The Ottawa Senators should have played their first game of the preseason last night at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
Instead of excitedly discussing the result of a meaningless hockey game, Sens fans are left to wait for the next meeting between the NHL and NHLPA. The league has now been officially locked out for nine days but with last night's missed preseason tilt, the reality of the lockout has started to sink in.
The two sides are expected to meet on the HRR issue later today and there is some hope that could lead to some actual negotiations. Imagine that.
Spoke with a contact over the weekend and the initial sense was that this could be resolved by November. Only way the league is up and running by November is if the two sides start talking.
In the meantime, a handful of Sens prospects continue to enjoy solid starts to their season. Cody Ceci scored for the 67's on Saturday night and now has five points through the team's first two games. Kitchener Rangers forward Matt Puempel scored twice and added the shootout winner against the Sarnia Sting. Nikita Filatov (yes, he still counts as a prospect!) has racked up six points in his first seven games in the KHL.
Goaltending prospect Francois Brassard stopped 25 shots to lead his Quebec Remparts to 5-0 a shutout victory over Baie-Comeau.
Meanwhile with the big club, only Jason Spezza, Sergei Gonchar and Kaspars Daugavins have made firm commitments to teams overseas. Erik Karlsson is expected to return home to Sweden to play and Peter Regin will likely join on with a team in Denmark.
Will continue to provide updates as players make their decisions about where they'll play during the lockout.
- Comments made by Red Wings Senior Vice President Jim Devellano late last week did little to help the owner's side in negotiations. His reference to the players as being 'cattle' had some players and agents in a tizzy. Commissioner Bettman took note of the comments and slapped the Wings with a harsh fine, believed to be in the neighbourhood of $250,000. The one positive in the lockout has been the fact that the two sides seem generally amicable and there's little hostility. Comments like the ones made by Devellano certainly don't help in that regard.
