New Look Senators Looking Good
I was going to title this post as ” A Tale of Two Goalies”, and contrast the difference in play between Gerber and Auld. However I truly believe that it was just a bad game on Gerber’s part and that he will bounce back nicely. I do not think his starting job is threatened by just one game. Also, it might be appropriate to write more about this goalie issue if the team in front of them played differently for one than the other, as often happened with Ray Emery. However both nights the team was pretty consistent in their play, and they were damn good to!
As others have mentioned, and even by MVNs own Penguins blogger, the Senators probably should have come away this weekend with two wins, instead of one win and an OT loss. Gerber’s performance on Saturday was pretty abysmal while the rest of the team seemed to outwork and outplay the Pens. This was definitely the case on Sunday, and with Auld being solid in net, the Senators skated to a deserved victory.
However the thing that left the biggest impression on me this weekend was the new look new style Senators. It seems as though this is finally Bryan Murray’s team, and the hold overs from the Melnyk era are all gone. Like the Ducks he was building, Murray has a big strong team now that frankly is playing like a bunch of nasty buggers. They are tenacious, rough and getting in the faces of their opponents. They are making big hits, using their muscle and fighting their opponents for every inch of the ice. Even the penalties they are taking almost seem to be worth it since a bunch of them came from “questionable” hits that most certainly put hesitation in the strides of opposing skaters.
Roundup from this weekend:
STUDS
Dany Heatly - Played tremendous all weekend and showed what a true pure scorer he is. The one timer on Sunday was terrific. His defensive play was great as well and he looked very imposing out there. He looked as sharp as I have ever seen him in a Sens uniform.
Neil-Ruutu Tandem - These guys were great to watch all weekend. Solid pests makers to the Penguins all weekend. They showed why putting them together on one line is going to be huge this season for the Senators. They punished the Pens lines and got under their skin all weekend. Neil drawing two penalties from Goddard, and Ruutu’s “falling” on Sid over and over again was the highlight of this tandems contributions over the weekend.
Alex Auld - 59:59 of shutout hockey. Stood big in net and kept everything out, allowing the boys in front to concentrate on scoring.
Filip Kuba - He made the Meszaros trade look like highway robbery over the weekend. He was physical, blocked shots and contributed on the scoresheet both nights. This is clearly a small sample size, but so far so good for the new edition to the Sens blue line.
DUDS
Martin Geber - Terrible performance on Saturday, there is nothing really positive to say about how he played. First shot on the first game of the season going past him does not bode well if it is any indicator of how the season will play out for Gerber. Personally I think he will bounce back and play well during his next game.
Daniel Alfredsson - Its not really fair to give him a “dud” as he played pretty good in both games. However the fans were clamoring for an Alfie goal and he failed to deliver, so he gets an honorary “dud” for letting down thousands of people.
Developing Stories to Keep an Eye On
Goalie Controversy ? - Was Auld scheduled to play on Sunday or was he put in because of Gerber’s bad play? Did Auld’s performance vs Gerber’s put the seed of doubt in both Gerber’s and managements mind on the certainty of the Senators #1 goalie? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.
Secondary Scoring ? - Again, the top line carried this team with four of the six goals scored coming from Spezza and Heatly. Will lines be adjusted to generate more offensive chances?
Will the New Look - New Style Senators last? - Will the tough, gritty and physical Senators continue to show up over the course of the season or is this just new season angst? Has the team turned over a new leaf (no pun intended)? Has Hartsburg sold them on a new system and if so will they stick with it?
Is the Bulin Wall still in play? - On Hockey Night In Canada on Saturday, the cast spoke about Murray continuing to pursue Khabibulin via a trade from the Hawks. Murray denied last week that he was interested in Bulin, but that question was directed at picking him up off waivers. The HNIC staff believes Murray is still negotiating with the Hawks and that part of the deal MUST include the Hawks picking up part of Khabibulin’s salary if the Sens are going to pull the trigger on the deal. Did Gerber’s performance on Saturday help Murray think about this option more? Will be interesting to see how this unfolds.
Ottawa Senators 2008-2009 Season Preview Part III: Goaltending & Roster Depth
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In our final preview for the season, we will be looking at this years goaltending and resources at depth for the Ottawa Senators. Last year the Senators came into the season with “Playoff Warrior” and official Ottawa Bab Boy Ray Emery as the starting goalie and Martin Gerber as backup. Emery however needed surgery and Gerber got the go ahead to start the season. Under Gerber the Sens got off to one of the best starts in their history. Well, you all know the rest of this story ….
Today the Senators start their season with Martin Gerber as their #1 and journeyman Alex Auld as their backup goalie. Personally I like this set up far better than the last two years of the Emery-Gerber tandem. Gerber was signed by Ottawa three years ago to be the number one goalie we have been looking for. Regardless of what some people on the Team 1200 say (thats right, I am talking about you Eastwood!) Gerber HAS been considered a number one in his career. He was the number one goalie all year long for Carolina when they won the Stanley Cup a few years back. Sure he got injured / sick and Ward was essentially lightning in a bottle and dethroned Gerber, but no one in Carolina rejects the importance of his contribution as the number one net minder that season. Did he live up to expectations when he came to Ottawa three years ago, absolutely not. However playing in Switzerland, then professionally Anaheim and Carolina does not prepare one to play for a team in Canada.
Gerber is notably an emotionally driven goaltender. It is all about confidence with this guy when it comes to his success. Gerber is a GREAT goaltender, and I mean that in every sense of the word. However coming to Ottawa and being under the microscope, being scrutinized at every mistake does something to people who are not used to that kind of attention. Undoubtedly Gerber buckled under this kind of pressure when he first came here. This allowed native Canadian Ray Emery to claim the number one spot and ride the team off to the SCF. The following year when Emery was hurt, Gerber was absolutely fantastic in net. However when Emery came back and started breathing down his neck, Gerbs began to buckle from the pressure again. When Emery was relegated to the bench indefinitely for the remainder of the season, Gerber once again came back and was by far the Senators best player down the stretch and into the playoffs.
No one thinks Auld is honestly going to challenge Gerber for the number one spot and, and Gerber knows this too. Coming off a strong finish last season, being in a contract year, and with a new dedication to Gerber by the franchise; I predict this will be Gerber’s finest year ever in the NHL. Auld has had his chance to be a starter with backup-turn-starter stints in Vancouver and Florida. He has shown that he can be effective in net, but not the kind of guy that a team can ride to the post season with. He will serve as a great non threatening backup for this team. Furthermore he will be a friend and partner to Gerber instead of Gerber’s competition.
All that being said…. huff huff …. neither of these Goalies have ever proven anything other than that they have moved around a bit without ever winning anything. So looking at this reasonably I would say the Senators go into the season with a goalie grade of a C+.
Goalie Grade - C +
Potential Grade - A
Roster Depth
This grade would have been a bit higher had we not just gotten word that Nikulin and Isbister have essentially jumped ship to play in the new Soviet Russian League. However even with the loss of these two, the Senators are STRONG in call up depth. There are so many guys right now that players who probably expected to play at the start of the season will be sitting in the press box. Also, Murray had done a good job restocking the B Sens with some good prospects and a few NHL ready call ups. There should be not point during the season where the Senators are icing guys who have no business in the NHL. However this is strictly related to filling 3rd and 4th line positions, and filling in for injuries to guys like Donvovan or Neil. If the likes of Heatley or Alfreddson goes down for an extended period of time, there really is no one around to pick up the offensive scoring slack. The one ice product of the Senators is not going to throw wave after wave scoring threats at opponents. If one or two of their main scoring threats goes down, it could prove fatal for this team, or at least force Murray to make a trade.
Call Up Player Depth - A
One Ice Depth - C
The season starts tonight with back to back games against the Eastern Conference Chumps Champs Penguins in Sweden. Game time is 230pm Eastern Time. Check back tomorrow for a recap of the game and thoughts on the Sens opening series against the Pens, and my predictions for the season.
Ottawa Senators 2008-2009 Season Preview Part II: Defense
This season, the Ottawa Senators may have one of the most solid blue line Corps they have had in years, maybe possibly ever if things shape up as some hope. Gone now is the era of Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara. When one looks back a few seasons ago and thinks about what our blue line looked like with Redden, Chara, Volchenkov, Phillips, Pothier, Devries (shortly) and Meszaros, it looks as though the Senators have fallen far down the the hole over the years. But those players then are not all the same as they are now.
Volchenkov and Phillips were not nearly as solid even just a few seasons ago. Both of these guys have come a long way and together make one of the best D pairs in the league. Redden has not been the same player in years, at least not since he got his 3 year extension a few years back and was chosen by Muckler over Chara. Pothier got off to a great start in Washington, but since then has fizzled and has had injury issues. Mezsaros as we all know, never was able to recapture his rookie year sensation. Chara is the only one on that list that has left the organization that remains worth what his contract pays him. Hands down he is one of the top 5 defensemen in the league, top 3 by my standards.
This year however, the blue line has undergone significant changes that, for the first time in a long time, is going to give Ottawa a solid corp through and through. The top pairing of Volchenkov and Phillips is as solid as your going to get, they can match up well against any teams top line. Although pairings have not been made official yet, lets take our next top two guys and consider them pairing two. Smith and Kuba are both new additions to the team and are a complete 180 from our previous 2nd line of Redden and Meszaros. Last year our 2nd pairing was exploited all season by physical power forwards and aggressive offenses. Prone to making absent minded mistakes (Meszaros) and sometimes just being lazy and watching the play as a spectator (Redden) this pairing offered minimal true defensive capabilities and was more of a liability than an asset ( in strictly defensive terms). They sure were good at adding an offensive punch, but they were beaten seemingly night in and night out. Kuba and Smith add two big strong D men who both hit, block shots and play the position as it was meant to be played….. Defensively! This is going to give the Sens two pairing which can get out on the ice and play the opposing team tight and tough, and stand tall to big lumbering forwards.
The third pairing is yet to be determined. One can assume that Lee will make his return since he performed considerably well during his time in Ottawa last year. There has been no mention of Lee going to back to the AHL so he is a pretty safe bet. Who he is paired with is what is uncertain. Murray has recently called for Schubert to play offense again, so unless this changes, we probably will not see Schubert on the 3rd pairing with Lee. Richardson has been brought back to camp to try out for the team. During training camp and preseason he has been instrumental in getting Lee focused and steady after the young star got off to shaky start in some early games. Richardson was pretty solid last year with the ice time he was given, and he added some much needed expierence and toughness to the team. It will be interseting to see if he lands this gig. The final option is newly acquired prospect Picard, who is known for his big hits. It seem most likely that Picard will find his way into the lineup somewhere since he played pretty well for Tampa last year and his potential is quite high. However a Lee - Picard pairing could be dangerous with two very inexperienced guys on the back end. Either way, the Senators blue line will be bigger, smarter and much tougher to play against this year than last year so this is a big upgrade. If Lee and Picard turn out to be studs this season, Ottawa could be looking at having the best D in the league from top to bottom. With Gerber and Auld backstopping, the Senators may very well need it.
Grade - B+
Potential Grade - A
Ottawa Senators 2008-2009 Season Preview Part I: Offense
With the NHL regular season ready to kick off in just a few days, the Ottawa Senators have the honor of playing one of the first games this year, and even more special is that they are playing in front of hungry NHL fans in Sweden! Although it has been a “quiet” offseason for the Senators this year, it does not mean that significant changes have not been made. Contrary to what some pundits think, this team IS different than last year, and in very important areas too. Now that almost 6 months have passed since us Sens fans witnessed one of the worst team collapses in sports, we are able to move on and look forward to this season. I am sure we all hope, and some expect, hat we regain our Eastern Conference Champion form from a couple years ago. Through the rest of the week before the start of the season on Saturday, I am going to have a multi part preview of the upcoming season, taking a look at the different areas of this team and what we can expect or hope for this coming season. The first part of this preview is for the offense.
Ottawa Senators 2008-2009 Offense
Grade B-
Potential Grade B+
The ever elusive top 6 winger continues to hamper the Ottawa Senators after years of trying to secure that area via trade and through the farm system. The Senators come into this season with three of the top players in the NHL with Spezza, Alfredsson and Heatley. Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette fill the roles of top 4 an 5 offensive player for this team. After that , there is a considerable drop off in offensive and scoring ability for the Senators. This does not mean there are not hopefuls. It is possible that Nick Foligno is able to build upon his rookie season and become more offensively adept by netting 20 or more goals this year. There is also the possibility of Dean Mccammond returning his post concussion days, and into the top form he showed two seasons ago. However these chances are unlikely, and unless the Big 3 are split up, Ottawa once again could show that they are a one line team.
The problem with a 2nd line that consists of Vermette - Fisher - Someone Else is that both Vermette and Fisher are streaky, but in different ways. Fisher has had consecutive 20 goal seasons since the lockout, but his goals tend to come in bunches, like 8 in two weeks and then nothing for 2 months. If the Senators are going to have a viable 2nd line that teams need to be concerned about, Fisher needs to be more consistent with his scoring. Vermette on the other hand seems to be endowed with a great scoring ability and nice dangler moves, yet when challenged to play top minuets and against top parings, he often comes up short with little or no offense. Throughout his tenure in Ottawa he has been given the opportunity to play on the top line with big name players, and yet he has never made the most of these opportunities. The guy can score, there is no doubt about that, however Vermette will need to be able to produce consistently throughout the season as well, even when faced against top pairings and good defensive teams.
The top line of the Big 3 is one of the most (if not THE MOST) dominating offensive lines in hockey. Over the last couple seasons both Murray and Paddock tried to split the top line up to spread the scoring to two lines. Unfortunately this has yet to yield the kind of results the team has wanted. When these three are together they are magic, truly something special. For this reason I suggest the team keep them together and work hard to find a winger who can step up offensively and contribute on the 2nd line. At least for the first couple months, let guys work for those 2nd line minuets. However if the Big 3 are split up, I would suggest moving Heatley to the 2nd line and keeping Alfy and Spezza on line 1. Heatley has shown he can play without Spezza and he is a pure goal scorer. Having him on the 2nd line will force opposing coaches to pick their poison about which pairing they have on the ice. I do not think moving Alfy or Spezza to the 2nd line would have this same effect.
For the next two lines, the Sens will be stacked with pretty much 6 guys who are 3rd line players. Kelly, Neil, Ruttu, Donovan, Mccammond, Foligno, Bass, Winchester and Schubert. Obviously not all of these guy will be able to dress, but Kelly, Neil, Ruttu and Foligno are pretty sure bets be in the line up every single night. All of these players are capable of potting 10 goals a season at least, and we have seen several of them do much more. However it is key that these players understand their role on the team and not try to do more than is necessary. Last season we saw Neil try to reinvent himself offensively, and it turned out badly. Not only did we miss the banging bodies, antagonizing, in your face Chris Neil that we have come to love over the years, his scoring ability just never showed up either. This left many fans wondering what use Chris Neil had to this team anymore, and some calling for his name in trades.
Aside from the Big 3, the Senators do not seem to have any potentially explosive offensive players that are really going to give opposing team fits. However they do have a couple 20 goal scorers, and a two waves of hard working guys that are capable of pitching in a goal every few games. I think as far as offense goes, this version of the Ottawa Senators come into the season with a B- grade. I do not believe we are going to see the high flying 6 goals a night team that we witnessed in years past, but they will be able to score enough goals each night to give them a good chance at a W. With the Big 3, any night has the potential to be a huge offensive night, however when this line does get shut down from time to time, it will be difficult to count on the other three lines to carry the team. Lines 2-4 will certainly contribute on a nightly basis, but there just is not enough fire power one those lines to be able to carry the team alone.
The potential is not much greater. Of course Foligno, Mccammond or Winchester could turn out to be an offensive surprise and elevate that 2nd line to a much more consistent scoring threat. But again, even if one of those three players becomes a 20+ goal scorers, it isn’t reasonable to expect much more from them, especially not the kind of consistent and dangerous offensive threat this team needs on that 2nd line.
The 2008-2009 will have a good offense once again this year as they have for the last 10 years. It will be a different kind of offense however, with more guys in the lineup who check, grind and fight for pucks. We may see a lot of ugly hard fought goals this year, but perhaps that is exactly what the Senators need, since it is something they have never had before.
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