL) 47-4-8-12)
Avg ECHL 0.38, last season 0.25
Projection: ECHL
The Sens rushed to sign the QMJHL pest and have regretted it ever since. He’s shown no ability to play at the AHL-level and he got worse in his second ECHL season. He has a history for not getting along with teammates and coaches and it’s possible the Sens simply can’t get rid of him, but I’d loan him elsewhere before the season starts–elsewhere in the minors or Europe (scouts, link above, had all sorts of issues with him).

Summary: there are 15 signed players, but with White out for a month and possibly remaining in Ottawa, Belleville’s struggle to score is going to be even worse. Neither of Binghamton’s top-scorers from last season were retained and that means all the offensive pressure is falling on prospects and DiDomenico. Dunn and Ciampini are most likely slated for Wichita or the pressbox.

Projected Lineup
[I’m keeping both Chabot and White out–I’ll go into their presence below–I’ve included point projections and I’ll get into how I think things will change as the season progresses.]

Paul (0.64)-DiDomenico (0.60)-Sexton (0.46)
McCormick (0.53)-Reinhart (0.59)-Blunden (0.43)
Chlapik (0.59)-Perron (0.59)-Rodewald (0.30)
Gagne (0.22)-Flanagan (0.41)-Randell (0.19)

Harper (0.30)-Jaros (0.22)
Lajoie (0.38)-Burgoerfer (0.24)
Englund (0.14)-Sieloff (0.21)

This humdrum lineup will struggle to score and despite a modest improvement to the blueline and a better situation in net, I don’t see them being that much better than last season (albeit, possibly more entertaining). Either Chabot or White would help, as would the signing of a productive veteran forward, but I’m taking things as-is for now. With Chabot in the lineup I suspect Sieloff sits (Jaros and Burgoefer move down respectively); with White in the lineup Randell sits (I expect White to play wing), with Sexton, Blunden, and Rodewald shifting down.

My guess is that among the forwards DiDomenico and Sexton will disappoint, Reinhart, McCormick, and Blunden will be average, while Paul and one of Perron or Chlapik will do well. I’m not expecting any big surprises on defense.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

September 25, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 7 Comments

The injury to Colin White means that, at least in the short term, I can put to rest my fears of him being rushed into the NHL. The loss also has implications for Belleville, although it’s likely Kleinendorst knew White wouldn’t be a regular part of the lineup. With the recovering time slated for 6-8 weeks, the first-rounder won’t be back until late-October/mid-November (so 11-15 NHL games, or 9-15 AHL games). I think this is more impactful to Belleville than Ottawa, given how thin the AHL team will be offensively.

Whether because of this news or for other reasons the Sens are back in the hunt for disgruntled Colorado forward Matt Duchene. While I’m not a fan of the Sens org in general they can fleece other old school GMs (ala former Arizona GM Don Maloney in the Kyle Turris trade). The Avalanche’s Joe Sakic is another guy stuck in the past and if the rumours about dumping Cody Ceci are true then fans could benefit from a very positive acquisition (granting that Duchene might be a short-term add, leaving when his contract expires). However, if the price includes Thomas Chabot then I’d walk away.

I’ve been waiting to see who will broadcast BSens games and while I haven’t found the answer to that there was a recent announcement about radio coverage (with Quinte Broadcasting, who used to do the Belleville Bulls games, picking it up).

I wrote a prospect profile for new Sens prospect Parker Kelly. It’s doubtful the decision to sign him was the reason for releasing Pius Suter–given the Swiss player’s existing NLA contract it’s possible it was Ottawa or bust for him. The two prospects are at very different stages of their careers (one is already playing pro hockey, while the other is a couple of years away). It’s worth pointing out that the Sens have a lousy track record of signing CHL free agents.

Wichita has added a pair of players: first NCAA forward Steven Iacobellis (0.63 ppg through his college career), and then 25-year old former NCAA and Canadian University defenseman via the Austrian league,  Samuel Labrecque (0.50 in the EBEL, which was tied for 24th in that league).

Free agents continued to be signed, as QMJHL goaltender Dereck Baribeau was picked up by Minnesota–I had him slotted in the sixth round of this year’s draft. He’s the ninth CHL FA signed this off-season.

For those who remember the rumours that Stephane Da Costa wanted to return to the NHL, you may have wondered why nothing happened for the KHL star. Apparently the former Sen suffered some kind of injury that will see him out of action for months, which has scared off NHL GM’s for now.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

September 22, 2017
Categories: Belleville Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment