Heading into the last game against the Panthers, all the talk circled around Alex Kovalev, as he played his first game against his old team. Kovalev was pretty quiet on Monday night and seemed to be the target of a few of Ottawa’s more physical players. I think he can expect a similar approach from MacLean’s team tonight. Kovalev is expected to play with Stephen Weiss and Tomas Fleischmann.
All four lines have played well for Ottawa and the three defence pairing have been consistent, making MacLean’s job fairly easy so far. Here is how the Sens are expected to line up.
Michalek-Spezza-Silfverberg
Latendresse-Turris-Alfredsson
Greening-Smith-Neil
O’Brien-Regin-Condra
Methot-Karlsson
Phillips-Gonchar
Wiercioch-Benoit
Craig Anderson will make his third consecutive start in the Ottawa goal. Ben Bishop will dress as his back up and will likely play tomorrow in Tampa. Jose Theodore starts again for the Panthers.
Puck drop is scheduled for just after 7:30 PM with all the action available on Rogers Sportsnet and the Team 1200.
- You’re going to hear and read a lot about the availability of PK Subban until he’s either dealt or signs a new deal with the Habs. What I can tell you is the Sens have inquired (at least a couple weeks ago) and at the time, were told he was not available. Obviously that can change if the Canadiens feel they aren’t getting anywhere in negotiations. I have a hard time believing Montreal would ever trade him within the division.
Agreed on Montreal not going to let him land in Ottawa.
Can't believe leafs dominated Pens last night...but then I was rooting for both teams to lose (even though that is not possible). Can't wait for our Sens to play a powerhouse team.
That being said I highly doubt Montreal would trade him to Ottawa without the Sens paying very handsomely for him.
I would also love Subban but agree it will never happen
Apparently Gretzky likes what he sees from the Sens early on.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2013/01/23/sp-nhl-hockey-night-in-canada-radio-wayne-gretzky-toronto-maple-leafs-brian-burke.html
This could very well be that year that a team with lots of depth could make alot of noise down the stretch. For the Senators, I believe I see it.
For all the high end talent that teams like Chicago, Vancouver, Philly, Pitts, and Rangers (to name a few) have, what can they turn too when superstars start getting burned out and injured?
Maintenance days are going to be key down the stretch, and I have alot of confidence that the Sens have enough quality guys in the org to step in when needed. They arent superstars, but they dont have to be. MacLeans system seems to preach puck possession and 60 (full) minutes of skating. Our depth players even in Bingo (if needed) can do this for us down the stretch when needed and it won't hurt us. From the looks of it, Richardson has got the B-Sens skating and working much the same Mac's got the Sens playing. The conditioning and familiarity should be there, and this has got to give us an edge when we need to fill (inevitable) holes in our lineup.
Will be VERY interesting to see how ALL teams are playing after 25-30 games under their belt in only 7 more weeks. If the Sens keep playing with all lines rolling and a balanced attack all year, then we are in for a damn treat!
Maybe getting ahead of myself. For now, we got 3 games in the next 4 days. That should be a nice first test of our conditioning and depth (crosses fingers). Especially with the Penguins at the end of it.
GSG!
zibenejad and 1st
take it or leave it
Subban calls Melnyk by his first name... must be from the WJC where Melnyk was front and centre.
Hoping for a win tonight.. but I would have played Bishop tonight and have Anderson play against Tampa and their snipers.
Was shocked at the Leafs/Pens last night. Were the Pens that bad or were the Leafs that good. Reimer looked good and so did the Leafs. Hurts me to say that.
But I have a question on one of the Leafs goals.. the 2nd one I believe. A Leafs player pushed a Pens D into Fleury who slid out of the crease as the puck went in the net. Should there not have been some type of interference call on the Leafs forward on the Pens defenseman? Goals should not be allowed when a defenseman is pushed into his goaltender...
It would take more than that to land P.K... Habs would also want an active Dman,
not just an AHL player
It would probably take
Zib, Weircoch and a 1st
Tranna got 4 straight power plays to start the second period, both Crosby and Malkin got unsportsmanlike penalties for chirppin'. Leafs' PPs 22 to 13 in 3 games. The REFs are goin' to prove Burkie was correct!
In regards to Subban, A) Like others have said, he won't get traded within the division or even in the conference. B)the trade price would be steep, because even though MTL doesn't want to fork out the cash for him, they will still demand a premium return....C) the only way he ends up in ottawa is via offer sheet - do Murray and Melnyk want to use that many 1st rnd picks to get him?? I dunno
Maybe it's just me, but if he were to end up in ottawa, within 2 or 3 seasons I think you would start hearing about issues regarding his displeasure about ice time....I'm not sure PK would handle the idea that he's NOT the #1 dman...or not getting more than a 2nd pairing D's minutes.
Don't get me wrong, he's a great player and entertaining... .but there is something about his personality that says to me that there could be conflict. I think this might not be the case if he was a little older and more mature...but he's young and it's not something that would be totally unexpected from a young star player
Agreed. I'd expect PK would take at least 1 top end forward prospect, a top D prospect and picks/other players at a MINIMUM for Montreal to consider moving him within the division.
As much as we'd all love it to be Da Costa, Pumpel, Wiercioch and a pick, I think Montreal will want more guaranteed prospects.
But a top 4 with Subban, Karlsson, Methot, Cowen would make all teams scared to play us! If only dreams were that easy to achieve.
Subban's an RFA who's unsigned, and you want to trade at Z.Bad/a first for him?
Not to mention, he wants a long term deal, and from what I read, he wants Doughty-type money.
Yes, we have the cap-space, but this guy had question marks on him, and he's no Doughty, and he's no Karlsson.
Maybe a First-round pick for an un-signed Subban. (considering how well we're playing, I'm hoping it's a 29th-30th overall pick. *Hint* *Hint* *Wink* *Wink*)
P.S. New Jersey doesn't have a 1st round pick this year. Hence the 29th-30th pick.
I could care less about the leafs or the islanders but hopefully Carkner sends Orr back to the ice tonight
Islanders have lots of prospects that would interest Montreal. Nino ?
I can only guess as to how much free publicity PK would generate for the NHL and the Islanders in the media capital of the world.
As much as Bergevin is supposed to be a hockey guy I still can't see Montreal making any good moves which is why I fear this deal on their behalf
Montreal:Subban
Calgary: Bouwmeester, 2nd
JIBBER JABBER
Gretzky has an erection for Turris
In the NHL now.. where parity is the word... I don't understand why some teams insist on having one of their players solely there for fighting and doesn't have much more to offer a team. Put yourself off the ice for 5 min then your team runs on 3 lines or 5 D.
I'm in for a good on-ice fight as the result of a hit or a play.. but these staged fights really piss me off. To me that is something they have to get out of the game -- not fighting -- but the staged fights. Maybe give misconducts for the staged fight in addition to the 5 min... that might stop them.
PK and the Rangers coach exchanging pleasantries before an important Rangers / Islanders game ?
Yeah ! I'll be watching.
I agree which is why I am glad we no longer employ Konopka, all he did was staged fights, but he could win faceoffs but who cares that a replaceable skill
Fights off a draw should come with a 10 min misconduct like you say
But then fighters will simply take the draw skate around for 10 seconds then go at it
Out of conference. They need a solid goalie (Bishop). We would like a solid D.
Bada-bing-bada-boom. Bishop+1st. I'd overpay for him.
Hjarmalsson isn't that good where you want to overpay for him. He's good but not outstanding enough to give up a 1st and Bishop
I personally like the idea of getting Mark Streit from the islanders, and let him walk at year end
with karlsson, Cowen, Methot all posied to be top 4 next year, returning Phillips and potential improvement and growth from Weircoch I don't want to load up on 3 mill dmen
Plus we have Ceci/Boro and Gryba all tryign to land 5/6 jobs
Our defense is getting crammed
Would I trade Weircoch +2nd for hjarmalsson
yes
Same story with a little more info than the good folks at CBC care to supply regarding our Sens LOL
http://www.ottawasun.com/2013/01/23/wayne-gretzky-impressed-with-ottawa-senators
I thought the Devils still had until 2014 to give up their first round pick?
Sorry but what body of work has Subban put together that would warrant more than 2 first rounders, one of which is highly touted and in the top group of prospects
Number 5 in the top 50 as rated by http://www.hockeysfuture.com/prospect-rankings/
18 on this top 50 (though I have no idea about this guy)
http://www.hockeyprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=1426
6 on this one
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1245951-ranking-hockeys-top-50-prospects-after-the-2012-nhl-draft/page/46
I could go on lol j/k
Not saying the potential is not there but he has certainly not proven to be worth what you are suggesting at this time. If he was and Montreal believed it, he would get the $$ he is asking for LOL
No, it was last year's draft or this year's draft. New Jeresey announced they will give up this year's draft 1st round pick.
Which to this day I do not understand
Considering last year they had 2nd last pick in a somewhat weak draft, and knew they were losing Parise
makes no sense to me
As a Sens fan, there is no way I want him here given the price it would cost and the long term effect it would have.
I agree with Andy facing the Lightning's snipers, but he is 9-0-1 in his career vs the Panthers. Give Andy a couple of nights off before having to face Sid and Evgeni.
There is no need to panic when it comes to defensemen. We have Cowan back next year who is going to only be 22... we have big W who is 2 years younger than subban and who looks amazing so far.. and that's not to mention the other 2 blue chippers we have in Ceci and Claesson who is an amazing shut down guy. There is no need for us to give away picks and prospects when it is murray who has given us this depth with his intelligent use of picks. As long as he is our manager, I never want to loose a first round pick!
I think this is the most realistic trade on here.
the other possible partner could be Detroit as they really need to find themselves a guy for the future although i'm not sure his maturity level fits their mould currently.
I wouldn't trade Wiercioch yet.
Ceci is not NHL ready. His defense needs a lot of work.
Boro & Gryba will get their chance.
Lundin is a stop gap for this season -- unless he plays amazing... and Gonchar will be gone. So there will be 1 or more spots on the blueline for next year.
Karlsson-Methot
? - Cowen
Phillips - Wiercioch
Or Wiercioch moves to play with Cowen and one of Boro or Gryba comes up.
The Sens really don't know what they have yet until they start playing the elite teams...
Though I agree with you that Ceci's defensive side still needs work, his offensive side is so big that he could actually be a good pairing for Phillips on the 3rd D pairing next year. Gets some help defensively while he learns from the veteran. I wouldn't discount how excited BM is to have Ceci on this team in the fall, but again, if he takes one or two more years it's not the end of the world either.
Thats what I'm saying. Ottawa will probably give Ceci a 8 game tryout next year (history says they will)
We just have too many 4/5/6 dmen for next year in Phillips/Weircoch/Gryba/Boro
If we want a better dman we need to package these guys
Also I'm ok tradnig Weircoch for the right piece, I'm pretty sure him and Petersson were the "add-on" pieces in every single one of the trade offers posted on these boards last year lol
That would acually be a good and scary trade. Just not from a sens fan perspective :)
Keeping Wiercioch keeps Turris happy. But I guess it all depends on what comes back the other way.
Sens do need a top 4 D... but right now.. no team is dealing away defensemen.
...and your point is?
Look, I'm no leafs fan....I hate the bastards....but you can't take away a solid performance from them because the Pens were undisciplined. The refs blew it on the interference call tthat led to a leafs goal, but the Pens were sloppy and undisciplined from the opening faceoff. They got caught looking ahead and weren't prepared for the Leafs. They took them lightly and it bit them in the ass.
Nice...I'm really interested in seeing how Maidens develops once/if he is able to fully recover....but being on the ice is a good first step.
I'm personally surprised you guys value Yakupov that much higher than Subban. Not saying it's wrong, just personally I'd rather have Subban.
Top 2 D much harder to find then a top 6 winger.
Talking about Petersson, do you think this guy missed his window with the Sens?
5pts in 17 games and a -7 +/- rating. There's only 1 other minus player on the team at -1 from what I saw.
So much competition for only a couple spots next fall!
Yakupov projects to be far more than just a "top 6 winger". He has the potential to be a franchise cornerstone. As far as I'm concerned, this deal helps both clubs, as Edmonton has enough studs up front, and Montreal can kick start their rebuild. Montreal still has Beaulieu in the pipeline, and can attract UFA's easily as its a great city to live in. They also have a shot at Seth Jones next draft as I still see them as a bottom feeder this year.
It's an ottawaghost video: http://youtu.be/O6jB2nq7INo
Projects as more than a top 6? I'm not completely convinced, but I can understand the perspective. Hockey's Future has him as a 9.0 C ... that C rating is what I see when I watch him play. He has great talent, but I'm not sure it's going to quite make him a point per game type player, especially being stuck behind Nuge/Eberle/Hal l. Though a trade to somewhere like Montreal could definitely open the chances up for him. The proposed trade would definitely give both teams what they need.
Again, not against what u guys are saying, was just relaying where I stood on him vs Subban. Either way he's still a really good prospect.
That aside as some posters here already mentioned deals within the division are very tricky and EK + Subban on the same team is just too much ego and most likely won't work very well. I am probably in the minority in this but i feel that Cowen should be considered for a trade given that he has had major injuries and he is only 22.
As much as I hate the Leafs as well... I have to agree with you. The Leafs did look good last night. I hate myself for saying that.
Disrespect any team like the high-flying Pens did to the Leafs last night... does and will bite you in the ass.
I wouldn't trade Cowen.. Yes he has major injuries.. but he is fully healed from the knee injury... just like he will from the hip. He is young and still has many years left ahead of him. He was projected to be a top 5 pick for a reason.
He was ranked top 5 indeed, provided he was healthy. Major hip and knee surgeries when you're barely into your career aren't promising signs. I personally thought Cowen was our best D man after Karlsson last year FYI but if it means packaging him to better our situation why not? You have to give up talent to get talent like in the Turris trade.
I have to agree. While having Benn in the line up would be a welcomed addition..I don't see giving up Cowen as a viable option. Certainly not when we have a number of quality forward prospects in the system. I see Cowen/Karlsson as our new and improved redden/phillips or redden/chara... .obviously not the same...but you get what I am saying. I think a future defensive core of Karlsson/Cowen/ Ceci/Claesson/W eircoch is very promising...esp ecially when behind them is Lehner. Scoring wasn't an issue last year and it won't be this year. I would like to see Bishop flipped for a D...preferably someone with a physical style of play...Iknow Hjarlmsson gets mentioned a lot...and I would not complain about that move...but given Murray's history...I don't know why, but I think he is more likely to go after a guy like Smid...it wouldn't be the first time
Your point is well taken...we did give up talent for talent in the Turris trade.....howev er we were only able to do so because of Cowen and Karlsson. Murray was able to move Rundblad, because we have the cowen / Karlsson tandem to build around. Even though Benn is a RFA Dallas will want a roster player and probably a prospect and a 2nd or 3rd rnd pick (a 1st depending on the roster player/prospect in the package.
Dallas wants immediate contribution... Cowen doesn't address that...So who from our top 6 do we move for Benn? Latendress won't get dallas excited not unless maybe you are sending zbad with him. Personally I don't want to move zbad...but maybe Turris makes Zbad more expendable...Be nn however is one of the players I could understand moving Zbad for because it doesn't hurt our future Top 6 depth at center.
We technically have Ceci but i see what you're saying. However, we do have a bunch of Forward prospects such as Noesen, Zbad, Pumpel, etc, that i can see put in part of a package. Out of all our prospects i personally see Zbad getting traded unless he moves to RW and plays very well. Although his injuries are way more frequent than Cowen's.
GO SENS!
Personally really hoping to see Latendresse pot at least one tonight!
Anyone else appreciate the irony in that statement. (for those who have seen what garrioch looks like?)
Fair one, but Garrioch isn't paid millions to be an athlete - unless there is some underground Sumo league I don't know about.
not the greatest. Squashed but works
I hope Regin pots one tonight.
not the best quality but works.
http://atdhe.so/watch.php?id=574223
He thinks he's Muckler, trading our future for some 1-hit wonder.
awesome
Any day but Feb 23, wedding to go to at River Cafe. No tv's, but I'm sure the meal will make up for missing a game.
Me-thot.
there is no question he has the worst offensive skill on the team however his IQ and defensive play is still far ahead of others, we do not look to him for offence really either.
I do not think he will still have a roster spot this time next year.
edit: also realized condra is an RFA at end of this season, will be interesting if we re-sign him. Hes a decent player but with all the amazing talent coming up, doubt it happens. Same goes for daugavins.
Replacing all three is ridiculous. No way that happens.
Maybe if Zibanejad keeps playing as well as he is, they scracth Condra, drop Latendresse, and have Zibby on the second line.
from what ive seen, hes been a winger, centered by DaCosta.
Nice. I remember Sweden's coach at the World Juniors that year commenting that Zib's a more dangerous player on the wing, more conservative at centre. With Spezza, Turris, Smith down the middle I really like the idea of Zibanejad getting a turn on the second line wing if he can keep this up.
Sidenote: Leafs getting lit up tonight.
Yep, start the Luongo to TML rumors again.
Not a bad fourth line...
Anderson is the man!
and sens fans being sens fans bashing spezz, latendresse and even alfie for not being point per game at this point of season.
Alfie's role has changed. He doesn't have to be as explosive as he used to. He's a second line guy who grinds along the boards and doesn't miss when he has a chance.
He will...you could see him getting pissed off cuz he couldn't do what he wanted to. Couple weeks and I think he'll have more jump.
Nice thing is we're winning without Alfie, Spezza or Latendresse being at 100% things are lookin real good this year.
For the sake of argument I'm going to disagree with your last point. Yes, we're all happy that we're winning without huge production from the top forwards. But let's get real: we need those guys -- well Spezza and Michalek anyway -- to be producing if we're going to make some serious noise this year.
Of course... I don't have any doubt that Spezza will have several multi point games. Top two lines each have a new guy to adjust to. It's the secondary scoring outside if the top 6 that is the difference between the good teams .