As if we needed any more affirmation that these in fact were the dogs days of the NHL summer. Things are so bad in the nation's capital that when the Ottawa Sun's photo of Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher's honeymoon made the front page, a sportstalk radio segment was devoted to the fact that Mike Fisher shaves his chest more than Stan Bowman shaves salary to create cap space.
Despite the criticisms thrown towards the mainstream media in this locale, messageboards are riddled with threads asking questions like, "Why do people think Mike Fisher isn't a good second line center?" (Ed. note: Consistency. Or his historical consistency to put up the same number of points regardless of the talent who he's lined up with.) Or, why would people want to trade any of Chris Kelly, Chris Neil or Jarkko Ruutu? (Ed. note: Overpaid. Overrated. More easily replaced with cheaper alternatives.)
Even the Ottawa/Senators blogosphere has been adversely affected. Sens Chirp is publishing Paul Kariya and Eric Belanger rumours, Five For Smiting hasn't written nearly enough articles to satiate my appetite for well crafted blurbs featuring a littany of expletives. Hell, even Erin Nicks, The Universal Cynic, has had to re-introduce us to her significant other.
“I would have liked to stay in Ottawa. My next choice was to find a good place for me. (The Senators) made me an offer, not good enough. That’s why I didn’t sign with Ottawa. I talked to my wife. This is not too far from friends. I spent eight years in Ottawa. I have lots of friends there. This is tough, but it’s part of the business. I don’t like changing teams, but it’s hockey.” ~ Anton Volchenkov via Sun Media
I ran this through the Rugged Russian Shotblocking Warrior Translator and it came out something like this...
"I would like to thank my agent, Jay Grossman, for securing a ridiculously long contract for a player of my ilk. After years of being exploited by Ottawa's bourgeois management, I'm taking my talents elsewhere."
Interestingly, Volchenkov's arrival in New Jersey hasn't caused the former Senator to persuade Ilya Kovalchuk to resign with the Devils. According to The Fourth Period, Volchenkov would like Kovalchuk to sign with the Devils, but indicated that "it's not my decision." And if Don Brennan was a beat writer who covered the Devils, this would strike him as odd.
Binghamton Senators
If you have any passing interest in anything related to the Binghamton Senators, I highly recommend reading Michael Sharp's Sharp On the Sensarticles that will help keep you informed. Having read his July 3rd article that detailed a conversation that he had with Ottawa's Assistant GM, Tim Murray, I already knew that Derek Smith had verbally committed to the organization on a new contract well before the organization announced that he had actually put pen to paper.
Here are some other important notes from Sharp's July 3rd article:
"I'm looking for a top-end center. And I believe I'm looking for a good solid two-way defenseman. I think we're pretty good on the wings. I think with Roman Wick and (Ryan) Keller and guys like that, that are top-end players where they've played in the past. So our priority would be at a tough guy, a top-end center and a good two-way defenseman." ~ Tim Murray (Ed. note: the top-end center eventually turned out to be Corey Locke.)
Former Bingo Head Coach, Don Nachbaur, left the organization to be closer to his family.
Despite his age, Cody Bass is now considered by Tim Murray to be a veteran. The oft-injured prospect certainly has the scars to prove it.
Tim Murray hits on a number of the prospects from the rookie development camp and firmly believes that they should be able to help Binghamton this year.
If you're familiar with the various Senators' messageboards and blogosphere, odds are you've witnessed the backlash that the writers for the Ottawa Sun have endured lately. While most of the recent criticism has stemmed from the Sun's coverage of Jason Spezza's exit interview with Bryan Murray, I was intrigued by a recent article by Don Brennan because it featured this preface at the top of it that read, Due to the number of offensive comments posted with this story, the commenting function has been turned off. All comments have been removed. This should be a doozy. I look forward to revisiting it. Here we go... (Ed. note: My comments are in bold.)
Sens Should Chase Souray (Ed. note: This is the headline for Brennan's Article.)
Yes. Yes they should. Management should pursue a player who recently cleared waivers and carries a two-year contract with a $5.4 million cap hit per annum.
Bryan Murray is not attending Mike Fisher’s wedding this weekend.
Wait, what does this have to do with Sheldon Souray? Absolutely nothing. The name dropping of Mike Fisher means that it increases the likelihood that someone will find Brennan's article via Google. More site traffic = more ad revenue. I should try to get in on this metadata information. Let me try: Carrie. Underwood. Mike Fisher. Honeymoon. Video. Parfait. (Ed. note: Speaking of the Fisher/Underwood union, what's the number of articles featuring the same tired Princess Leia outfit jokes? I think the line's at 45,414,102.5)
“I don’t want to see my players happy,” the GM said jokingly.
Some would argue that neither does the Sun.
Murray does, however, want to put a smile on the face of Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, and in an effort to do that he must continue to focus on ways of making his team better.
Wait... when does Souray become part of this better equation?
No matter what he says publicly, you know Melnyk’s patience has to be running thin after three years of failing to get beyond the first round of the playoffs. As well it should.
Conference semi-finals or bust!
The most glaring need right now is for at least one rugged defenceman. The Senators improved July 1 when they essentially traded Anton Volchenkov for Sergei Gonchar on the free-agent market. But when they also lost Andy Sutton, their blue line turned soft as a cooked noodle.
After mentioning that Ottawa improved itself by replace a "rugged player" with one who's more talented, I'm supposed to believe that the team still needs one of those players who has those "intangibles" that writers love to talk about. Yes, intangibles that are completely subjective and unmeasurable. Right. Ottawa needs this guy.
Matt Carkner will continue to provide pop with his punchers and Chris Phillips is strong along the boards. But for the first time in eight years, they don’t have an open-ice hitter on the back end. They have three fancy pants in Gonchar, Erik Karlsson and Filip Kuba and two others (Brian Lee, Chris Campoli) no one would ever call physical players.
Calling Filip Kuba a fancy pants might just be the nicest thing that Brennan has ever said about the guy. Oh and poor Brian Lee. I mean, the young lad no longer has a number.
“I’d like to add one more player,” Murray said at Friday’s news conference to introduce Gonchar. “Maybe (he’s) in the organization. Watching Jared Cowen playing in the development camp, we may already have a defenceman who can play in that more physical spot that we’re looking to fill.”
Hmmm... I wonder which part of filling a void on the roster with a younger and cheaper alternative Brennan doesn't like?
Cowen, the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder selected ninth overall in the 2009 draft, has to prove that he can handle NHL speed. More than a year after major knee surgery, he was moving well in a 3-on-3 tournament against the team’s other prospects at the Bell Sensplex last week. But that’s a little different than trying to keep up with the waterbug forwards on the Sabres and Canadiens.
I thought the Senators needed ruggedness? Now they need a defenceman who can keep up with the Stanley Cup contending Habs and Sabres? I'm so confused right now...
If he’s still worthy of a roster spot after the pre-season, Cowen could have a nine-game regular-season tryout before the Senators decide whether to send him back for a fourth season in the WHL, where he was a dominant force as a 17-year-old.
And what a test that would be, as Cowen’s stint would include the Sabres and Habs twice each, as well as Alex Ovechkin and the Caps and Sidney Crosby and the Pens.
All teams that would expose Ottawa's perceived lack of ruggedness on the blueline. Duly noted.
Even if Cowen is able to stick, the Senators could stand some more bulking up on defence.
I agree. Consider yourself on notice, Erik "The Machinist" Karlsson.
There’s still some muscle available on the free-agent market in Sutton, Willie Mitchell — and maybe even Shaone Morrisonn falling into the category — but Murray currently doesn’t have enough cap space for them.
Sutton and Mitchell are aged 35 and 33 respectively. Both are likely headed for their last significant "payday" and Mitchell, in particular, has had to deal with serious concussion problems. More importantly, why overpay to bring in a guy like Morrisonn as a 5th or 6th defenceman when there's already a cheaper alternative in Carkner on the bottom pair?
He has a little more than $3 million (all terms US) to work with and he’s got Peter Regin and Campoli filing for arbitration and Nick Foligno still in need of a new contract. He also wants to have some wiggle room to protect his team against injuries.
So what better way to protect his team against injuries than by spending $5.4 million in cap space on one player who had 29 other teams pass on him via waivers.
He’s also got too many players — and that’s why Murray needs to make a trade.
Murray will wait to see what he has money-wise once Regin, Foligno and Campoli are done and then he’ll have to do some serious shopping.
Finally, Brennan's starting to make some sense...
If I’m him, I’d be sitting down again with Steve Tambellini in Edmonton.
... So much for that. For the record, if I'm Bryan Murray, I'd save myself the air miles and place a phone call instead.
The Oilers are getting rid of Sheldon Souray — he cleared waivers last Saturday — and, with that big booming shot and his toughness, he’d look good in a Senators jersey.
Souray is a $5.4-million cap hit for the next two seasons, however, and was limited last season to 37 games after breaking his hand and suffering a post-surgery infection. But he’s also proven to be an offensively dangerous defenceman.
I feel that something's brewing. Like this is building up for Brennan to talk about one of his favorite targets...
Kuba, a veteran who moves the puck well and is decent defensively, is not a physical player and, with the arrival of Gonchar, is very much expendable. Or redundant, as someone put it Friday. With a cap hit of $3.7 million, the Oilers would be lightening their load in a swap for Souray. Ottawa would have to throw something else into the pot — at least $1.7 million worth of assets, in fact — and the Oilers have room for it, as they are more than $14 million under the cap.
BAM!
And why throw something else into the pot for Souray? A player that they could have had for nothing?
Would you trade Kuba, Lee, and maybe a Nick Foligno or a Kuba, Campoli and Ryan Shannon for Souray? Or maybe Kuba, one other player and a draft pick?
It would have made more sense to claim Souray and then move Kuba/Campoli/Shannon for draft picks.
Would Murray?
God, I hope not.
Who knows, but the Senators did get better with the addition of Gonchar and they’d make another dramatic improvement by acquiring Souray, too.
Right. Because who would have thought that by moving a rugged defenceman in Volchenkov for a more skilled and complete alternative, the team would actually become better?
That result would surely put a smile on the owner’s face.
Or cause moderators at The Sun to shut down the comment section at the mere suggestion.
To let everyone know, approximately two weeks ago, the Bloguin network moved to a new and improved server. When Francois and I went into the studios this past Wednesday to record, I uploaded our podcast recording using the old server's IP information. As a result, our readers/listeners could not access the podcast because it was not saved onto the new server. Last night I thought the situation had been remedied as I had uploaded the recording to the new server, however, at around 10pm eastern time, Bloguin moved to an even more stupendous server and in the process, I lost the Podcast and Grab Bag article that I had published last night. Through some correspondence with the Bloguin hierarchy, I have been assured that the calamity has now passed and that everything will work smoothly moving forward. Thanks to all of the readers and listeners who sent tweets, emails and comments indicating that the link was broken. I appreciate it.
Anyways, the podcast has been fixed here it is below. (Ed. note: Expect a new article later tonight.)
Due to some commitments that go beyond this website, it's been awhile since we've done one of our shows. Consequently, and we jumped back in studios to lend our thoughts on things that we missed out on, like the NHL Draft, July 1st, Jason Spezza, and Corey Locke.
As always, you can subscribe/download/stream the episode or entire catalogue of episodes from Itunes. Or you can download the file by right-clicking and saving this file. Or you can simply stream the episode below. We hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, please leave us some feedback in the comment thread below. Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show.
Here's the tracklisting for the podcast: Delta Spirit Bushwick Blues; Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Sink/Let It Sway; The Soft Pack Pull Out; Scott Walker 30 Century Man.
Another day, another article discussing Bryan Murray's penchant for signing an aging Russian hockey player. While much of the emphasis remains tiredly focused on numbers like 36 (Gonchar's age), 3 (the term of his contract) or 5.5 (his cap hit in millions of dollars), I'm here to provide you with some numbers that are pretty relative to Gonchar's signing:
2005/06: 23, 42, 65, 33
2006/07: 18, 29, 47, 22
2007/08: 35, 49, 84, 47
2008/09: 26, 39, 65, 32
2009/10: 18, 31, 49, 14
Recognize them? Probably not. They're Alexei Kovalev's goal, assist, point and power play point production totals for the past five seasons. By now I'm assuming that you're well versed in the logic that because of the arrival of Gonchar, by extension, Kovalev will inevitably be more productive. In Montreal, Kovalev enjoyed some fruitful seasons when another Russian defenceman, Andrei Markov, emerged as an offensive threat on the power play. (Ed. note: It's unfortunate that Markov was injured for half of last season. His injury created too small of a sample size to truly evaluate how effectively he performed without Kovalev.)
In what can only be classified as a disappointing season, one simple glance at Kovalev's production, can help explain why his numbers waned. He's a power play specialist who relies upon the talent around him. And on Ottawa's blueline, there wasn't any from an offensive standpoint. (Ed. note: Until Karlsson's emergence late in the year.)
Whether or not Gonchar can truly replicate the success and chemistry that he shared with Malkin is something that can only be ascertained once the season is underway. Regardless, because of the similarities in how Malkin and Kovalev work almost exclusively along the half-wall by the right-faceoff circle, it's reason enough for some optimism. And who knows, if Kovalev can add 10-15 points to last season's power play totals, his inconsistent lulls will inevitably get smaller and maybe fans will ease up on his criticisms. Actually, forget that. Cracking on Kovalev for being enigmatic is easier than it is to poke fun at Don Brennan for authoring pieces that encourage the Senators to sign local players and Ottawa 67's graduates.
Episode 25 of The 6th Sens Podcast
Due to some commitments that go beyond this website, it's been awhile since we've done one of our shows. Consequently, and we jumped back in studios to lend our thoughts on things that we missed out on, like the NHL Draft, July 1st, Jason Spezza, and Corey Locke.
As always, you can subscribe/download/stream the episode or entire catalogue of episodes from Itunes. Or you can download the file by right-clicking and saving this file. Or you can simply stream the episode below. We hope you enjoy it. If you have any questions or comments about the podcast, please leave us some feedback in the comment thread below. Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoy the show.
Here's the tracklisting for the podcast: Delta Spirit Bushwick Blues; Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Sink/Let It Sway; The Soft Pack Pull Out; Scott Walker 30 Century Man.
On an early fall night in 2002, I had the misfortune of having a night class at Carleton University that with the Senators' first rookie camp game. Despite being unable to attend, my absence and a lengthy trek from the west end of Ottawa to the Bob Guertin Arena in Hull, wasn't enough to discourage my dad from attending this game. Considering how barren the Senators farm system has been for the past few years, with names like Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, Ray Emery, and Anton Volchenkov headlining Ottawa's rookie lineup, you can understand why he would be so excited to take in the action. It wasn't particularly difficult for fans to envision these blue-chippers contributing on an already talent laden Senators roster.
At the time, Spezza was obviously the guy who was garnering the most fan and media attention. Drafted second overall in 2001, Spezza was viewed as the heir apparent to the Senators first line pivot spot vacated by Alexei Yashin. As I waited my father's arrival back from the game, it was Spezza whose performance I most eager to hear about. So when my dad did come home, I was a bit surprised to spend the first 10 minutes of our conversation listening to him rave about the play of Anton Volchenkov...
...Until I heard why.
According to my dad, Volchenkov was a man playing amongst boys. He was a tank who apparently caught an opposing forward with his head down behind the net in the defensive zone. With a clean hit, Volchenkov knocked the opposing forward unconcious and it took 20 to 25 minutes for the medical technicians to get an ambulance on the ice surface and cart the injured player off. In Ottawa, it's become a story of lore. I just wished I had witnessed it myself.
Since that infamous 2002 rookie camp, Volchenkov went on to crack Ottawa's roster and has played seven seasons for the Senators. Although Volchenkov had a fine rookie campaign, he eventually exhibited some inconsistencies during his next two seasons playing alongside Wade Redden. It will be the years he spent paired with Chris Phillips wherein they developed into a premier shutdown defensive tandem that fans will remember him most for.
Whether it was his standup hits along the blueline wall or his patented shot blocking ability, fans have gravitated towards this guy and for good reason. Simply put, he's been a warrior who willingly sacrificed his body for the greater good of the team. Interestingly, it's this same style and mentality that's earned him his departure.
By letting Volchenkov go while he's only 28 years old, it reminds me of that comparison that one makes when dating a girl. According to www.lionsdenu.com, one should superficially regard the mother's weight because it's a sign you might be dating a future fatty.
The tree doesn’t fall very far from the apple…or something like that (See: Theory of Relativity).Genetic theory suggests that, unlike bald genes, fat genes don’t skip generations. If the mom is rockin a supa–FUPA (fat upper pelvic area), your likely looking at a future-FUPA. And you’ll have fat grand-daughters too, which sucks.
By letting Volchenkov walk, Bryan Murray has gambled that the Russian defenceman will inevitably wear down and isn't worth the term or dollars that a club like New Jersey was willing to offer. (Ed. note: 6 years, $25.5 million.)Was it a good call? Time will tell, but I do feel that there was too much inherent risk to offer a player of Volchenkov's ilk a long term deal. It won't stop me from wishing Volchenkov all of the best in New Jersey though...
TSN is reporting that Sergei Gonchar has been signed by the Ottawa Senators to a 3-year deal worth an average of $5.5 million per year that comes complete with a full no-trade clause. (Ed. note: Oddly enough, it was a move that I suggested in an article this past March.)
Cynics should have a field day with this deal. Too old, too expensive, Russian, a NTC, and not enough defensive prowess are the likely rebuttals that you'll hear from detractors.
Yes, his signing marks the second time in two consecutive seasons that Bryan Murray has signed an older Russian player and considering how Alexei Kovalev's first season here turned out, it's not exactly like the bar's been set too high. Fortunately, Gonchar's been a model for consistency over his career. Via Twitter, TSN's Brent Wallace mentioned that Gonchar has scored at least 50 points a season for the last 10 seasons - except for 08-09 due to injury.
Although $5.5 million seems like it's a lot of jack, it's reasonable value considering that Gonchar is a legitimate top pairing defenceman. Personally, I'd rather pay Gonchar this kind of money than overpay for the likes of a Volchenkov, a Zybynek Michalek (who signed with Pittsburgh for $20-million for 5 years) or any of those other tier two sorts. Albeit, maybe it's a bit high for a 36 year old defenceman, however, he should serve as an ideal mentor for Erik Karlsson and he will help a Senators power play that has lacked any discernable threat for the past few years.
And although the NTC is a bit of a cause for concern, it is a necessary evil to entice a free agent to come to Ottawa. I can live with that. Besides, it's not like these clauses have prevented players from leaving in the past. (Ed. note: Thanks Dany.)
Winchester Resigns
According to the Ottawa Sun's Bruce Garrioch, Jesse Winchester has been resigned to a 2-year, $750K per season pact. Not a bad contract for the Senators' fourth-line center. Now if only Ottawa could get that elusive second line center, trade Chris Kelly and put Mike Fisher where he belongs, they'll be alright.
It's funny how quickly things can change in the NHL. And I'm not talking about Jonathan Cheechoo's downward spiral from that 56-goal Rocket Richard Trophy winning season. (Ed. note: RIP Jonathan Cheechoo's NHL Career -- June 30th, 2010.) No. I'm talking about how after having been signed a 7-year contract extension this past December, Marc Savard is likely going to be traded by the Boston Bruins within the next few days.
So it's my understanding that because the Boston Bruins want to free up cap and roster space for the newly drafted Tyler Seguin, they have approached Marc Savard about the possibility of a trade. Why have they approached Savard? Because with seven years and $29.4 million in his back pocket, Bruins management has decided that six months later, the length of Savard's term is too long and expensive. Cap savings and roster flexibility was needed the moment that they drafted Tyler Seguin.
So why do I care? Because of his no-trade clause, Savard has a say in where he wants to go and the thing is, he has listed the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators as his two primary destinations before he's obligated to provide a list of five teams to the Bruins by July 1st.
Oddly enough, there seems to be a general consenus amongst the hockey experts that Ottawa either won't try and fit Savard in under the cap or they're going to go in a different direction.
Whether it's posturing or that they're genuinely not interested in Savard, I don't understand it. At a cap hit of $4.2 million per season, the 32-year old Savard may be on his last contract but at least he's affordable. For a player who averaged 67 assists and 93 points for the four seasons prior to this past one, that's not an egregious contract figure. Based on his production alone, he'd be one hell of an insulator for Jason Spezza.
With the way that Savard's extension is structured, it's not as bad as it sounds from the outlook. According to the Boston Herald's Steven Harris:
Savard's deal is heavily front-loaded, paying $7 million each of the next two seasons, then $6.5 million, $5 million, $1.5 million and just $525,000 in the final two years, giving the B's a pretty painless buyout option ($1.05 million spread over four years) if Savard is no longer healthy and/or productive at age 38.
Certainly there are some things working against Savard. Obviously foremost is his history of concussions -- the most recent coming as a result of that vicious blindsight hit that Matt Cooke laid on him. The other is the length of the contract itself. Seven years is a long time in the salary cap world. Or maybe his presence would leave the Senators a little soft up the middle.
Regardless, it gives me another opportunity to encourage the brass to pursue a legitimate second line center. Whether it's Savard or someone else, this team needs more offensive production out of that pivot spot than what they've grown accustomed to from Mike Fisher. And if the cost to acquire Savard is low, why the hell not?
Odds are, if you're one of the male readers who comprise this website's audience, you have likely encountered the oversized sunglasses phenomenon. It's that situation that occurs when you're on a patio or walking down a sidewalk approaching an oncoming girl, who from the outset, looks pretty good. Inevitably at some point the glasses come off and with their removal, the facade of good looks disappears. What you're left with is a feeling of buzzkill.
Buzzkill. That's seems to be the word de jour that has been used frequently to describe the Ottawa Senators' night at the NHL Entry Draft. Unlike many of my Senators fan breathren who spent this past Friday night glued to their television sets, I wasn't privy to the letdown that occurred when Gary Bettman announced that Ottawa had traded the 16th overall pick in the draft to the St. Louis Blues for a defensive prospect, David Runblad.
That's not meant to be a knock on Runblad. It's going to take awhile before fans can properly evaluate this deal for the Senators. However, from a public relations standpoint, with all of the resentment and criticism that was fostered from the Jason Spezza trade rumo(u)rs, the organization could have used some positive press that stems naturally from the NHL Entry Draft. (Ed. note: Just ask Leafs fans who thoroughly believed that Brian Burke could recoup the early draft pick that was lost in the Kessel trade by moving Tomas Kaberle. Oh wait...) Especially when the team's farm system has a clearly recognizable deficiency in skill up front and recent precedent -- Chicago, Pittsburgh, Washington -- indicates that the best way to build a team is through the draft.
Of course it doesn't help matters that whenever it's announced that the Bryan Murray regime has moved a draft pick, the Sens Army collectively sticks a finger in each ear and says lalalalalalalala! Simply put, a sect of this fanbase is eager to jump down the throat of a management structure that has dealt two first rounders and two second rounders within the past two years:
2009: 1st rounder dealt to the Islanders for Chris Campoli and Mike Comrie
2010: 2nd round pick dealt to the Hurricanes for Matt Cullen
2010: 2nd round pick dealt to the Islanders for Andy Sutton
2010: 1st round pick dealt to the Blues for David Rundblad
When historical context is thrown into the mix, (cough) (cough) Christer Olssen (cough) (cough) and there's a general lack of casual fan knowledge for who David Rundblad is, it's easy to understand why there has been a lack of praise for the move.
Albeit, the acquisition of Rundblad is a break from the tradition. Drafted 17th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Rundblad differs from all of the aforementioned returns whom Bryan Murray acquired via trade. He may actually play
This all reminds me of the Tim Murray quotes that were featured in an Ottawa Sun article:
“We’re just going to take the best player,” said Murray. “If it’s a defenceman, that’s what we’re taking. I look at our depth chart every day and it looks like we’ve got a ton of defencemen. All of sudden (Anton) Volchenkov could be gone (as a unrestricted free agent come July 1) and (Filip) Kuba got hurt last year.
“Just when you think that you have lots, you don’t. The one thing I know about defencemen, if you do have too many — and I don’t think you can ever have too many — but if you feel you do, they’re easy to move and they have high value.
“Ideally, if we could get a skilled centre, that’d be great. If we can’t, then it’s the best player available.”
Considering that Pierre Dorion came on our podcast and described this year's draft as average, it's difficult to really get upset. Obviously the organization made the move because they felt that Runblad was a better/safer investment than anyone else who was left on the board. Having already selected a forward 14th overall, St. Louis could afford to roll the dice a bit and take Vladimir Tarasenko at 16.
Russian Roulette
By moving the 16th overall pick for Rundblad, we were given a little bit of insight into how Ottawa's braintrust works. With a promising but inherently risky Russian still left on the board, management balked at the idea of selecting a player who could bolt to the KHL.
The Ottawa Sun Isn't Anti-Spezza
The Ottawa Sun's sports editor, Tim Baines. has two recent blog entries and they're... somewhat hilarious. Here's part one of the entry and here's part two. I would throw in my two cents here but I have to go upstairs, my mom is calling me up for dinner.
If you're the kind of passionate Senators fan who's looking for some form of clarity into Ottawa's hot-button Jason Spezza issue, you're going to have to keep waiting. In a media scrum this afternoon, Bryan Murray was asked to address the speculated Spezza trade request and had this to say...
"He said he wouldn't object to it. He didn't come out and say, "I have to be traded." He didn't object to the fact that maybe it's time "with the way I've been received and maybe it's time I look around."
The timing itself is bizarre and it gives Spezza a legitimate reason to be irked. However, if he's really upset, at least his new sponsorship agreement with Ben & Jerry's should allow for him to spend the next few nights curled up with a bucket of Caramel Hat Trick on the company's dime. (Ed. note: If Spezza shows up into camp out of shape in the fall, it's not going to take a genius to realize what his favorite offseason coping mechanism was.)
Although it's still early in the offseason and there will be a natural optimism that will come with the onset of Friday night's NHL Entry Draft and the lead in to start of unrestricted free agency, today's news that Spezza thought it might be in both parties' interests to move on and that Anton Volchenkov will test the unrestricted free agent waters should leave fans disheartened. If anything, today's events will have fans doubting whether or not Spezza actually has his heart set on playing out the rest of his contract in Ottawa. As a polarizing player in this community, it's the last thing that he needs.
It's also the latest in a line of events that has me questioning how competitive this Senators team can be next season if they move their first line center.
Consider the following:
The Jason Spezza trade market is allegedly non-existent. (Although if you're one who doesn't take Doug MacLean's words seriously, I can't blame you for that.) Getting fair value that's NHL ready talent might be impossible.
Anton Volchenkov's departure at this point seems like a foregone conclusion.
Two of Ottawa's predominant secondary scorers, Milan Michalek and Alexei Kovalev, are both trying to successfully come back from reconstructive ACL surgeries.
It's a mediocre free agent class.
Last season, Mike Fisher and the third line trio of Chris Kelly/Jarkko Ruutu/Chris Neil all enjoyed career seasons last year. Any drop off in offensive production from these players could put substantial pressure on the primary scorers.
If Spezza leaves... where's the primary scoring? Daniel Alfredsson? The iconic superstar is 37 and has seen his goal totals drop for the second consecutive year to 20 goals. His lowest total since the 1998/99 season.
For what it's worth, Murray has repeatedly reiterated that he will not move Spezza if the right deal cannot be made...
"Look, unfortunately that just doesn't happen. You signed a long-term contract. We have committed to you and you have committed to us. We will look at everything that will help us, but we're not going to make a bad trade."
However the question of what the right hockey deal is, is up for discussion. Do the Senators move Spezza for a consortium of ready talent or do they roll the dice and try to acquire as many prospects as possible?
It's no secret that Ottawa has a some financial flexibility coming next summer when Leclaire, Kovalev, Phillips, Cheechoo and Ruutu reach unrestricted free agency. For years the Senators have tried to cut and paste a lineup that can reach the playoffs and have some success. Now with Spezza possibly on the outs, maybe we've reached that point wherein Ottawa builds toward the 2011/12 season. If Ottawa can augment their blueline (Cowen, Wiercioch, Gryba, Karlsson) and goaltending (Lehner) with some decent forward prospects, any rebuild could be a short one.
This afternoon, the Philadelphia Flyers acquired the negotiation rights to Dan Hamhuis from the Nashville Predators in exchange for defenceman Ryan Parent and a conditional draft pick. Obviously the conditional draft pick is completely dependent upon whether or not the Flyers can sign Hamhuis to an extension.
Regardless, as a Senators fan, this story's important to follow for two reasons:
The trade sets a precedent for the value of an impending unrestricted free agent defenceman.
With the completion of the deal, it's become imperative from a public relations standpoint for the Flyers GM, Paul Holmgren, to sign Hamhuis to a contract.
In other words, from a fiscal and trade value perspective, the bar for a player of Anton Volchenkov's ilk has or will be set within the forthcoming days. Now that the bar has been set, it's going to be interesting to see what Bryan Murray can do with it.
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Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 