Our defence is a serious problem, what's the fix?

[WhiteLight*]

make as many excuses for each individual player on the team. i still believe it is an assistant coaching issue. maclean is a good coach, but needs better help.
luke richardson come on down

You're the next contestant on the priiiiice is riiiiight.


Agreed completely. Did Mac even hire Cameron and Reeds?

 

[Icelevel]

You're the next contestant on the priiiiice is riiiiight.


Agreed completely. Did Mac even hire Cameron and Reeds?

i think he picked reeds. they are friends, so........

 

[Carrie Underwood]

SDC + Greening --> Roman Josi

Michalek -->Chris stewart

 

[WhiteLight*]

i think he picked reeds. they are friends, so........

Cameron clearly got in because of Melnyk. Switch Cameron with Richardson

 

[Icelevel]

Cameron clearly got in because of Melnyk. Switch Cameron with Richardson

except i think cameron is the offense and reeds does the defence no? it's really just a guess about the coaching because we don't get to see what really happens between coaches and players, but it's the only explanation i can come up with after watching them for 60 mins.
It may be that they need a couple quality veteran players, one on d and one in the top 6 forwards to settle things down and get things going, but it looks like the problem goes deeper than that.

 

[Mercurial]

Look at puck, look up ice, look at puck, look up ice ... and I've turned it over.

Most of our D in their own end. A fast forecheck and we're a mess. Taking too lomg on the puck, whether this is incompetence, forwards flying the zone, or the system not working I dont know.

 

[DrEasy]

We have a few good PMDs but they aren't playing. Ideally:

Methot - Karlsson
??? - Corvo
Boro - Wiercioch <- Boro having Wier's back

The above should be good enough. We're just missing one piece, as long as we don't play Phillips, Cowen and Gryba.

 

[Ski]

make as many excuses for each individual player on the team. i still believe it is an assistant coaching issue. maclean is a good coach, but needs better help.
luke richardson come on down

This. Cameron was a joke in Bingo and remains a joke behind the boards in Ottawa.

 

[Mark Stones Spleen]

I know our system this year has changed, but people really underestimated Gonchar here. He was a whipping boy while he was here, but dude was second in points on our entire team, had the highest TOI above even Methot, and could move the puck. People who thought Corvo would be able to replace him were nuts. We lost a top 4 dman and replaced him with a depth dman. I get we couldn't afford him, but we created a big ass hole on our team.

 

[Ski]

I'll follow up as one of the key cogs in Richardson's staff is his asst. Steve Stirling..w/o him Luke would not have had the early success he's established in Binghamton going into season two and continuing the winning tradition that's been established here..

 

[fringie]

I agree with the fact that our D-core is not good right now, however this may be part of the growing pain we are going through with so many young and inexperienced defencemen.

It is part of the rebuild that we have been going through the last two seasons in my opinion, but with the help of Kuda and Gonchar; Karlsson winning the Norris, and other guys like Benoit helping out along with some good fortunate last season and defensive system, the real problems have not been exposed as much.

Now we are finally here, you are seeing an aging Philips and Corvo; young players like Cowen and Wier still learning how to play at this level; Gryba and Boro are honestly 5-6 D at best of times, Karlsson still trying to find his Norris form. The only guy has been somewhat consistent is Methot, and it should be, as he is at his prime as a player.

In the offseason, BM did not have the money to spend on a top 4 D, now we are left with what we have. If everything worked out, then we have a solid D-core, but as of now, they are underachieving, and it does not help that the overall team defensive effort has been very inconsistent.

We either stay patient, or make a trade that we can not afford moneywise. B. Campbell looks good, but contract sucks. Erhoff will help, contract no good.

However, I think we can pull a trade like Chi did with Oduya. That is the type of guy we need.

 

[The Lewler]

Yes the people claiming that moving on from an aging Hall of Fame PMD wouldn't cause problems are silly.

No I don't think we should have re-signed Gonchar.

 

[harrisb]

We have over 10m in cap space, that would get 2 x $4m D and another 2-3 million dollar man, then we also drop salary by sending folks down. Team would look a lot better if we spent what we are allowed. Where's yost?

 

[Karlssonlee]

More of the same. 1-dimensional dman with no offensive skill.

Sbisa is a puck mover with underrated offensive skills. His offensive skills just hasn't translated as well because his development was mistreated. The guy just needs a change of scenery.

He's mobile, fast and tough.

 

[MiscBrah]

I say that Maclean run a practice that players just passing. Everyone skating around the rink back and forth passing pucks. Ottawa's passing has been absolutely brutal this year and needs work.

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

As much as a top 4 defenseman is the biggest need on the Senators, i don't think any one player is going to fix the Senators defense.

Im not sure where the problem lies, if it's coaching or what . . . but the entire blueline needs to start buying into a system or it's going to be a long ass season.

 

[QuietOnTheFront]

Within our top 4 only Methot and Karlsson are playing up to that standard. The rest are playing like 5th/6th and or fringe defensemen. It's either we make a trade and acquire one or one of Cowen, Wiercioch, Philips and Gryba step up and elevate their game.

Some one mentioned above to fire Melnyk and I agree (if it were possible).

To think we are a cap floor team trying to be a contender when every other contender is a cap team. It doesn't make any sense. We have the salary of a rebuilding lottery pick team. We need to convert some of our prospects into help now. There are numerous players in our system that are replaceable and still hold value in their potential. Let's move some guys who haven't reached their upside for help now. To me guys like Stone, Prince and Puempel as potential pieces to acquire something that will help the team now and in the long run; in a similar deal to that of Methot and Ryan (both of which could be key roster pieces for a considerable amount of time).

As much as I would hate giving up one of those players, it seems like the only option to fix this team at the moment.

 

[bacon25]

trade for Erhoff

make Karlsson Spezza's winger

there's your fix

 

[The Fuhr*]

All offseason I said this would be an issue along with the goaltending not being able to maintain the insane sv% it did last season.

Teams at the stage where it may be forced into another rebuild... Bad season could lead to Spezza and Ryan not re-signing this off season and then we enter a year of uncertainty next season

 

[Dionysus]

All offseason I said this would be an issue along with the goaltending not being able to maintain the insane sv% it did last season.

Teams at the stage where it may be forced into another rebuild... Bad season could lead to Spezza and Ryan not re-signing this off season and then we enter a year of uncertainty next season

There is no guarantee this team trends upwards, but this would be a worst case scenario.

It seems the defence is being asked to play strong transition hockey, quick breakouts, pinches to keep offensive pressure. Unfortunately, Phillips, Gryba, Cowen, and Methot are all defence first guys, who struggle somewhat when relied on to push the pace towards offence and puck-possession.

They aren't necessarily bad players though. Bringing in someone like Brian Campbell would do wonders in my opinion. Budget issues may be the real problem in this situation.

This season is a whole different animal than the last 2 under coach Mac. The team is still trying to create an identity it can hang its hat on and produce consistently.

 

[GrantLemons]

Budget team will be a budget team.

I'm beyond tired of considering acquiring someone, only to realize that we can't afford him due to the budget.

Melnyk needs to open his ****ing wallet or he's going to kill this team.

The current pieces are just not working together. Some guys need to be moved out, and if it means we have to take salary back then so be it.

We need a veteran anchor D man for the second pairing, a replacement for Michalek in the top 6, and a shuffle up for the bottom 6 (whether it be guys from Bingo or externally).

Dat budget tho.

 

[BauerHOCKEY]

Why not look at Ian White on a 1 year contract at a million bones?
Season 1/4 done. Cheapo Melnyk wouldn't even need to spend a full million.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Personally, I think some of the "budget team" talk has given a lot of these guys a built in excuse.

We need Melynk to come in and personally take aside the bottom 6 forwards and bottom 4 defenseman and tell them point blank how lucky they are to be getting an NHL paycheque. It's only a matter of time before the wallet opens and changes are made...and when it happens, those bottom guys have have been coasting thinking they have a guaranteed spot because of the budget will find their NHL careers over.

Those bottom guys should be busting their balls every shift to prove to Ottawa (and the rest of the league) they are legit NHLers. As it stands right now, if a trade happens, several of those guys are going to get buried, and never have another chance at an NHL gig.

Got to play like you want it, fellas!

 

[arglebargle]

We have over 10m in cap space, that would get 2 x $4m D and another 2-3 million dollar man, then we also drop salary by sending folks down. Team would look a lot better if we spent what we are allowed. Where's yost?

The only players whose salaries drop from sending them down are Conacher, Zibanejad, Lehner and Grant. It would be a savings of <$2 million and none of them particularly deserve to get bumped off the NHL team.

 

[LuckyPierre]

Look at puck, look up ice, look at puck, look up ice ... and I've turned it over.

Most of our D in their own end. A fast forecheck and we're a mess. Taking too lomg on the puck, whether this is incompetence, forwards flying the zone, or the system not working I dont know.

Phillips is notorious for this. How a first overall pick and 1000 game defender has to glance down at the puck twice before moving it is beyond me.
Gryba does it too, but he gets fewer touches.
Cowen is an offender as well, and he hangs on to it for even longer because he feels like he's David Rundblad stretch pass master 2.0 out there.