News Article: Mendes: Senators' problems were bigger than Jason Spezza

[jbeck5]

Ottawa has drafted very well compared to the rest of the league. When have they been in a position to grab these "high-impact" players? They haven't had a top 5 pick since the Yashin trade nabbed Spezza.

Since 2008 with Murray at the helm, he has been building from the back end out and that takes longer than picking up defensemen via trades/free agency, then scooping up young forwards in the draft. There's a strong nucleus that's still young with Lehner in goal, and Karlsson, Cowen, and Ceci on D. They've found some hidden gems in Stone and Hoffman up front, and Lazar and Zibanejad are good NHL players already with much more potential.

I don't know what else could make people happy as far as the draft goes. You look at the teams that have the high-impact players and 95% of those guys were gone before we stepped up to the podium to call out our first pick. The Islanders have had a top 5 pick for what seems like every year. Same with Florida and Edmonton. Then there's Teams like Tampa and Colorado who were fortunate enough to pick top 3 three times during that span. Hell, I think the only impact player that Ottawa missed out on that didn't get passed over by every other team after the fact for at least a round was Tarasenko. And he ended up becoming Turris. I don't even think this team is better with Tarasenko over Turris even though Tarasenko is far more dangerous.

The drafting has been amongst the best in the league during Murray's tenure.

Murray has drafted one impact defenseman (karlsson), and zero impact forwards in what, 8 years? How is that among the best?

 

[Derivation]

Not sure what Mendes is getting at here. Losing Alfredsson is the real story. This is the second season without 11 and we are now a young team trying to find an identity. Spezza may not had been the ONLY problem, but he was not part of the solution.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Ottawa has drafted very well compared to the rest of the league. When have they been in a position to grab these "high-impact" players? They haven't had a top 5 pick since the Yashin trade nabbed Spezza.

Since 2008 with Murray at the helm, he has been building from the back end out and that takes longer than picking up defensemen via trades/free agency, then scooping up young forwards in the draft. There's a strong nucleus that's still young with Lehner in goal, and Karlsson, Cowen, and Ceci on D. They've found some hidden gems in Stone and Hoffman up front, and Lazar and Zibanejad are good NHL players already with much more potential.

I don't know what else could make people happy as far as the draft goes. You look at the teams that have the high-impact players and 95% of those guys were gone before we stepped up to the podium to call out our first pick. The Islanders have had a top 5 pick for what seems like every year. Same with Florida and Edmonton. Then there's Teams like Tampa and Colorado who were fortunate enough to pick top 3 three times during that span. Hell, I think the only impact player that Ottawa missed out on that didn't get passed over by every other team after the fact for at least a round was Tarasenko. And he ended up becoming Turris. I don't even think this team is better with Tarasenko over Turris even though Tarasenko is far more dangerous.

The drafting has been amongst the best in the league during Murray's tenure.

Best is massively overselling it

It's been good but we still lack highend talent

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

It's a truth in life

You win by playing to your strenghts, not by fearing your weaknesses

Alas, since hockey is "cool" we also get a lot of tools following the team like those abject morons who call TSN1200 to complain after a loss

dont agree. Most rookie suck defensively when they enter the league but we dont cover our eye and ears and except it. We force them to learn to play better defensively or they dont play. We recognize their weakness and try to lessen it or even turn them into a two way player.

 

[Busboy]

So we cant fix it through trades or UFA and we cant fix it through draft because we never finish low enough. great.

How many 20 goal scoring forwards have we drafted in the last decade?

You're basically saying its hopeless?

I'm saying with hindsight our rebuild did not go far enough.

Personally I think we need to:

A) hope that our young core will take a large step forward with added experience and maturity

B) commit to a secondary rebuild

C) hope that we can swing a home run deal if one comes along

But I don't think it's likely there were any opportunities for us to add the pieces necessary to transform this team into a contender. And I don't think it would have been smart to commit to trading good assets or spending large amounts without giving the core group the opportunity to prove they were good enough (seems like they're not at this point) to get us close enough where it makes sense to risk our future.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

So we cant fix it through trades or UFA and we cant fix it through draft because we never finish low enough. great.

How many 20 goal scoring forwards have we drafted in the last decade?

You're basically saying its hopeless?

That would be assuming only top 5 picks become stars which is flawed. You need to trust scout to find the gems and acquire them through trades or draft. You're telling me we couldnt have acquire Forsberg or JVR before they broke out? We need scouts to predict where players will end up and try to get them before they become talents.

 

[FireMelnyk]

not quite sure when hockey fans will accept the fact that theres a transition phase, and every teams have to go through it...

We were bottom 6 3 years ago... our fanbase should be patient

It took less time to build a perennial playoff team from absolutely nothing than it has to build one with most of the pieces already in place.

I'll take the team's advice. I'll spend my money on the team when they are ready to compete, whenever that may be.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

Mendes makes good points about where the team is at.

Its funny how everyone can see it except management, but if we were in Bryans shoes could you see it any other way? I think its a very difficult reality Bryan has to face... For obvious reasons.

Sens Rule hit the nail on the head when he said

' Anyway... You win by recognizing reality. By making your best assets... Your best assets. Wanting Karlsson to be Ray Bourque... Doesn't make it happen. Wanting Spezza to be Kopitar... Doesn't make it happen.'

Retaining assets and managing them the best way possible is how elite teams are built.

Recognizing reality is something that has to happen or this organization maybe doomed for failure ala our neighbours down the 401. This is the worst possible position for a team to be in. Sometimes you have to get worse to get better.

I think signing Methot has to be a priority and getting a more mobile d core that can move the puck is this teams biggest issue. I just don't see how moving forward with Gryba, Cowen, Phillips and Boro all on the roster works in todays NHL. The team has invested a lot into Cowen so he isn't going anywhere and Boro is on a great contract and brings a real physical edge only Neil has.

Time to dump Gryba I think a team would give up a late round pick for him. Phillips is almost done time to let him go. Id really like to see what Wideman can do, this is a big D core outside of Karlsson who is obviously an impact player. Why not try Wideman out?

If you really believe that dumping Gryba and replacing him with a 175, 5' 10" D man solves anything then

If recognizing reality is a key, then I would have thought you would have understood the reality is the Sens are young and inexperienced for the most part at all the skill positions (top six & top two pairings).

Exceptions, MacArthur, Ryan and Methot.

IMO the major problem with this team is inexperience and in real life that isn't fixed by any approach other than patience.

 

[jbeck5]

That would be assuming only top 5 picks become stars which is flawed. You need to trust scout to find the gems and acquire them through trades or draft. You're telling me we couldnt have acquire Forsberg or JVR before they broke out? We need scouts to predict where players will end up and try to get them before they become talents.

I keep hearing people say the only way to build a contender is through the draft, but we havent drafted a first line forward since spezza 14 years ago.

I hear we cant overpay for free agents and that first line players arent available through trade.

So drafting it is...but we've only drafted one first line player in the last decade and a bit.

 

[DylanSensFan]

I blame Murray for giving this fanbase and the team unrealistic expectations. I blame Melynk for what seems like tampering at times. I blame this fan base for being ridiculous and trying to run our best players out of town (sans spezza, it was time for him to go).

I do not blame Murray for building through the draft and trying to surround these young players with some reasonable veterans. He's made a lot of good picks and a few not bad trades. I do not blame Melnyk for wanting to budget until we have to pay big bucks for our current prospects. I do not blame this fan base for wanting to be in the playoffs, or tank for McDavid.

After all of this, I want the playoffs.

 

[DylanSensFan]

I keep hearing people say the only way to build a contender is through the draft, but we havent drafted a first line forward since spezza 14 years ago.

I hear we cant overpay for free agents and that first line players arent available through trade.

So drafting it is...but we've only drafted one first line player in the last decade and a bit.

Give Zibanejad time...

 

[jbeck5]

Give Zibanejad time...

He's going to be our number 1 center, first line winger, and # 2 defender all on his own?

we have 2 first line players in karlsson and ryan. We're missing 3. even if zibanejad becomes your 70 point good first line center, we're still missing a first line winger and a number 2 dman.

 

[MarkZackKarl]

The biggest problem is keeping assets that have little to no value for way past their expiration dates...

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

The biggest problem is keeping assets that have little to no value for way past their expiration dates...

If you want players to show loyalty to you, you have to show loyalty to them.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

dont agree. Most rookie suck defensively when they enter the league but we dont cover our eye and ears and except it. We force them to learn to play better defensively or they dont play. We recognize their weakness and try to lessen it or even turn them into a two way player.

Hardly applicable to Karlsson since, you know, he's not a rookie

The point is you should let your best player do what he does which is taking chances offensively

Besides, his defensive shortcomings are massively overblown and that used to be something we'd complain that posters on the main board (THE MAIN BOARD PEOPLE!) would incessantly do

He needs to have confidence in his partner much more than he needs to be more defensively-minded. He also needs to be one of our offensive weapons on the back end rather than the only one.

He also needs to pivot better but that's the injury for you

 

[Sensinitis]

I think I agree with Spezza when he says that maybe Murray gave up on the team a little bit too easily when he traded Vermette/Kelly/Fisher/etc.

 

[FireMelnyk]

I think I agree with Spezza when he says that maybe Murray gave up on the team a little bit too easily when he traded Vermette/Kelly/Fisher/etc.

I really don't think that it was Murray's choice.

 

[pepty]

I think I agree with Spezza when he says that maybe Murray gave up on the team a little bit too easily when he traded Vermette/Kelly/Fisher/etc.

When did he say that?

 

[Vaclav Varada]

I think I agree with Spezza when he says that maybe Murray gave up on the team a little bit too easily when he traded Vermette/Kelly/Fisher/etc.

He didnt say that.

 

[Sensinitis]

I'm paraphrasing, but that's what he said.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Murray has drafted one impact defenseman (karlsson), and zero impact forwards in what, 8 years? How is that among the best?

Hmmm... Hoffman and Zibanejad have no impact? Turris was got with a draft pick essentially, he has no impact? Stone none either?

 

[DylanSensFan]

He's going to be our number 1 center, first line winger, and # 2 defender all on his own?

we have 2 first line players in karlsson and ryan. We're missing 3. even if zibanejad becomes your 70 point good first line center, we're still missing a first line winger and a number 2 dman.

I think you're discounting Cowen's ceiling. He is starting to show what he's worth as this season progresses.

 

[pepty]

I'm paraphrasing, but that's what he said.

I guess this is where you got that from. .He does sound like he missed the core of the team when they got traded away and misses the way the sens always used to make the playoffs.

I miss that too.I also thinks he gets tired of the Ottawa reporters always harping on fans getting on him ....You would hardly guess to hear them moaning on what a popular player he was and how half the crowd had Spezza jerseys at the games.

http://www.tsn.ca/video/th-grading-spezza-s-trade-to-the-stars-1.181887

 

[BonkTastic]

I'm a bit late chiming in here (jet lag sucks), but Mendes is spot-on here.

 

[supsens]

Spezza was a huge problem, his non contact, heartless do what he wants hockey is the last thing anyone would want the younger guys to see. the worst thing that ever happened to the Sens and Spezza was getting rid of the coach for not playing him when he would not listen or change his game so many years ago