Pre-Game Talk: SENS in Buffalo (Snowstorm Edition), Tuesday night 7:00 pm on TSN

[Langdon Alger]

Fair enough, but this has been a common trend for us more than any other team. Sometimes enough is enough.

Which is probably why they went with Boucher. He had experience.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

No guarantee we have success with him.

Maybe not, but his coaching style is way more in sync with the league's current direction.

Boudreau teams can score.

This team right can't now score or defend.

 

[Tundraman]

People that complain about our keadership and toughness helllllooo what in the actually **** did we pay for and then pay burrows for. Where's his value if not those ****ing things. Sorry.

Burrows is sub 200 lbs, doesn't play big and he was never tough or tough to play against. He was a dirty shit disturber but by his own admission that ship has long passed. Tough does mean a guy who can handle himself but for me it first of all means a guy who when he hits it hurts, separates man from puck and makes guys get rid of the puck quickly to avoid being hit.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Maybe not, but his coaching style is way more in sync with the league's current direction.

Boudreau teams can score.

This team right can't now score or defend.

He had other teams interested in him too. Did we pass on him or did he pass on us?

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Which is probably why they went with Boucher. He had experience.

Not experience of sustained success, no.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Not experience of sustained success, no.

But unlike our previous 3 head coaches he had coached in the league.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

He had other teams interested in him too. Did we pass on him or did he pass on us?

I assume we passed on him (I think it's monetary reasons even though people say Boucher was Dorion's #1 choice). Even his daughter (from Ottawa) ended up liking anti-Sens tweets about Melnyk being cheap after he signed with Minnesota.

 

[Cosmix]

Sounds bad when you put it that way.

Maybe Dorion realizes the team is completely demoralized under Boucher and is on #teamtank. He's not gonna fire Boucher in season, because he doesn't want to spark the team into finishing 11th overall. He'll fire Boucher in June....

(lol jk jk)

i don’t think Dorion thinks that way. Dorion has sold a part of the future for performance today and has failed. I think budget is part of the road-block plus the issue of who should replace Boucher. Another aspect is that Boucher was Dorion’s pick, so firing Boucher would be like admitting a mistake was made.

I hope Melnyk recognizes what needs to be done soon: Fire Dorion and hire a new GM.

 

[albator71]

I think a lot of the blame should fall on 1) Dorion and 2) the players, the coach can have the best game plan but if the players dont execute then its on them. I do agree that Boucher has lost the "room" so he will get fired soon, the sad part in all of this is that the players win again, when will the players be accountable for their poor play? This franchise needs a coach and gm that will say the country club mentality is over. now its on the players to perform if not you will not play, ice time need to be earn on this team.

 

[Langdon Alger]

I assume we passed on him (I think it's monetary reasons even though people say Boucher was Dorion's #1 choice). Even his daughter (from Ottawa) ended up liking anti-Sens tweets about Melnyk being cheap after he signed with Minnesota.

So we underpay our coaches and overpay our players.

As for Boucher, we had success with him last year. It’s not going great now, but he’s had more success than any of our coaches since Murray. It’s not going well now, but it’s not like we’ve had no success at all with him behind the bench.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

So we underpay our coaches and overpay our players.

As for Boucher, we had success with him last year. It’s not going great now, but he’s had more success than any of our coaches since Murray. It’s not going well now, but it’s not like we’ve had no success at all with him behind the bench.

Never said we haven't had success with him, but his short-shelf life was a concern by some (including me) when he was hired.

That made the Game 7 loss against PIT a much tougher pill to swallow.

 

[aragorn]

He had other teams interested in him too. Did we pass on him or did he pass on us?

My guess continues to be that Boudreau probably wanted more money than Melnyk was prepared to pay but at the same time I would not be surprised to learn that Boucher was Dorion's first choice. They are about the same age, they go back to their time in Montreal, they are friends & are both french & my guess is that he & his staff were more affordable.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Never said we haven't had success with him, but his short-shelf life was a concern by some (including me) when he was hired.

That made the Game 7 loss against PIT a much tougher pill to swallow.

Yep, and now we get to see the “I told you so” crowd.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Yep, and now we get to see the “I told you so” crowd.

It wasn't that hard to predict.

 

[Langdon Alger]

It wasn't that hard to predict.

But to be fair, losing a top pairing dman, a top six forward, Karlsson not being 100% and getting subpar goaltending are contributing to this. That’s not a coaching issue.

 

[enviro61]

Boucher was the right hire at the time, and he is a good coach. He just lost the room, it happens to good coaches sometimes.

comeon, this is the same recycled theory everytime the team sucks. Ottawa fans always look to blame the coach; how many coached to Bryan Murray go through and still get a free pass. How many coaches will we blow through and Dorion will get a free pass. Has any team in pro sports gone through more coaches in the past decade then the Sens

 

[God Says No]

But to be fair, losing a top pairing dman, a top six forward, Karlsson not being 100% and getting subpar goaltending are contributing to this. That’s not a coaching issue.

But it is a coaching issue. Show me a team top 10 in PP and PK and I'll show you a good coach.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

But to be fair, losing a top pairing dman, a top six forward, Karlsson not being 100% and getting subpar goaltending are contributing to this. That’s not a coaching issue.

Which top six forward did we lose?

And I agree that goaltending makes a big difference in this "system", but considering how strict and probably agonizing this system is to play for some players, I'm going to guess a losing streak does some damage to players' investment in the system.

And our PP has been shit for 14 months with no sign of change to come.

 

[Langdon Alger]

But it is a coaching issue. Show me a team top 10 in PP and PK and I'll show you a good coach.

I never mentioned special teams. Losing players in an expansion draft and due to injuries, having an injured superstar and getting bad goaltending are not coaching issues.

You can fault the coach for the PP and PK, sure.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Which top six forward did we lose?

And I agree that goaltending makes a big difference in this "system", but considering how strict and probably agonizing this system is to play for some players, I'm going to guess a losing streak does some damage to players' investment in the system.

MacArthur

I never said anything about the powerplay.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

MacArthur

He played 4 season games last year.

 

[Langdon Alger]

He played 4 season games last year.

If he was healthy he would be a top six guy on this team. He had been a top six guy in the past. A healthy MacArthur helps us, especially when you only have two goals between number nine and number 15

 

[Karl Prime]

comeon, this is the same recycled theory everytime the team sucks. Ottawa fans always look to blame the coach; how many coached to Bryan Murray go through and still get a free pass. How many coaches will we blow through and Dorion will get a free pass. Has any team in pro sports gone through more coaches in the past decade then the Sens

In European football coaches tend to have short lifespans at clubs. FC Barcelona, who's had more success than any other team in the last decade, has had 5 coaches since June 2008 while winning 25 trophies in that span.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

If he was healthy he would be a top six guy on this team. He had been a top six guy in the past. A healthy MacArthur helps us, especially when you only have two goals between number nine and number 15

But that doesn't mean anything if we're comparing it to last year's regular season roster

Anyways it is what it is. A coaching change now does nothing now. Might as well see how the season plays out.

 

[Langdon Alger]

But that doesn't mean anything if we're comparing it to last year's regular season roster.

Fair point. I still stand by my other points however. To be honest. I didn’t have the Sens making the playoffs before the season started. I didn’t think we’d be this bad mind you.