Who is the next 'fall guy' after Spezza?

[EssendonBombers]

In Soviet Russia, the players run Don Brennan out of town.

 

[BonkTastic]

Funny I started a thread like this in the last month and it got shut down right away...

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showthread.php?t=1675667&page=2

Meh... sometims, it's just timing. Right place at the right time, or vice versa.

 

[Xspyrit]

Somebody makes a petition on change.org for firing Brennan

Would sign. lol

Or just let him keep on trolling this franchise... He's preparing the white sheeps for the next fall out guy!

 

[ReginKarlssonLehner]

Brennan is a ****ing idiot. His faces pisses me off too.

 

[HavlatMach9]

Brennan is a ****ing idiot. His faces pisses me off too.

He's pretty cute

As long as we have a good team, the fall guy shouldn't care, so we need to ensure we're a good team

 

[Sun God Nika]

Ottawa Fans : PPG player is lazy he sucks,
PPG Player : Ignores Ottawa Fans, and keeps scoring at PPG pace.
Ottawa Fans : He sucks because he cant backcheck DERP...
PPG : Im out of here.
Ottawa Fans : We DESERVE BETTER THEN THIS!!!!!

 

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

Ottawa Fans : PPG player is lazy he sucks,
PPG Player : Ignores Ottawa Fans, and keeps scoring at PPG pace.
Ottawa Fans : He sucks because he cant backcheck DERP...
PPG : Im out of here.
Ottawa Fans : We DESERVE BETTER THEN THIS!!!!!

It's more like:

Ottawa fans: PPG player is awesome, but a more complete game would help us win in the post-season.
PPG Player: I'm good, I'm PPG.
Ottawa fans (Player is nearing 30): Would be nice if PPG player changed his game so we could shave off some GA.
PPG Player: I'm cool dude, I'm PPG
Ottawa fans: See ya, hope the new guy plays a two-way game.

 

[OttawaOilers]

Karlsson's to nice to 'leave'.

Probably Ryan, and after that we don't have anyone to deathly coveted to be shooken if anyone else 'leaves'.

 

[Alfie#11]

He's pretty cute

As long as we have a good team, the fall guy shouldn't care, so we need to ensure we're a good team

Exactly, all this drama basically comes around when the team does poorly.

 

[BonkTastic]

Exactly, all this drama basically comes around when the team does poorly.

Define "poorly".

 

[Alfie#11]

Define "poorly".

Missing the playoffs two of the last 5 years, out in the first round in two others. Smashed by Pittsburgh the one year they won a series.

Additionally, the team has shown a lack of progression and development.

 

[Busboy]

Missing the playoffs two of the last 5 years, out in the first round in two others. Smashed by Pittsburgh the one year they won a series.

Additionally, the team has shown a lack of progression and development.

The last line is false. Progression is not linear.

We moved pretty quickly from an aging team with few prospects to a young team competing in the playoffs, even making the 2nd round.

Last season was disappointing but it does not erase the previous progress.

 

[OttawaOilers]

The last line is false. Progression is not linear.

We moved pretty quickly from an aging team with few prospects to a young team competing in the playoffs, even making the 2nd round.

Last season was disappointing but it does not erase the previous progress.

Amen.

 

[Liliaceae]

Karlsson's to nice to 'leave'.

Probably Ryan, and after that we don't have anyone to deathly coveted to be shooken if anyone else 'leaves'.

That's why he avoided the media for awhile? The guy will leave if he gets half the same treatment Spezza did. Spezza took a whole lot of ****, for years I said I can't believe he still stays with us. There's so much a person can take. They are human.

 

[Alfie#11]

The last line is false. Progression is not linear.

We moved pretty quickly from an aging team with few prospects to a young team competing in the playoffs, even making the 2nd round.

Last season was disappointing but it does not erase the previous progress.

Is this progress? When you have a small drop in performance, then maybe you can chalk it up to bumps on the road to success. When you bomb as bad as the Sens did last season, you might want to consider the previous season an aberration. Given the shortened season and all-world goaltending we received it seems plausible to me.

Last season we had all our players and were pretty healthy. The only thing that kept us out of the bottom of the standings was a nice 10-7-3 run with Spezza and Hemsky leading the way at the end of the season. Two players that will be gone next season.

We lost our captain and one of our top players last off-season. We lost a veteran defenceman that gave us key minutes that wasn't replaced. Our payroll was kept near the bottom of the league and our owner claimed we were over budget.

We succeeded in getting the average age of the team down but that's about all the progress we had. The players that drove any recent success this team has had in recent seasons (outside of Karlsson) have were older and established players. They have moved/are moving on.

We are about the deal our Captain and number one centre for what the GM admits will likely be less than hoped for. This team isn't progressing. It's floundering.

I guess we'll see what the season holds but I just do not see any reason for optimism at this point.

 

[Xspyrit]

Is this progress? When you have a small drop in performance, then maybe you can chalk it up to bumps on the road to success. When you bomb as bad as the Sens did last season, you might want to consider the previous season an aberration. Given the shortened season and all-world goaltending we received it seems plausible to me.

Last season we had all our players and were pretty healthy. The only thing that kept us out of the bottom of the standings was a nice 10-7-3 run with Spezza and Hemsky leading the way at the end of the season. Two players that will be gone next season.

We lost our captain and one of our top players last off-season. We lost a veteran defenceman that gave us key minutes that wasn't replaced. Our payroll was kept near the bottom of the league and our owner claimed we were over budget.

We succeeded in getting the average age of the team down but that's about all the progress we had. The players that drove any recent success this team has had in recent seasons (outside of Karlsson) have were older and established players. They have moved/are moving on.

We are about the deal our Captain and number one centre for what the GM admits will likely be less than hoped for. This team isn't progressing. It's floundering.

I guess we'll see what the season holds but I just do not see any reason for optimism at this point.

10-7-3 = 94 pts pace
27-24-11 = 86 pts pace

I AGREE.

To me, that was a Jekyll & Hyde season. They looked very good in half of the games (but doom & gloom people can't remember that) and like a young inexperienced rebuilding team in the other half (unrealistic people can't accept that). They were what they are, a young team with a low payroll. The previous 2 seasons, they exceeded expectations, a bit like the Avs did last season. But how quickly can people forget.

I think the plan is pretty clear (but doesn't seem to be for the majority) : see what we have in the youth core, and then add the missing pieces when they come to maturity

Also, as much as Alfie and Gonchar departures hurt us, they are also 81 y/o. We could have used their experience and leadership for sure but their cost was 10.5 millions in US $ (would have been more in Canada). Are they really worth that particularly for a small market franchise that has to be careful with budget?

IMO, it was really the good decision to trade Gonchar's rights (had to defend him all his time in Ottawa) and not match the 2 years at 5.0. He took another big declining step last year. I understand, at 40 years old it must not be easy to play in the NHL

Alfie, I wish he would have stayed a last year to lead the youth and avoid the change in captaincy etc, but how can we blame him for wanting to try "something different" and try to win the Cup with his Swedish friends in Detroit? If he wanted to finish his career with the Sens absolutely, they would have found a way to work things out, you can be sure of that. I know it butthurts Sens fans, but that's the reality. Players are free when they are not under contract. Alfie also knew the team was not ready to go all-in financially. It's pretty logic as the core is still very young. I totally agree, it is not the time to spend.

I know people don't accept that concept, but it is so easy to whine and complain when you are the one writing the checks. Maybe you guys should make a petition so they should up the ticket prices 30-50%. The team would have a lot more money then... But wait, how many people would show up every game? And against the Isles for example?

And for Spezza, it's not the same exact situation as he is younger but what most people aren't considering is that the team maybe DON'T WANT to commit with him financially for several more years. Spezza is probably looking for big money and term, Sens think they could make a better use of Spezza's money (like extending Ryan, MacArthur, Zibanejad, Methot, etc). Spezza is older than the rest of the core group, and is always an injury risk. It makes sense to trade him now, he has value and is not overpaid, yet. Maybe in 3-4 years he will, who knows?

But what is convenient, is that Spezza too wants to try something else. Tired to be a scapegoat, tired with fans expectations to be a Steve Yzerman when he is a Pierre Turgeon. And he wants to contend right away, not in 1 or 2 or 3 years. He knows he doesn't have 10 more years left in the tank. He is probably going to sign a 7 year extension but could retire before the end of the contract, who knows?

What's funny is that a lot of people were whining "when we had Spezza" like "he sucks, one-dimensional, lazy, can't skate, can't play defense, makes too much money, injury-prone, etc" and now that he is leaving, people are spinning it the other way and are whining because "we let our stars leave"

This fanbase will never change and it will be the fall-out of this franchise. Fortunately for Ottawa, Murray has drafted, traded and developed a quality young core that will make this team competitive for a while. I would bet a house that the franchise wouldn't survive very long if it was in Oilers state