Confirmed with Link: Eric Gryba for pick 107(Christian Wolanin) and Travis Ewanyk

[Laphroaig]

I find myself in a strange situation with this trade given i'm a fan of both cowen and gryba and think wier is overrated.

Happy they're making space for cowen to get more minutes, sad to see gryba go. He ate up some of the hardest minutes for the team. There's a reason ceci looked so good last season - they put him in a position to succeed by giving most of the d-zone starts to gryba. I think edmonton is really going to appreciate gryba and while I doubt we regret trading him, he's going to go on to be a solid third pairing guy for a long time.

I agree. I never felt Gryba got the respect he deserved here. He'll help Edmonton.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Do you have any idea how long people have been saying that? The League doesn't even want it gone. It's a fast game, it ain't going anywhere.

I don't get why Murray got rid of Gryba!!!

Look at what is happening the last few years. All kids entering the league now have to wear visors. The second the helmet comes off, linesmen are instructed to stop the fight.

And hitting....how many hits that were legal five years ago are receiving suspensions now? Look at the concussion lawsuit. Look at the changing public reaction to big Scott Stevens style hits now compared to when he played.

Like it or not, the league has no choice but to start changing. Quite frankly, the more I think of it, the more I see what Toronto did this draft. It's very possible this league will look substantially different 5-10 years from now. I wouldn't be surprised if the average player by 2025 is a 5-11, 180 pound speedster with elite skill level and low double digits in hits.

The days of the supersized thug who can barely skate or chip the puck out of his zone, who can only run around throwing hits is coming to an end.

Yes, you need guys who have strength.
Yes, you need guys who have toughness.
Yes, you need guys who can give and receive a hit.
But you also need all your guys to be able to play a regular shift.

Smaller guys (sub 6-footers) who play big and have a never give up attitude and who have top end skills will be the next generation of 'power forwards'. Marks my words....it's starting to happen.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Look at what is happening the last few years. All kids entering the league now have to wear visors. The second the helmet comes off, linesmen are instructed to stop the fight.

And hitting....how many hits that were legal five years ago are receiving suspensions now? Look at the concussion lawsuit. Look at the changing public reaction to big Scott Stevens style hits now compared to when he played.

Like it or not, the league has no choice but to start changing. Quite frankly, the more I think of it, the more I see what Toronto did this draft. It's very possible this league will look substantially different 5-10 years from now. I wouldn't be surprised if the average player by 2025 is a 5-11, 180 pound speedster with elite skill level and low double digits in hits.

The days of the supersized thug who can barely skate or chip the puck out of his zone, who can only run around throwing hits is coming to an end.

Yes, you need guys who have strength.
Yes, you need guys who have toughness.
Yes, you need guys who can give and receive a hit.
But you also need all your guys to be able to play a regular shift.

Smaller guys (sub 6-footers) who play big and have a never give up attitude and who have top end skills will be the next generation of 'power forwards'. Marks my words....it's starting to happen.

Passing and skating are going to become even bigger factors as analytics exapands and i dont mean just assists when it comes to passing. Once they start being able to track pucks and players indivually using monitors theres going to be an even bigger emphasis on puck skills and hcokey sense. Passing and timing are going to be big factors.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Passing and skating are going to become even bigger factors as analytics exapand and i dont mean just assists when it comes to passing. Once they start being able to track pucks and players indivually useing monitors theres going to be an even bigger emphasis on puck skills and hcokey sense. Passing and timing are going to be big factors.

Exactly.

Any skill that's involved with actually playing the game is going to be worth a lot more in the future. A kid with elite hands, feet and vision will be worth his weight in gold.

Control the puck, control the game.

 

[BonkTastic]

I'm still worried that we have no one to play the role we had assigned to Gryba on the right side.


That doesn't change my opinion of the job Gryba was doing, I just hope that one of our defensive LHDs (Cowen, Boro... Phillips?) can shift over without too much pain if need be.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

I'm still worried that we have no one to play the role we had assigned to Gryba on the right side.


That doesn't change my opinion of the job Gryba was doing, I just hope that one of our defensive LHDs (Cowen, Boro... Phillips?) can shift over without too much pain if need be.

I dont know if this is true but someone said Boro has a fair amount of experience playing RD in the AHL. He played one NHL game on the right side this year too. Wouldnt be surprised if Boro and Wideman are a 3rd pairng RD combo with one or the other sitting games out. Cowen will likely be a permanent fixture or at least will be given a lot of rope

 

[heat89]

Thank god he's gone.

 

[freddy61]

Thank god he's gone.

Why? Alfie had nothing to do with this!

 

[God Says No]

I'm still worried that we have no one to play the role we had assigned to Gryba on the right side.


That doesn't change my opinion of the job Gryba was doing, I just hope that one of our defensive LHDs (Cowen, Boro... Phillips?) can shift over without too much pain if need be.

That's my problem when people mentioned moving Gryba, and when it finally happened. We couldn't keep this guy as a 7th D? Just in case Wideman or Boro can't cut it? This is another direct move due to Phillips taking up a spot on the roster.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

That's my problem when people mentioned moving Gryba, and when it finally happened. We couldn't keep this guy as a 7th D? Just in case Wideman or Boro can't cut it? This is another direct move due to Phillips taking up a spot on the roster.

It could be out of respect for gryba too. I'm sure Gryba doesn't want to be sitting in the press box regularly when he has opportunities like Edmonton to be a full time player. He would be gone next summer as Ufa anyways if we kept him as a 7th insurance only guy playing 2-50 games.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

That's my problem when people mentioned moving Gryba, and when it finally happened. We couldn't keep this guy as a 7th D? Just in case Wideman or Boro can't cut it?

Wideman wouldn't sign until there was a free D spot. He was waiting for a move to be made.

This is another direct move due to Phillips taking up a spot on the roster.

Exactly.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Gryba confirmed what a lot of people have speculated for a long time. The Eller hit changed his game. He said for around half a year after the hit he was playing different because he didnt want to hurt anyone and didnt want to get suspended. I found his interview with TSN pretty good
He said he was thinking to much and wasnt just playing

How was Ewanyk at minus 25 on a fairly good AHL team that made it to the second round? Guy will probably be in the ECHL

 

[Hawkeyfan99]

It could be out of respect for gryba too. I'm sure Gryba doesn't want to be sitting in the press box regularly when he has opportunities like Edmonton to be a full time player. He would be gone next summer as Ufa anyways if we kept him as a 7th insurance only guy playing 2-50 games.

The fact is the coaches played him because he was effective in his role. Effective enough that he took ice time from Phillips Cowen AND Wiercioch. He is a solid shutdown defender who usually left the ice to get Karlsson on as the play moved up (so much for corsi) ice.
Why did Gryba go? Because he was the one in demand and SOMEBODY had to go. CHIARELLI wanted Gryba or McQuaid. I realize his advanced stats weren't great but they won't be good when you mostly play in the defensive zone. Who do you start in the D zone? Your best defensive players. That's what Edmonton needed.

 

[topshelf15]

Good depth dman,that our system produced.Hard not to like that ,especially when you see guys that are worse than him get more money

 

[Micklebot]

The fact is the coaches played him because he was effective in his role. Effective enough that he took ice time from Phillips Cowen AND Wiercioch. He is a solid shutdown defender who usually left the ice to get Karlsson on as the play moved up (so much for corsi) ice.
Why did Gryba go? Because he was the one in demand and SOMEBODY had to go. CHIARELLI wanted Gryba or McQuaid. I realize his advanced stats weren't great but they won't be good when you mostly play in the defensive zone. Who do you start in the D zone? Your best defensive players. That's what Edmonton needed.

How was Gryba taking time from guys that played the opposite side from him? Gryba's icetime had next to no impact on Phillips, Boro, Cowen or Wiercioch.

 

[Rand0m]

Gryba confirmed what a lot of people have speculated for a long time. The Eller hit changed his game. He said for around half a year after the hit he was playing different because he didnt want to hurt anyone and didnt want to get suspended. I found his interview with TSN pretty good
He said he was thinking to much and wasnt just playing

How was Ewanyk at minus 25 on a fairly good AHL team that made it to the second round? Guy will probably be in the ECHL

Didn't see the interview but that's been very noticeable in his play.

I think that might even be an issue with Cowen. He's laid out a few guys over the years and has been suspended a couple of times. I think a lot of the hesitation we see from him out there is a result of the injuries he's caused and the suspensions he's received (being suspended 3-4 games would cost a guy like Cowen nearly $150k).

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Didn't see the interview but that's been very noticeable in his play.

I think that might even be an issue with Cowen. He's laid out a few guys over the years and has been suspended a couple of times. I think a lot of the hesitation we see from him out there is a result of the injuries he's caused and the suspensions he's received (being suspended 3-4 games would cost a guy like Cowen nearly $150k).

They asked Gryba if he felt Cowen was having the same problem. Cant remember what he said but gryba said its tough when you're 6'5 and hit someone who is vertically challenged.

Apprarently Gryba had half his points against the pacific division last year. Maybe the west fits his style and he'll play better

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

That's my problem when people mentioned moving Gryba, and when it finally happened. We couldn't keep this guy as a 7th D? Just in case Wideman or Boro can't cut it? This is another direct move due to Phillips taking up a spot on the roster.

Id say its more of a move to get Cowen into the lineup rather than Phillips.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Id say its more of a move to get Cowen into the lineup rather than Phillips.

Just making space. He was a viable guy to move. .. I liked his physicality. Other than that he was a bottom 6 guy in every respect. I do not think his ceiling was as high as the other guys vying for ice.

 

[Cosmix]

Just making space. He was a viable guy to move. .. I liked his phyicality. Other than that he was a bottom 6 guy in every respect. I do not think his ceiling was as high as the other guys vying for ice.

Gryba is also slow and the opposing forwards would beat him to the puck. He had to play conservatively defensively because of his slowness and that resulted in many shots against. He is a third pairing Dman at best and a backup on a good team. I expect him to play a year, maybe two, for Edmonton and then get traded or cut after his contract expires.

 

[aragorn]

Some good points being made, my view is that Ottawa had too many defencemen signed to one way contracts. Gryba like Condra was sort of standing in the way of a younger defenceman moving up. In this case Wideman who had a record yr in the AHL winning defencemen of the yr & just happened to also be a right shot.

If they wanted to make room for Wideman then it made sense to move a RD & Karlsson & Ceci weren't going anywhere. I would guess they will try Boro at 3rd pairing RD to start the yr & slowly try & work Wideman in later on in the yr or if there are any injuries he will get called up. I don't know what they will do with Phillips this yr, will he play, will he be injured or will he be benched most of the yr?

 

[Cosmix]

Some good points being made, my view is that Ottawa had too many defencemen signed to one way contracts. Gryba like Condra was sort of standing in the way of a younger defenceman moving up. In this case Wideman who had a record yr in the AHL winning defencemen of the yr & just happened to also be a right shot.

If they wanted to make room for Wideman then it made sense to move a RD & Karlsson & Ceci weren't going anywhere. I would guess they will try Boro at 3rd pairing RD to start the yr & slowly try & work Wideman in later on in the yr or if there are any injuries he will get called up. I don't know what they will do with Phillips this yr, will he play, will he be injured or will he be benched most of the yr?

Regarding Phillips, I hope the GM has a friendly chat with him and encourages him to retire as a Senator to become a PR/special assistant/scout/whatever person for the team. Same for Chris Neil. It is time for the team to move on, but respect must be shown to these players for their past contributions.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Toughness and hitting is super underrated and not easily replaceable. Who's going to fight and scare people on the boards now? Boro? He's great but losing Gryba is big

Who fights these days? And there's less and less hitting.
The league is moving away from big hights and fighters are being phased out. The Senators are only hurting themselves by having guys whose main toolbox includes hitting and fighting. Every guy on the roster needs to skate quickly, pass the puck quickly and shoot/defend quickly. Puck recovery is basically going to be done by scooping loose pucks and skating back or stripping away with a stick.

Losing Gryba is an improvement. Now lose one of Cowen/Boro and add more speed and go from there.

 

[DrunkUncleDenis]

Who fights these days? And there's less and less hitting.
The league is moving away from big hights and fighters are being phased out. The Senators are only hurting themselves by having guys whose main toolbox includes hitting and fighting. Every guy on the roster needs to skate quickly, pass the puck quickly and shoot/defend quickly. Puck recovery is basically going to be done by scooping loose pucks and skating back or stripping away with a stick.

Losing Gryba is an improvement. Now lose one of Cowen/Boro and add more speed and go from there.

There's so much to love from Boro's game, though. He's great in the bottom pairing D role, he doesn't get in over his head in the offensive zone, he'll go through a wall for his teammates, and even if it is getting phased out, it is still important to have a guy who hits every shift and can fight when needed. Boro's a middleweight, it's not like he is a slow, lumbering heavyweight. We used to think having our "fighter" on D would be a bad thing since it screws up the D pairings, but in reality, fighting is getting more and more rare to the point that I would now like to have 4 forward lines who are all able to score.

Basically, Boro knows his role and shuts his mouth.

We'll be fine without Gryba, but I still like Boro in the 6/7 spot. No need to move him out to get quicker.

 

[Cosmix]

There's so much to love from Boro's game, though. He's great in the bottom pairing D role, he doesn't get in over his head in the offensive zone, he'll go through a wall for his teammates, and even if it is getting phased out, it is still important to have a guy who hits every shift and can fight when needed. Boro's a middleweight, it's not like he is a slow, lumbering heavyweight. We used to think having our "fighter" on D would be a bad thing since it screws up the D pairings, but in reality, fighting is getting more and more rare to the point that I would now like to have 4 forward lines who are all able to score.

Basically, Boro knows his role and shuts his mouth.

We'll be fine without Gryba, but I still like Boro in the 6/7 spot. No need to move him out to get quicker.

I really like Borowiecki too. He is perfect on the 3rd D pairing. He is very good defensively, hits hard and knocks opposing forwards down when they take the puck wide, can fight too. Plus he has a head on his shoulders as he picks his spots well, similar to Neil. I do not think he takes too many bad penalties. The team needs a player like him.

I do think though that having a tough 4th line winger who can handle the heavy weights is a good thing as I think the team needs its 6 Dmen available to play and not serving penalty time for performing the policeman role when required. I think that the policeman does need some talent though besides playing the enforcer role.