Confirmed with Link: Grantland: Alfie/Heater/Yashin epic heelturns

[Back in Black]

I still havent forgiven alfie for this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEpr8moQBPs

Or this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4vcbzJbBAk

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

I still havent forgiven alfie for this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEpr8moQBPs

That was my very first playoff game

People who have always hated Daniel Alfredsson feel vindicated somehow.

Those who have always liked him:
(a) Still support him.
(b) Have moved on - he's on another team.
(c) Hold a grudge.

Can I be all three?

 

[Hossa18]

I feel sorry for you.

so do I

 

[Hossa18]

Dude... Ive never been an Alfie fan... Im glad he is gone... There is nothing for me to "let go" of...

I agree he was a good soldier for us but that doesnt mean anything when you pull off what he did... Heatley was a good soldier while he was here too... He had an NTC and used it to veto a trade to a place he didnt want to go...

Good soldiers don't come into a season fat and out of shape and this is also the reason why he has taken such down slope in is career. He was there for the paycheck and couldn't care less about anyone else. He produced but do not compare him to Alfie.

 

[pepty]

Not even going to bother opening the link, but how could you even compare Alfie to Heatley and Yashin?

Its the Down Goes Brown guy who wrote the article. He's a Leaf fan who lives in Ottawa and loves poking fun the Sens and their fans.

 

[Senator Stanley]

Not even going to bother opening the link, but how could you even compare Alfie to Heatley and Yashin?

Open the link.

 

[Super Cake]

You know how they say there are no dumb questions? Well...

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people.

 

[Karl Cowensson]

I'm definitely in the moved on camp. Alfie will still be the greatest Sen of all time and next year we'll all love the guy when he retires and we retire 11 to the rafters. If anything, I'd like the be at the playoff game were we eliminate the Red Wings with a sign of the old guy from the last crusade saying "He chose poorly"

Heatley and Yashin are just ****** bags, Alfie I can still cheer for (unless its against us).

 

[Slow Hands]

Its the Down Goes Brown guy who wrote the article. He's a Leaf fan who lives in Ottawa and loves poking fun the Sens and their fans.

Eh, I'm gonna disagree here. For a while I disliked his material because he went out of his way to antagonize the Sens. However, his Grantland stuff has been great, and has been a lot less inflammatory towards Ottawa.

And let's be honest, Alfie did take one hell of a heel turn. Yeah, there's a difference between demanding a trade and leaving as a UFA, but as pointed out in the article, he hasn't even said any sort of proper goodbye to the city. All we've got is a ****** conference call where he basically gives Ottawa the finger. I've got no problem with the article, as it's pretty bang on.

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Good soldiers don't come into a season fat and out of shape and this is also the reason why he has taken such down slope in is career. He was there for the paycheck and couldn't care less about anyone else. He produced but do not compare him to Alfie.

Meh. Spezza showed up to camp once with a tummy/small handles. Some players look fat but they can still bring it over an 82-game season. Byfuglien, Penner and Kessel come to mind.

I don't begrudge Heatley for leaving. While everyone was going: "OMG! OMG! WHYYYYYYYYYY???" some took a step back and saw:

-Multiple coaches
-Emery madness
-Fractured dressing room
-General team malaise
and saw that maybe, just maybe, there might have been something there beyond Clouston being a bit of a maroon. Heatley just jumped ship while the going was good.

Alfredsson jumped ship too, and that's fine. I was angry at first but now I'm over it.
I'll never fault anyone that wants to leave us for competitive reasons, the whole goal IS to win the Cup, and nothing else matters. Conversely, I'll cautiously welcome Ryan (if he doesn't sign a new long-term deal the minute he is able to, the knives come out) and roll-my-eyes welcome back Corv-uh-oh. The former Leafs guy...I accept we have a former Leafs on the roster and hope he doesn't taint us too much. Hopefully Spezza re-signs as well, if he leaves as an UFA then we have a problem.

Looking forward to the 2013-2014 season, it shall have a lot of side stories and if all goes well we'll finally go deep in the playoffs!

 

[Harbinger]

I don't see Alfie as a heel and I never will. It's really asinine and disrespectful to compare Alfie to Heatley and Yashin.


edit: Basically what Dan said.

 

[Back in Black]

I don't begrudge Heatley for leaving. While everyone was going: "OMG! OMG! WHYYYYYYYYYY???" some took a step back and saw:

-Multiple coaches
-Emery madness
-Fractured dressing room
-General team malaise

Heatley was a disease like Ya$hin & Corvo was.

When they make it clear they don't wanna be here, it's definately time to move on, just like Alfie decided to do!

 

[DylanSensFan]

I have no issues with Alfie, he is going to come back and the deadline and win a cup with Ottawa.

 

[Stuzchuk]

to me:

Yashin


Heatley






















Alfredsson

I dont see a betrayal by Alfie, he was our captain, our soul, our team for 17 years... Just decided to make a change in his career... but I wont comment on the other 2

 

[vdB]

That was a great read. Thanks.

 

[Senateurs]

Alfie had every right to leave under any circumstance he wanted so I cant compare him to the other two. I'm dissapointed and dont wish him any success on Detroit. I wish him failure after failure, but I'm not gonna cry over his worthless ass anymore.

As for Yashin and Heatley. When the Yashin trade happened I remember the writers saying that basically what Ottawa was getting was a #1C in Spez, a tough role player D in Chara and a throwaway in McKult. McKult didnt score a goal all year (awesome lol always wished he stayed haha) Chara turned into Chara and Spezza is still around so I think ppl knew we won that trade.

The Heatley trade looked horrendous when it happened but could you imagine if you did the Edmonton deal? Cogliano is a bust, Penner was ok but Michalek is better. The only difference is that we would have had Smid instead of a 2nd. 2nd was used on Lehner.

I think we did good on both. Hopefully the trend continues and Alfie can suck moving forward a lot like Yashin and Heater.

We did not get a 2nd in the Heatley deal. Lehner was drafted with the 2nd we got from the Vermette-Leclaire trade.

People who have always hated Daniel Alfredsson feel vindicated somehow.

Those who have always liked him:
(a) Still support him.
(b) Have moved on - he's on another team.
(c) Hold a grudge.

B

No grudge but will only support him if Detroit does not eliminate Ottawa.

 

[Sonny Lamateena]

What I don't understand about the Alfredsson situation is the blank cheque defense by ownership.

Wasn't he told during the negotiations that:
1) The Sens had a self imposed $50 million cap on salaries.
2) The Sens were close to making a trade for Bobby Ryan and his $5,562,500 salary.

If Alfredsson or his agent did the math didn't that leave roughly $7 million in salary to sign Alfredsson, Cowen, Wiercioch, and a depth defensemen. The more Alfie takes the less their is to make the team competitive, for a 17 year veteran with his only goal being a Stanley Cup, that's not really a blank cheque.

When the majority of the teams in the Sens division are spending $15 million more on salaries than Ottawa and ownership is not able or willing to take on any salary during the season to improve the team whether it is a contender or even battling for a playoff spot that is a nightmare for a player in Alfredsson's situation.

If Alfredsson retires he's a hero but he chooses to chase a cup with a team that is more committed to winning and he's a villain?

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

What I don't understand about the Alfredsson situation is the blank cheque defense by ownership.

Wasn't he told during the negotiations that:
1) The Sens had a self imposed $50 cap on salaries.
2) The Sens were close to making a trade for Bobby Ryan and his $5,562,500 salary.

If Alfredsson or his agent did the math didn't that leave roughly $7 million in salary to sign Alfredsson, Cowen, Wiercioch, and a depth defensemen. The more Alfie takes the less their is to make the team competitive, for a 17 year veteran with his only goal being a Stanley Cup, that's not really a blank cheque.

When the majority of the teams in the Sens division are spending $15 million more on salaries than Ottawa and ownership is not able or willing to take on any salary during the season to improve the team whether it is a contender or even battling for a playoff spot that is a nightmare for a player in Alfredsson's situation.

If Alfredsson retires he's a hero but he chooses to chase a cup with a team that is more committed to winning and he's a villain?

Can you honestly look at both Detroit and Ottawa on paper and say that Detroit is a significantly better team than Ottawa? Or, can you look at Detroit compared to the rest of the league and definitively say that they have one of the best shots at the Cup?

That's what irks me -- he said he wanted to pursue a Cup (which is fine by me) but he went to a team that's marginally better than Ottawa is, even with Alfredsson. And even that's debatable.

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

We did not get a 2nd in the Heatley deal. Lehner was drafted with the 2nd we got from the Vermette-Leclaire trade.




B

No grudge but will only support him if Detroit does not eliminate Ottawa.

We actually did get a 2nd in the Heatley deal, but you're right, we drafted Lehner with the Vermette pick.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

And if anyone doesn't remember, that 2nd rounder was traded for 24 games of Andy Sutton.

 

[DrakeAndJosh]

And if anyone doesn't remember, that 2nd rounder was traded for 24 games of Andy Sutton.

Don Cherry's trade of the year

 

[Sonny Lamateena]

Can you honestly look at both Detroit and Ottawa on paper and say that Detroit is a significantly better team than Ottawa? Or, can you look at Detroit compared to the rest of the league and definitively say that they have one of the best shots at the Cup?

That's what irks me -- he said he wanted to pursue a Cup (which is fine by me) but he went to a team that's marginally better than Ottawa is, even with Alfredsson. And even that's debatable.

I'm a Rangers fan so trust me I know the value of basing teams success by what they look like on paper.

I don't think it was the rosters that made Detroit more appealing than Ottawa. It was an ownership that has a history of giving it's players the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup every year. Detroit's track record pretty much speaks for itself and it's move to the perceived weaker conference with a much lighter travel schedule could make them even stronger.

 

[YouGotAStuGoing]

I'm a Rangers fan so trust me I know the value of basing teams success by what they look like on paper.

I don't think it was the rosters that made Detroit more appealing than Ottawa. It was an ownership that has a history of giving it's players the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup every year. Detroit's track record pretty much speaks for itself and it's move to the perceived weaker conference with a much lighter travel schedule could make them even stronger.

It could, and I'm sure there's some appeal in going to a team with more veterans than youngsters. The bottom line, though, is that ownership can only do so much to get you a championship. At the end of the day, you still need the personnel. You make a good point with the lighter travel schedule, but time will tell how Detroit keeps up in the East. I've always been of the opinion that the east plays a faster game, while the west plays more physically. I'm not sure I agree that it's weaker.

Getting back to Alfredsson, I'm not upset with his decision as an individual. He's well within his rights and he owes us nothing. I was more upset at the way he went about it. It seemed to me like he made up his mind in a day or two and kind of blindsided the ownership here. I could be wrong on that; it's just what I made of the situation. If he'd have handled it a bit less abruptly (e.g., give the organization ample notice; take out a page in the paper thanking fans; said anything to media beyond his Red Wings presser,) his legacy would have been a lot less tarnished than it is now.

 

[Sonny Lamateena]

It could, and I'm sure there's some appeal in going to a team with more veterans than youngsters. The bottom line, though, is that ownership can only do so much to get you a championship. At the end of the day, you still need the personnel. You make a good point with the lighter travel schedule, but time will tell how Detroit keeps up in the East. I've always been of the opinion that the east plays a faster game, while the west plays more physically. I'm not sure I agree that it's weaker.

Getting back to Alfredsson, I'm not upset with his decision as an individual. He's well within his rights and he owes us nothing. I was more upset at the way he went about it. It seemed to me like he made up his mind in a day or two and kind of blindsided the ownership here. I could be wrong on that; it's just what I made of the situation. If he'd have handled it a bit less abruptly (e.g., give the organization ample notice; take out a page in the paper thanking fans; said anything to media beyond his Red Wings presser,) his legacy would have been a lot less tarnished than it is now.

I agree with you on the Alfredsson blindside, it came out of no where and just seems so out of character for Alfie. The way everything broke was really the best way it could of from a Sens PR perspective and that is critical for a team in financial turmoil. Everyone took it as a lock that he will re-sign, then bang as soon as free agency begins he signs in Detroit, Sens fans are shocked and upset, a couple days later the Bobby Ryan trade happens and it takes some of the sting away and then a week after that Melnyk announces his financial issues and self imposed cap. Alfredsson was are of the Ryan deal and the financial situation while he was negotiating with the Sens and if the news broke in reverse order Alfie wouldn't of looked nearly as bad. I honestly think Alfredsson feels guilty for leaving and that is why is he seems so willing to take all the heat and just explain it to Ottawa fans as he is being selfish.

 

[aragorn]

Did Alfredsson go to Detroit to win a Stanley Cup or to have his Swedish buddies talk Sweden into letting him play in the Sochi Olympics? I wonder which is more important to him? IMO Detroit does present a better opportunity to win a Stanley Cup over Ottawa this coming season but that doesn't mean they will. I still think Boston & Pitt are the two best teams in the East.

Either way I see Alfie as a 40 yr old veteran who had a good run here in Ottawa & whether he left at the end of this season or next makes little difference. IMO all this does is move the calendar up a little, Spezza can now take over the leadership void & the team can continue to move forward with it's rebuild. I also would like to see a couple of young guys step up next season in Conacher, Zibanejad, Wiercioch, Stone & Hoffman all play a more significant role on the team.