Confirmed with Link: Sens sign free agent Jiri Smejkal 1 year ELC

[Korpse]

Don't blame him one bit if he were to jump ship. Our inability to keep him with the big club due to his whopping 870K cap hit because of Dorion's awful cap management probably pissed him off big time.

I don't know if that is it. He hasn't been able to secure a roster spot in the AHL either. When they called up MacEwen and Roby the cap space wasn't an issue.

 

[Cosmix]

Yeah AHL has this new rule where you can only have a certain number of veterans play

I don't read too much into his AHL perfromance, I think the demoting was a surprise to everyone and the flow of AHL games is far more chaotic than at the NHL level

Smejkal brought a calm, structured, and safe approach to playing that looked like it was gonna fit in well at the NHL level.

If we were winning I dont mind it, but we have had another trash start and to not give him a chance is moronic imo

Smejkal has a two way contract and is paid substantially less in the AHL. That was a factor in his demotion to the AHL. Some people were not surprised when he was sent to the AHL.

Smejkal is a borderline 4th line NHL player who didn't do all that well in Belleville either. Smejkal had a decent preseason, but let's be real, he's not a game changer & both Jarventie, Ostapchuk & Sokolov have shown more in Belleville this yr. It reminds me of Abramov, a good minor league player who would never be an NHLer & Ottawa has had a few of those borderline players.

You summed it up nicely Aragorn. Smejkal is nothing special and easily replaceable on the 4th line. He is a big guy who does not play big.

 

[Senator Stanley]

Smejkal has a two way contract and is paid substantially less in the AHL. That was a factor in his demotion to the AHL. Some people were not surprised when he was sent to the AHL.


You summed it up nicely Aragorn. Smejkal is nothing special and easily replaceable on the 4th line. He is a big guy who does not play big.

What do you mean by "play big"? What I saw was a guy who was effective playing along the boards, below the goal lines and on the forecheck because of his size and strength.

 

[Cosmix]

What do you mean by "play big"? What I saw was a guy who was effective playing along the boards, below the goal lines and on the forecheck because of his size and strength.

He does not hit hard and often enough to be feared and create space for himself.

 

[Chainshot]

Mixed feelings about this one.

Quitting after a few weeks is weak sauce.

At the same time he clearly earned a spot in camp so I’m not surprised he was frustrated.

Watched him a bunch last year in the SHL and am disappointed to hear that the Sens didn't find a way for him to have a roster spot. Disappointed.

 

[Big Muddy]

The timing is odd, you'd think he'd see a real opportunity but maybe things didn't go over well in Belleville behind the scenes? Odd to see a guy cut bait so early, got to be more to the story imo.

Perhaps, yes. It's hard or impossible to know.

 

[KingAlfie11]

Anyone who thinks MacEwen is better then Smejkal doesn't know what they're talking aout, But that's why the Sens are the Sens they keep playing guys like Kelly, MacEwen, Kastalic those guys should be playing in the AHL. Smejkal has a terrific preseason and what was his reward, send down to the AHL.

 

[ottawagm]

We have all of this cap room right now due to the LTIR. Bring him up already.

 

[PlayersLtd]

Call him up asap, send MacEwen down

Need to start doing a bit of asset management and NOT frustrate a guy who was signed as a Free Agent

The Dorion era will take a bit of time to recover from, particularly since the coaching staff is still employed

I liked Smejkal's preseason but that counts for very little. Realistically he has something like a 1 in 5 chance of becoming anything more than an average replacement player. And don't get me wrong, I like the guy.

It's not time for 4th line asset management, it's time to bring in the players that give us the best chance to win. If that is Smejkal, that's fine but the underlying logic for the call up obviously should not be 'asset management.'

People are putting way too much stock into preseason. That's not how it works.

 

[Xspyrit]

I liked Smejkal's preseason but that counts for very little. Realistically he has something like a 1 in 5 chance of becoming anything more than an average replacement player. And don't get me wrong, I like the guy.

It's not time for 4th line asset management, it's time to bring in the players that give us the best chance to win. If that is Smejkal, that's fine but the underlying logic for the call up obviously should not be 'asset management.'

People are putting way too much stock into preseason. That's not how it works.

It's not about pre-season, it's about we have injuries at forward (Greig and Kastelic) and have called up Jarventie and MacEwen. It's useless to call up Jarventie if he's not fully ready and is not going to get a real offensive opportunity. He had very low TOI and the highlight was that he blocked shots. MacEwen also played very little. DJ is playing for his life and is going to shorten the bench

So what is the difference between calling Jarventie/MacEwen and Smejkal/Highmore or Smejkal/MacEwen? The point is Smejkal was a successful player in the SHL/Liiga, we signed him as an UFA and we WANT/NEED to attract more of these in the future. What we have done so far with him does the opposite.

The difficulty is we have 3 centers out (Greig, Pinto, Kastelic) so we could have played Giroux as Center or Chartier on the 3rd line and Kelly as the 4th line Center. I believe Smejkal has played Center in Europe too

If it is for 6 mins a game... let him make NHL salary and avoid the frustration (remember he was an UFA and CHOSE Ottawa). He wouldn't hurt more than the other guys out there, he could actually do better since he has not been infected by a highly inefficient system too much yet

 

[Big Muddy]

Smejkal is a borderline 4th line NHL player who didn't do all that well in Belleville either. Smejkal had a decent preseason, but let's be real, he's not a game changer & both Jarventie, Ostapchuk & Sokolov have shown more in Belleville this yr. It reminds me of Abramov, a good minor league player who would never be an NHLer & Ottawa has had a few of those borderline players.

The same description that I bolded above could be applied to Sokolov as well.

He hasn't shown that much during his call ups to the NHL. I haven't seen anything that suggests he's a sure fire NHLer.

Sometimes I think the main attraction to Sokolov is that he's big.

Sokolov is in tough spot. He isn't skilled or fast enough to be a top 6 forward, and his style of play isn't a classic 4th liner (or 3rd even). You could apply that description to probably several other of our prospects as well. Hopefully I will be wrong though and he is able to elevate his game and make a contribution as an NHL player.

 

[aragorn]

The same description that I bolded above could be applied to Sokolov as well.

He hasn't shown that much during his call ups to the NHL. I haven't seen anything that suggests he's a sure fire NHLer.

Sometimes I think the main attraction to Sokolov is that he's big.

Sokolov is in tough spot. He isn't skilled or fast enough to be a top 6 forward, and his style of play isn't a classic 4th liner (or 3rd even). You could apply that description to probably several other of our prospects as well. Hopefully I will be wrong though and he is able to elevate his game and make a contribution as an NHL player.

Sokolov has lead Belleville in scoring for two out of three yrs & came in second by only 1 pt the other yr, so he has been skilled enough to lead Belleville in the AHL which is a pretty good league. I would agree that he lacks speed, but there are other examples in the NHL of slow players who are decent point producers.

However, he has yet to produce at the NHL level although it could also be argued that he hasn't been given that much of an opportunity with other skilled players. I also doubt he plays in the top six & most of his opportunities in the NHL have been on the 4th line. I think he could add some scoring to that 4th line, but I think they prefer an enforcer in that spot.

When Pinto returns Greig likely moves over to LW which opens up a spot on RW which is where Joseph plays & although he has been off to a good start I don't see him as a long term solution. There is no argument that Joseph is much faster than Sokolov but I would argue that Sokolov is much more skilled & on a line with Pinto & Greig could be the front of the net presence blocking the goalies vision which is where most goals in the NHL are scored. It's understandable that most would take Joseph's speed but I like Sokolov's skillset in front of the net. Soko is also weak defenisvely which could also be holding him back. I'm not a fan of Joseph, he rarely hits, is a flyby kind of player & lacks offensive skill & hockey IQ IMO. It could also be a moot point unless they move a few guys out, they have about 5 forwards or more right now who could fill in at the NHL level when needed when everyone is healthy.

Tkachuk - Stutzle - Giroux
Kubalik - Norris - Batherson
Tarasenko - Greig - Pinto
Kelly - Kastelic - MacEwan
Jarventie - Chartier - Joseph/Sokolov/Smejkal

 

[Burrowsaurus]

We have all of this cap room right now due to the LTIR. Bring him up already.

Mcewen and jarventie play valuable 6 minute each. No room

 

[Big Muddy]

Sokolov has lead Belleville in scoring for two out of three yrs & came in second by only 1 pt the other yr, so he has been skilled enough to lead Belleville in the AHL which is a pretty good league. I would agree that he lacks speed, but there are other examples in the NHL of slow players who are decent point producers.

However, he has yet to produce at the NHL level although it could also be argued that he hasn't been given that much of an opportunity with other skilled players. I also doubt he plays in the top six & most of his opportunities in the NHL have been on the 4th line. I think he could add some scoring to that 4th line, but I think they prefer an enforcer in that spot.

When Pinto returns Greig likely moves over to LW which opens up a spot on RW which is where Joseph plays & although he has been off to a good start I don't see him as a long term solution. There is no argument that Joseph is much faster than Sokolov but I would argue that Sokolov is much more skilled & on a line with Pinto & Greig could be the front of the net presence blocking the goalies vision which is where most goals in the NHL are scored. It's understandable that most would take Joseph's speed but I like Sokolov's skillset in front of the net. Soko is also weak defenisvely which could also be holding him back. I'm not a fan of Joseph, he rarely hits, is a flyby kind of player & lacks offensive skill & hockey IQ IMO. It could also be a moot point unless they move a few guys out, they have about 5 forwards or more right now who could fill in at the NHL level when needed when everyone is healthy.

Tkachuk - Stutzle - Giroux
Kubalik - Norris - Batherson
Tarasenko - Greig - Pinto
Kelly - Kastelic - MacEwan
Jarventie - Chartier - Joseph/Sokolov/Smejkal

Yes, I'm aware Sokolov is a point producer at the AHL level. I look at the Belleville stats, and of course, people post info here as well.

Sokolov has the skill, but based on my viewings of him in the NHL, I haven't seen the pace from him. It's hard to imagine him displacing any of the top 6 forwards, so he might have to change his game if he wants to be in the NHL. We haven't seen that game from him so far at the NHL level.

MacEwan looks like a NHL/AHL tweener to me. Kelly is already on the 4th line, and Kastelic is injured. Not sure who else we have that can fill this role that could play now. There "might be" players that could play that role in the future, but they don't seem to have the players now or at least they don't seem confident enough to give one of the other prospects a whirl.

Joseph has more skill than you indicate and definitely has NHL speed and PKs, and he's played well this year. I don't see many options that would step up now that would displace him. We had Smejkal who was closer to the skill set we need to be on the 4th line, but he's gone now. Some people want a physical player that can bang if not punish, but those kind of players have to play with enough pace to play in the big league besides just being big and/or physical.

 

[Big Muddy]

You summed it up nicely Aragorn. Smejkal is nothing special and easily replaceable on the 4th line. He is a big guy who does not play big.

Given our injuries, who do you prefer or like more that could be utilized now? Kelly is already there, Jarventie is filling in for Kastelic, so maybe MacEwan who is nothing special, or ______ (fill in the blank)??? I'm all for trying someone in there, but just curious who you/others are thinking of.

 

[Cosmix]

Given our injuries, who do you prefer or like more that could be utilized now? Kelly is already there, Jarventie is filling in for Kastelic, so maybe MacEwan who is nothing special, or ______ (fill in the blank)??? I'm all for trying someone in there, but just curious who you/others are thinking of.

I like that Jarventie is being given an opportunity to play in the NHL, even though on the 4th line. I think he showed in training camp that he is progressing from being a passenger to contributing. MacEwen is big and adds physicality to the 4th line which I like. Kelly has been very good as a 4th liner, forechecker and PKer.

Recently I have been thinking about what type of players we should have on the 4th line. It could consist of an energy line of 3 big bangers. It could be 3 forwards who could move up in the lineup in event of injuries. Another option is to use it for spare parts: have 1 D man on the 4th line, a big tough enforcer, plus an F who can play on the PP or PK. I think this last option is very interesting as it would allow the coaches to put together 3 sets of 5 skaters (3 Fs & 2 Ds) who would always play 5vs5 as 5 man units. I remember the Russian Red Army team doing something like that many years ago.

 

[Big Muddy]

I like that Jarventie is being given an opportunity to play in the NHL, even though on the 4th line. I think he showed in training camp that he is progressing from being a passenger to contributing. MacEwen is big and adds physicality to the 4th line which I like. Kelly has been very good as a 4th liner, forechecker and PKer.

Recently I have been thinking about what type of players we should have on the 4th line. It could consist of an energy line of 3 big bangers. It could be 3 forwards who could move up in the lineup in event of injuries. Another option is to use it for spare parts: have 1 D man on the 4th line, a big tough enforcer, plus an F who can play on the PP or PK. I think this last option is very interesting as it would allow the coaches to put together 3 sets of 5 skaters (3 Fs & 2 Ds) who would always play 5vs5 as 5 man units. I remember the Russian Red Army team doing something like that many years ago.

OK, but if Jarventie is the 4C (for now), and Kelly is one of the wingers, who then would fill the other winger slot? MacEwan has been called up, so that appears to be the choice for now, but he's not particularly good. The fact that he has been assigned to the AHL until these recent injuries, and has played just 5 mins in a game so far seems to confirm that notion. Smejkal was a reasonable option, but he's left. So, who else do they have that could be slotted in? If you want a big, physical winger that can play with NHL pace and be responsible defensively, I'm just wondering who that might be.

 

[Cosmix]

OK, but if Jarventie is the 4C (for now), and Kelly is one of the wingers, who then would fill the other winger slot? MacEwan has been called up, so that appears to be the choice for now, but he's not particularly good. The fact that he has been assigned to the AHL until these recent injuries, and has played just 5 mins in a game so far seems to confirm that notion. Smejkal was a reasonable option, but he's left. So, who else do they have that could be slotted in? If you want a big, physical winger that can play with NHL pace and be responsible defensively, I'm just wondering who that might be.

We have MacEwen now at an NHL salary for 3 years due to Dorion. I don't mind giving him a chance to show us what he can do. So far, he has not played much and thus not shown us much.

Where has Smejkal gone? Is he not in Belleville?

 

[Big Muddy]

We have MacEwen now at an NHL salary for 3 years due to Dorion. I don't mind giving him a chance to show us what he can do. So far, he has not played much and thus not shown us much.

Where has Smejkal gone? Is he not in Belleville?

Back to Europe apparently.

 

[Slippy]

Maybe they are scared to call him up before the trip to Europe in case he decides to stay?

 

[aragorn]

Yes, I'm aware Sokolov is a point producer at the AHL level. I look at the Belleville stats, and of course, people post info here as well.

Sokolov has the skill, but based on my viewings of him in the NHL, I haven't seen the pace from him. It's hard to imagine him displacing any of the top 6 forwards, so he might have to change his game if he wants to be in the NHL. We haven't seen that game from him so far at the NHL level.

MacEwan looks like a NHL/AHL tweener to me. Kelly is already on the 4th line, and Kastelic is injured. Not sure who else we have that can fill this role that could play now. There "might be" players that could play that role in the future, but they don't seem to have the players now or at least they don't seem confident enough to give one of the other prospects a whirl.

Joseph has more skill than you indicate and definitely has NHL speed and PKs, and he's played well this year. I don't see many options that would step up now that would displace him. We had Smejkal who was closer to the skill set we need to be on the 4th line, but he's gone now. Some people want a physical player that can bang if not punish, but those kind of players have to play with enough pace to play in the big league besides just being big and/or physical.

Sokolov is never going to be in the top six, maybe he gets some 3rd line minutes, but most likely if he even gets another chance it would be on the 4th line again. Looks like Jarventie who is an offensive player & they have him playing on the 4th line tonight. Most coaches just don't trust rookies or young players & we see why with this team seeing the young guys make so many mistakes. Soko's chances are diminishing with Kubalik, Tarasenko & Greig taking up spots as well as Joseph. I assume that Jarventie & potentially Ostapchuk next yr could be pushing Soko out too.

I don't see Joseph the way you mention, he has had a good start but I don't see that lasting, he is fast but I don't see much else, he has a decent shot but rarely uses it, he's not much of a playmaker & I see a lot of plays die on his stick. We'll see but at some point when Pinto returns I don't see Joseph as a long term solution here unless he can continue to put up pts. It could come down to Kubalik & Joseph & who has the most pts by the time Pinto is set to return.

MacEwan has a 3 yr contract, unless they can move him he will likely be around for a while. Kelly plays with energy, hits, plays the PK & will fight which is more than Joseph does. Agreed we don't have many guys who can play that role maybe Boucher if he ever gets healthy.

 

[Korpse]

Back to Europe apparently.

He is still in Belleville.

 

[Big Muddy]

He is still in Belleville.

Ah, cool. Yesterday there was a Tweet that said he had returned to Europe - post #203. Thanks. I like this better.

 

[OD99]

I like that Jarventie is being given an opportunity to play in the NHL, even though on the 4th line.

Is he on the 4th line? His deployment last game was based off circumstances, I think.

He was brought up so quick, I am not sure he even practiced with the team and then the team had 4 days between games.

DJ shortened his bench quite a bit but I can't imagine Jarvy being our 4th line C while Greig is out. I would expect Chartier to remain 4th line with heavy PK deployment.

 

[OmniSens]

Yeah, give this guy a chance! He wouldn't be making us any worse...