Speculation: To be fair, Ottawa is not a good team.

[Nordic*]

Or perhaps "team" is the wrong word. We do have a good team, but it consists of very mediocer players aside from a couple of noticeables like Karlsson & Spezza, and to an extent Anderson. But with Spezza out, we will not make the playoffs, and if we do it is a miracle.

Turris isn't a first line center on any other team in the NHL. Alfredsson is 40 years old. Latendresse, Silfverberg, Michalek are all good players, but they are second liners on most teams - Silf & Dresse probably third liners.

On defence we have Karlsson as the shining star, and around him Methot and an old Gonchar. The rest are either too old or too young to really be deciding factors + Cowen injured.

We have a pretty good future ahead of us, but right now we shouldn't be a playoff team.

In a short season I guess everything is possible, but with Spezza gone 2 months, I'd give us about 15-20% to reach the playoffs.

What do you say, am I overly pessimistic or pretty dead on?

Click to read more...

 

[HavlatMach9]

We're a rebuilding team. We replaced several NHL players and let a mass of AHLers join. Even so, it's not possible to replace Spezza, Cowen, Gonchar, Lundin, and Latendresse. We're a playoff team without injuries, a contender after we had good top 6 forwards.

 

[General Granny*]

Were 2-2 with Spezza out.

Maybe 3-1 if the refs werent turds.

Yeah take out any teams 2 best players and they arent very good.

Malkin and Crosby out what will the Pens look like.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk out

Bergeron and Chara out.

On and on what a stupid thread.

 

[Quo]

Or perhaps "team" is the wrong word. They do have a good team, but it consists of very mediocer players aside from a couple of noticeables like Karlsson & Spezza, and to an extent Anderson. But with Spezza out, we will not make the playoffs, and if we do it is a miracle.

Turris isn't a first line center on any other team in the NHL. Alfredsson is 40 years old. Latendresse, Silfverberg, Michalek are all good players, but they are second liners on most teams - Silf & Dresse probably third liners.

On defence we have Karlsson as the shining star, and around him Methot and an old Gonchar. The rest are either too old or too young to really be deciding factors.

We have a pretty good future ahead of us, but right now we shouldn't be a playoff team.

In a short season I guess everything is possible, but with Spezza gone 2 months, I'd give us about 20% to reach the playoffs.

What do you say, am I overly pessimistic or pretty dead on?

I think team is the wrong word because as a team we did very well last year and carried that over into this year despite the deficiencies you alluded to. This is a good team. Those deficiencies are real for sure, I won't try to refute them. However, they haven't been so glaringly exploitable until one of our two legitimate stars falls to injury for an extended stretch.

I'm hopefull Da Costa can make up a bit of what we're lacking. Hopefully then Karlsson and Andy can relax a little and not feel that they've got to do it all themselves.

 

[inthewings]

Were 2-2 with Spezza out.

Maybe 3-1 if the refs werent turds.

Yeah take out any teams 2 best players and they arent very good.

Malkin and Crosby out what will the Pens look like.

Zetterberg and Datsyuk out

Bergeron and Chara out.

On and on what a stupid thread.

Karlsson is healthy.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

We got lucky last year with the lack of injuries to our important players.

It's the opposite this year. Right now, we're pretty much being carried by Karlsson and Anderson, who's been on a hot streak. Offensively, we're seeing Karlsson rush the puck up the ice with nobody to capitalize.

 

[inthewings]

We got lucky last year with the lack of injuries to our important players.

It's the opposite this year. Right now, we're pretty much being carried by Karlsson and Anderson, who's been on a hot streak. Offensively, we're seeing Karlsson rushing up the ice with nobody to capitalize.

Yeah, we were really lucky last year with health. Now the other shoe is dropping.

 

[SensFactor]

I completely disagree we are a good team...But we have added 2 guys in Silverberg and Zibenajad.. That to be honest deserve more time in the ahl.. And Peter Regin is back in the lineup and simple isn't an Nhl player Imo.. Now on top of that you lose 84 pts out of the lineup in Spezza and ur top face off man and Ottawa is going to struggle... Alfie is 40..AndI u have aanother 2 rookies in Benoit and weirorch on d.. We are more a rebuilding team than last year.

 

[starling]

Offense == non-existent.

 

[18Hossa]

I completely disagree we are a good team...But we have added 2 guys in Silverberg and Zibenajad.. That to be honest deserve more time in the ahl.. And Peter Regin is back in the lineup and simple isn't an Nhl player Imo.. Now on top of that you lose 84 pts out of the lineup in Spezza and ur top face off man and Ottawa is going to struggle... Alfie is 40..AndI u have aanother 2 rookies in Benoit and weirorch on d.. We are more a rebuilding team than last year.

Silfverberg does not need more time in the ahl he jsut needs better team mates(regin, latendresse, daug), however Zibanejad probably could use some more time in the ahl

 

[Topside]

Offense == non-existent.

If the refs did their job today, the Sens would have scored at least 2 goals and then we wouldn't be having this discussion.

 

[mt-svk]

IMO you are a good team, look... no stars made a team but something another... and you have right players plus you can get a center when you trade spezza because i think that jason isnt an ideal center for you

 

[DylanSensFan]

You know, they sell good strong lengths of rope at Home Depot. It seems like everyone is getting ready to lynch themselves after a few loses. Get over it. This team is competitive and very good to be honest. There is not a lot of offense being produced over the last two games... the game before it was 5 goals. Montreal scored five before they met us tonight, so our team defense is not that bad and we have a hell of a goalie in Anderson. We got very unlucky and the habs got help from the refs. If it goes 2-2 the game is completely different... Step off the ledge, it is going to be okay.

 

[Tundraman]

The Sens have held their own defensively largely because of Andy but in the winnable games like those against Carolina and Mtl you'd expect lesser lights like Smith, Condra and Daug among others to show something offensively. Too many times guys opted for the fancy pass which led to nothing instead of just shooting and having someone go for the big rebound. When Alfie, Michalek and Turris dry up and our D don't score there is not much left offensively.

Unless that is corrected then it will be hard to make the playoffs

 

[DylanSensFan]

They need to crash the net, but with Penalties like Silfv I can understand where players like Neil, Smith and Greening might be afraid. They need to play a north south type of game... bump, grind and bring the puck to the net. Hopefully Smith learns that.

We had these players stepping up last season, they just need a lesson in how to simplify.

 

[RuthlessLieutenant]

If we were healthy we'd be a "good" team. Hell we were a good team before Spezza got injured.

 

[Sens Rule]

Or perhaps "team" is the wrong word. We do have a good team, but it consists of very mediocer players aside from a couple of noticeables like Karlsson & Spezza, and to an extent Anderson. But with Spezza out, we will not make the playoffs, and if we do it is a miracle.

Turris isn't a first line center on any other team in the NHL. Alfredsson is 40 years old. Latendresse, Silfverberg, Michalek are all good players, but they are second liners on most teams - Silf & Dresse probably third liners.

On defence we have Karlsson as the shining star, and around him Methot and an old Gonchar. The rest are either too old or too young to really be deciding factors + Cowen injured.

We have a pretty good future ahead of us, but right now we shouldn't be a playoff team.

In a short season I guess everything is possible, but with Spezza gone 2 months, I'd give us about 15-20% to reach the playoffs.

What do you say, am I overly pessimistic or pretty dead on?

I won't read the rest of the thread before I make this post after just reading OP.

Points:

- Anderson is playing as well as ANY goalie in the NHL... and has pretty much since he came here. And in that great full year in Colorado. Having a true top goalie makes an average team into a playoff one. A mere playoff team into an outside contender etc.

- We don't have "mediocre" players outside of our few stars. We have VERY good role players. Look at the 9th-14th forwards on most teams. The Senators CRUSH most teams. We have rolled 4 lines even after injuries.

- We are FIRST in 5-5 scoring, even today. We have played nearly 20% of the season and are 1st in the NHL. Granted Anderson plays a big role in this but still, it is amazing. All of our team stats point to a better record being the likely outcome of our perfomance, and as it is our play so far has us 6th in the East in points percentage.

- As if Michalek is a 2nd liner on "most" teams. There are 30 teams, 60 wingers. Michalek is EASILY among the top 60 wingers in the NHL. There is not even an argument to make that he isn't.

 

[65isthenew11]

2 game mini slump =

 

[salomonster]

Weak thread.

 

[Caje]

I think people agree forgetting how important Gonchar is to our team. Missing both a #1 center and #2 d-man is going to hurt any team. We're a good team that's missing some important pieces right now.

 

[Icelevel]

i wouldn't say the team is not good. but it is definitely playing like **** a lot of the time.

the top 6 needs a big upgrade, simple as that.

 

[Magix]

Not really surprising considering that Spezza was this team's one true 1st liner and only star forward. He masked alot of deficiencies in the forward corps.

 

[Iamok]

I'd say it's more along the lines of disillusioned fans than it is the team. We're still only in year 2 of the actual rebuild, yet you rarely even hear it mentioned any more.

Last year we just squeaked in the 8th seed with our #1C finishing 4th in league scoring and our #1D winning the freaking Norris trophy. Apart from Andy turning in a Vezina worthy season, not much more could have gone better. Yet now that's expected to be the norm?

I'm quite happy with where we are as a team because I thought we'd be a lot worse than we are right now.

 

[pepty]

There are a lot of role players and rookies and reclamation projects on this team right now, which makes the way they are playing even more impressive .

 

[General Granny*]

Just lock this.

Sky is falling, we suck, Seth jones here we come thread because of a 2 game skid where we lost both by1 goal and a crappy call.