The Head Must Shake

Just a short thought. Here is an article from TSN, on the Sedins' upcoming UFA status, and potential new contracts.

Here is my first exhibit, screenshot A:

Here is a quote:

"I think we just need to discuss where they (the Sedins) fit into the marketplace." Barry told the Team 1040. "We need to get into that kind of detail, and we haven't gotten there. We haven't discussed term; we haven't discussed their intention of what kind of term, or ours. So, until we get thru those discussions and term, we probably won't get to the dollar stage."

Wait. Wait just a second...

"So, until we get thru those discussions and term, we probably won't get to the dollar stage."

I know I'm not an arts student, and my application for a posted job, a writing position with the Ottawa Senators, never panned out. But still, does TSN really mean to tell me that "thru" is not only what passes for hockey journalism now, but also the quoting of hockey agents? I mean, it is J.P. Barry, and maybe he doesn't have enough time for full words, what with all the Sundin meetings going on, but still. Not to mention the fact that he's saying this on the Team 1040, and unless it's an email you'd have to be a pretty good psychic to know he really meant to say it 'thru', to be cool and hip like the MSN kids. It's 2am, I just noticed this, and I'm entitled to my belief that I must chuckle that TSN quotes others as having said "thru". Maybe he really did say it in an email, but even when you record a conversation, your transcription's goal is to get the proper intent of the speaker, and I'm pretty sure a professional agent, dealing with players earning millions of dollars, would not want to be quoted as being the guy who said "thru".

Come on, TSN. Come on.

Thus ends my griping for the early morning, goodnight.

Variations on a Theme: Work Ethic

Today we have a quaint ticket reminder, a ray of hope for Bass with a spector of darkness for Neil, the power of home ice, and the least fun part of coaching the Sens.

First, I just thought it would be a good time to wake everyone up, and remind them that in a very short twelve days, we will finally be able to buy single game tickets. Yes, there are those of us who are so passionate about our Sens, but still unable to buy season's tickets or even a Hockey Country game pak, due either to our humble pay, our busy schedule, or that we are rarely in the right area code to partake of Alfie's hockey nectar. Tickets for October and November games go on sale next Saturday, September 20th at 10am.

NHL.com sees Bass breaking out this season, earning himself a full-time roster spot. In looking at players who didn't quite fit into the NHL or the AHL, playing between 15-60 NHL games (Bass appeared in 25), with the departures of forwards McGrattan (who appeared in 38 games last season), Robitaille (68 games), and Stillman (79 games, split between Carolina and Ottawa), Bass should be able to unpack his bags permanently. I have a little more faith in him than that, and hope I can give him more credit than just making the team 'because we've lost people'. It seems to me that too many people are suggesting that some of our two-way deals will have a good shot at making the team, whereas I simply think many of them are good depth signings that can help the team in Binghamton climb out of mediocrity. I also think that Bass will bring a good deal of toughness, which will help offset the loss of McGrattan, Commodore, and the less tactful choices Neil has made of late. I see him being a good contributor on our 3rd and 4th lines, and I'm sure he has it in him to give us a line that the opposition won't be fond of playing against, much like the Laraques line in Pittsburg or the Moen line we faced a year ago in the Final.

From FOX Sports, Spector's Blog lists today a bunch of players in the East who might find themselves on the block this season. From Ottawa, he suspects that Neil might be the candidate of choice to move. While he has been a fan favourite, and usually works hard and has the right dose of pest, times might be a-changin. The end of last season saw Neil take more than his usual share of dumb, unnecessary, and unfortunately game affecting penalties, not to mention the fact that he was completely absent when Mark Bell took out Fisher, Alfie, and nearly Redden as well in that one 'memorable' night. Couple that with some more sensible muscle and pest in Smith and Bass, and Neil's expiring contract could indeed see him moved to help toughen up a team, or at least thrown in by Murray to sweeten a trade deal just enough. The question that remains is whether or not Murray can pull the trigger on such a popular player, and to where Neil might be launched.

In another preview feature, NHL.com has the Ottawa Senators' top line of Alfie, Spezza, and Heater among the East's top 10 scorers on home ice. Alfredsson ranks 3rd in the East, while Heatley is 7th and Spezza comes in 9th. I'm not often proud to see such rankings, as being among the best scorer at home usually means you suffer on the road, unless you're vying for the Ross, as Malkin (leading home scorer in the East) and Ovechkin (2nd) were. Sure enough, crunch the numbers, and you'll find that while Alfie (1.40P/G) and Heatley(1.27P/G) scored prolifically at home, both experienced a 11-19% drop in P/G when they went on the road, down to 1.14 and 1.03P/G, respectively. Interestingly, it's Spezza that takes the consistency cake, as his production stays very close to 1.200P/G, and he actually has a better P/G on the road, by a narrow margin (1.19P/G home, 1.23P/G road, a 3% increase). Perhaps this speaks to the effect that the home crowd has on our boys, or maybe it was on the road where the locker room troubles really hit hard; either way, we can only hope that consistency remains the key focus this season.

Via KK, Ian Mendes of sportsnet writes today of a way in which we might find better scoring consistency: splitting up the NHL's most dominating line of last season. Speaking to both Alfie and Spezza, it would seem that the big three are expecting to find themselves competing to bring out the best in their teammates, rather than trying to take advantage of the amazing skills they all possess (and in speaking to Alfie, we hear that only four weeks after the end of the season, he felt all healed up from his run in with Bell, which would explain the lack of any limp when he called Karlsson down during June's draft). Indeed, many blame Paddock's reliance (and over-reliance) on the big three working best together, and I myself lost faith in his coaching skills when, during an interview, he flatly stated that he had no qualms about throwing them together at any time, and constantly playing them over anyone else, so long as nobody else was able to live up to his scoring hopes.

I think it's that kind of responsibility that doomed the team, let alone the negative impact comments and decisions like those have on hardworking but struggling players on the team. While Mendes seems to be suggesting that Alfie will move down to work with Fisher, while Spezza continues to feed Heatley on the first line, I have a different vision. I remember that when Spezza, Vermette, and Fisher were all out a couple seasons back, Heatley and Alfie still worked well sandwiched around Chris Kelly. I also remember just how well Heatley was at the Worlds, playing with Getzlaf as his centre while Spezza worked the 4th line. I would honestly love to see the three wind up on completely different lines. I could see Kelly or Vermette working well to feed Heatley, who works a lot harder but still finds his points when Spezza isn't hunting for him on the ice. Fisher worked well with Alfie when they hit the ice together last season, so that's some chemistry I probably wouldn't want to mess with.

As for Spezza, I believe it's time he proved he can make things happen, rather than merely work with the two best players on the team and benefit from it. It may not be a contract year, but if I'm not mistaken, this is the season that Spezza's No Trade Clause is still inactive. If he really wants to prove himself of value to the team, and I'm sure Hartsburg will give him that chance and push him towards it, it's on his own that he needs to prove it. The best centers, like Crosby and Malkin, have taken 4th liners and made them look like they belong in the starting lineup, and that's even without yet being relied upon to kill penalties and take on those less-glorious responsibilities. With his massive $7 million for 7 seasons contract kicking in, it's time for him to prove that he's really worth it.

Information Overload

As the calendar is securely fastened, showing us the month of September, the hockey news world is gearing up into action, as we get some Sens previews, and even more talk about Meszaros and the Lightning.

NHL.com today posted their League-wide season previews today, among which you can find several Ottawa Senators related articles.

First off, there's the full Sens preview. As has been the case since Christmas, there's plenty of talk about the 'meltdown' we experienced this past season, but there's plenty of hope remaining in this preview, not to mention the joyous news that apparently Meszaros hasn't actually left our blueline.

Next up, a look at our second-round selection at this year's draft, defenseman Patrick Wiercioch, and his inspirational story of hard work and determination. Definitely one of those feel-good players you like seeing on your team, and whose successes are always a little sweeter. He'll need to bulk up his 6'2 frame significantly from the 178lbs they list him at, and continue to work on his skating, but here's a kid I still know little about, and yet I'm already looking forward to seeing his progression, hopefully into the mould of an offensive defenseman who's not afraid to throw his weight around.

The preview is at its most pessimistic in the By the Numbers section, where knowledgeable John Kreiser dissects all the ways our team let us down last season, and how every shining light was counterbalanced by a shadow cast at least as large.

You'll also find a mention of some Senators in the East Elite Scorers breakdown. Heatley makes the top ten, and while he endures some criticism for his skating, there's little doubt he will fail to live up to the work ethic warranted by his sparkling new contract. I for one don't fail to remember how successful he was at the Worlds on a line without (gasp!) Jason Spezza, which gives me hope that Hartsburg might take road Paddock could only shudder while looking at, and splits up the big three, with any luck splitting up Spezza and Heatley in the process, as that pairing always negates the third linemate, with the two of them constantly trying to be the yin to the other's yang. Also mentioned in the top ten scorers of the east is Alfie, and it's no surprise that his hard work has been able to silence the naysayers and critics over the years.

Ok, I'll try to resist the temptation of continuing the propagation of these stories, but the media can't seem to get enough out of the Meszaros saga. THN's Sam McCaig comments on the sad state of Tampa's blueline, where Meszaros' 246 NHL games ranks tops on the team. He correctly points out the promise of the Bolt defense, especially with moving the puck, but he is even more spot on in reminding us that all of these boys need more time to develop. Meszaros does have offensive flair, but can you see him playing 25 minutes a night in all situations (even the dreaded PK, where Schubie replaced him last season)? Does it make sense that a 28 year old who hasn't cracked the century mark of NHL games played (Hutchinson) will likely fit into the top 6? Everyone was reminded of how badly Toronto has botched promising blueliners when no commentator could resist the subject as they traded up to select Luke Schenn this season, but how long before the overeager and presumptuous Lightning face the same criticism? Considering the market, it's probably a ways off.

One last interesting note on that story is McCaig's mention of the 18 highly qualified NHL forwards the Lightning possess, suggesting that they might be traded for some defensive help this season. Considering the behaviour of Tampa's management, threatening to go after Malone so his rights would be traded to them, threatening to give a bloated offer sheet to Mez so that Ottawa forked him over, and considering that while no team can scoff at guys like Roberts and Recchi, no team absolutely needs them, I wouldn't be at all surprised (rather completely happy) if GMs held fast against Tampa this season, and forced management to make deals as lopsided as the Meszaros trade to get them out of this mess. Tampa Bay management, congrats, you've officially made it onto my list. Don't be proud.

Classy Mr. Murray

I do get upset with how slowly some websites update their content, and case in point is that I only became aware of this story, in today's paper, at 10pm from KK. Nevertheless, I can't say I don't appreciate getting the hometown stories from the home I left for free on the internet, minus the time my eyeballs spend looking at the ads that grant me this freedom.

The Ottawa Citizen had a story today about the bigger picture behind the Meszaros deal. While some would have enjoyed seeing a trio of Tampa picks land in the hands of the Ottawa Senators, coutesy of a massive, $5 million plus offer sheet to Meszaros, there are indeed more reasons to be glad it didn't happen than the fact that Tampa will not likely enjoy anywhere near the same seeding next season.

Indeed, the story has Murray cast once again in a shining glow for us all to behold. He wanted to trade Meszaros, rather than see him go away via offer sheet, for the good of the NHL. Why? Because $5 million is simply way too much to be paying Meszaros, especially at this stage. Yes, it's great that he's got almost 250 games of NHL experience at such a young age, as Tampa fans are probably very familiar tasting this fact in their Kool-Aid of late. It's great that he has displayed such potential. But the issue remains that he has not proven himself reliable, dependable, or mature enough to merit such a reward.

Not that it was ever said directly, but this behaviour could probably be seen as another pot shot towards Edmonton, who bid Vanek up to Spezza and Heatley money, and the pressure of which surely contributed to his modest showing this season, especially before his better games later in the season. The same goes for Penner. Ottawa does seem to have its fair share of inflated defense contracts this season, only they all come from departing defensemen. Could anyone argue that Bouwmeester, arguably the most sought-after defenseman for this season's trade dealine, is only worth $800,000 more than Meszaros, and just north of $1 million more than Commodore? Or that he is worth over $1.5 million less than Redden?

No, you couldn't argue that. But it would be fun to see you try. Murray has stuck to his guns, and while nobody is going to argue that our offseason moves ransacked the UFA market, nobody can argue that he put the team in a tough spot now or down the road. Following the classy moves in Detroit, that showed us not even the summer's top UFA could earn more than future Hall of Famer Lidstrom, Murray too backed away from talent he'd have gladly taken, for the right price. Someone's got to keep the ship from swinging too much to the crazy bidding war side, and I haven't even chuckled too much yet about that new $3.5 million defenseman they have over in Toronto.

Much as I don't think I'll ever want to return to earlier, goon-infested times in the NHL's history, I do find myself pining for the sanity that saw players get contracts based on what they had done, not what they were selling themselves before the fact as being able to do. No, it might not've made sense to pay some veterans on the wrong side of their peak the salaries they sometimes got, but I do worry what kind of a spoiled brat NHL (not to mention the help they get from the KHL) we might see if more GMs don't put down their bottles of crazy pills.

Friday: Small News, Big Notions

The only news I've found today is about the start of training camp for the Ottawa Senators. It's actually old news, and I am just slow.

The latest Alexander Nikulin blog post, translated on HFBoards, has our prospect saying that he's been asked to be in Ottawa for September 8th for the beginning of training camp. His post mainly goes on to describe how hard he has been working this summer, and how much effort he's putting into making the team.

He also remarks offhand that his visa for the upcoming season lasts one year, ending as his remaining contract year does. Should he get a new contract, he will think about getting a new visa as well. If you've read Nikulin's blog, you'll know that he's been working hard to make it to the NHL, dealing with his disappointments and burgeoning hope.

This, to me, is one reason why I can still live with the Corvo-Eaves for Commodore-Stillman trade. On paper, it would almost look like we made out better, but it was the contracts that extend past this season that made Eaves and Corvo the real value. There was even hope that Stillman might be able to stick around, or that having those Cup rings and experience would rub off on the team. The real reason for the trade might be much simpler.

Look down to Binghamton, and you'll find a lot of prospects. Many who also hope to join the NHL (and some who have a good chance to do so). Roster decisions start out easy. Of course you keep Alfie, Heater, Spezza, Fish, Phillips, and Volchie. They are the core, they know their roles, and they execute with precision every season. Then it gets a little more tricky, but still a breeze. Yes, Gerber's better than anything we could get in return in a trade, Vermette and Kelly have good defensive usefulness along with the chance to produce some secondary scoring, and so on.

But what about when you get down to those last 5 or 6 spots? I could catch myself wondering if Eaves would ever breakout and really contribute for the team, or if Corvo wouldn't make me go "uh-oh", and might start playing with more heart, contrary to his lack of love for the city. How long do you keep the non-superstars around?

By letting Corvo and Eaves get traded for what became two empty roster spots this season, it helps allow the team to continue to give its prospects a chance. I know few of us know what it's like personally, but I'm sure none of us would be thrilled to be in the minors, hoping to break through to the big leagues, only to hear that the team has signed or traded for mediocre players that are far from guaranteed to add to the club's success.

This is exactly why I think it's important that, along with the superstars, role players, and veteran leadership, we also allow for a continual flow of prospects up to the team. Maybe they don't earn a full season, but hopefully at least a long enough stay to get a feel for the team, without triggering NHL pay, or else they do contribute. If they don't, then that rotating slot could be used for a trade-deadline acquisition, or else it continues to allow the team to give players a taste, to keep them fired up and working hard. Fail to give them a shot, and they become unmotivated, lose faith in their dreams, the team, and themselves, and that's the last thing we could ever want for our boys.

In the Absence of Real News...

Since nothing important has happened today in the world of the Ottawa Senators (or really for weeks or months, depending on your definition of 'important'), I thought it might be fun to take a look at a fun bunch of statistics.

To compare our players and rate their performances, I often use the NHL Stats machine. It was only recently that I noticed an unusual category I'd not seen before under the 'Stats View': HITS - Players. It lead to a few fun numbers that I'd like to share with you.

We all know Spezza loves to give away the puck, dangle freakin' dangle style. I thought he might've been the worst in the League. While his 96 giveaways last season (can you believe that's still pretty close to only one per game?) were second to Thornton's 103, when you factor in the six fewer games Spezza played, he tops Thornton's giveaways per game rate, 1.263 to 1.256, narrowly earning the giveaway king crown. Our next 'best' player last season came in 31st with 66GvA, but since he's gone to the Big Apple, Redden shouldn't be a worry. What might be worrisome is that both Heatley and Alfie sneak into the top 50, with 60 apiece, making our top line not only the most feared by goalies, but possibly the most enticing one to opportunists.

A pair of handy stats that we can use to give us hope for the season come next: Blocked Shots and Hits. In the top 100 hitters, we have seven players. Phillips brings up the rear, coming in 76th with 126BkS, going on up through Ruutu, Smith, Volchenkov, Schubert, and Neil, and being led by Fisher at 7th, with 234. On average, teams have just two and a half players among the top 76 in the League; with nearly thrice that at 7, it might make other teams start to think twice next season.

Our outlook for blocked shots is quite bright as well. We have the second and third most productive shot blockers from last season in Volchenkov and Smith, and Phillips ranks in at 13th. Again, most teams would have averaged a single player in the top 30; we'll give both Auld and Gerber some help by having three in the top 15. Stranger though are the next entries on the team in the category: Meszaros, at 74th, Commodore at 82nd, and Redden at 86th. Two (or possibly three) of those will be gone next year, taking away 289BkS, over 3.5/game (although given Commodore's short tenure with the Sens, that loss will actually be slightly less). Thankfully, in comparison, our top three combined for 564BkS, not quite twice as much, but it is still a spot to watch out for, that will show in the shots we allow each game. For interest, Fisher is the next highest Senator on the list, clocking in at 128th in the League (5th overall though, among forwards).

That's about all that was interesting for today, in my world anyways. Here's hoping that I can soon wakeup to the Sens in Europe.

Defending our Defense

Without any news to bring to you today, I thought I'd take a look at the news we are all waiting for, that being the status of Meszaros for the upcoming season.

From the media to the blogosphere to forums, the strongest voice belongs to those who believe Meszaros is anything but indispensable to the team. His decline in production and performance since his sensational rookie year, his defensive lapses, there are countless criticisms for Andrej. I want to take a look at him, and see if a plausible, non-Meszaros-just-sucks explanation can be found.

In his rookie season, Meszaros was outstanding on the Ottawa Senators' blue line. If not for the likes of Ovechkin and Crosby, Meszaros would have stood a good chance of winning the Calder trophy as rookie of the year. In 82GP that season (he has never missed a game in any of his three NHL seasons), Mez went 10-29--39 for .476P/G, while going +34 with 61PIM.

Then the 'fallout' came. In his second season, his scoring dropped slightly to 7-28--35 for .427P/G, while he wound up a -15 with 102PIM, a much greater liability than the previous season. This past season, he stayed the same or improved, depending on how you see it, to 9-27--36 for .439P/G, finishing a +5 with 50PIM. While this seems to upset many fans, he was 24th, 25th, and 26th, in goals, assists, and points, respectively, among all NHL defensemen. Also, if we were so happy with .476P/G in 05-06, how could his following seasons of .427 and .439P/G be a drastically worse result?

That leaves the suspicion that his defensive play was the main disappointment. Sure enough, I've been frustrated countless times by terrible pinches, lackluster physical presence, and many other moments when he and Redden were on the ice. What changed to cause this?

In trying to defend Meszaros (and, somewhat as well, Redden), you have to look beyond the blatant numbers. In his rookie year, Meszaros was playing on one of the best Senators teams ever. The Defense consisted of Redden, Chara, Phillips, Volchenkov, Meszaros, Brian Pothier, and Schubert. In Chara, Meszaros had a fellow Slovak as his inspiration in Chara. He would have also been a good calming influence for a player of just 20 years of age with only 59 North-American games (in the WHL) under his belt. Having Chara, Phillips, and Volchenkov allowed Murray to spread his defense fairly evenly, pairing those shutdown, physical players with the better puckmovers in Redden, Meszaros, and Pothier (although Chara fits very well in both categories). In addition to this powerful blue line, the team had the surefire Hall-Of-Famer Hasek between the pipes for half the games, and a much more respectable Emery for the other games.

Flash forward a season, and the team changes drastically. The team loses Havlat (guaranteed, he only played in 18 games, notching 16 points), and also loses Smolinski and Arnason, who just one season earlier combined to contribute 30-63--93. The blueline loses Chara and Pothier, who contributed 21-57--78. Suddenly, with Preissing and Corvo, the blueline now has only two legitimate shutout defensemen, and in pairing them together, the other two offensive-minded pairings of Redden-Meszaros and Preissing-Corvo can't defend as effectively as the more balanced combinations of just one year prior. To top off the cake, Hasek is gone and it is Gerber and Emery between the posts.

This one year marked the biggest drop for Mez, and also for Redden, who in 05-06 had 65GP, 10-40--50 for .769P/G, and was +35 with 63PIM. In 06-07, he dropped to 64GP, 7-29--36 for .563P/G, and was +1 with 50PIM. This past season, in 80GP, he was 6-32--38 for .475P/G, ending a +11 with 60PIM. The year after the team lost so many quality players, Mez and Reds were shoved together. Forced to shoulder the physical load, Mez saw his PIM balloon from 61 to 102. Having both players together forced them to have to think about defense, while knowing offensive support was their primary goal, and their defensive lapses showed just how well that worked out for them.

Put it another way, and you can compare it to our forwards. When you spread the offense around, as it was done in 02-03 and in 05-06, everyone can focus better on their contributions. Last year, when Paddock leaned heavily on the top line of Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson, who filled the net very well, the other lines weren't able to produce as well. Similarly, when the best defensemen in Volchenkov and Phillips were paired together, and able to shutdown almost any line in the league, the mostly offensive-minded pairings of Redden-Mez and Preissing-Corvo weren't able to attack or defend as well as they should have been.

I do believe that the increased pressure of having the team lose stars at forward, defense, and in goal, as well as losing the inspiration of fellow Slovak Chara and having to deal with a slumping Redden as partner are all very real reasons for Meszaros' slump. I certainly think that this season will see Meszaros improve, and Redden could have too, especially if our defensive pairings matched one shutdown player (Phillips, Volchenkov, Smith) with an offensive one (Redden, Meszaros, Lee, Shubert). Recall that we were beaten in the Stanley Cup Finals by a Ducks squad that had three top defensemen in Pronger, Beauchemin, and Niedermayer, and those three were all in separate pairings except for penalty killing and other critical situations.

So what to do? So many out there have argued that Meszaros is worth no more than the $2.75 million Vermette signed for. Wideman, who scored the same 36 points as Meszaros in one less game, signed a four-year deal for $3.785 million, and his only other NHL seasons saw him score a paltry 24 and 25 points. Bouwmeester actually only scored one more point than Mez last season while going -5, and he, also an RFA, signed a one-year, $4.8 million deal, and he has also been on a three year slump, seeing his points decrease from 46 to 42 and now 37.

This would be the trouble. While his point totals would hardly guarantee him a $3 million plus salary as a forward, they are very respectable for a defenseman. If we could lock him up long term, I could see him getting as much as $4 million easily, since I don't doubt that Murray is also expecting a rebound. Should he go short-term, as Vermette did, he will likely still cost between $3 to $3.5 million for a one or two year deal, with Mez hoping to improve to a much higher salary bracket by the end of the contract, just as Vermette is also likely hoping for.

In the end, I just hope that people, as much as they aren't happy with our last season, will give him another chance. It was the whole team that collapsed, along with the team concept in mixing always the best with the best, rather than aiming to have our top talent support and inspire others on the team. Here's hoping that Murray, Hartsburg, and our boys can band together for the new season, and as a team rise like a phoenix from the ashes of our past season.

Sunday Pestilism

Being August, there's a dearth of news going on that we all expect. It does mean that most interesting stories will come not from fact, but speculation, which is what I saw today. Spector posted a story by the Boston Globe's Fluto Shinzawa, a respected writer who covers the Bruins.

Hidden amongst all the Bruin-speak was a little side note on how this is a contract year for Chris Neil, and his skill in "thumping, skating, shooting" is a hard to find mix that is key in many of today's teams. There have been three names worth comparing in the Sens' lineup when touching on the subject of thumpings: Neil, Bass, and newly-acquired Ruutu. All are measured primarily on their ability to cause trouble for everyone not in a Sens jersey.

The question is, is Neil worth not only a new contract, but a new one for Shinzawa's suggested $2.2 million, double his current cap hit? I'm not so sure. We've all seen good pesting and fighting from all three boys, with Bass giving us the least to look at so far at the NHL level. In 21GP this season, Bass scored 2-2--4 for .200P/G, while going -1 with 19PIM. Compare this with Ruutu, 71GP, 6-10--16, .225P/G, +3 with 138PIM, and Neil, 68GP, 6-14--20, .294P/G, -3 with 199PIM.

There are many even points with all three. All are either 6'0 or 6'1, weighing 200-214lbs, so physically they've got the same heft to throw around (without knowing who might be carrying the muscle and who the beer). They also all stay roughly close to neutral +/-. The two main statistical differences are points and PIM.

I'd be tempted to say Bass is the best, registering just under a PIM per game, but he only played a quarter of the season, with the reduced expectations of being a rookie and of having Neil on your side. Ruutu had Hall and Laraques to work with, but still managed to get into 2PIM/game worth of trouble. Neil, carrying the brunt of the Sens' load, tops out at 2.5PIM/game. How do you compare them though? I don't think it's fair to blast or put a halo over Bass yet for anything, being only 21 with same in games of NHL experience. To look at Ruutu and Neil, we could say Neil's worse since he takes more PIM/game, but then again Ruutu's only slightly better, and he had Laraques and Hall on his team, while Neil had seldom-seen Bass and rarely-seen Grats.

To compare them in point production, Neil is the clear winner. Bass is still unproven, and Ruutu's topped out at 17Pts and prior to last season .207P/G throughout his entire career. But think again about Neil. While he's the best this season at .294P/G, he was .341P/G in 06-07, and .418P/G after the lockout. Before the lockout, he topped out at 17Pts and .236P/G in three seasons. Quite a jump, eh? But two years ago, had it not been for Hasek's Olympic injury and Emery's inexperience, we had one of the better Sens' squads in a while, while last year we had a team good enough to rank second in the East in points and make it all the way to the Cup Final. I'd argue that it's been our team, more than Neil, that's been responsible for his better numbers, and hence as the team's slid from the post-lockout to Cup Final to this season, so has he.

He has slid in more than that though. I think we've all yelled at Neil more than once this season for taking some of the dumbest penalties, like falling on top of someone, then punching or cross-checking them in the face while getting up. When we wanted fight from Neil, we had freakin' Spezza having to drop the gloves. He's beginning to let us down.

Barring some kind of massive comeback, I think this might well be Neil's last season with the Sens. As far as energy lines go, we've got all three of these boys this year, and players like Donovan, McAmmond, and forward-playing Schubert. Nobody needs two lines of energy. Considering that Bass has the youth, and Ruutu's locked in for three years starting this season, while being an always respected member of each team he's played for, I think it might well be time to say our farewells.

Of course, this is just humble old me, taking respected speculation and adding my not-so-proven speculation on top of it, since it's such a slow day. Neil is loved by the fans, and he could still pull himself around enough to merit a new deal. Otherwise, he might be as good as gone, or as good as tradebait. We'll be able to see as soon as the season starts, which can't come soon enough!

Coaching Confidence

A couple days ago, KK pointed me to an ESPN article that ranked the NHL coaches. It's no surprise that the success he's achieved in leading the Red Wings has Mike Babcock (who received his first NHL coaching job from Brian Murray) ranked first among the 'Elite'.

But where does our new head coach, Craig Hartsburg, rank among the 30 teams? It's obvious that his jumping around and inability to hold onto various head and assistant coaching positions around the league would not lead ESPN to rank him among 'The Proven'. Despite this upcoming season being his first back in the NHL for a while, I would say that his 184-184-69-6 record as a head coach with Chicago (95-98) and Anaheim (98-01), his 257-231-74-10 record as an assistant coach with the Minnesota North Stars (89-90) and the Philadelphia Flyers (90-94, 02-04), and his 226-125-23-23 record as an OHL head coach with the Guelph Storm (94-95) and the Soo Greyhounds (01-02, 04-08) would have at least made me consider him a 'Jury's Still Out' candidate.

Instead, Craig Hartsburg is labeled 'Suspect', in need of proving people wrong. I think he's done just that. It was while coaching him at the Soo that Hartsburg got Emery to really shine, just as Murray got him to shine the year before his fallout under Paddock. As an overall coach, he helped Canada achieve three straight golds at the World Juniors; as an assistant coach in 2006, and as head coach in both 2007 and 2008.

He has also convinced Curtis Hunt to leave the WHL, where his coaching record stands at 209-171-23-29 with the Moose Jaw Warriors (02-04) and the Regina Pats (04-08). Hunt was Hartsburg's assistant coach for both the 2007 and 2008 World Junior golds, in addition to being assistant coach for other Canadian tourneys involving our younger players. Considering that neither of these men has ever given up, that they have been able to get excellent results from their teams of youth both in their respective leagues and on the international stage, and considering it's a year that the Sens need their younger players and rookies to step up, I couldn't imagine a better team to take on the job.

The Blogger's Mandate

A slow day in the Sens/NHL newsworld, I found an interesting thought to ponder nonetheless.

The Sens Army Blog pointed me to a good story by Robert Roman, which made me question what is the purpose and goal of blogging, in particular my own blog. The story speaks of the increasing volume of Sens-related personnel rumours that have appeared this offseason like none before.

For me, I blog because I fully and enthusiastically support the Ottawa Senators. I know I have spent much time trying to sift through Sens news and interesting stories, and my goal here is to compile the interesting stories that are out there, to be a repository of the common but still appreciated media stories, and also to try to point you to other stories of intrigue from smaller sources out there. In addition, I also like to think out loud, and my musings will find their way onto this blog as well.


When it comes to rumours and speculation, I will try to stick to reputable writers, bloggers, and sources. I too have my own sources from within the organization, but they have taught me one thing well, and that is that they too are rarely privileged with secrets, so do not expect to hear me referring to them. In fact, the only 'insider' info I have been able to glean from them of late was that on a certain TSN show of late, a certain question should have been phrased better as "have you ever, period," and that it should have been posed to three certain individuals instead of just one. But to anyone who goes out in the region often enough, this was never secret or surprise news.

My perspective on blogging remains that it should be done to share something with others, be it a voice, a perspective, an opinion, and that is what I will continue to do.

As soon as there is any real or interesting news to report or comment on, rare as that will likely be this month.

Getting Back In the Game...

It has been a long absence I have had from my blog. Can you really blame me for the depression of our season's end? But, as the new year is getting closer, I am going to start writing again.

One of my favourite blogs out there is www.kuklaskorner.com, a great source for all things hockey. I do not have any of the resources or successes of such a fine blog, but I have always appreciated how it has kept me abreast of all goings on in the NHL. Another great blog for staying up to date on hockey rumours and action is www.spectorshockey.net, where you can hear not only the latest news, but also a knowledgeable opinion from Spector himself with respect to the real hockey buzz.

In appreciating these blogs, I have decided that my goal is to also keep Sens fans similarly updated on their team, as well as relevant news around the league. Each day, I will post any interesting news to Sens fans, from newspapers, blogs, and other media and sources, and also add my two cents to the stories I post. If you happen to know of a good blog to read, or a good source to seek out, let me know and I will keep you abreast of what I discover.

Since our roster's final pieces are being nailed down as we speak, I will prepare a primer on the team later this month. Early next month, I also hope to give you a firsthand report on the team's prospects from the rookie tourney in Kitchener, where our young hopefuls will battle it out against the future of the Penguins, Panthers, and good ol' Maple Leafs.

Hope you are all enjoying your summer, but knowing the sea of red out there I suspect many of you are just as anxious as I to get back in the game, and I hope to keep you up to date with the world of the Ottawa Senators and the NHL. Go Sens Go!!!