Line Combos: Ottawa 2016-2017 thoughts

[NyQuil]

Like everyone, I think Boro makes a better 7th than a 6th defenceman.

Not sure who that elusive 6th guy is.

 

[BonkTastic]

Not sure who that elusive 6th guy is.

Guys still on the market (UFAs)
- Kris Russell
- Kyle Quincey
- Dennis Seidenberg
- Christian Ehrhoff
- Nicklas Grossman
- Matt Bartowski (booo)
- Eric Gryba

... I'd be happy with any of the top 3 on that list, all are clear (clear) upgrades on Boro.

Ehrhoff is... well, he used to be a very good player. Now he is a ghost of his former self due to far too many concussions. He's shell-shocked. He's done. He needs to retire before he suffers permanent damage.

Grossman / Bartowski / Gryba I have no interest in.

 

[NyQuil]

I loved Seidenberg in his prime but I think he's lost a lot if the Bruins consider him expendable enough to buy him out.

ACL/MCL surgery can have a huge impact on a player who wasn't super mobile to begin with.

 

[BonkTastic]

I loved Seidenberg in his prime but I think he's lost a lot if the Bruins consider him expendable enough to buy him out.

ACL/MCL surgery can have a huge impact on a player who wasn't super mobile to begin with.

Totally agree, I think that anyone expecting the old Seidenberg is in for a disappointment.

That being said: I think Seidenberg has at least one year left in the league where he's a better defenceman than Boro.

 

[NyQuil]

Totally agree, I think that anyone expecting the old Seidenberg is in for a disappointment.

That being said: I think Seidenberg has at least one year left in the league where he's a better defenceman than Boro.

That's quite the bar!

 

[Swedish House]

People really have to stop putting Stone on the 3rd line.

 

[Holdurbreathe]

Interesting, I'd be lying if I said I knew that. I thought he was their #1 RW when I saw them in the playoffs, so that shows what I know. He's listed as their #1 RW on their depth chart as well, though the site I'm using can be misleading/incorrect.

He did lead their forwards in ice time by 50 seconds per game, more than 3 minutes more than the next guy on their 3rd line (Ward, who led them in SH time on ice).

I would be massively disappointed if we try to spread scoring over 3 lines.

Putting our best playmaker in Stone, on a line without a goal scorer like Hoffman or Turris, doesn't seem like the best way to build our forward corps. I do not count Smith as a goal scorer, last years asterisk aside.

I agree with you on this.

While balance is nice, assuming a line of MacArthur-Turris-Lazar will be a competitive top six trio seems to be based more on memory and hope than what is likely the reality come October.

Mac has played 17 games since Feb 16th, 20015 and while it isn't impossible, it is very unlikely he will resemble the Mac of 2013/14 out of training camp.

Add to this Lazar, a player that has struggle mightily to produce offense on any line on the right side and IMO we are very unlikely to see this line combination.

 

[Not Jared Cowen]

People really have to stop putting Stone on the 3rd line.

Pittsburgh did okay putting Kessel there. Spread out your talent along 3 lines and make the opponent have match up headaches. If Mac is healthy, we certainly have the offensive depth to roll 3 dangerous lines.

 

[BUCKLE UP]

Pittsburgh did okay putting Kessel there.

Pittsburgh also has Crosby and Malkin.

 

[Not Jared Cowen]

Pittsburgh also has Crosby and Malkin.

Pittsburgh has 4 true quality top six players. We have at least 5; true, none of them are on the level of Crosby/Malkin, but it's certainly enough to roll 3 dangerous lines.

 

[Langdon Alger]

Guys still on the market (UFAs)
- Kris Russell
- Kyle Quincey
- Dennis Seidenberg
- Christian Ehrhoff
- Nicklas Grossman
- Matt Bartowski (booo)
- Eric Gryba

... I'd be happy with any of the top 3 on that list, all are clear (clear) upgrades on Boro.

Ehrhoff is... well, he used to be a very good player. Now he is a ghost of his former self due to far too many concussions. He's shell-shocked. He's done. He needs to retire before he suffers permanent damage.

Grossman / Bartowski / Gryba I have no interest in.

Barrett Jackman is still out there too.

 

[SensHulk]

Barrett Jackman is still out there too.

Boro is basically Jackman lite. Rather have Seidenberg or Quincey.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I dont think we'd get Russell. I'd be happy with either Seidenberg or Quincey.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

No point in signing anyone: Wideman had a decent year for a feisty diminutive offensive dman. Just go with Boro and him, getting a marginal improvement over Boro is not worth giving up the financial flexibility.

 

[Hutz]

No point in signing anyone: Wideman had a decent year for a feisty diminutive offensive dman. Just go with Boro and him, getting a marginal improvement over Boro is not worth giving up the financial flexibility.

For a 1 year deal, though, we're not really losing any flexibility. If we can get one of the better d-men left to come into camp on a PTO, I don't see any harm. If Boro or someone else beats out that guy for the 6 spot, great! Of course, I'm sure a guy like Quincey will have multiple PTO offers if he hasn't signed a contract by then.

 

[Karl Eriksson]

If we didn't want Boro playing, we should have addressed that on Jul 1. Not much to be done now.

 

[Sensinitis]

Getting Russell at 2M maximum can be interesting.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

If we didn't want Boro playing, we should have addressed that on Jul 1. Not much to be done now.

I don't think the team is as low on Boro as a big chunk of the fan base, but at the same time it was very public that Dorion wanted to get a steady veteran bottom pairing defender.

I think the reality of the situation is that there is nobody immediate in the system that is a huge upgrade on Boro. Claesson is a maybe, Chabot is a huge darkhorse.

If there is a free agent out there, they have to want to come to Ottawa on a 1 year deal at a salary that fits in with Ottawa's current structure. For a trade, there has to be someone with those same parameters but they also have to be cheap enough to acquire via trade to make it worth it. The Sens aren't paying a 1st or 2nd to get an upgrade at a position that'll be on the ice for 14 minutes a game at most.

If the team is playing well and there is the right LD available for the right price at the deadline, I could see the Senators making that trade. It'll be complicated for them to add one because they don't have a 2nd round pick this year or next year.

The obvious best case scenario would be Chabot being ready to play on the bottom pairing. Especially since Methot is at risk of being taken in the expansion draft, it would give him a year to settle into the NHL before Ottawa might have to use him in a greater role. Obviously, if he isn't ready they aren't going to rush him just to have a minor upgrade on Boro, but his name was brought up amongst those who could fight for that last LD spot on the team by Pierre Dorion in the post Ceci signing TSN 1200 interview.

It seems like the team would like to upgrade on Boro if the perfect situation presents itself, but a LD playing 14 minutes a night of sheltered minutes isn't a dire enough situation to give up assets or if needed weaken other positions by moving different players to create the salary space to upgrade it.

 

[danielpalfredsson]

Getting Russell at 2M maximum can be interesting.

I can't see a guy like Russell signing a 1 year 2M deal in Ottawa.

If I'm Russell and a long term mega deal isn't on the table, I'm looking for a 1 year deal somewhere where I am going to get to play a huge role so that I can cash in next season when teams who have been hurt by the expansion draft are more desperate than usual to try and acquire what they think is a 3/4 defenseman.

If he comes to Ottawa, he'll be stuck behind Methot and Phaneuf.

 

[leftwinglocker]

I don't think the team is as low on Boro as a big chunk of the fan base.....

Lmfao hfboards = "a big chunk of the fan base"

I'm having trouble finding anything said by anyone of any repute that Boro is the player to be upgraded although it seems to be a common sentiment amongst those that want to see him fail.

Some food for thought.....

View attachment 91497

 

[BonkTastic]

... amongst those that want to see him fail...

Who actively wants to see anyone on the team fail?

 

[PatrickEaves]

Did you know there is more than one advanced stat that says Boro was the worse defenseman in the ENTIRE NHL last season.

I'm sorry, but if this team is actually trying to make the playoffs, we shouldn't have the worse player in the NHL playing regular minutes.

 

[leftwinglocker]

Did you know there is more than one advanced stat that says Boro was the worse defenseman in the ENTIRE NHL last season.

I'm sorry, but if this team is actually trying to make the playoffs, we shouldn't have the worse player in the NHL playing regular minutes.

Shot based Corsi stats hahaha are total BS. "Proxy" for possession they say. Which implies they are an approximation. If you factor that in plus error in counting shots from rink to rink, a +-10% error is not unreasonable. Did you know that means that 83% of NHL players ( Boro included ) actually have the same Corsi ?

 

[Uchiha]

Did you know there is more than one advanced stat that says Boro was the worse defenseman in the ENTIRE NHL last season.

I'm sorry, but if this team is actually trying to make the playoffs, we shouldn't have the worse player in the NHL playing regular minutes.

Hard to believe that Murray gave him a three year contract after 13 games in the NHL.

 

[PatrickEaves]

Shot based Corsi stats hahaha are total BS. "Proxy" for possession they say. Which implies they are an approximation. If you factor that in plus error in counting shots from rink to rink, a +-10% error is not unreasonable. Did you know that means that 83% of NHL players ( Boro included ) actually have the same Corsi ?

You know primary shot contribution and the like has nothing to do with Corsi right? Or do you just like using buzzwords just so you can sound informed about the advanced stat conversation?