Pre-Game Talk: Devils in the SENS Den tonight, 7:30pm on TSN

[JD1]

Call it a hot take if you want, it was a no surprise to me the pucks started to go in, it was just a matter of time with how well he was playing despite being pointless in 11 consectutive games.

you are breaking board protocol Mister Anderson. There are certain players about which nothing positive will be said. you've brough the abuse upon yourself

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I am thinking of taking my son to the Alex Burrows autograph signing session here in Toronto today.

 

[Silencio]

Surprised none of the Devils came to Hall's defense

 

[OgieO]

I sure as heck hope they find a trade for Burrows at the deadline. I'm sick of seeing him in a Sens jersey. Hopefully Dorion grew a spine and realized Boucher's wish list is full of aging veterans that aren't of much value. He needs a better long term view of the team, coach sees short term.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

I sure as heck hope they find a trade for Burrows at the deadline. I'm sick of seeing him in a Sens jersey. Hopefully Dorion grew a spine and realized Boucher's wish list is full of aging veterans that aren't of much value. He needs a better long term view of the team, coach sees short term.

We missed the rocket on launching Burrows and Boucher into orbit on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy. Feelsbadman

 

[Dino Tkachuk]

White gets his 1st goal in a win. A little more of last years team tonight. But Devs seemed to be more playing with a mentality like they had their backup in against a bottom feeder and so werent psyched for the nite. Still everyone can feel a bit better tonight

Kinkade has been playing for a few games now with Schneider being hurt and they have been winning. This has nothing to do with the backup and the Devils were just outplayed...

 

[Burrowsaurus]

you are breaking board protocol Mister Anderson. There are certain players about which nothing positive will be said. you've brough the abuse upon yourself

That’s not what’s going on here. I’m questioning his apparent ABSOLUTE expectancy and non chalantness regarding Ryan’s production and play in the POs last year.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

I sure as heck hope they find a trade for Burrows at the deadline. I'm sick of seeing him in a Sens jersey. Hopefully Dorion grew a spine and realized Boucher's wish list is full of aging veterans that aren't of much value. He needs a better long term view of the team, coach sees short term.

We won’t be trading burrows after last night.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Even though we should be in tank mode, it's nice to see a good game for once. Glad to see Whitey get his first too. Can't wait for Turris to come to town... Perfect timing cause the deal is finally making some sense

The only way a team can go into "tank mode" is by the GM removing key players from roster, and calling up players, not ready for the NHL, from the AHL.

No coach is ever going to coach lose a game. No player is going to play to lose a game. Only by icing an inferior lineup, and leaving your better players off a game day roster, can a team be seen as tanking.

Ottawa obviously "tanked" at the end of the 92-93 season when they called up some plugs from the farm team, to make sure they finished behind the Sharks, which they did by virtue of one less win, being the tie breaker, as the two teams tied in points.

This gave the Senators the right to pass on the likes of
Saku Koivu
Paul Kariya
Chris Gratton
Chris Pronger
Viktor Kozlov
Adam Deadmarsh
Todd Bertuzzi
Niklas Sundstrom

And Selected someone else instead.

Tanking to finish last did not work out then, and it most likely will not with the Lottery system now.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

I don’t understand why we’ve been playing Burrows and Dumont over McCormick.

One of them is on a "two way contract" ........ guess which one.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Hopefully that useless plug will be getting a big old suspension...

Knowing us though, GB will trade Hoffman for spare parts to fill the gap.

Coaches don't make trades in the NHL, GMs do.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

I sure as heck hope they find a trade for Burrows at the deadline. I'm sick of seeing him in a Sens jersey. Hopefully Dorion grew a spine and realized Boucher's wish list is full of aging veterans that aren't of much value. He needs a better long term view of the team, coach sees short term.

Wow, a "coach sees short term" ......... AKA ice the best lineup they see as the best chance to win a game, wins ensure you remain employed as a coach.

Whodathunk ?

 

[Bileur]

One of them is on a "two way contract" ........ guess which one.

Seems the team is always trying to justify its ridiculous lineup decisions with a « win now » approach and also frequently brings up effort and character and doing things right. Max checks all those boxes. He’s better and more useful than Burrows or Dumont, he always works hard not to mention that he’s paid his dues with the organization. It can’t be good for morale to see this guy who has been in the trenches get supplanted by a scrub like dumont. If we’re keeping him out of the lineup to save a couple 100k that’s ridiculous.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I am actually surprised we don't play more younger players. If we iced an extremely young lineup a lot of the fanbase would be happy and Melnyk would have lots of his players cheap because they are on ELC's. It's a win/win situation for him even if we are a bad hockey team because fans will always have the hope that it will get better after the young players mature.

No salary spent on Pyatt, Burrows, Thompson, Anderson, Brassard, etc.

 

[Alex1234]

« Only by icing an inferior lineup, and leaving your better players off a game day roster, can a team be seen as tanking »

They’ve done a good job in this regard so far

In Sens situation the plugs are some vets and the good roster players are the young and upcomings

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Pretty Happy for White getting his first one last night

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Good to see the Sens still have some fight in them.

 

[Alex1234]

Can we just ice the core + the future and stop with the non-sense of Burrows, Oduya, Dumont,Smith?

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Seems the team is always trying to justify its ridiculous lineup decisions with a « win now » approach and also frequently brings up effort and character and doing things right. Max checks all those boxes. He’s better and more useful than Burrows or Dumont, he always works hard not to mention that he’s paid his dues with the organization. It can’t be good for morale to see this guy who has been in the trenches get supplanted by a scrub like dumont. If we’re keeping him out of the lineup to save a couple 100k that’s ridiculous.

McCormick is on a two way this season, and a one way next season, he signed that contract knowing he'd be playing most of his games, this season, in Belleville. Next Season he'll play more games in Ottawa, and Dumont, who is on a one way contract this Season and a two way next season, will play the bulk of his games in Belleville, if he's still with the organization.


The Coach is always going to put the players, in the line up (for any given game) that he believes will give the Senators the best chance to win the game ........ that is his job, and would not ask the GM to call up someone up, from Belleville, just to prevent his morale from going too low, and sit a Healthy NHLer, on a one way contract.

If a Coach puts players in the line up that the fans want him to, then very soon he'll be sitting with the fans.

 

[Beville]

You mean PD not GB.

Good spot...

Although still willing to bet GB will have his influence on it all though.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

McCormick is on a two way this season, and a one way next season, he signed that contract knowing he'd be playing most of his games, this season, in Belleville. Next Season he'll play more games in Ottawa, and Dumont, who is on a one way contract this Season and a two way next season, will play the bulk of his games in Belleville, if he's still with the organization.


The Coach is always going to put the players, in the line up (for any given game) that he believes will give the Senators the best chance to win the game ........ that is his job, and would not ask the GM to call up someone up, from Belleville, just to prevent his morale from going too low, and sit a Healthy NHLer, on a one way contract.

If a Coach puts players in the line up that the fans want him to, then very soon he'll be sitting with the fans.

Do you ever criticize Boucher fairly of unjustly?

 

[Bileur]

McCormick is on a two way this season, and a one way next season, he signed that contract knowing he'd be playing most of his games, this season, in Belleville. Next Season he'll play more games in Ottawa, and Dumont, who is on a one way contract this Season and a two way next season, will play the bulk of his games in Belleville, if he's still with the organization.


The Coach is always going to put the players, in the line up (for any given game) that he believes will give the Senators the best chance to win the game ........ that is his job, and would not ask the GM to call up someone up, from Belleville, just to prevent his morale from going too low, and sit a Healthy NHLer, on a one way contract.

If a Coach puts players in the line up that the fans want him to, then very soon he'll be sitting with the fans.

I think the coach is doing a fine job of sending himself to the stands without having to consult the fans.

All I’m saying is McCormick showed more last night than some other roster players have in extended looks this season. I don’t know why you think you have to defend Boucher on that. I also note that you didn’t actually disagree that McCormick showed more.

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

Do you ever criticize Boucher fairly of unjustly?

I don't see the point of criticizing the Coach. Do I agree with some things that I think he's mostly to blame for? Not always, but understand it comes with the job.

I think I've mentioned, in the past year, that I'm not impressed with the PP, and thought that the PP was one of his calling cards, when he was brought in.

Last season I thought, after the "system" came up to stride, that exiting the D zone had improved over the previous two coaches, and now think there's been some backsliding on this aspect to the team's play.

However, he's the Coach today, and it does not matter what I say, or post on this site...... and it will change nothing. I just try to see things in perspective, and point to reasons why someone is upset with the Coach.

A "fan" may think that Player A, in Belleville is better than who is playing for the Sens at the time ...... and blames the Coach for playing Player B on the fourth line ...... The Coach can't be held responsible for that, if it were true, it's no his (final) decision to have the player called up and put in the line up. We don't know the development plans for each and every prospect, and management does, and the GM and his staff are the ones who decides who comes up from Belleville when a situation calls for a "call up".

 

[Sensinitis]

Can we just ice the core + the future and stop with the non-sense of Burrows, Oduya, Dumont,Smith?

A man can dream...

 

[Tnuoc Alucard]

I think the coach is doing a fine job of sending himself to the stands without having to consult the fans.

All I’m saying is McCormick showed more last night than some other roster players have in extended looks this season. I don’t know why you think you have to defend Boucher on that. I also note that you didn’t actually disagree that McCormick showed more.

From what I gathered, you seemed to be criticizing the make up of the "line up".

The coach is the one who decides who is in or out of the line up.

The coach can only use the players that are available to him, and if McCormick is in Belleville, then Boucher can't insert him into the line up.

I don't know how McCormick has played in Belleville, but apparently not well enough to be called up more often, and not enough to stay once other players are healthy again.

Does his two way contract play a part in that, I suspect it does, and that's not the Coach's fault .... it's someone in a higher pay grade that makes those decisions ........ so you're justified in your opinion.

Perhaps he sticks around for a while, now that a 4th liner is going to be suspended for a few games, and perhaps he can play his way onto the line up.

In any case, it's not going to make or break the Sens season, and who is playing on the fourth line is not one of the bigger problems with this team, that needs to addressed.