Post-Game Talk: Rookie Tournament 2015

[BigBush*]

I think Chabot will quickly make us forget ...you know...the guy we traded... what's his name? See I already forgot!

You lost me here

 

[danishh]

Lehner

 

[BigBush*]

Lehner

Ah ok. Makes sense, kind of, although that was for the pick we took on White

 

[BondraTime]

Lehner

Chabot has nothing to do with Lehner

 

[Cosmix]

Chabot has nothing to do with Lehner

True, and also true it was the pick from Bufalo that yielded White. BUT, apparently it is Chabot that is making him forget Lehner's name, for whatever senile reason!

 

[BigBush*]

Hammond was the one that made me forget about Lehner. Had no clue what happened to him by the time Lazar was eating burgers off the ice

 

[freddy61]

I think he's with Chicago now but I just can't recall his name otherwise how could Chabot make me forget him although I 'm sure he is a right D. All kinds of names RUNning through my head but just don't remember. That trade TURned things around for our centre position.


No danish I'm pretty sure it isn't Lehner but then I do have a bad memory (lol)

 

[DrEasy]

i think he's with chicago now but i just can't recall his name otherwise how could chabot make me forget him although i 'm sure he is a right d. All kinds of names running through my head but just don't remember. That trade turned things around for our centre position.


No danish i'm pretty sure it isn't lehner but then i do have a blad memory (lol)

ftfy

 

[freddy61]

ftfy

Oh man you are sharp. That was a great fix.

Thanks

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Chabot has nothing to do with Lehner

Converting to Goalie

 

[maclean]

lehner would make a great power forward

 

[Micklebot]

That's the thing. Even in your description you don't describe him as defensively strong. Just that the pushes and punches people. I think right now he's projecting closer to Sdao than Gryba. Maybe Luke does some magic and turns him into a solid bottom pairing D. But he did not stand out at all during the tourney.

I didn't really catch any of the tournament, but I've never found defensive D ever standout in this kind of situation (well, maybe guys like Volchenkov destroying someone).

Harpur should still be considered a long term project though, that much is sure.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

Oh man you are sharp. That was a great fix.

Thanks

I am legitimately concerned that all that just went over our good doctor's head

 

[LastWordArmy]

Interviews with Chabot, Lindberg, and McCormick

http://lastwordonsports.com/2015/09/15/senators-rookie-tournament-audio/

 

[BonkTastic]

Harpur should still be considered a long term project though, that much is sure.

If Gryba can make the NHL as an almost-25yr old, and Boro make the NHL as an even older "prospect", there's no reason why Harpur can't spend the next 3-4 years refining his skills in the AHL.

We knew that Harpur was a long way away... this tourney reinforced that he still has a ways to go. We saw the tools he is supposed to bring to the table on display, he just needs to learn how to use them properly.

No one is expecting Harpur to really be any more than a 3rd pairing guy. If everything works out as it should, he'll be Boro's replacement in 3 years, at best.

 

[God Says No]

If Gryba can make the NHL as an almost-25yr old, and Boro make the NHL as an even older "prospect", there's no reason why Harpur can't spend the next 3-4 years refining his skills in the AHL.

We knew that Harpur was a long way away... this tourney reinforced that he still has a ways to go. We saw the tools he is supposed to bring to the table on display, he just needs to learn how to use them properly.

No one is expecting Harpur to really be any more than a 3rd pairing guy. If everything works out as it should, he'll be Boro's replacement in 3 years, at best.

Totally agree, but it's disingenuous to say that he was a standout in this past tournament. He was far from that. Anyone who says that is letting their biased views could their judgment.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

I think he's with Chicago now but I just can't recall his name otherwise how could Chabot make me forget him although I 'm sure he is a right D. All kinds of names RUNning through my head but just don't remember. That trade TURned things around for our centre position.


No danish I'm pretty sure it isn't Lehner but then I do have a bad memory (lol)

Can you please explain what you're alluding to here? What does Chabot have to do with Lehner and Rundblad?

 

[BonkTastic]

Totally agree, but it's disingenuous to say that he was a standout in this past tournament. He was far from that. Anyone who says that is letting their biased views could their judgment.

Yeah, he was not great.

I watched about half of the tournament, and I saw a guy with the tools to be a physical defence-first 3Rd pairing blueliner in the NHL, but no clue how to translate those tools into positive plays against next-level opposition. Hopefully the next few years will be a good learning exprience for him.

 

[Micklebot]

Yeah, he was not great.

I watched about half of the tournament, and I saw a guy with the tools to be a physical defence-first 3Rd pairing blueliner in the NHL, but no clue how to translate those tools into positive plays against next-level opposition. Hopefully the next few years will be a good learning exprience for him.

Both him and Gendron have to be seen as long term projects picked on their physical skill sets more than how refined their play is; As forwards recently converted to D (both midway through their 2010-11 seasons) it should be expected that they will be very raw.

The org clearly has confidence in it's ability to develop picks.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

The tools are definitely there for Harpur. He can skate and he has an actual nasty side to him, which is great for a big man. He just has to be willing to learn in Bingo for a few years.

 

[Micklebot]

The tools are definitely there for Harpur. He can skate and he has an actual nasty side to him, which is great for a big man. He just has to be willing to learn in Bingo for a few years.

You'd think a convert from forward would have better puck skills though...

 

[Xspyrit]

Smith was terrible at faceoffs last year and had an injury that could have lingering effects in that regard. When he did play, he was getting extremely limited mins. I see him as a guy that really needs to prove he still has a spot or he'll be a healthy scratch in no time. I'm going to guess Paul clearly outplays him at camp, but gets sent down in a numbers game, only to get a call up as the season goes on.

I also suspect that Neil will be a healthy scratch fairly often this year.

I'm positive Smith was plagued by injuries last season so that affected his whole game, a bit like Cowen

Smith is a decent bottom-6 role player and he doesn't hurt you on the ice as evidenced by those stats (since he entered the league in 2009-10) :

http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/rat...500&teamid=21&type=goals&sort=A60&sortdir=ASC

Maybe his fault is uneeded penalties... but nobody is perfect

Harpur led this tournament in pts last yr I believe & while I basically got what I thought he would be this is what I liked about him. He is big & he is playing with an edge something the Sens organization have said they wanted to see more from him. He got into a scrap in the development camp with Jaros & he came to Gagne`s defence after a big hit in the Pitts game. He does a good job of pushing guys around in front of the net & he is quick to step in after whistles, I like that he is quick to respond to guys trying to push our skilled players around. He isn`t a great stick handler & gets in trouble quickly if he tries to do too much with the puck. He will have to learn to unload the puck quickly & not hang on to it because he simply isn`t very good with the puck. He does get it on net with regularity from the point on the PP & has a decent shot but not great for a guy his size. I expect with Luke in Bingo he will need a few yrs to develop & be a good defensive defenceman but I don`t think he will ever be a great offensive defenceman.

Harpur could be a role player. I think some people here evaluate players based on how they handle the puck so I wouldn't put too much stock into it. Gryba is terrible at handling the puck (for a NHL player), but he is still a NHL player... It's not Michalek biggest strength, but he still has been a top-6 forward all his career. Some prefer Prince over Puempel because of that specific reason. It's a matter of taste

I tend to agree but we will never know how this team measures up until they get the season going. Every team should be slightly better & Ottawa needs to be better to but they have as many questions at certain positions as anyone right now. I also think Ottawa will take this yr to make a few more changes whether through trade or attrition a few more things should change by yr end. Two guys I really like & can see them in Ottawa maybe as soon as the end of the yr are Paul & Lindberg but because of contracts they may have to wait a yr.

I don't really understand this answer based on my quote but anyway, I'll try to add something. Where we lack is not depth, IMO we lack one more star forward and a solid #2-3 D-man.

To give you an example :

Hall-Zibanejad-Ryan
MacArthur-Turris-Stone
Hoffman-Pageau-Michalek
Prince-Smith-Lazar
Neil

Methot-Karlsson
Hjalmarsson-Ceci
Cowen-Borowiecki
Wiercioch

Smith and Greening are dead weight. I know Greening isn't really in the fold anyways but Smith shouldn't have a spot on this team after the number of bad years he's had consequtively. He plays soft, takes dumb penalties and sucks the life of out of puck possession single handedly. He's a negative impact player who should be shown the door immediately. But that's just my opinion.

Neil has not played well but I'm perfectly fine with him staying as a 13th forward and playing in 20-30 games.

I'm fine with giving Chiasson another shot. He has upside and some talent unlike Smith.

Greening I agree since I was hoping he get bought out... Smith, I dunno, IMO it's way too early to put him in that category. Maybe he could be expendable, but IMO he will be a serviceable NHL player for a few more years (probably with another team). I see that you really don't like Smith but like you said, it's your opinion. I think it's because of last season that left a bad taste in people's mouth. However I am pretty sure he was plagued by injuries. Where I disagree is before that. Sure, he isn't a top-6 player or a Super Condra for possession stats, but he brought other things to the table.

Hammond was the one that made me forget about Lehner. Had no clue what happened to him by the time Lazar was eating burgers off the ice

lol that sounds so weird for somebody who wouldn't know about it.

 

[Micklebot]

I'm positive Smith was plagued by injuries last season so that affected his whole game, a bit like Cowen

Smith is a decent bottom-6 role player and he doesn't hurt you on the ice as evidenced by those stats (since he entered the league in 2009-10) :

http://stats.hockeyanalysis.com/rat...500&teamid=21&type=goals&sort=A60&sortdir=ASC

Maybe his fault is uneeded penalties... but nobody is perfect

Sort that list by GF% and you'll see he drops right to the bottom of the barrel. Preventing goals is great, but if you don't create anything, it's at best neutral. Granted, he's been asked to play a pest/defensive role, but he's done little to assure himself a spot imo with guys like Pageau and Lazar showing so much more upside, and Paul looking close to ready to contribute.

Now, he hasn't exactly been lined up with offensive guys, attached at the hip to guys like Neil, Greening, Daugavins, you'd expect his numbers to be a bit lower. But he's got to show more to keep his spot imo. Good at faceoffs doesn't cut it on it's own.

 

[Bileur]

Sort that list by GF% and you'll see he drops right to the bottom of the barrel. Preventing goals is great, but if you don't create anything, it's at best neutral. Granted, he's been asked to play a pest/defensive role, but he's done little to assure himself a spot imo with guys like Pageau and Lazar showing so much more upside, and Paul looking close to ready to contribute.

Now, he hasn't exactly been lined up with offensive guys, attached at the hip to guys like Neil, Greening, Daugavins, you'd expect his numbers to be a bit lower. But he's got to show more to keep his spot imo. Good at faceoffs doesn't cut it on it's own.

It would be great if he could figure out how to be equally effective at wing and centre.

 

[aragorn]

Totally agree, but it's disingenuous to say that he was a standout in this past tournament. He was far from that. Anyone who says that is letting their biased views could their judgment.

Another strength for Ben Harpur that I didn't know is that he can play either side which gives him an advantage over others I think. Defensively because he is big & plays with an edge which is what the Sens wanted to see more of from him is that he can rough people up in front of his own net & when it gets ugly he goes in there & puts an end to it, somewhat like Boro. You may not have liked what you saw from him in the tournament & my guess is you may never like him because he doesn't have the flash & smooth skating of a Chabot or Wikstrand.

Other than Chabot though IMO I thought Hapur was the next best defenceman on the team because Wikstrand hardly played. Carlisle, Rumble & Crawford didn't impress me & Rutkowski was alright. Harpur is a big guy & a bit clumsy at times & needs to work harder at getting the puck off his stick quicker but he is hard to miss. He's definitely a project but I think he will surprise a few people with his overall skill set, he could be a young Chara but he could also be a young Hal Gill, who knows.

This is what Randy Lee had to say about him.

http://senators.nhl.com/club/blogpost.htm?id=41210&navid=DL|OTT|home