Franchise Best: Ottawa Senators 2002-03 Season

[Silencio]

I know I'm in the minority on this, but I've always believed Muckler deserved one more year to try and win it all after getting Ottawa further in 2007 than any previous GM. Then again, we probably don't draft Karlsson if Muckler was around for the 07-08 season...

 

[OgieO]

Muckler was going senile apparently. I don't mean that in a derogatory way, but literally and with compassion.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Muckler did some good things in 2003. Brought in Smolinski, Varada and Ray without giving up anything off the roster. Ray didn’t play much, but it was still nice to have his toughness on the roster when he did get in there. They had a lot of different options up front in terms of line combos. Lalime was an all star that year too.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Muckler mortgaged the future to get a Cup.

It didn't work but I am glad we swung for the fences here as well.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Muckler mortgaged the future to get a Cup.

It didn't work but I am glad we swung for the fences here as well.

Well, he gave up Klepis, Bochenski, Laich, Kaigorodov and a couple of 2nds to get Varada, Bondra, Arnason, Comrie and Saprykin, so I’d say he didn’t end up giving up too much as it turned out. Unfortunately some of those guys didn’t help us much though.

He never traded a first or one of our top prospects like Eaves or Meszaros. I think he was a bit gun shy to move a piece like that even if it meant landing us a guy like Roberts.

I think any GM would have made similar moves though. When you’re a contending team, you give up picks and prospects sometimes. Sometimes I think he identified the wrong guy though. Bondra was not a fit here and he should have known that.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Well, he gave up Klepis, Bochenski, Laich, Kaigorodov and a couple of 2nds to get Varada, Bondra, Arnason, Comrie and Saprykin, so I’d say he didn’t end up giving up too much as it turned out. Unfortunately some of those guys didn’t help us much though.

He never traded a first or one of our top prospects like Eaves or Meszaros. I think he was a bit gun shy to move a piece like that even if it meant landing us a guy like Roberts.

I think any GM would have made similar moves though. When you’re a contending team, you give up picks and prospects sometimes. Sometimes I think he identified the wrong guy though. Bondra was not a fit here and he should have known that.

Muckler was the bane of the board for a while.

I remember how much vitriol was directed at him after we let him go.

 

[HSF]

Muckler was given a really good team with potential and didn't have the balls to make the moves required (Bondra was the only real attempt?). His scouting staff was also terrible just poor draft after poor draft which destroyed our team coming into the cap era

 

[HSF]

Muckler mortgaged the future to get a Cup.

It didn't work but I am glad we swung for the fences here as well.

no he just sucked at drafting

we drafted spezza right before his era and drafted karlsson right after his era

his legacy could have included Kopitar but he messed that up too somehow

 

[HSF]

Murray tore that team apart if you were actually following the team. Muckler bet the future of the team on those trips to the Finals and it cost him his job, when they didn't win.

Muckler didn't draft a future for that team nor did he make moves to put us over the top

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Easily my favourite team of all-time. Centre depth was White, Bonk, Fisher, Van Allen. Defense was Chara, Redden, Phillips, Volchenkov, Leschyshyn/Hnidy, Rachunek. RW was Hossa, Alfie, Havlat, Neil. Arvedson was all-world defensively. Damn Devils broke my 9 year-old heart in Game 7....

That was the most crushing loss for me as a Sens fan. Followed by Game 4 in 07 against the Ducks, and probably game 7 against the Pens the season before last.

That loss against the Devils tho . . . you just knew whoever came out of that series was going to demolish Anaheim's cinderella run. That was their year for sure . . . and they f***ed it up. #notredden'sfault

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

no he just sucked at drafting

we drafted spezza right before his era and drafted karlsson right after his era

his legacy could have included Kopitar but he messed that up too somehow

He made some terrible trades too. Bondra was a disaster, losing Havlat for nothing was horrendous too. How much would he have helped against the Ducks in 07?

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

Murray tore that team apart if you were actually following the team. Muckler bet the future of the team on those trips to the Finals and it cost him his job, when they didn't win.

Murray was left with a team with little depth outside the top line. And of that top line, one guy suddenly demanded a trade. And the team's top defenseman spiraled out of control out of nowhere.

Hardly Murrays fault. With those two pieces out of the picture from a top heavy team, what else could he do?

 

[Langdon Alger]

Muckler was given a really good team with potential and didn't have the balls to make the moves required (Bondra was the only real attempt?). His scouting staff was also terrible just poor draft after poor draft which destroyed our team coming into the cap era

Everyone should go look at the 2002-2007 drafts if they get a chance. I mean there’s bad drafting, and then there’s this. Just awful. Tons of guys who never played a single game in the league, and the guys who did were nothing special for the most part. Especially outside the first round.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

If I recall correctly, the 2003 team actually never gave up a lead for the entire regular season.

2003 was the most dominant team this franchise ever had.

Went to all the playoff games that year.. I remember someone started a chant "Die Madden Die" .. it was funny.. John Madden's play exemplified the New Jersey Devils.. they were like a machine.. didn't give an inch.. close but no cigar.

 

[NyQuil]

Went to all the playoff games that year.. I remember someone started a chant "Die Madden Die" .. it was funny.. John Madden's play exemplified the New Jersey Devils.. they were like a machine.. didn't give an inch.. close but no cigar.

I was also at all of those home games.

It's the loudest and quietest I've ever heard CC/SBP/CTC.

Loudest when Spezza scored in Game 5 and they announced his name.

Quietest, well, you know when.