What the hell happened to Ottawa?

[Lampedampe]

well the team needs Karlsson to play well in order for them to win consistently, sadly he really hasn't been very good this year. The injury is definitely still bothering him imo.

 

[Kamina]

Everyone piling it on in this thread. "Ottawa wasn't that good to begin with" ???? We were one of the best teams in the league last year. If Ottawa doesn't make the playoffs this year, they will be in contention next year.

There are many factors for this year being a disappointment.

The playoff run devastated the health of this team. MacArthur's failed physical and retirement. Karlsson, Ryan still feeling the effects. Pretty much the whole team was injured. Our young D have to take some major steps forward with a Karlsson that is having to reinvent himself again.

Anderson is either repeating his good year, bad year pattern... Or he's slowing down. He's 36. I hope it's the first one.

Boucher's local boys mentality has not worked out and took out all the skill in our bottom six. Next year, Colin White will provide an infusion of skill and youthful energy and I would like to see him paired with Pageau.

This is now a sink-or-swim period for our young D: Chabot, Ceci, Claesson and Harpur. The players that develop the most during this time will lead us to the playoffs in 2019. Right now, Claesson and Chabot look like the real deal. Ceci is failing miserably. Dorion and Boucher have put in a lot of stock into Ceci and it does not look like it has paid off at all.

Duchene is actually playing well. He is not the problem. Turris is in a perfect situation in Nashville and I'm happy for him.

 

[Kamina]

Honestly they miss Turris. I watch a lot of Ottawa games, and he was an absolute monster and probably the best defensive forward on the team. He did a lot of small things that helpeed them win hockey games. He was alternate captain and clearly a leader in the room, not to mention a solid vet presence. Duchene is a great complimentary player but not meant to lead a team, even offensively.

Good post. Sens have a really close-knit group from all they went through last year... trading Turris seems to have totally f***ed up the morale and chemistry of the team.

 

[613Leafer]

Everyone piling it on in this thread. "Ottawa wasn't that good to begin with" ???? We were one of the best teams in the league last year. If Ottawa doesn't make the playoffs this year, they will be in contention next year.

Sens were 6th in the East (4 points above 9th place), 12th overall, and the only playoff team with a negative goal differential.

They were a slightly above average team last year, not one of the league's best. Unexpected teams get hot in the playoffs almost every year, that doesn't mean the success is repeatable over a larger sample size.

 

[Kamina]

Sens were 6th in the East, 12th overall, and the only playoff team with a negative goal differential.

They were a slightly above average team last year, not one of the league's best. Unexpected teams get hot in the playoffs almost every year, that doesn't mean the success is repeatable over a larger sample size.

Fair point, but as a Sens fan I will still take that ECF Game 7 2OT to be a well-deserved label of Top 4 team in 2016-17.

Either way it is clear that 16-17 Ottawa and 17-18 Ottawa are not the same. This team is not above average in their current condition.

 

[neXis]

They were never good to begin with. They had a hot/lucky run to the ECF - it's nothing new with underdog teams, happens almost every season. But in all honesty, Karlsson really did more damage for himself by playing injured that entire playoff - now he's paying the price for it.

Outside of Karlsson who did they really have to carry that team? A team of a bunch of mediocre scorers. When you're Dman is your best points scorer for the past 4 seasons, that kinda says alot about your forwards.

Duchene on the other hand is a joke. 11 games, and only 2 points to show for it so far with the Sens. He deserves the criticism he's getting; he wanted to get moved and a change of scenery -- well he's flopping hard. Senators are not gonna pay him, nor should they. He's choking hard this season.

 

[psycat]

Karlsson is having the worst stretch of his career, Duchene is a total fiasco so far.
Adding to that I believe they overperformed last season, I mean they missed the playoffs the one before?

 

[NyQuil]

When you're Dman is your best points scorer for the past 4 seasons, that kinda says alot about your forwards.

Actually it says a lot about Karlsson.

He would be the top scorer on 21 teams in the NHL if you look at his production over the past 3 years.

 

[herzausstein]

How about that Duchene trade. Believe in 10 games is 1 goal, 1 assist, minus nine. Sens traded for the guys 3 years ago. Turris 10 games, 8 points, think a plus 4 with Preds.

Turris has 2g 6a in 11 games. He also has two game clinching shootout goals. He's also playing as a 2C so not really a direct comparison to Duchene but as a Nashville fan real glad we got him. He has helped rejuvenate Smith's game and kick-started Fiala as well. Johansen has benefitted as well as Turris has seemed to lift the burden off of Johansen.

 

[herzausstein]

To be fair, Turris wouldn't help this team in their current state either. They weren't good with him (not a knock on him) too. They started slowly deteriorating when Karlsson came back.

They have a better record with him this year then without. Seems like that trade has just thrown something off. I can't put my finger on it but they're just not playing inspired hockey like they did in the playoffs

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

i made a post last year/thread. They have Karlsson and a bunch of third liners. Not much scoring either. No stars.

Brassard, Hoffman, Stone, Turris/Duchene arent 3rd liners.

"No Stars", what is Karlsson if not a star?

 

[Alexei Yashvalev]

Yeah, I'm not sure what Ottawa was thinking, there is a decent chance both of them walk next season, and then they are totally screwed.

I always figured Duchene would go to a team like Nashville who is a Cup contender for the next 5 years, and he'd resign. Not a team that is 50/50 on even making the playoffs. Duchene wants to win a if he doesn't the next 2 years in Ottawa he'll test UFA and sign elsewhere.

If Duchene wanted to win he could try scoring more than 2 points in the last 12 games.

 

[sexytime]

Team is just average and it was mostly sens fans suggesting that the "team is good on paper" but that wasn't true and that's never enough to be competitive.

 

[sharks9]

They got overhyped after a run to the ECF, like Montreal back in 2010.

 

[SPLBRUIN]

It seems whenever the expectations are raised for the Sens as they were for this year they struggle, they are at their best when they are the pesky underdog.

 

[joe dirte]

Fair point, but as a Sens fan I will still take that ECF Game 7 2OT to be a well-deserved label of Top 4 team in 2016-17.

Either way it is clear that 16-17 Ottawa and 17-18 Ottawa are not the same. This team is not above average in their current condition.

it's not a very well built team. cinderella teams happen every year and last year it was ottawa. they played a lot of teams very banged up.

they've been a borderline playoff team for 5 years. they lost a first pairing dman in the offseason. it doesn't take much to drop a borderline team 2 or 3 spots in the standings. that's what has happened.

Ottawa will never contend with their current core. it's not even close to good enough. they need to rebuild. but instead melnickel is just gonna fire another coach and dorion will trade a few more draft picks to plug another hole.

 

[Irishguy42]

It's Boucher's second year as HC. And his teams usually stink in his second year.

 

[Kamina]

it's not a very well built team. cinderella teams happen every year and last year it was ottawa. they played a lot of teams very banged up.

they've been a borderline playoff team for 5 years. they lost a first pairing dman in the offseason. it doesn't take much to drop a borderline team 2 or 3 spots in the standings. that's what has happened.

Ottawa will never contend with their current core. it's not even close to good enough. they need to rebuild. but instead melnickel is just gonna fire another coach and dorion will trade a few more draft picks to plug another hole.

re: playoffs
every team is banged up.

re: build of the team
I disagree that this core cannot win a championship; I think ownership is what needs to change. It is long overdue and I am hopeful with all the rumours.

The core of the team is Karlsson, Stone, Hoffman, Chabot, Brassard, Duchene, Anderson. Perhaps we will need a different goaltender if Anderson doesn't return to form. This is a good and talented core that is missing one big piece (which Melnyk cannot afford..) The depth will be restored as our youth develops and we ship out the dead weight.

However, the Phaneuf and Ryan contracts will handcuff us soon, so Ottawa has to go for it in 18-19 anyway.

 

[joe dirte]

re: playoffs
every team is banged up.

re: build of the team
I disagree that this core cannot win a championship; I think ownership is what needs to change. It is long overdue and I am hopeful with all the rumours.

The core of the team is Karlsson, Stone, Hoffman, Chabot, Brassard, Duchene, Anderson. Perhaps we will need a different goaltender if Anderson doesn't return to form. This is a good and talented core that is missing one big piece (which Melnyk cannot afford..) The depth will be restored as our youth develops and we ship out the dead weight.

good luck with that.

line that up beside some of the better teams in the league and you'll see they don't come close. put that roster beside Tampa. it's really not close.

the dead weight like Phaneuf and Ryan are signed for 3 or 4 more years.

and Ottawa's youth is rather thin. too many draft pick and prospect trades.

 

[Kamina]

good luck with that.

line that up beside some of the better teams in the league and you'll see they don't come close. put that roster beside Tampa. it's really not close.

You could compare almost any team to Tampa right now and they would look bad. Tampa is stacked and their cap is well managed. They will have a harder time when they have to re-sign Kucherov in 2 years, but Tampa is the model franchise in the league right now.

 

[joe dirte]

You could compare almost any team to Tampa right now and they would look bad. Tampa is stacked and their cap is well managed. They will have a harder time when they have to re-sign Kucherov in 2 years, but Tampa is the model franchise in the league right now.

Tampa Pittsburgh Washington toronto eve Boston is up and coming. Ottawa doesn't stack up well against any of them.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

Turris meant a ton to the team

Duchene looks terrible on the Sens

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Turris meant a ton to the team

Duchene looks terrible on the Sens

This does seem to be the case, but in all honesty, given a choice, who would choose Turris over Duchene?

Duchene should be a lot better, but it doesn't appear to be working yet.

 

[Baby Ryan]

They have a better record with him this year then without. Seems like that trade has just thrown something off. I can't put my finger on it but they're just not playing inspired hockey like they did in the playoffs

They were already trending down before that. Their wins weren't exactly 'good wins'. It over time, became a lot inconsistent in terms of period to period play and finally degraded to the point you see now.

I don't think it is a matter of what those 2 brought/brings to the team. Whether it was team chemistry, or the fact that they were collapsing anyways? I find it hard to believe the team chemistry would be destroyed to this degree that instantly. Based on their last few games even with Turris, I just don't think the terrible play is a direct result of Duchene 'not working' and Turris 'working'. It's more than that, and not that simplistic as it seems to be.

 

[albator71]

Karlsson is playing like shit
The whole defense is playing like crap
They dont compete
Goaltending is bad
No heart and hustle
Right now they deserve to be losing

I really think that last year playoff run got to their heads, they were thinking they were a top team now, they just have to show up in play the "system" and they would win. They forgot that you need to work, and hustle, and play with passion to win hockey games in the NHL.