-Tonight Binghamton plays the Portland Pirates (Phoenix’s affiliate), who are 2-2-1 on the season thus far while leading the Eastern Conference in goals scored (averaging 5 per game).  Alexandre Bolduc leads the team in scoring with 9 points; former Sen David Rundblad has four assists, but is behind blueliner Oliver Ekman-Larsson in defensive scoring (he has 7 points); former Ranger Chad Johnson is the starting goaltender.

-Early reports on tonight’s lineup: Silfverberg-Pageau-Zibanejad, Hoffman-Cannone-Petersson, Dziurzynski-Grant-Jessiman, Schneider-Caporusso-Cowick; Wiercioch-Benoit, Claesson-Eckford, Blood-Borowiecki; Robin Lehner gets the start.  This allows me to correct an error I made yesterday where I mentioned that Caporusso and Blood were sent back to Elmira–that is not the case.

-Elmira faces Cincinnati again tonight in ECHL action.

–Randy Lee talked about some of Ottawa’s prospects:

Matt Puempel

We’ve gotten some really positive feedback from (Kitchener head coach Steve Spott) about Matt’s approach. This is a young guy that had to handle some injury issues, concussion issues, a suspension (last season) —  that set him back a bit, but he never made excuses. Every time we talk to him we see a much more mature, professional young man. The Kitchener team is just overjoyed with the impact he’s had on their team.

Stefan Noesen

He’s got that real confidence level that you like to see. He wants to be the guy, he want to be the shooter to make a difference in games. Great improvement in his maturity over the years, and I think he had his eyes opened at a couple of development camps where he realized how hard pros have to commit to make themselves better. He has a great skill set, and that took him pretty far, but he’s bought in to the fact there are other things he needs to do to supplement his skill set to make himself a better player.

Jakub Culek

He had a very good camp (in Binghamton). He’s a guy that, early on, we had some concerns about his game, but he’s addressed them, and he’s grown up. Some kids get it and some kids don’t, and he’s starting to really get it. He understood when we assigned him back to junior that it was a numbers game and he was basically a victim of the NHL lockout.

Cody Ceci

We’re very lucky that we get to be hands-on with Cody, we have Jason Smith as a speciality coach on our staff who will get to work one-on-one with him. He’s another good player for us with the way the game is going, as a skill game and a puck possession game, for us to add another guy like him, the future on our blueline is very bright.

Francois Brassard

We talked to Patrick Roy (on a recent Remparts visit) and he couldn’t say enough good things about the kid. We asked him tough questions, and he said some great things about how he’s approaching the game, how he’s handling pressure, how he keeps himself focused, and how he steps up when he’s called upon. You can tell talking to a coach whether he believes in a player, and that’s the vibe I got from (Roy).

Michael Sdao

He’s a hard-nosed defencemen, a leader. He’s a yes-sir, no sir-type of guy who just goes to work every day. He needed to improve his skating and he’s done that and made some huge strides. He’s real competitive, a hard player to play against. He’s in his senior year, so he’s looking forward to honing his skills either in the AHL or pushing for a spot here in Ottawa [next season].

The most interesting elements of this are his comments that Culek would be playing in the minors (probably in Elmira) were it not for the lockout-created logjam of players; he confirmed that Michael Sdao is on the radar and someone considered to have NHL-potential (something dismissed by Riley Forsythe yesterday for reasons that remain unknown), and the positive comments from Patrick Roy about Brassard are interesting although I’d expect a coach to praise his starting goaltender.

-Speaking of prospects, I’m always happy to help out Bobby Kelly‘s posts: Marcus Sorensen is no longer Sens property.  I wonder if Bobby is unaware that freshman players in the NCAA are not automatically inserted in the lineup, given his surprise that Tim Boyle has not dressed for Union College yet.

-Here’s part two of D. J. Powers ECAC preview, which includes comments on Michael Sdao:

[He] emerged as one of the best rearguards coming out of the ECAC last season. Sdao doubled his point totals from his sophomore year, finishing with 20 points (10 goals, 10 assists) to lead Princeton in defensive scoring. Not surprisingly, he also led the Ivy League with 87 penalty minutes. Sdao’s excellent junior campaign earned him spots on the All-Ivy League First Team and on the All-ECAC Second Team. In addition to his increased point totals, Sdao made some very good strides in his development last season; two of the most notable areas were in his overall maturity and improved decision-making with the puck. While Sdao continues to make his mark as an ultra-aggressive competitor, he’s also playing smarter and with a bit more discipline as well. That, in turn, has made him more effective in all situations. And if Sdao can continue to strike a balance between his tough-as-nails style of play and being more disciplined, he will be an even bigger threat to opposing teams.

–Allan Muir dynamites the CHLPA as an organisation, but says they serve the purpose of pushing the league into dealing with some of its outstanding issues:

While a few players grumble about the weekly stipend — ranging from $35 to $60, based on experience — many have taken issue with the strict limitations placed on the education packages that are offered as part of their contracts. Ideally, a player graduates from junior hockey and goes on to a long and lucrative career smashing records, signing trading cards and appearing on video game box covers. Realistically? The dream dies here. And with just 18 months to take advantage of the education option, the vast majority are left to face a stark choice: Either continue on to play in a lower minor league or overseas with at least a  faint hope of moving up the ladder, or head off to school before that avenue is closed off as well. The time limitation precludes doing both. Anyone can see that’s a lousy choice to put on a kid who has devoted his whole life to the game. It’s a flaw that can and should be addressed.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 27, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-The NHL has decided to cancel all scheduled games in November because …they can?  There’s no reason why the league can’t just do two weeks at a time, but they’ve extended the cut this time around.  I presume the idea is to put pressure on the players, but I can’t see how any additional pressure can be added unless the entire season is threatened.

–Brand Finance estimated the value of sports franchises from the NHL, NBA, NFL, international soccer leagues, and the Indian Premier League (cricket), with Ottawa valued at $201 million and ranking 159th out of 250 teams.  Not surprisingly, the company says the NHL has hurt the power of its brand:

The NHL’s frequent strikes and lockouts have resulted in more missed games than any of the other major leagues in North America.

-A Binghamton transaction: Chris Wideman has been recalled to join the B-Sens.  In four games with Elmira Wideman has 4 assists and is +5.

–Riley Forsythe assesses the Sens prospects, but he’s vague and makes pronouncements without providing reasons (Michael Sdao doesn’t have NHL potential because…reasons?).  Hockey’s Future Ottawa coverage has been mediocre for quite some time and I have no idea why.  You’d think with the market of Ottawa-based hockey people they wouldn’t have a problem finding the right fit.  There’s plenty of time for Forsythe to improve, but it’s not an auspicious beginning.

-Elmira plays Cincinnati tonight; the Cyclones are 2-0-1 on the season.

-CHL players are threatening to sue for wages and I see no reason why they shouldn’t be paid.  I’m sure the league will fight the action , but if so it’s a cynical action to protect profit margins.  I’ll be interested to see how things unfold.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 26, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 2 Comments

-Luke Richardson talked about Robin Lehner‘s performance in Binghamton’s 2-1 win against Hershey:

We gave him [Lehner] the opportunity to return and he ran with it. I think he felt bad (about Saturday). You could hear him in the dressing room. He was very verbal before the game, telling everyone how important the game was. It was a big win. We were banged up.

Adding:

He felt he let the team down, but the whole team let the team down. We win as a team and we lose as a team, but he wanted another crack at it and we gave him an opportunity, and he stood tall on Sunday. The guys played very hard defensively; especially on the penalty kill and in our (defensive) zone. They only gave them one crack at it. There were no rebound shots, really, but Robin was real solid and he made one or two really timely, big saves. And they’re hard to do. As a goaltender, if you stand around for a while and then you get a hard shot, and then you stand around for a while and you get a hard shot, that might be the toughest game to play rather than a 45-shot night. Robin was big and he talked big before the game. He was very vocal in the room. We could hear him down in the coach’s office. He said, ‘I really want to win this one guys.’ He was saying all the right things and taking on a leadership role, so that’s a big step for him. He’s been like that from day one this year. I talked a bit at the practice today about Saturday and he’s learned from it.

Richardson also talked about Ben Bishop:

He’s on some antibiotics [for strep throat]. Maybe with the move and getting into the hotel and maybe not eating the best, he’s run down a bit. Hopefully he can get a couple of practices in soon.

He also discussed the play of Mika Zibanejad and Jakob Silfverberg:

Zibanejad has probably been our most consistent and best forward up until Sunday. Sunday, he really showed that he was a bit tired but he’s been skating a lot. He kills penalties for us and (plays on the) power play. He’s been doing a great job defensively. A lot of Swedes are really good and take pride with good sticks and tracking hard and he’s been doing that as a young player, so I’m not going to complain because those players will find their touch. We’ll help them along for sure and try and get them in the best combinations possible offensively. But, they’ve been tracking it and Silfverberg has been the same – playing power play and penalty kill. I think the game really wore both of them out on Saturday. Zibanejad, we play him on the left wing when he’s a right wing; a lot of it is on his off side. He’s so strong, he can glide to the net and shoot through traffic – kind of like an Ovechkin. Silfverberg, same thing – he’s playing on his right wing but he’s a smart player. Sometimes he hangs onto the puck too long because he’s still figuring out smaller ice surface but Zibanejad, he has been probably our best skating forward – up and down and through the middle; especially playing at center, he was really good on Saturday night. Those guys, it’s concerning if you don’t see them play because you don’t see the point production but I think as the year moves along, you will see that become more consistent.  I think they have been playing great. I think Silfverberg may be a bit frustrated with the time of the puck on his stick without pressure. He’s just used to having the puck on his stick more with the bigger ice surfaces. He’s a great kid who works hard and both of them have been really good for us, so I’m really happy. As long as we can get better as a team, and they can get better as individuals, I think the points will come as the year settles in.

In the first link Richardson also praised the play of Mike Hoffman.  What to take away from all this?  The comment about finding the best offensive combinations for the two Swedes is a reminder that neither Jean-Gabriel Pageau nor anyone else has been able to bring the noise offensively with them.

-For those looking for a Jakub Culek update, L’Avantage reports that Culek cannot play for Rimouski because the team is at their overage and European limit.  The only options for Culek are a trade within the QMJHL or having him play in the ECHL.

–Grant Sonier has Mika Zibanejad 16th on his list of top-50 prospects, but the most meaningful point about his list comes from Nichols:

None of these rankings really mean anything beyond: a) creating a topic of discussion to dissect and critique; b) offering assurance that some other respected member of the hockey community recognizes the abundance of talent that has been stockpiled at the AHL and junior levels; and c) offering a humbling reminder that not everyone is as enamoured with the Senators pipeline as  you would to believe.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: assessments that don’t come from the scouting community are educated guesses at best and simply sources for discussion.  I’m not even sure how useful the various top lists are–it’s more important to know if a prospect is NHL-caliber and at what level than if they are slightly better or worse than another prospect.

-I have to think Nichols is kidding when he describes Darren Millard, Nick Kypreos and Doug MacLean as three of the most brilliant minds in hockey.  MacLean believes Melnyk is in financial difficulty because he might be selling a team (apparently in his mind you only sell if you are losing money–following that logic the Maple Leafs are losing money because they are for sale).  So are the Senators in financial difficulty?  I have no idea and it’s hard to take it seriously when Doug MacLean is the source of the rumour (Melnyk has already denied it).

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 25, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 6 Comments

-Bobby Kelly cautions Sens fans too keep their excitement in check over Mikael Wikstrand‘s strong start to the season (I discussed how his talent should not surprise on Monday), which is sound advice for all prospects.  It’s not just a question of the relationship between the talent of the league the prospect is playing in versus the NHL, but that numbers at one level aren’t easily translatable to another (outside of players who dominate top professional leagues).  Given the current hype, I’ll remind fans what scouts said about Wikstrand prior to the 2012 draft:

ISS: A good mobile, two-way defender that moves the puck effectively. Vikstrand accelerates well in all directions and exhudes maturity, already having played over 75 pro level games in Sweden. He stands out most in situations when he has a little bit of extra time and space to make a play, such as the PP- but proves to be capable in 5 on 5 situations as well. He has good upper body strength & battles hard along the boards & can throw the odd big hit here and there.

Future Considerations: A smart and safe two-way defenseman. Skates well with good speed and quick feet but is not overly dynamic. Has nice vision and makes strong breakout passes. Can get his point shot off quickly and on target. Defends well with an active stick and strong body positioning, closing gaps quickly and blocking off passing lanes. He does many things very well, and is a smart defensive player coupled with decent puck moving skills. However, he’s not extremely physical, and he does not possess much in the way of a high offensive upside. His cool and calm all-around game and the confidence he brings to his blueline are like what you see in a ten year veteran. Might be more ready for pro hockey than many others in this draft out of Sweden, but the upside is certainly not as high as some. He will need to add some more strength over the summer to have a shot at cracking an NHL lineup. NHL POTENTIAL: Bottom pairing two-way defenseman.

-Stu Hackel wonders if the NHL is intentionally sabotaging the CBA negotiations in an attempt to undercut NHLPA leader Donald Fehr.  It’s an interesting piece, but I doubt the league would shut down the season to eliminate one guy.  Ultimately, ownership is hurt more by missing a season than the players.  There is only so long that the NHL can afford to leave itself off the entertainment map (I’m not sure how much I buy that personal animosity factors in to it).  James Mirtle summarizes my thoughts:

-I wonder how much time Scott Howson has left now that John Davidson has been hired to take over hockey operations for Columbus.  Davidson did a fantastic job building the Blues and I expect he will have a positive impact for the Blue Jackets.

-The New York Islanders are preparing to move to Brooklyn in time for the 2015-16 season.  This comes as no surprise as the tax payers on Long Island have consistently refused to help pay for a new arena while giving Islander ownership other land to develop as they wish.  I can’t think of any meaningful impact the move will have other than making the team more financially solvent.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 24, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

–Nichols and The Raaymaker have added their voices to mine in combating the absurd criticisms of Robin Lehner for his fight on the weekend.  Nichols’ article has links to some of Lehner‘s more entertaining moments, although he missed his post-game comments from the World Junior Championships.

-I admire Bobby Kelly‘s spirit, but I do wish he would fact check his blog posts a little more thoroughly.  Nathan Lawson has already played in the ECHL this year Bobby!  There was, incidentally, only one official in the 6-5 game (the lamentable Jamie Koharski).

-Elmira’s Artem Demkov was named the ECHL player of the week.

-In yet another indication that there are economic pressures on the NHL to get the CBA done, Sam Carchidi reports that while the league won’t lose money directly from their NBC deal if a season is lost, it does mean the network gets an additional season for free added on to the term of the agreement.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 23, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

-Binghamton beat Hershey 2-1 in OT last night in a game I was unable to watch (although I was able to listen).  It was a strong game for the B-Sens defensively (they limited the Bears to 25 shots).  Benoit provided the team with an early lead and Jessiman gave them the win late in OT (the goal that required video review).  Derek Grant was named the game’s first star despite putting no points on the board.  Here are the game highlights.

-I mentioned yesterday that the reporting after Binghamton’s loss to Syracuse was focussed on the Lehner‘s fight being a sign that he was “out of control” (I’ve always wondered why guys like Ron Hextall and Billy Smith are lauded for much more radical behaviour, but with Lehner it’s a flaw), and Ken Warren has thrown in his own lazy article on the same point.  Amusingly, Warren dynamites his own point by including Luke Richardson’s comments, particularly:

We have to keep guys from slamming into him.

That’s exactly what the team needs to do–protect their goaltender.  I think Lehner reasonably thought his teammates could handle a five-goal lead and decided to take a break from getting run.  If Binghamton wins that game the story is a funny one.  I’m still puzzled why veteran Nathan Lawson, an experienced backup who gets paid to come off the bench in relief, received a free pass in the post-game coverage.

-In the midst of an emotional polemic about the lockout Scott Burnside does say something interesting:

The players through their three-proposal smorgasbord presented Thursday have acknowledged that at some point a 50-50 split in revenues is on the table. And the league has acknowledged if not a willingness to honor the players’ existing contracts, at least that it is a key to getting a deal done and that they will have to come up with a mechanism that simply doesn’t require the players to end up paying each other during the life of a new deal in order to satisfy the “make-whole” concept. There also seems to be some consensus on revenue sharing. A settlement isn’t just sitting under a desk in the corner like some Easter egg waiting to be picked up and put in a basket, but the tools for hammering such a settlement together are in the room for the first time.

Regardless of when the CBA is settled, knowing that both sides are moving towards the same place does make it more likely that the season on some level will be saved.

-I’ve been seeing some amazement expressed that Sens prospect Mikael Wikstrand is being considered as part of Sweden’s WJC roster, but this inclusion should come as no surprise.  When he was drafted Pierre Dorion said the Sens expected him to be on Sweden’s roster.  What I find remarkable is his goal scoring, which is at an astonishing pace for a defenseman.

-Here’s the weekly prospect update:

CHL
Matt Puempel (OHL Kitchener) 11-7-4-11
Cody Ceci (OHL Ottawa) 11-3-8-11
Stefan Noesen (OHL Plymouth) 11-7-2-9
Jordan Fransoo (WHL Victoria) 7-0-3-3
Jakub Culek (QMJHL Rimouski) DNP
Jarrod Maidens (OHL Owen Sound) (injured)
Francois Brassard (QMJHL Quebec) 9-2-0 2.09 .918
Chris Driedger (WHL Calgary) 6-2-1 2.51 .915

Allsvenskan (Swe)
Mikael Vikstrand (Mora) 12-7-2-9

KHL
Nikita Filatov (Salavat) 18-4-6-10

NCAA
Bryce Aneloski (Nebraska-Omaha) – 4-1-4-5
Max McCormick (Ohio) – 4-1-2-3
Ryan Dzingel (Ohio) – 4-1-0-1
Jeff Costello (Notre Dame) – 2-1-0-1
Michael Sdao (Princeton) – senior year upcoming
Tim Boyle (Union) – freshman year upcoming

USHL
Robbie Baillargeon (Indiana) – 10-1-7-8

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 22, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 4 Comments

-The Binghamton Senators lost a weird game to Syracuse last night, a game in which they built up a 5-0 lead in dominating fashion and then lost in overtime due to some awful goaltending from Nathan Lawson.  The officiating wasn’t great (Dave Schreiber described Jamie Koharski as incompetent), but ultimately wasn’t the main reason behind the team’s loss.  There was some attempt to blame Robin Lehner for getting into a fight mid-period (most of the post-game questions to Richardson were about that), as if that forgives the team and his backup for yielding 6 goals in 35 minutes.  Cannone, Hoffman, Eckford, Grant, and Borowiecki scored for Binghamton.  Here are the game highlights.  Luke Richardson said they failed to come together as a team and that the lesson learned was to play a full sixty minute game.

-Binghamton plays Hershey shortly; no update on the lineup yet.  Jon DiSalvatore and Jeff Taffe currently lead the Bears in scoring.  Hershey lost a wild game 8-7 against Rochester last night.

-Here are highlights from the team’s game against Hershey.

-Elmira beat Wheeling 5-0, with Cheverie earning the shutout, Caporusso scored, Wideman two assists, New an assist, while Downing and Blood were held off the scoresheet.  Here’s the game recap.

-Elmira released Kevin McCarey, while Brandon Blandina and Brad Peltz were placed on reserve.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 21, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: 1 Comment

-Binghamton lost 3-2 to Hershey last night in an entertaining game.  The B-Sens dominated much of game (outshooting the Bears 44-21), particularly once they were down 2-0.  The officials put the whistles away until it was 3-0, in yet another illustration of how irrational hockey officiating is.  The last ten minutes saw Binghamton get back into the game with a powerplay goal by Benoit, a huge hit by Gryba, a shorthanded tally (Eckford) off a dumb Gryba penalty, but it was all too little, too late.  One amusing element of the broadcast was having it cut off when Grady Whittenburg started to talk about the US election.  All the goals on Lehner were through screens.  Jared Cowen left the game with an injury, but Luke Richardson didn’t think it was serious.

In terms of player impressions Mark Stone has elevated his game significantly after an indifferent pre-season and his line (with Grant and Dziurzynski) has been the most consistent over the last two games.  Andre Petersson has struggled this season with what are largely mental errors (something that’s plagued Gryba as well).  I’ll mention Silfverberg because he played well–it’s expected so it doesn’t seem remarkable, but given who is centering his line (Pageau) he’s had a good start to the year.  Finally, Corey Cowick continues to be completely invisible.

Richardson was not happy with the team’s start, saying they were “sleepy” and made a number of unforced errors (particularly those in the defensive zone).  He said he believes the poor start lost them the game and I fully agree with him.  He was happy with Lehner‘s game, but not happy with the team’s effort.

-Binghamton plays Syracuse tonight and I’d guess that Ben Bishop will get his first start and that Fredrik Claesson will play if Cowen is still injured.  The Crunch beat Albany 3-2 last night and are now 2-0-1 this season.  Syracuse forward Cory Conacher leads the AHL in scoring with 7 points.

-Elmira defeated Wheeling 4-2 with Nathan Lawson picking up the win and New, Wideman, Downing, and Caporusso picking up assists (Peltz and Blood were pointless).  Wideman (5’10) got into a fight with Reid McNeill (6’3).  Here’s the game recap.  The Jackals play Wheeling again tonight (presumably Cheverie will get the start).

-Elmira traded their rights to Evan Barlow to San Francisco.

-Sens president Cyril Leeder made it clear that Ottawa wants the lockout to end ASAP:

What we’ve been telling them is our fans are not in the same spot as they were seven years ago. They’re not going to put up with a long lockout. We’re encouraging the league to try and make a deal as quickly as possible.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 20, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-Binghamton’s lines for tonight’s game against Hershey: Silfverberg-Pageau-Zibanejad, Hoffman-Cannone-Petersson, Dziurzynski-Grant-Stone, Cowick-DaCosta-Jessiman; Cowen-Benoit, Gryba-Borowiecki, Eckford-Wiercioch; Lehner will get the start.  There are thus no changes to the lineup.

-Binghamton beat Hershey in the pre-season, but this is their first regular season meeting.  The Bears have lost their only game of the season 4-3 to Syracuse with Brayden Holtby taking the loss.  A note of trivia: Binghamton has the youngest team in the AHL while Hershey has the oldest.

–Nathan Lawson has accepted his re-assignment to Elmira.

-With additional bodies sent to Elmira the Jackals have released Corey Bellamy, Alec Kirschner, and Nick Niedert.

-The Jackals play Wheeling tonight (here’s a preview).

-I keep trying to avoid CBA talk but journalists keep writing things that amuse me.  Ken Campbell believes the lockout will be protracted because…Gary Bettman seemed upset at a press conference!  If that’s not stretching for sensationalism than I don’t know what is.  I have some sympathy for hockey journalists in scrambling to write something of interest, but I think they are all better off focussing on hard news when it comes to the CBA while exploring the hockey that’s happening rather than this kind of nonsense.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 19, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment

-I’ve been amused by how many stories (and Tweets) are making the rounds expressing the sentiment that the NHLPA “must” accept the NHL’s proposal because…well there aren’t any concrete reasons beyond some saying “50-50 seems fair.”  The only element of the league’s proposal that really struck me as interesting was the league wanting to limit deals to no longer than five years, admitting that ownership is incapable of controlling themselves when it comes to term (just as a cap is an admission they are incapable of limiting themselves in compensation).  For a full breakdown of the proposal go here (player reaction is here).

-Most of the news today is following the ping-pong of CBA negotiations, but I think most fans just don’t want to hear about it until either 1) a deal is reached, or 2) the season is cancelled.

-Binghamton has re-assigned Louie Caporusso, Ben Blood, and Jack Downing to Elmira.  The move is no surprise, but will help an already strong Jackals squad.

–Jeremy Milks broke his blog silence last week to let us know he wishes that the Cup would be handed out by former winners rather than by Gary Bettman, which raised the question for me: who watches the Cup being handed out?  I mean, except for fans of the winner?  Frankly, they could have Bozo the Clown hand the trophy out and I wouldn’t care.

This article is written by Peter Levi (@eyeonthesens)

October 18, 2012
Categories: Binghamton Senators, Ottawa Senators . . Author: Eye on the Sens . Comments: Leave a comment