News Article: What’s Wrong With the Ottawa Senators?

[TheBradyBunch]

How long will our fairy-tale 2017 Cup run be used as a crutch?

I don't know, but "months" seems reasonable.

 

[Karl Prime]

Healthy Karlsson, healthy Ryan, MacArthur and Methot in the lineup. That 2017 playoff team is a superior team to the one they're icing right now.

 

[BigRig4]

Healthy Karlsson, healthy Ryan, MacArthur and Methot in the lineup. That 2017 playoff team is a superior team to the one they're icing right now.

Completely agree, and I would add to this that in the playoffs your #1 goalie starts every game.

 

[Alex1234]

Completely agree, and I would add to this that in the playoffs your #1 goalie starts every game.

If he has #1 goalie stats


wich for now...

 

[BigRig4]

If he has #1 goalie stats


wich for now...

Yeah, there's that too.

 

[DDT]

Healthy Karlsson, healthy Ryan, MacArthur and Methot in the lineup. That 2017 playoff team is a superior team to the one they're icing right now.

Healthy Karlsson???

 

[Karl Prime]

Healthy Karlsson???

Yeah, should have said in-form Karlsson. Though he was skating much better in the playoffs, so I'd hasten to guess he's not as healthy now.

 

[Bacchus1]

I’m really surprised the team is doing so badly. It seems that things are out of sync somewhere, but I doubt it lasts too long.

I also wonder when Duchene will start fitting in.

 

[AchtzehnBaby]

I will worry more if we are in the same position come January one

 

[Nac Mac Feegle]

It's unfortunate that you post 44 times in the last 3 years (almost 4) and one of them is this one. Go back to your hole.

Dude, piss off with that attitude.

It is NOT acceptable, under any circumstances, to be ok with a first line player getting 1 point in 10 games. Fans have every damned right to complain about it.

 

[dannyfinn22]

Habs fan here in the States, (Upstate New York) also have always admired the Sens , especially the way they build from within, like Pierre Dorion as GM too, Now here's my question.. Since you acquired center Matt Duchene, it seems Ottawa is losing alot more than winning lately..My question is,..why did you even make that deal, don't you have like 3 centers in the system..Logan Brown, Colin White, and I think the other player's name is Chpalik?? I really didnt underatand that trade from a Sens point of view..Then again, there is much more media on the Habs than on Ottawa here..

 

[dannyfinn22]

It's unfortunate that you post 44 times in the last 3 years (almost 4) and one of them is this one. Go back to your hole.

I almost hate to write this, but as a hockey fan for 50 plus years , Matt Duchene is at best a Decent player living on a couple of past seasons..He's also a one trick pony, if he isnt scoring he's basically useless..Not a player I build my tam around.

 

[Agent Zub]

I like Matt Duchene, and I think he's going to bust through this slump.

But he really isn't any better than Turris.

 

[Korpse]

Habs fan here in the States, (Upstate New York) also have always admired the Sens , especially the way they build from within, like Pierre Dorion as GM too, Now here's my question.. Since you acquired center Matt Duchene, it seems Ottawa is losing alot more than winning lately..My question is,..why did you even make that deal, don't you have like 3 centers in the system..Logan Brown, Colin White, and I think the other player's name is Chpalik?? I really didnt underatand that trade from a Sens point of view..Then again, there is much more media on the Habs than on Ottawa here..

I’m not sure about White’s top 6 potential to be quite honest. With Chlapik I’ve always viewed him as a winger at the NHL level but his work at Centre in the AHL has impressed me, he’s definitely a player I can think can make an impact sooner rather than later. Despite all of that, none of them are a gaurentee and I’m not sure you’d want your top two centres being that young and inexperienced.

 

[God Says No]

I’m not sure about White’s top 6 potential to be quite honest. With Chlapik I’ve always viewed him as a winger at the NHL level but his work at Centre in the AHL has impressed me, he’s definitely a player I can think can make an impact sooner rather than later. Despite all of that, none of them are a gaurentee and I’m not sure you’d want your top two centres being that young and inexperienced.

...plus we want to win this year.

 

[branch]

Dude, piss off with that attitude.

It is NOT acceptable, under any circumstances, to be ok with a first line player getting 1 point in 10 games. Fans have every damned right to complain about it.

Relax, he's an Avs fan. Fans of other teams coming into other teams boards to rag on the team deserve it. You've been around long enough, you know how the dynamics of HF work.

 

[GuyBoucherEvilGenius]

The main issues with this team going into the off-season were:

-Lack of a second puck moving/good skating defenseman in the top 4
-Need for another legitimate top 6 forward at C or LW
-Addressing the goaltending situation moving forward

Dorion whiffed on all three.

He lost Methot for nothing, seriously destabilizing the top 4 D corps. Personally, even if they found a way to keep Methot, I thought they still needed to add a more mobile defenseman to split up the plodding Phaneuf-Ceci pairing. Regardless, Dorion did not effectively replace Methot in the top 4. Rather than targeting some of the names that were out there via trade - Brodin, Vatanen, Dumba, Scandella, Hjalmarsson, Martinez, Hamonic, etc. - he chose to sign Johnny Oduya. Horrendous.

Dorion finally got his prized possession in Matt Duchene. But he gave up Kyle Turris - a heart and soul two way player who is a quiet leader - in the process. The Senators needed to add a top 6 forward WITHOUT subtracting anyone like Turris from the group, unless that addition was the level of a John Tavares or Leon Draisaitl. Shipping out Turris in the Duchene deal was essentially a lateral move. I don't believe for a second that Turris "wouldn't accept 6x6" to stay in Ottawa. I don't think Dorion wanted to sign him long term at all.

Dorion would have been better off giving up a prospect like White and even including Dzingel in the package while keeping the top 6 intact and putting Duchene on the wing. Your top two lines would be something like Duchene Turris Ryan and Hoffman Brassard Stone. It slides Dzingel, who is a fringe top 6 forward, out of the top 6 and puts Zack Smith in the proper role of third line LW for Pageau and Pyatt.

If the price on Duchene was too high, the Sens should have been all in on Schenn during the draft. He was a perfect fit - versatility to play C/LW, good from the slot on the PP, plays a hard straight forward power type of game while still being a good skater and having high character - someone Boucher would love. He's also locked in for 3 years at 5.1 million per - very reasonable for the Sens.

Lastly, Dorion overreacted to the playoff run last year with goaltending situation. He signed Anderson to an extension when there was really no need to. He was average in the playoffs. Some good some bad. Let him play out the season, see if there's any decline, see if you can find a young goalie who may be available to be the successor. There is no reason whatsoever to give Anderson a 35+ contract extension for two more years without evaluating how he aged and produced in 2017-18. It's MIND BOGGLING. You took all the flexibility you had and flushed it down the toilet, espeially since you cannot bury 35+ contracts.

And that mistake was compounded by the deal given to Condon. An emotional overreaction to the notion that he "saved the season" last year when Andy was out. Condon is being paid like a back up that has starter potential down the road - gross miscalculation. He's a fringe NHL goalie - a back up at best. You'd have been much better signing a backup goalie like Darcy Kuemper or Anders Nilsson or Chad Johnson to shorter deals for similar or less money to maintain financial flexibility. You are currently paying 2.4 million to a goalie who really doesn't belong in the NHL. Did this team not learn anything from the Hammond situation?

Extremely frustrating.