Potential UFA Signings

[Sens of Anarchy]

Poor roster management?

http://thehockeywriters.com/ottawa-only-has-themselves-to-blame-for-losing-chris-wideman/

Looking at their current situation I would be inclined to agree with the premise. Let's hope Murray can dump some contracts and gain us a few picks ... we should also let him know we have enough goalies.

 

[BigBush*]

Poor roster management?

http://thehockeywriters.com/ottawa-only-has-themselves-to-blame-for-losing-chris-wideman/

Looking at their current situation I would be inclined to agree with the premise. Let's hope Murray can dump some contracts and gain us a few picks ... we should also let him know we have enough goalies.

"Borowiecki is not better than an AHL replacement on a league minimum contract so no other team is going to even bother picking them up off waivers, much less trading for them."

Did this guy even watch the ****ing playoffs or follow the regular season? I get that Gryba got a 2 year deal in arbitration and unfortunately got in the way of Wideman being called up, but to call out Borowiecki and call him unmovable is total BS. Even if Boro does not improve on his ROOKIE SEASON his contract is still looking like a steal.

I do blame Cowen and Phillips' contracts on Murray though.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

"Borowiecki is not better than an AHL replacement on a league minimum contract so no other team is going to even bother picking them up off waivers, much less trading for them."

Did this guy even watch the ****ing playoffs or follow the regular season? I get that Gryba got a 2 year deal in arbitration and unfortunately got in the way of Wideman being called up, but to call out Borowiecki and call him unmovable is total BS. Even if Boro does not improve on his ROOKIE SEASON his contract is still looking like a steal.

I do blame Cowen and Phillips' contracts on Murray though.

Yah ok. Boro has been good, no argument here ... I was not really picking at the individual player / position points rather the current contract situation on whole and the general comment on roster management. With the RFAs to sign, the cap space, the lack of space, due to dead weight contracts holding positions, to sign and bring up a Wideman, or a Prince. Draft time we need to shed the baggage and manage the risk of losing assets we have invested in. Its not like it was a secret that was just revealed....We also have 3 goalies signed up to play as of now... .

 

[BigBush*]

Yah ok. Boro has been good, no argument here ... I was not really picking at the individual player / position points rather the current contract situation on whole and the general comment on roster management. With the RFAs to sign, the cap space, the lack of space, due to dead weight contracts holding positions, to sign and bring up a Wideman, or a Prince. Draft time we need to shed the baggage and manage the risk of losing assets we have invested in. Its not like it was a secret that was just revealed....We also have 3 goalies signed up to play as of now... .

Sorry, didn't realize you wrote the article.

Unfortunately, we are not going to get back a good return for some of our players that have high potential (particularly Cowen and Lehner if they are traded). I think we should still trade them and if they break out with another team, good for them. They were not good this season and I don't think they are part of the future core.

I think Puempel and Prince have been developed nicely, and they have the opportunity to make the team next season.

It does look like a mistake not getting Wideman any games. I'm still not convinced his game will translate well to the NHL, but if it does, it will certainly be a big blunder by management if he cant be re-signed.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Poor roster management?

http://thehockeywriters.com/ottawa-only-has-themselves-to-blame-for-losing-chris-wideman/

Looking at their current situation I would be inclined to agree with the premise. Let's hope Murray can dump some contracts and gain us a few picks ... we should also let him know we have enough goalies.

Chris Wideman will be a Chris Campoli type of player, nothing more, nothing less. Why we should give up player to make a spot for him is ridiculous.

Wideman is not an upgrade over Cowen.

 

[DylanSensFan]

Also, the people commenting on this article and saying that Wideman is better than Ceci are ridiculous.

 

[Othello*]

Wideman would be an upgrade over Gryba

 

[stempniaksen]

I'm a big Wideman fan, but even I don't think there's an argument for him over any of our current defenceman (Gryba excluded, I'm ready to move on from that project). There's no way he displaces Karlsson/Ceci on the right side, and I have a hard time believing he's an upgrade over any of Methot, Wiercioch, Cowen or Boro on the left side (and I know why Murray gave that deal to Phillips, so I'm not gonna argue that either.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Poor roster management?

http://thehockeywriters.com/ottawa-only-has-themselves-to-blame-for-losing-chris-wideman/

Looking at their current situation I would be inclined to agree with the premise. Let's hope Murray can dump some contracts and gain us a few picks ... we should also let him know we have enough goalies.

the artcile is overly critical of Boro. I mean Boro was bingo's best dman for a long time and is coming off a great playoff series. He's also been decent in his rookie season.

Tim Murray has expressed interest in Boro i believe. I think he would be picked up off waivers.

The problem is more murray gave Phillips and Gryba a year too long on their contracts

I think its a bit dramtic to criticize Smith's contract. Isnt his cap hit less then 2 mil? He's generally been a player worth what hes paid. Injuries really hurt him.

I think its also a big jump to think Gryba and Boro are worse then wideman. We simply dont know and there definitely things Boro and Gryba do that Wideman cant do or struggles with. We can also say we have two decent puck movers on te right side already in Karl and Ceci. I think the article is a bit too dramtic

Wideman should be in a position to compete for a spot but hes not guranteed to be better then some of the players of the d

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

Chris Wideman will be a Chris Campoli type of player, nothing more, nothing less. Why we should give up player to make a spot for him is ridiculous.

Wideman is not an upgrade over Cowen.

Wideman is much more gritty then campoli. I'd say kinda like Russel in calgary but i dont think im out of a limb saying russel is probably better. I think russel was in the NHL almost immediately after being drafted

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

I'm a big Wideman fan, but even I don't think there's an argument for him over any of our current defenceman (Gryba excluded, I'm ready to move on from that project). There's no way he displaces Karlsson/Ceci on the right side, and I have a hard time believing he's an upgrade over any of Methot, Wiercioch, Cowen or Boro on the left side (and I know why Murray gave that deal to Phillips, so I'm not gonna argue that either.

why did he give that deal to phillips?

Budget team pissing away 5 mil for sentimental reasons? Theres no room for feeling in a budget

 

[BigBush*]

Wideman would be an upgrade over Gryba

You mean Wideman could be an upgrade over Gryba. We have yet to see how he'd fair in the NHL.

Wideman is much more gritty then campoli. I'd say kinda like Russel in calgary but i dont think im out of a limb saying russel is probably better. I think russel was in the NHL almost immediately after being drafted

I have followed Russel's career pretty closely as he's from my girlfriend's hometown. He was very highly touted after winning the best Dman in the WHL award. It took him 8 years to "break out" and finally find stable top 4 minutes on a team in Calgary.

It's always such an uphill battle for undersized defensemen. I think Russell is a good comparison for what Wideman could one day be, but people expecting him to jump into the NHL and play well are a little too optimistic. Its going to take him a few years to adjust to the NHL and find his niche. Unfortunately with the log jam in that probably wont be in Ottawa.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

BM said at the deadline that he was going to get Wideman some games. We then went on a ridiculous tear and BM said after the season that it restricted them from getting some guys games that they wanted to. It's really simple, they didn't screw up by not giving Widman games, they wanted to but were smart enough not to mess with a successful roster in the midst of a record setting run.

 

[BigBush*]

BM said at the deadline that he was going to get Wideman some games. We then went on a ridiculous tear and BM said after the season that it restricted them from getting some guys games that they wanted to. It's really simple, they didn't screw up by not giving Widman games, they wanted to but were smart enough not to mess with a successful roster in the midst of a record setting run.

He was called up for a short period before the run where they could of played him but dressed Gryba instead. *if I remember correctly

I remember listening to an interview around christmas with Richardson and they were talking about Widemans success and the possibility of calling him up. Richardson said he was playing great but their might be some defenseman that deserve it more (Claesson maybe?). I was pretty shocked to hear that

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

He was called up for a short period before the run where they could of played him but dressed Gryba instead. *if I remember correctly

I remember listening to an interview around christmas with Richardson and they were talking about Widemans success and the possibility of calling him up. Richardson said he was playing great but their might be some defenseman that deserve it more (Claesson maybe?). I was pretty shocked to hear that

Ya Richardson may have said that but I remember the deadline press conference with Murray and a reporter asked about Claesson and Wideman. Murray shot down Claesson as the guy to get called up but that they would get Wideman some games.

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

Poor roster management?

http://thehockeywriters.com/ottawa-only-has-themselves-to-blame-for-losing-chris-wideman/

Looking at their current situation I would be inclined to agree with the premise. Let's hope Murray can dump some contracts and gain us a few picks ... we should also let him know we have enough goalies.

Can't argue with that article at all. Too many feel good and hometown contracts.

I really like Bryan Murray and wish him all the best, but I really hope our next GM has a colder heart. The NHL is a cutthroat business...can't afford to be too soft. Need to strike a better balance.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I would certainly argue his stance on Boro. The guy was awesome this year and it was his rookie season, he's also really cheap. Gryba I can live without and would like to see an upgrade, but he barely makes over a mil so not worth worrying about. Cowen put us in a tough spot because of the surprising RFA status and I think either he or Wier will be dealt this summer. Phillips is the only guy that got a nice guy contract imo. Neil & Smith both looked like they would be worth it at the time of their deals. Greening is a mistake, no doubt about it. Legwand looked like a solid under the radar signing that could have paid off.

We're all talking like Wideman is a guaranteed nhler about to get a one way deal yet there's a good chance he doesn't get one and we're still his best option.

Imo we'll be moving at least one dman this summer and a spot in at least the top 8 will be available for Wideman if he re-signs with us. He could just as easily go to another team on false promises, get a limited shot and then be banished to the minors when he doesn't light it up in 10 mins/game.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Yah ok. Boro has been good, no argument here ... I was not really picking at the individual player / position points rather the current contract situation on whole and the general comment on roster management. With the RFAs to sign, the cap space, the lack of space, due to dead weight contracts holding positions, to sign and bring up a Wideman, or a Prince. Draft time we need to shed the baggage and manage the risk of losing assets we have invested in. Its not like it was a secret that was just revealed....We also have 3 goalies signed up to play as of now... .

Sorry, didn't realize you wrote the article.

Typical BS. But obviously deserved based on what I said no doubt. Happy Pills!

 

[BigBush*]

Typical BS. But obviously deserved based on what I said no doubt. Happy Pills!

I honestly didn't know you wrote the article. I probably would have still said I disagreed with your opinion on Boro, but I wouldn't of said it in such a rude way.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Wideman would be an upgrade over Gryba

Possible but unlikely

Gryba is pretty solid but he needs to be paired with someone who can move the puck and skate well, that player is not Borocop

Want to know what the biggest difference is between top players and players like Gryba? Top players have success no matter what, players like Grybe need to be put in situations to succeed; playing him with Boro is setting him up to fail (and he wasn't even that bad, they were pretty solid in the playoffs outside of that Gryba gaffe in OT in Game 2)

 

[Othello*]

Possible but unlikely

Gryba is pretty solid but he needs to be paired with someone who can move the puck and skate well, that player is not Borocop

Want to know what the biggest difference is between top players and players like Gryba? Top players have success no matter what, players like Grybe need to be put in situations to succeed; playing him with Boro is setting him up to fail (and he wasn't even that bad, they were pretty solid in the playoffs outside of that Gryba gaffe in OT in Game 2)

Gryba is just an awful player that shouldn't be in the NHL, the only thing that I think he's good at is playing the PK. He can't skate,pass,receive a pass,shoot and is awful defending transition.

 

[BigBush*]

Gryba is just an awful player that shouldn't be in the NHL, the only thing that I think he's good at is playing the PK. He can't skate,pass,receive a pass,shoot and is awful defending transition.

this isn't all true. Im not going to say Gryba is good, but he is decent in his own end and plays a very physical game which im sure most fans don't notice (he abuses guys in front of our net).

He isn't very good at passing/receiving a pass and isn't good in the offensive zone.

HE'S OUR 6th DMAN THAT IS PRIMARLY USED AS A SHUTDOWN GUY AND ON THE PK. Not sure why this fan base hates him so much. Sure there are plenty of bottom pairing guys that would be an upgrade on Gryba, but he is an NHL player. I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that he will have a 1-way contract next season when his contract is up.

 

[Othello*]

this isn't all true. Im not going to say Gryba is good, but he is decent in his own end and plays a very physical game which im sure most fans don't notice (he abuses guys in front of our net).

He isn't very good at passing/receiving a pass and isn't good in the offensive zone.

HE'S OUR 6th DMAN THAT IS PRIMARLY USED AS A SHUTDOWN GUY AND ON THE PK. Not sure why this fan base hates him so much. Sure there are plenty of bottom pairing guys that would be an upgrade on Gryba, but he is an NHL player. I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that he will have a 1-way contract next season when his contract is up.

Gryba was our worst dman by far when we went on that historic run. Just because he's slow and can't past doesn't mean he'll be a good shutdown guy. The guy is awful, I'd much rather prefer Cleasson/Wideman over this scrub

 

[BigBush*]

Gryba was our worst dman by far when we went on that historic run. Just because he's slow and can't past doesn't mean he'll be a good shutdown guy. The guy is awful, I'd much rather prefer Cleasson/Wideman over this scrub

I don't remember Gryba being by far our worst Dman. He seemed to get the job done from what I remember.

He seems to find ways to put up a really good +/- (yes I know, +/- means nothing...)

You can say you'd much rather prefer Claesson/Wideman, but we don't know that they are better NHL players then Gryba.

 

[Hutz]

Also, the people commenting on this article and saying that Wideman is better than Ceci are ridiculous.

But, but, he chocked the second season, where widemen proved he did not fall under pressure.