News Article: Globe and Mail article slams Melynk

[Vesa Awesaka]

You could say that about every single franchise in the NHL. It is literally impossible to be a competitive team forever. Every team that drafts well, develops their players, sees them excel and then sees them through the aging process will eventually have a downturn. You can't be highly competitive and get very high draft picks at the same time.

Here's all the teams in the last 10 drafts to have a top 3 pick:

Edmonton 4
Florida 4
Pittsburgh 3
Chicago 3
Colorado 3
Tampa Bay 3
Anaheim 1
Carolina 1
St. Louis 1
Philadelphia 1
Phoenix/Arizona 1
Los Angeles 1
Atlanta/Winnipeg 1
NY Islanders 1
Boston 1
Columbus 1
Montreal 1
Buffalo 1
Washington 1

That's 19 teams in total. And what a surprise: of the last 9 teams to win the Stanley Cup, 8 are teams that had a top 3 pick in at least one of the drafts from 2004-2014. So, virtually every team that has won a Cup in the last decade had to have 1 or multiple seasons of bottoming out for top picks to emerge as Cup winners down the road.

So while it seems very comfortable to just go ahead and make the ridiculous connection of this team's downturn coinciding with Melnyk's ownership, the facts show that it's simply not the case. It is nearly impossible to maintain a highly competitive team without the aid of 1 or multiple top 3 draft picks.

Let's look at 2005-2006, what I consider to be the Sens last true great team. (Even though the 06-07 squad made the Finals, they definitely weren't of the calibre of the 05-06 squad)

The top 5 teams in the league that year were:

Detroit
Ottawa
Dallas
Carolina
Buffalo

In 2006-07, Carolina missed the playoffs.
In 2007-08, Carolina and Buffalo miss.
In 2008-09, Buffalo, Ottawa and Dallas miss.
In 2009-10, Dallas and Carolina miss.
In 2010-11, Dallas, Carolina and Ottawa miss.
In 2011-12, Dallas, Buffalo and Carolina miss.
In 2012-13, Dallas, Carolina and Buffalo miss.
In 2013-14, Ottawa, Carolina and Buffalo miss. Buffalo last place in NHL.
This year, only Detroit looks to be on pace to make the playoffs. Carolina is a bottom 5 team. Buffalo is dead last.

It seems disingenuous to only look at Ottawa and say they've had a fall from grace when the league is littered with teams that had falls from grace, several of whom were the league's elites when Ottawa was.

Carolina has made the playoffs once since the year they won the Cup. Buffalo has missed the playoffs 3 years in a row and is on pace for their second consecutive last place finish. Dallas missed the playoffs 5 years in a row. Ottawa only missed the playoffs 3 of the 8 years. Detroit had back to back Cup Finals and won a Stanley Cup in one of them.

Disagree when you say you need a top pick to win the cup. You just need a good player.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Pretty good article, writer knew a lot about the team. It will be interesting to see where this team is at after we resign Zibby, Stone, and Hoff who are all do for big raises.

Bringing up bingo's struggles, not having top prospects in the top 50 and his belief as to why spezza left as a fact was inexcusable.

Any fan that could dig far enough to know Melnyk was angry at Scotiabank should know that ottawa lacks top 50 prospects because Stone, Zibby, Ceci and Lazar are in the NHL. We could easily of stashed them in lower leagues to keep them as prospects so we look better. Making it sound like bingo struggling has any reflection on Ottawa's youth depth is also dishonest. Bingo was the most potent offense last year and took major hits because of graduation. Next year Driegder, Harpur, Englund, Hogberg, Wikstrand, lindberg, dunn ect ect are all poised to move to the AHL. That could be a massive influx of talent. Bingo's ranking mean nothing.

 

[pepty]

Pretty good article, writer knew a lot about the team. It will be interesting to see where this team is at after we resign Zibby, Stone, and Hoff who are all do for big raises.

The biggest surprise to me in the article is that Melnyk had 2 divorces, though I knew he had one.

And the whole blow up with Scotiabank was also a surprise.

 

[Rumcajs]

Half on point, the other half faulty analysis. He is actually a Senior Fellow at the graduate school I attend so I had to send him an email on this

Dear Mr. Simpson,

For your consideration from a GSPIA student and passionate Senators fan.

On February 20th, you provided readers an incomplete picture of the
Ottawa Senators efforts on several issues despite your vast analysis.
I hope that will consider the following.

My gripes:

The bit on Colin Greening. At the time of his signing, Greening was a
.50 point per game player who scored 17 goals off the wing as a
budding power forward. Nobody could project his downfall and his
sudden disinterest in playing a gritty game. To say he was bad hockey
deal, is to say that you and others across the league have magic ball
that can project players’ futures to a T. Similarly, shall we not sign
Hoffman to a similar fair market deal this summer? Or shall we lose
his snapshot and natural speed because the organization would rather
take him into arbitration to penny pinch.

The bit on David Legwand. Are the Edmonton Oilers not enough of a case
study for you to understand the importance of veteran centers on a NHL
roster? Shall we toss Zibanejad, Pageau, Lazar and Grant to the wolves
and trust that the fairly young Kyle Turris will lead the team to
success? (In time he will). It is a 2 year deal, not a bad contract.
If you need to visualize a bad contract from this summer, see Dave
Bolland, Ales Hemsky, or Mike Cammalleri to name a few!

Moving on to the Binghamton Senators. Success in the AHL does not
guarantee success at the NHL level. This is a simple observation but
it is quite important to understand, especially if you are writing
with the Globe! When analyzing the players on Binghamton such as Buddy
Robinson, Fredrik Claesson or Ryan Dzingel (to name a few of our
bright spots that are never mentioned by the media) it is their
personal development as a player that is most important, not the
success of the overall team. Sure some may allude to successes that
other players have had like Jeff Carter or Karl Alzner in achieving
AHL playoff success, but is this a brand that can be applied
universally? Certainly not, aka Kaspars Daugavins, Bobby Butler and
Cory Conacher.

Moving on to the spending situation. Search Cap Central on HockeyBuzz
for notes, since this is the best cap tool available after the sudden
closure of capgeek. Take a gander at our beloved Senators contract
situation. Many are saying “why aren’t we spending� Well if a team
would like to be able to afford their young core as they progress in
their career, see Chicago Blackhawks from after 2010, timing and
stupid contracts are a hurdle that general managers need to grasp to
meet that objective. As we sign Zibanejad, Hoffman, Pageau, Stone and
Chiasson to their new contracts this summer, suddenly we find
ourselves roughly 5 million under the current salary cap (roughly 12
million spent on those 5 players). In 2015-2016 when 7.4 million
dollars worth of veteran cap space is relieved, as Phillips, Neil and
Legwand are phased out, a marquee player could be signed from the well
touted (as it currently stands) summer of 2016 free agency
class—Staal, Kopitar, Lucic, Stamkos, Kesler, Seabrook, Campbell,
Yandle and the list goes on-- or we could continue to the afford fruit
that Tim Murray, Bryan Murray and Randy Lee have afforded the
franchise (to name a few).

Lastly, is my gripe on your view of Bobby Ryan. 7.25 Million dollars
on a projected 65 point winger who makes anyone, including kids who
have played less than 200 games at the NHL level, better is worth it
every time. Sure the mark of 30 goals is ideal with someone who is
paid that brand of coin, but without a true number one center, are
those expectations plausible? When you have a winger who has played
through hand injuries for most of the season serving as your leading
scorer and in many cases shown to be a captain of this team,
spectators need to reevaluate their expectations. Until Zibanejad
becomes Ryan's soulmate at center, or we find our new number one in
Mitchell Marner (2015 draft possibility) or nab him in free agency,
criticism towards Bobby Ryan is absolutely misguided.

Thank you for your consideration.

Regards,
X

He responded with.....

I appreciate your rose-coloured view, but some day of we bump into each other at the school we ca have a longer chat. On Greening, I will simply tell you that i asked Randy Lee about him at a reception before he signed that mega contract and Lee replied he would never make it in the NHL because he wasn't tough enough to compensate for his other weaknesses. Lee wasn't an assistant gm but his analysis proved prescient. Too bad others who are paid to know these things didn't. As for Legwand, I can only presume you don't go to the games live, or if you do we are wE are watching different players. Good luck either your studies.


My response...

Sounds like a great time to me!

Although a mega contract at 2.65 million? Hardly.. and yes I differ
from most on Legwand (even after attending numerous games this year).
Despite several games in which he gave away the puck at the wrong
time, his contract value is certainly fair and worthwhile considering
our lack of NHL ready prospects who could hold up the third/fourth
line center position. In many ways we are essentially buying time for
our prospects and an easy return for 2016 trade deadline (likewise
with Michalek in 2017)

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Half on point, the other half faulty analysis. He is actually a Senior Fellow at the graduate school I attend so I had to send him an email on this

Dear Mr. Simpson,

For your consideration from a GSPIA student and passionate Senators fan.

On February 20th, you provided readers an incomplete picture of the
Ottawa Senators efforts on several issues despite your vast analysis.
I hope that will consider the following.

My gripes:

The bit on Colin Greening. At the time of his signing, Greening was a
.50 point per game player who scored 17 goals off the wing as a
budding power forward. Nobody could project his downfall and his
sudden disinterest in playing a gritty game. To say he was bad hockey
deal, is to say that you and others across the league have magic ball
that can project players’ futures to a T. Similarly, shall we not sign
Hoffman to a similar fair market deal this summer? Or shall we lose
his snapshot and natural speed because the organization would rather
take him into arbitration to penny pinch.

The bit on David Legwand. Are the Edmonton Oilers not enough of a case
study for you to understand the importance of veteran centers on a NHL
roster? Shall we toss Zibanejad, Pageau, Lazar and Grant to the wolves
and trust that the fairly young Kyle Turris will lead the team to
success? (In time he will). It is a 2 year deal, not a bad contract.
If you need to visualize a bad contract from this summer, see Dave
Bolland, Ales Hemsky, or Mike Cammalleri to name a few!

Moving on to the Binghamton Senators. Success in the AHL does not
guarantee success at the NHL level. This is a simple observation but
it is quite important to understand, especially if you are writing
with the Globe! When analyzing the players on Binghamton such as Buddy
Robinson, Fredrik Claesson or Ryan Dzingel (to name a few of our
bright spots that are never mentioned by the media) it is their
personal development as a player that is most important, not the
success of the overall team. Sure some may allude to successes that
other players have had like Jeff Carter or Karl Alzner in achieving
AHL playoff success, but is this a brand that can be applied
universally? Certainly not, aka Kaspars Daugavins, Bobby Butler and
Cory Conacher.

Moving on to the spending situation. Search Cap Central on HockeyBuzz
for notes, since this is the best cap tool available after the sudden
closure of capgeek. Take a gander at our beloved Senators contract
situation. Many are saying “why aren’t we spending”? Well if a team
would like to be able to afford their young core as they progress in
their career, see Chicago Blackhawks from after 2010, timing and
stupid contracts are a hurdle that general managers need to grasp to
meet that objective. As we sign Zibanejad, Hoffman, Pageau, Stone and
Chiasson to their new contracts this summer, suddenly we find
ourselves roughly 5 million under the current salary cap (roughly 12
million spent on those 5 players). In 2015-2016 when 7.4 million
dollars worth of veteran cap space is relieved, as Phillips, Neil and
Legwand are phased out, a marquee player could be signed from the well
touted (as it currently stands) summer of 2016 free agency
class—Staal, Kopitar, Lucic, Stamkos, Kesler, Seabrook, Campbell,
Yandle and the list goes on-- or we could continue to the afford fruit
that Tim Murray, Bryan Murray and Randy Lee have afforded the
franchise (to name a few).

Lastly, is my gripe on your view of Bobby Ryan. 7.25 Million dollars
on a projected 65 point winger who makes anyone, including kids who
have played less than 200 games at the NHL level, better is worth it
every time. Sure the mark of 30 goals is ideal with someone who is
paid that brand of coin, but without a true number one center, are
those expectations plausible? When you have a winger who has played
through hand injuries for most of the season serving as your leading
scorer and in many cases shown to be a captain of this team,
spectators need to reevaluate their expectations. Until Zibanejad
becomes Ryan's soulmate at center, or we find our new number one in
Mitchell Marner (2015 draft possibility) or nab him in free agency,
criticism towards Bobby Ryan is absolutely misguided.

Thank you for your consideration.

Regards,
X

He responded with.....

I appreciate your rose-coloured view, but some day of we bump into each other at the school we ca have a longer chat. On Greening, I will simply tell you that i asked Randy Lee about him at a reception before he signed that mega contract and Lee replied he would never make it in the NHL because he wasn't tough enough to compensate for his other weaknesses. Lee wasn't an assistant gm but his analysis proved prescient. Too bad others who are paid to know these things didn't. As for Legwand, I can only presume you don't go to the games live, or if you do we are wE are watching different players. Good luck either your studies.


My response...

Sounds like a great time to me!

Although a mega contract at 2.65 million? Hardly.. and yes I differ
from most on Legwand (even after attending numerous games this year).
Despite several games in which he gave away the puck at the wrong
time, his contract value is certainly fair and worthwhile considering
our lack of NHL ready prospects who could hold up the third/fourth
line center position. In many ways we are essentially buying time for
our prospects and an easy return for 2016 trade deadline (likewise
with Michalek in 2017)

Needs more the pp sucks in ottawa but legwand is our best goal scoring pp player and 3rd best points powerplay player...sadly and more about how top 50 prospects means little and bingo's record means nothing. Anaheim's AHL team is in a similar boat to Ottawa's. They have regressed after losing many key players to graduation. Anaheim is considered to have a very deep prospect pool or young player pool. AHL standing mean nothing.

Impressed that you sent him an email and he was willing to talk about his points from the article. To be fair though. Greening might not be the best place to start. He and his contract are an easy target.

 

[UnHappyDude]

Not sure if this was already mentioned but Jefferey Simpson was the guy who wrote an open letter (with letterhead) to Melnyk a few years ago saying he was going to cancel his season tickets because he didn't like the way the club was being managed. This letter was all over the news. Simpson clearly is still sore

 

[Rumcajs]

Needs more the pp sucks in ottawa but legwand is our best goal scoring pp player and 3rd best points powerplay player...sadly and more about how top 50 prospects means little and bingo's record means nothing. Anaheim's AHL team is in a similar boat to Ottawa's. They have regressed after losing many key players to graduation. Anaheim is considered to have a very deep prospect pool or young player pool. AHL standing mean nothing.

Impressed that you sent him an email and he was willing to talk about his points from the article. To be fair though. Greening might not be the best place to start. He and his contract are an easy target.

As a Senior fellow I guess it was job but most likely just for fun. The man is an accomplished writer so writing a paragraph blurb to one of his associated (by program) students doesn't require too much effort but it was much appreciated.

He is a real smart guy who can approach most topic with ease. For the most part I think he has it right, but just on the analysis of our spending he has is clearly wrong. Despite his comments from Randy Lee, it is still guesswork which players will succeed.

 

[StefanW]

You could say that about every single franchise in the NHL. It is literally impossible to be a competitive team forever. Every team that drafts well, develops their players, sees them excel and then sees them through the aging process will eventually have a downturn. You can't be highly competitive and get very high draft picks at the same time.

Here's all the teams in the last 10 drafts to have a top 3 pick:

Edmonton 4
Florida 4
Pittsburgh 3
Chicago 3
Colorado 3
Tampa Bay 3
Anaheim 1
Carolina 1
St. Louis 1
Philadelphia 1
Phoenix/Arizona 1
Los Angeles 1
Atlanta/Winnipeg 1
NY Islanders 1
Boston 1
Columbus 1
Montreal 1
Buffalo 1
Washington 1

That's 19 teams in total. And what a surprise: of the last 9 teams to win the Stanley Cup, 8 are teams that had a top 3 pick in at least one of the drafts from 2004-2014. So, virtually every team that has won a Cup in the last decade had to have 1 or multiple seasons of bottoming out for top picks to emerge as Cup winners down the road.

So while it seems very comfortable to just go ahead and make the ridiculous connection of this team's downturn coinciding with Melnyk's ownership, the facts show that it's simply not the case. It is nearly impossible to maintain a highly competitive team without the aid of 1 or multiple top 3 draft picks.

Let's look at 2005-2006, what I consider to be the Sens last true great team. (Even though the 06-07 squad made the Finals, they definitely weren't of the calibre of the 05-06 squad)

The top 5 teams in the league that year were:

Detroit
Ottawa
Dallas
Carolina
Buffalo

In 2006-07, Carolina missed the playoffs.
In 2007-08, Carolina and Buffalo miss.
In 2008-09, Buffalo, Ottawa and Dallas miss.
In 2009-10, Dallas and Carolina miss.
In 2010-11, Dallas, Carolina and Ottawa miss.
In 2011-12, Dallas, Buffalo and Carolina miss.
In 2012-13, Dallas, Carolina and Buffalo miss.
In 2013-14, Ottawa, Carolina and Buffalo miss. Buffalo last place in NHL.
This year, only Detroit looks to be on pace to make the playoffs. Carolina is a bottom 5 team. Buffalo is dead last.

It seems disingenuous to only look at Ottawa and say they've had a fall from grace when the league is littered with teams that had falls from grace, several of whom were the league's elites when Ottawa was.

Carolina has made the playoffs once since the year they won the Cup. Buffalo has missed the playoffs 3 years in a row and is on pace for their second consecutive last place finish. Dallas missed the playoffs 5 years in a row. Ottawa only missed the playoffs 3 of the 8 years. Detroit had back to back Cup Finals and won a Stanley Cup in one of them.

I'm sorry, but this is misleading to the point of being outright dishonest.

First off, 2004-14 is actually 11 years not 10. The 10 year stretch runs from the 2005-2014 draft, if you want to frame it that way.

In this era, LA won the cup 2 times and Chicago won the cup 2 times. That double counts those teams when you say that 8 of 9 teams had recent top picks.

When you look at the teams that did win, Carolina won the year after drafting Jack Johnson, who was not a factor, 3rd overall. They picked Eric Staal 2nd overall 3 years before, and he led the team in scoring during the cup winning playoff run. So that one is fine.

Anaheim selected Oleg Tzeverdovsky 2nd overall in 1994 and he was long gone by the time the Ducks won the Cup. They selected Ryan 2nd overall just prior to the Cup win, but Ryan did not play on the cup winning team and was not a factor. It is an error to this team in the stat you generated.

Detroit was a cup winner without a top 3 pick, and this is the one you probably spotted.

Pittsburg won the cup, but only after having 4 top 3 picks: 2003: Marc-Andre Fleury (1st overall), 2004; Evgeni Malkin (2nd overall), 2005; Sidney Crosby (1st overall) 2006; Jordan Staal (2nd overall). They picked Malkin, had a miracle lottery win to get Crosby, and they still sucked badly enough to get a 2nd overall. That gives a bit of context.

Chicago won the cup 2 times, and had 3 recent top 3 picks: 2004 Cam Barker (3rd overall); 2006 Jonathon Toews (3rd overall); and 2007 Patrick Kane (1st overall). The won a miracle lottery to get Kane while they were on the upswing.

Boston won the cup with recent top 3 picks of 1997 Joe Thornton (1st overall); 2010 Tyler Seguin (2nd overall). Thornton was long gone by the time they won the cup, and while Seguin did play he was a bit player who finished 15th on the team in scoring during that playoff run. So this should not have been counted in your stat.

LA won the cup 2 times after picking Daughty 2nd overall in 2008. This is a good example.

So what we are left with is LA and Caroline winning the cup with the help of a single top 3 pick. We also have Pittsburg and Chicago winning the cup with numerous top 3 picks.

There are 3 first round picks per year, so 30 over the past 10 years and 45 over the past 15. Eight of those players were contributors to cup winning teams, which sound good until you realize that 6 of those 10 were from two teams (Pittsburg and Chicago).

Sounds a little less impressive, doesn't it?

 

[Rumcajs]

Regardless, the top 3 picks did make a difference in the Carolina, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, LA, Chicago, LA cup wins.

Even if it was one player and the least impressive being Seguin, he did win them a few game and provided a much needed boost.

 

[Stylizer1]

A year ago I was not pleased with Melnyk to say the least but he said the money would be available as the team grew and it was, we re-signed 4 of our 5 big UFA players. Spezza wanted to go in another direction otherwise I am sure the money would have been there for him as well.

Pretty much

They made an offer to Spezza, they were going to spend retain him but he wanted out

Outside of that everybody else has stayed, my avatar can attest to this

No and no.

 

[Alaskimo]

Wish the writter knew more about whats happening with the team player wise or at least took a more honest approach. We had an older core at top payroll and they failed so be sold them off and started over. We really havent had much reason to spend until next year. Seriously arent we going to be middle of the pack cap wise next year without making any changes lol?

I also think its t dumb that he like to criticize sens fans for thinking they are high and mighty over Toronto. Ottawa has the least experienced roster in the NHL and the young guys seem to be getting better with more games under their belts. Were much much closer to being a playoff team then the leafs. Saying we'll be mediocre if we dont tank is also dumb. 8th seeds in the playoffs can win the cup. This isnt the NBA.

Dont get me wrong. I want Melnyk gone and replaced with mr.money but so far he hasnt shown an unwillingness to spend when it matters or when it makes sense. I like how in one sentence he says melnyk is terrible because he wont spend and then in the next he says how the senators are mediocre because they wont tank. Melnyk doesnt want to buy FAs because they were just bandaids that would keep the team mediocre. Were playing a very young line up with barely any experience. What more can we do to tank aside from trade young players with potential for picks?

What we could have done these last few year i guess would be to over pay older marginal UFAs hoping to make a late playoffs seed. These older players would help us but wouldnt safely make us a playoff team and would take spots from guys like Stone and Hoffman well leaving the sens with risky contracts. It just makes no sense. Scorched earth led to low payroll and its slowly getting higher.


Dont like the article but i do acknowledge Melnyk's debt is scary. Theres so many low blows taken in the article. Ryan on pace for only like 22-24 goals makes his contract terrible but at the same times he's on pace for near career highs he might beat. lol Binghamton lol wtf. The guy is bringing binghamton's record into this???? They were the most potent offense in the AHL last year. They are sucking because most of their best player are in the NHL. Melnyk made life uncomfortable for Alfie? WTF The guy is trying to grab onto just about anything he can to make the management and team look bad.


Jeffrey Simpson is a smart man and has been calling for Murray's head since 2011. I dont question him as a fan of the sens because i believe he is but i do question the approach he took in making the article. Theres a ton of fluff and really all it comes down to is a few points.

Theres one point that can be brought up that would be problematic to 75 percent of the points he made in the article. The sens will not be a bottom of the league payroll team next year.

Ryan + 1mil
Mac + 1.25 mil
Leg +1mil
Smith + 300k
Neil -600k
Zibby + 1.7 to 2.7
condra maybe + 500k to 1 mil
chiasson +1mil
stone + 2mil- 3mil
Hoffman +2 to 3 mil
Pageau + 1 mil imo
karlsson + 500k
Cowen +1mil
Methot + 1.2 mil
Wier + 500k
Ceci - less then 100k
Gryba + 100k
Boro+600k
Anderson+ 1.2 mil
Lehner + 5ook
Greening +750k

The Ottawa senators will add around 15-20 mil next season with just resigning players and contracts scaling up. That will take them out of the bottom of the league. Note this isnt cap hit this is actual salary. I dont think i did this wrong but i might have though lol

THANK YOU! The guy is very shortsighted. Too bad because he's a good writer, however, his bias tends to greatly tint his works. Brings this article to mind... http://oilersnation.com/2015/2/3/you-can-t-trust-some-of-the-people-who-cover-the-edmonton-oilers

 

[Larionov]

There was a time when Simpson was one of the most influential political columnists in the country, but his reign ended about 15 years ago. He tends to come across now as a bitter old man, largely because that is what he is. . Like most media hatchet jobs, there are some kernels of truth in the piece, but also a TON of exaggerated claims and outright whoppers. Simpson has an agenda on this one, and will bend and/or carefully select his facts to support his thesis.

 

[Laphroaig]

Excellent article. So much more realistic than the pie in the sky wishful thinking so prevalent here.

 

[BigBush*]

Excellent article. So much more realistic than the pie in the sky wishful thinking so prevalent here.

Could you elaborate please?

 

[Laphroaig]

Could you elaborate please?

Sure. I find nothing objectionable in the article. I thought it was accurate.

I, maybe even more so than the writer, believe that the Sens are on the slow boat to nowhere. I don't buy the nonsense, so often spouted here, that our young prospects will lead us to the promised land.

I think our prospects are mediocre at best while our current roster is clearly below average. I don't see how this adds up to future contending status.

I have to say that I find the amount of butt hurt displayed in this thread to be hilarious. All Simpson did was point out that the emperor has no clothes. Pretty old news to me.

 

[ChocolateLeclaire]

Sure. I find nothing objectionable in the article. I thought it was accurate.

I, maybe even more so than the writer, believe that the Sens are on the slow boat to nowhere. I don't buy the nonsense, so often spouted here, that our young prospects will lead us to the promised land.

I think our prospects are mediocre at best while our current roster is clearly below average. I don't see how this adds up to future contending status.

I have to say that I find the amount of butt hurt displayed in this thread to be hilarious. All Simpson did was point out that the emperor has no clothes. Pretty old news to me.

Speaking of "butt hurt", I thought you were done cheering for Ottawa because they were so "stupid" as to extend Anderson's contract? And that you had chosen to cheer for the Habs instead?

You are the worst kind of fan, one that revels in the desperation of trying to be right all the time that a one-sided piece written with the depth of analysis of a grade 6 book report speaks to your line of thinking.

Enjoy cheering your beloved Habs on. Most of us realize the shortcomings of this particular team but we also have the intelligence to see some of the positives that this small market franchise has. We'll continue to cheer for this team and not need to declare our love for the new flavor of the month because the Senators aren't winning enough for our tastes.

Truthfully, no one here really cares what naysayers like you, or Jeffrey Simpson, think.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Speaking of "butt hurt", I thought you were done cheering for Ottawa because they were so "stupid" as to extend Anderson's contract? And that you had chosen to cheer for the Habs instead?

You are the worst kind of fan, one that revels in the desperation of trying to be right all the time that a one-sided piece written with the depth of analysis of a grade 6 book report speaks to your line of thinking.

Enjoy cheering your beloved Habs on. Most of us realize the shortcomings of this particular team but we also have the intelligence to see some of the positives that this small market franchise has. We'll continue to cheer for this team and not need to declare our love for the new flavor of the month because the Senators aren't winning enough for our tastes.

Truthfully, no one here really cares what naysayers like you, or Jeffrey Simpson, think.

B-B-B-BURN!

Good reply, and I agree with everything in it. The Sens are indeed on the lower end of the curve but I see it as a temporary lull before they swing back up over the next few years. I may disagree with some of what Murray and Melnyk have done, but seeing guys like Stone, Hoffman, Pageau, Lazar, Zibby, Ceci and a few others steadily improve while we re-sign the core and have much room left to spend is very encouraging.

The "article" in question is mostly just a fluff piece to make Leafs Nation feel better about themselves. It's so easy to pick on an owner during a downturn while disregarding all the positives. I bet you when the Sens make the playoffs next year and Eugene starts spending to push us into contender status, that this guy will remain very quietly in the shadows muttering to himself bitterly.

 

[Rumcajs]

For anyone interested in my continued correspondence....

JS:

I appreciate your rose-coloured view, but some day of we bump into each other at the school we ca have a longer chat. On Greening, zi will simply tell you that Zi asked Randy Lee about him at a reception before he signed that mega contract and Lee replied he would never make it in the NHL because he wasn't tough enough to compensate for his other weaknesses. Lee wasn't an assistant gm the, but his analysis proved prescient. Too bad others who are paid to know these things didn't. As for Legwand, I can only presume you don't go to the games live, or if you do we are wE are watching different players. Good luck either your studies.

Myself:

Sounds like a great time to me!

Although a mega contract at 2.65 million? Hardly.. and yes I differ
from most on Legwand (even after attending numerous games this year).
Despite several games in which he gave away the puck at the wrong
time, his contract value is certainly fair and worthwhile considering
our lack of NHL ready prospects who could hold up the third/fourth
line center position. In many ways we are essentially buying time for
our prospects and an easy return for 2016 trade deadline (likewise
with Michalek in 2017)


JS:

Yes $8 million for three years for a guy with one year in the league is both mega and stupid.

ME:


It is called a bridge contract, check Kyle Turris who was barely
relevant after his signing. For other examples, try Andrew Shaw or
Chris Kreider. Both barely relevant but received similar deals (albeit
their success).

 

[Jerk Store*]

Meh, wannabe feel good leaf story while nothing else is going their way. I see a direction in Ottawa

 

[Tkachuk27]

Half on point, the other half faulty analysis. He is actually a Senior Fellow at the graduate school I attend so I had to send him an email on this

Dear Mr. Simpson,

For your consideration from a GSPIA student and passionate Senators fan.

On February 20th, you provided readers an incomplete picture of the
Ottawa Senators efforts on several issues despite your vast analysis.
I hope that will consider the following.

My gripes:

The bit on Colin Greening. At the time of his signing, Greening was a
.50 point per game player who scored 17 goals off the wing as a
budding power forward. Nobody could project his downfall and his
sudden disinterest in playing a gritty game. To say he was bad hockey
deal, is to say that you and others across the league have magic ball
that can project players’ futures to a T. Similarly, shall we not sign
Hoffman to a similar fair market deal this summer? Or shall we lose
his snapshot and natural speed because the organization would rather
take him into arbitration to penny pinch.

The bit on David Legwand. Are the Edmonton Oilers not enough of a case
study for you to understand the importance of veteran centers on a NHL
roster? Shall we toss Zibanejad, Pageau, Lazar and Grant to the wolves
and trust that the fairly young Kyle Turris will lead the team to
success? (In time he will). It is a 2 year deal, not a bad contract.
If you need to visualize a bad contract from this summer, see Dave
Bolland, Ales Hemsky, or Mike Cammalleri to name a few!

Moving on to the Binghamton Senators. Success in the AHL does not
guarantee success at the NHL level. This is a simple observation but
it is quite important to understand, especially if you are writing
with the Globe! When analyzing the players on Binghamton such as Buddy
Robinson, Fredrik Claesson or Ryan Dzingel (to name a few of our
bright spots that are never mentioned by the media) it is their
personal development as a player that is most important, not the
success of the overall team. Sure some may allude to successes that
other players have had like Jeff Carter or Karl Alzner in achieving
AHL playoff success, but is this a brand that can be applied
universally? Certainly not, aka Kaspars Daugavins, Bobby Butler and
Cory Conacher.

Moving on to the spending situation. Search Cap Central on HockeyBuzz
for notes, since this is the best cap tool available after the sudden
closure of capgeek. Take a gander at our beloved Senators contract
situation. Many are saying “why aren’t we spending� Well if a team
would like to be able to afford their young core as they progress in
their career, see Chicago Blackhawks from after 2010, timing and
stupid contracts are a hurdle that general managers need to grasp to
meet that objective. As we sign Zibanejad, Hoffman, Pageau, Stone and
Chiasson to their new contracts this summer, suddenly we find
ourselves roughly 5 million under the current salary cap (roughly 12
million spent on those 5 players). In 2015-2016 when 7.4 million
dollars worth of veteran cap space is relieved, as Phillips, Neil and
Legwand are phased out, a marquee player could be signed from the well
touted (as it currently stands) summer of 2016 free agency
class—Staal, Kopitar, Lucic, Stamkos, Kesler, Seabrook, Campbell,
Yandle and the list goes on-- or we could continue to the afford fruit
that Tim Murray, Bryan Murray and Randy Lee have afforded the
franchise (to name a few).

Lastly, is my gripe on your view of Bobby Ryan. 7.25 Million dollars
on a projected 65 point winger who makes anyone, including kids who
have played less than 200 games at the NHL level, better is worth it
every time. Sure the mark of 30 goals is ideal with someone who is
paid that brand of coin, but without a true number one center, are
those expectations plausible? When you have a winger who has played
through hand injuries for most of the season serving as your leading
scorer and in many cases shown to be a captain of this team,
spectators need to reevaluate their expectations. Until Zibanejad
becomes Ryan's soulmate at center, or we find our new number one in
Mitchell Marner (2015 draft possibility) or nab him in free agency,
criticism towards Bobby Ryan is absolutely misguided.

Thank you for your consideration.

Regards,
X

He responded with.....

I appreciate your rose-coloured view, but some day of we bump into each other at the school we ca have a longer chat. On Greening, I will simply tell you that i asked Randy Lee about him at a reception before he signed that mega contract and Lee replied he would never make it in the NHL because he wasn't tough enough to compensate for his other weaknesses. Lee wasn't an assistant gm but his analysis proved prescient. Too bad others who are paid to know these things didn't. As for Legwand, I can only presume you don't go to the games live, or if you do we are wE are watching different players. Good luck either your studies.


My response...

Sounds like a great time to me!

Although a mega contract at 2.65 million? Hardly.. and yes I differ
from most on Legwand (even after attending numerous games this year).
Despite several games in which he gave away the puck at the wrong
time, his contract value is certainly fair and worthwhile considering
our lack of NHL ready prospects who could hold up the third/fourth
line center position. In many ways we are essentially buying time for
our prospects and an easy return for 2016 trade deadline (likewise
with Michalek in 2017)

Rose coloured view is a perfect reply for you and most Sens fans who don't wanna come to grips with the the state of this franchise

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

Rose coloured view is a perfect reply for you and most Sens fans who don't wanna come to grips with the the state of this franchise

We extended Anderson, Ryan and Methot. Hoffman and Stone are very pleasant surprises. We have a Norris calibre franchise defenseman and great goaltending. Not sure what's wrong with being positive about the future of this team.

 

[BonkTastic]

We extended Anderson, Ryan and Methot. Hoffman and Stone are very pleasant surprises. We have a Norris calibre franchise defenseman and great goaltending.

Not sure what's wrong with being positive about the future of this team.

I just want to first say that I'm playing devil's advocate here, but we already have all of those things and we are not a playoff team. These are not new things that we are adding to the mix. We already have them, and we are on the outside looking in.

I'm just saying.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I just want to first say that I'm playing devil's advocate here, but we already have all of those things and we are not a playoff team. These are not new things that we are adding to the mix. We already have them, and we are on the outside looking in.

I'm just saying.

True, but the hope is those players get better, such as Hoffman and Stone and continue to take on bigger roles. I feel like Karlsson gets better and better this season with each game as well. Also, you would hope guys like Lazar and Ceci continue to grow as well.

The discussion was also more about the state of the franchise too. So would your outlook be more positive or negative towards the franchise if we lost Methot, Anderson, and Ryan or kept them together in Ottawa?

 

[StefanW]

True, but the hope is those players get better, such as Hoffman and Stone and continue to take on bigger roles. I feel like Karlsson gets better and better this season with each game as well. Also, you would hope guys like Lazar and Ceci continue to grow as well.

The discussion was also more about the state of the franchise too. So would your outlook be more positive or negative towards the franchise if we lost Methot, Anderson, and Ryan or kept them together in Ottawa?

That is not quite the right question, IMO. If we lost those players the franchise would definitely be worse off. But the question is whether we have the means to add to it in order to build a contender.

Yes, the young players will grow and take on increasingly large roles with the team. Hoffman is pretty much at his ceiling given how fantastic he has been and factoring in his age. Ceci is up and down and could become more consistent. Stone is already one of our best forwards, but he can definitely put up bigger numbers. Ditto Zibanejad. Lazar is further away, but he will likely develop into a pretty good player.

Considering where we are at the moment, will all of these internal upgrades make us a contender or a playoff bubble team? Hard to say right now. But one thing I am pretty confident about is if we cannot spend on a decent supporting case, this young group will not get much further than the current group.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

There is some people who see things with rose colored glasses but there are some people who have been unreasonably negative.

"Ryan suck not worth his contract" Well ryan is on pace to be near his career highs and has rounded out his game

"Sens are cheap and wont spend" Well they just retaind Anderson, Methot, MacArthur and Michalek and are poised to add 15 mil in payroll next year.

"Sens dont have any top 50 prospects. They must have no young talent" Well no... the sens just rush their young talent. Zibby, Ceci, Lazar and Stone could all be top 50 prospects.

"Bingo record sucks= no prospects" Well no.. Bingo has a better record then Norfolk and Anaheim is considered to have some of the deepest prospect pools out there. Bingo and Norfolk record is bad because they are going through a transition year. Tons of talent is coming to bingo next year to replace the talent that left last year. Bingo was the most potent offense in the AHL last year.

"Spezza left because he knew Melnyk didnt have enough to re-sign him" Well spezza said he left because he wanted to have a new role. A sort of a Jeff Carter role in Dallas and it was time to move on.

" Alfie left because sens couldnt afford him" Well no... Alfie leaving had more to do with his belief Detroit was closer to the cup then Ottawa and the fact the Zetterberg, Holland and Babcock aggressively convinced him Detroit was the way to go.

"Sens management dropped the ball signing greening and Legwand to MEGA deal thats will hand cuff them for years" They are less then desirable contract but lets get real they both are paid pretyy modestly in the grand scheme of things. Its not like we have M.Smith, Semin, Clarkson or Dipetro on the books. Legwand is currently the sens leading pp goal scorer. Where would we be on the pp without him? Greening has been a reasonable player every year until maybe the last two. He's been terrible but he can be better. I will not call it a good contract but its pretty damn cheap and it was warranted based on his play.