Pre-Game Talk: SENS in old Montreal, Wednesday 7:30pm on SporstNet

[megalomania]

Sens need to get 10/12 points on this coming road trip, otherwise they are likely done. I've seen nothing for the past month and a half that leads me to believe they are capable of getting more than 4/12.

Anything less and they really need to start thinking about selling some of the spare change. Coming in 11-15th cannot happen, and picking 5-10 won't help like 1-4.

It really sucks, but they are in one of the worst positions in the NHL.

We have a 28 year old franchise player who is due for a ~6 million raise and a superstar forward who is due for a ~4 million dollar raise, and we are already struggling to make ends meet with them on their current salaries.

They have 14million tied up for the next few years in dead weight in Ryan and Phaneuf.

They have traded for immediate help, none of which is very helpful, while sacrificing major future assets.

Due to our cheap owner, we will not have a high 2nd round pick this year because he needed to save 2 million dollars. This isn't "we traded our pick for a bad player", this is we literally sold a draft pick to help the owners financials.

It really begs the question. A large majority here knew what we lacked this off season. We lost Methot and needed a replacement, and we had little offense outside of our top 3/4 guys. We signed a 4th line C and a 7th D man. What was Dorian thinking, I refuse to believe he is naive enough to think that the team we saw last year (Minus Methot) was a contender.

The strength of our organization is our amateur scouting, yet we are siphoning away picks from them to save a dollar.

Sens are rotten from the top down, most disappointed I have been on the outlook of the team since I started following them 20 years ago (obviously I couldn't form a great understanding in my early years).

Unfortunately I have to agree here. I'd say by late January they have to decide whether to sell spare parts or go for the playoffs. Game 50 is on Feb 3 and to be on a playoff pace by then they'd have to go 19-8-0 in the remaining 27 games. Hard to see them do that right now ...

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

You know what could be the worst possible scenario is that the Sens are mathematically unqualified for the playoffs being near the bottom, Boucher lengthens the leash on the rookies and the 'system' and we play our way outside of the top 10 pick

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Sens need to get 10/12 points on this coming road trip, otherwise they are likely done. I've seen nothing for the past month and a half that leads me to believe they are capable of getting more than 4/12.

Anything less and they really need to start thinking about selling some of the spare change. Coming in 11-15th cannot happen, and picking 5-10 won't help like 1-4.

It really sucks, but they are in one of the worst positions in the NHL.

We have a 28 year old franchise player who is due for a ~6 million raise and a superstar forward who is due for a ~4 million dollar raise, and we are already struggling to make ends meet with them on their current salaries.

They have 14million tied up for the next few years in dead weight in Ryan and Phaneuf.

They have traded for immediate help, none of which is very helpful, while sacrificing major future assets.

Due to our cheap owner, we will not have a high 2nd round pick this year because he needed to save 2 million dollars. This isn't "we traded our pick for a bad player", this is we literally sold a draft pick to help the owners financials.

It really begs the question. A large majority here knew what we lacked this off season. We lost Methot and needed a replacement, and we had little offense outside of our top 3/4 guys. We signed a 4th line C and a 7th D man. What was Dorian thinking, I refuse to believe he is naive enough to think that the team we saw last year (Minus Methot) was a contender.

The strength of our organization is our amateur scouting, yet we are siphoning away picks from them to save a dollar.

Sens are rotten from the top down, most disappointed I have been on the outlook of the team since I started following them 20 years ago (obviously I couldn't form a great understanding in my early years).

You mention the owner... I am sure a HUGE part of the GM's mandate is to get to the playoffs, vs build a winner over time... I fear more futures for now attempts to get that spot. I hate the idea of finishing just outside the playoffs after sacrificing the future to get there. We need to move forward... its really a tough spot to be in... This road trip should tell the tale....

I do not understand why there has not been more made of Karlsson though... If the prognosis on his ankle is this is what your going to get .. I can't see them throwing that 11-12 his way.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I was pretty skeptical of the Turris deal, and thought Turris was being a little underrated. The trade seems to have messed with the chemistry, although Duchene is doing things that "look" good, I was expecting more out of him so far. Hopefully we find our groove soon or the season could be lost!

 

[BatherSeason]

You mention the owner... I am sure a HUGE part of the GM's mandate is to get to the playoffs, vs build a winner over time... I fear more futures for now attempts to get that spot. I hate the idea of finishing just outside the playoffs after sacrificing the future to get there. We need to move forward... its really a tough spot to be in... This road trip should tell the tale....

I do not understand why there has not been more made of Karlsson though... If the prognosis on his ankle is this is what your going to get .. I can't see them throwing that 11-12 his way.

The biggest issue is that Karlsson is playing with Johnny Oduya. Give him a reliable defensive partner and maybe, just maybe we will start to see the old Karlsson again. Another issue is that the rest of our defence is god-awful, thus ensuring EK plays more minutes than he needs to right now.

 

[jbeck5]

You know who his coach is right? It's hard to play to impress when you get 11 mins and are instantly stapled to the bench the moment you do anything he doesn't like.

Imagine karlsson coming up in this system. Like last year was his rookie year and this year was his sophomore year. Would he be on route to a norris next year?

 

[BatherSeason]

I was pretty skeptical of the Turris deal, and thought Turris was being a little underrated. The trade seems to have messed with the chemistry, although Duchene is doing things that "look" good, I was expecting more out of him so far. Hopefully we find our groove soon or the season could be lost!

While the team definitely looks lost now, they weren't looking like world beaters with Turris out there either. They were 3-6 after their two blowout wins against the Oilers and the Flames. While they did lose a couple in shoot-outs or OT, they still weren't winning games and the chemistry still wasn't there. As fans we have to stop looking at this trade as the reason we are struggling and start to accept the fact that we are losing because our coach isn't putting this team in the best position to succeed.

 

[BatherSeason]

Imagine karlsson coming up in this system. Like last year was his rookie year and this year was his sophomore year. Would he be on route to a norris next year?

Funny though that Gabriel Dumont, who hasn't played a game under Boucher since 2009-2010 is able to walk in basically off the streets as a very average NHL player and immediately get the normal ice time of an NHL 4th line player. No need for Dumont to practice with the club or learn the system.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

While the team definitely looks lost now, they weren't looking like world beaters with Turris out there either. They were 3-6 after their two blowouts against the Oilers and the Flames. While they did lose a couple in shoot-outs or OT, they still weren't winning games and the chemistry still wasn't there. As fans we have to stop looking at this trade as the reason we are struggling and start to accept the fact that we are losing because our coach isn't putting this team in the best position to succeed.

I kinda disagree on the assesment, I fully put this on the players and not Boucher. The players don't look engaged at all out there. They should have come out with way more gusto this past game IMO.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Claesson-Karlsson
Harpur-Ceci
Chabot-Phaneuf

And adjust the damn system so Chabot can play LD.

They don't have to adjust the system... they just have to have Chabot step up on the left side... as I said when this BS rationale came out at the beginning of the year... he does not have to lace somebody, he needs to step up and create a turn over/disrupt the play.. They should play whoever is better at playing their offside on their offside.

 

[Ouroboros]

Well... seems like the only solution is to flip Colorado a high draft pick to get Andrew Hammond back, saddle him up and ride him to glory on the rest of the road trip.

 

[Alex1234]

Gotta to admit players we lost were probably more usefull then we tought and meshed really well last spring

Wingels
Kelly
Neil
Turris
McArthur
Methot
Stalberg


I dont know why but I liked them all together killing themselves for each others

Now we look like a team that is not a TEAM

Feels like its been ages since we played a near perfect 60 minutes game

Miss that

 

[BankStreetParade]

Our special teams have been a big issue lately. Bottom of the barrel power play and a mediocre penalty kill that continues to slide down the league rankings.

This is a team that's 9th in PP opportunities. Yet their conversion rate is 1-for-26 in the last 7 games. We've lost 3 games by one goal in that time span and our penalty kill has given up 3 goals on 18 powerplays.

 

[HSF]

Our special teams have been a big issue lately. Bottom of the barrel power play and a mediocre penalty kill that continues to slide down the league rankings.

This is a team that's 9th in PP opportunities. Yet their conversion rate is 1-for-26 in the last 7 games. We've lost 3 games by one goal in that time span and our penalty kill has given up 3 goals on 18 powerplays.

definitely has to improve

 

[blahblah3]

Last night, regardless of what the players and the coach says, was a result of a lack of effort. They had zero sustained pressure in the offensive zone. Their pathetic scoring chances were weak shots from the outside, and then they would lose puck possession. That was awful, and it was against an amazingly unskilled Canadians team.

"Playing the system" has become an excuse for overall laziness on the forecheck. One of their PPs got one sad wrist shot on net FFS. Also, having the opposing team block a bunch of shots is a symptom of the team's horrible passing, and shouldn't be used as an excuse for the team's lack of goals. Coach better simplify practice or this season is over by February.

 

[Here I Pageau Again]

I know you guys hate me for being overly positive, but have a look at this. In our first 23 games:

In 2006-07: 11-11-1 23pts
In 2017-18: 8-9-6 22pts

In Murray's 2nd year as coach, after a relatively successful season, the team started the season awfuly. Alfredsson was playing like shiite and was rumored to be traded for Craig Conroy. But we turned it around and went to the cup finals, and Alfie went from goat to god.

I'm like you... Probably overly positive. While the team doesn't look good, I remember that 2006-07 year vividly. In my last year of university having a drunken argument with some guy at a bar over the fact that just because sens were 13th in the league in December didn't mean they couldn't get their shit together and make the playoffs. And once in the playoffs, anything can happen.

That doesn't mean Ottawa can just sit around and wait for this to happen, the sens need to get their shit together but there is so much parity in the league that I don't think it is doom and gloom like so many think at this point. I also think Karlsson looks like he did after his first Achilles injury, he struggled the following year so I'm hopeful he will improve by the all Star break.

Anyways, I'm a glass half full person.

 

[Micklebot]

Our PK has gotten back on track imo, but our 1st pp this game reminded me of the Power kill of last year. There were signs of like previous games, but this time it cost us the game, sapping any momentum we built in the first. A decent PP shift there, and this game is completely different.
2 mins of suck put us on the ropes and it took us another 10 mins to recover, but by then, it was too late and we were down a goal against a hot goalie. If it weren`t for this being a reoccurring theme, I`d probably point to some of the positives from the game (and there certainly were some positives, despite the general feeling around here, but until we can stop going into 10-15 mins of constant suck every game, we aren`t going to turn this ship around.

 

[swiftwin]

Gotta to admit players we lost were probably more usefull then we tought and meshed really well last spring

Wingels
Kelly
Neil
Turris
McArthur
Methot
Stalberg


I dont know why but I liked them all together killing themselves for each others

Now we look like a team that is not a TEAM

Feels like its been ages since we played a near perfect 60 minutes game

Miss that

I'm sorry, but replacing Chris Kelly with Nate Thompson on the 4th line is not the reason for the losing streak, nor is it because of deadline acquisitions like Wingels and Stahlberg not returning this season.

The problem is not personel. The problem is our core players simply need to play better. Period. Guys like Karlsson, Hoffman, Ryan, Brassard, etc. It's a shitty losing streak, and they need to pull themselves out of it. There's no magic move, Chabot won't save us, they just need to buck up and build their confidence right now.

 

[Viletho]

I'm sorry, but replacing Chris Kelly with Nate Thompson on the 4th line is not the reason for the losing streak, nor is it because of deadline acquisitions like Wingels and Stahlberg not returning this season.

The problem is not personel. The problem is our core players simply need to play better. Period. Guys like Karlsson, Hoffman, Ryan, Brassard, etc. It's a ****ty losing streak, and they need to pull themselves out of it. There's no magic move, Chabot won't save us, they just need to buck up and build their confidence right now.

I agree the core player need to play better. But a goal or two coming from the support player would be welcome. Also i said it, Chabot won't be a savior, but we need Dman with skill on the back. The puck need to be movde faster, and it isn't happening right now unless that's a soft dump with no pressure or if you got the initial E K.

More mobility to escape the pressure, better puck movement on the breakout is going to lead to more opportunity. That's why i believe that Chabot is a must.

Also it would be fun if a goal from Pageau, Thompson, Burrows, or at least some good and consistent forcheck would happen.

Again i feel the core need to Wake up, but the support need to step up while they aren't at their best.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

Goals from our defenceman would be helpful

 

[Micklebot]

Goals from our D was a strength before the slump. Even right now, we're pacing at finishing the year with ~50 goals from the backend, while last year we finished with 37.

 

[Alex1234]

I'm sorry, but replacing Chris Kelly with Nate Thompson on the 4th line is not the reason for the losing streak, nor is it because of deadline acquisitions like Wingels and Stahlberg not returning this season.

The problem is not personel. The problem is our core players simply need to play better. Period. Guys like Karlsson, Hoffman, Ryan, Brassard, etc. It's a ****ty losing streak, and they need to pull themselves out of it. There's no magic move, Chabot won't save us, they just need to buck up and build their confidence right now.

Not jelly we went deep because of Kelly but I think Dorion underestimate the loss of carakter player a bit

 

[MarkStone]

I'm like you... Probably overly positive. While the team doesn't look good, I remember that 2006-07 year vividly. In my last year of university having a drunken argument with some guy at a bar over the fact that just because sens were 13th in the league in December didn't mean they couldn't get their **** together and make the playoffs. And once in the playoffs, anything can happen.

That doesn't mean Ottawa can just sit around and wait for this to happen, the sens need to get their **** together but there is so much parity in the league that I don't think it is doom and gloom like so many think at this point. I also think Karlsson looks like he did after his first Achilles injury, he struggled the following year so I'm hopeful he will improve by the all Star break.

Anyways, I'm a glass half full person.

The flip side of that is that the level of parity makes it that much more difficult to put together a winning streak. We saw a bizarre run a couple years ago with Hammond of course, but obviously hard to recreate that.

 

[Alex1234]

We need puck movement from the D

Karlsson
Chabot
Wideman
Claesson
Ceci
Harpur

Experience from Oduya and Dion not needed

NHL is too fast for them now

 

[Beville]

We absolutely suck f***ing dick...

A 7(?) game losing streak in the top league Is embarrassing by any stretch. Absolutely pathetic. I don’t care about on ice performance, points is what matters and we’re not getting them. Disgraceful.!