It’s sort of hard to believe that was even the same team playing both games.
On Saturday afternoon, the Ottawa Senators were on a mission. Against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, the Sens put together what was probably one of their best sixty minute efforts in a couple years. Everyone has this group pegged for a 31st place finish but on Saturday, they looked the part of a team that could surprise some people.
And then on Monday, the Senators came crashing back to Earth.
That game against the Minnesota Wild was just about as dull as it gets. The Senators were unable to get anything going against a team that was sitting 31st in the league in goals against coming in.
It was bad.
You get the sense there are going to be plenty of moments like that this season. Flashes of brilliance mostly drowned out by performances like the one we saw on Monday afternoon.
It’s going to be a long year around these parts.
Which is why until further notice and because we need a new post, Monday News and Notes has now been moved to Wednesday. Which is today.
-Considering he hasn’t really been seen or heard from publicly in months, Eugene Melnyk has a pretty uncanny ability to keep his name in the news. Yesterday, CBC published an article about his organ transplant charity, The Organ Project, which is apparently “on hold” until April. The article gives a pretty detailed look at what went wrong and what comes next for the charity but Mr. Melnyk wants you to know it has NOTHING to do with his financial situation. Which is just fine, apparently.
-Tomorrow night, the Ottawa Senators will pay a visit to an old friend. The Sens are in Vegas to take on the Golden Knights which means the first head to head meeting with Mark Stone since last season’s trade. Ken Warren spoke to Stone ahead of the match-up and talked about a few things, including some of the reasons things didn’t work out in Ottawa. While it’s clear that an inability to get a competitive offer from the Senators was part of the issue, it also sounds like Stone prioritized the idea of playing for a contending hockey team. And he obviously didn’t see that as a realistic possibility with Ottawa any time soon. What has always been missing from this story is whether or not a certain contract offer (including similar bonuses to what he got in Vegas) would have been enough to convince him to stick around. What we do know, is he is absolutely scoring against Ottawa tomorrow night. Go easy on us, Mark.
-Yesterday, TSN published an article by Ian Mendes, which included a back and forth with the Twitter account behind the Robert Kraft rumour that had Sens fans in a tizzy a couple weeks ago. What’s sort of interesting about this rumour is the way it has been denied. Bob McKenzie discussed it on TSN1200 and was pretty careful to dismiss it outright although he said he hadn’t heard anything specific about Kraft and the Senators. Sportsnet’s Insiders also shot down the idea but with a qualifier that Robert Kraft has been looking to purchase property around NHL stadiums. And the Patriots themselves denied the story, because Robert Kraft doesn’t even HAVE a daughter named Kathryn. He might have a niece by that name though, which seems sort of relevant.
-Plenty of talk about Mikkel Boedker’s future with the Senators over the last week or so. It’s clear that he’s on the bubble right now and on many nights, is going to be a healthy scratch. And while Ottawa would love to find a taker for Boedker, it’s just not going to happen with his contract. While Boedker’s deal expires at the end of the season, that $4,000,000 price tag is going to scare off any potential suitors. Better to have Boedker here as a 13th forward than one of the team’s legitimate prospects.
-In case you missed it, the Senators official Twitter account posted a great article yesterday. Last year, Craig Anderson wore a mask that featured former-Senators GM Bryan Murray. It was a fitting tribute to one of the most influential figures in Sens history. Craig has now given that mask to Bryan’s wife Geri and their children. Anderson talked about exactly what made Bryan Murray so special. It’s been more than two years since Bryan passed away but the impression he left on so many players lives on to this day. During the dark times over the last couple years, the organization certainly could have used the calming presence of Bryan Murray.
-Sens fans are keeping a little closer eye on the CHL than usual this year. With Ottawa seemingly destined for a lottery pick, it’s hard not to get excited about some of the top prospects heading into the 2020 Draft. Especially when two of the most hyped guys get off to such incredible starts. Quinton Byfield, the number two ranked guy on most lists, is a 6’4 centre that is cruising along as two points per game pace through the first 10 games of the season in Sudbury. Meanwhile, Alexis Lafrenière is off to an even better start, putting up a ridiculous 25 points in 10 games.
-Tough schedule for the Senators this week as they’ll play three straight on the road including stops in Vegas, Arizona and Dallas. Not sure what a schedule looks like that isn’t tough for the Senators but a trip out West seems especially daunting. DJ Smith will have the team on the ice for practice at 2:00 PM today so we’ll have a better idea of tomorrow night’s line up then. Both Nick Paul and Jordan Szwarz are still with the team. Artem Anisimov missed the game against Minnesota but could be available tomorrow night.
