There has been a lot of talk for a long time now about how Crosby has garbage wingers to work with, or how its such a waste having wingers who are not elite around him.

I have often remarked that elite players don't always mesh well together. You end up with clashing personalities in many cases which makes things function horribly as far as chemistry. Just look at this years New Jersey team with Kovalchuk, Zajac and Parise having no chemistry and where they are in the standings to see this happening.

Lots of people forget this, but Kunitz had 25 goals in 2007, which was the year of Anahiem's cup run. That's not "sub par" in my books. He's physical and has pretty good hands. In a weird way he sort of reminds me of Kevin Stevens and Rick Tocchet back in the early 90's, however with less fighting skill. These legends had a great physical presence on the ice and combined it with excellent hands and scoring prowess. Kunitz is certainly cut from this same cloth which gives him a reasonable excuse to be riding shotgun with Crosby at the very least until Eric Tangradi has developed enough to earn a spot there.

Pascal Dupuis is by no means an elite winger. What places him on Crosby's wing is that he's a 2 way forward with a defensive edge. his role is to be responsible defensively and to take the corners and rough play on Sid's line - all things he does very well. He also plays the role of a sub as well, where if the play gets more physical and rough, Dan Bylsma is able to switch Dupuis out with someone like Adams or Rupp to give a little protection to Sid. This happened recently on the Dec. 8th game against Toronto where Rupp skated part of the game with the top line when the Leafs tried intimidation. Ultimately Pascal opens the ice up for Crosby and that alone makes him a worthwhile winger for Crosby.

Could they bring in someone who would be a better fit? Yes of course, however due to salary cap restrictions it is not always just so easy to do so, despite what a lot of armchair GM's feel when they throw out names like Ales Hemsky from Edmonton or Alex Kovalev in Ottawa. But perhaps one day when the decision comes on who to keep and who to move between Staal, Crosby and Malkin will they finally be able to afford a top end winger to play with Crosby, As mentioned looking ahead, Eric Tengradi once he develops should be the riding shotgun with Crosby. He appears to be destined to be a power forward much like John LeClair was in his prime which bodes well for the Penguins moving forward if he can reach this potential. Outside of this they will most likely have to bring someone in from the outside in the next couple of years to complete the line-up once Dupuis and Kunitz start to decline in the next 3-5 years. But until then, they certainly getting the job done adequately on Crosby's wings.

And now for a little analysis for todays ground changing deal. The deal was Ottawa sending fan favourite Mike fisher to Nashville for a 1st round this year and a conditional pick next year depending on how he fares with the team.

I'm very surprised. All my colleagues at work here in Ottawa will be devastated but I honestly did not expect the Sens to get this much for him. Given that they should be headed to rebuild road, this is a phenomenal deal for them and for once I have to congratulate them on pulling something off for once.

So what does tis mean and why did both teams win here? Fisher is making 4.5 million a season which is a bit overpaid since he probably should make around 3.5-4 so Ottawa was lucky to find any takers. They manage to dump salary and get back a huge first rounder to help with the rebuilding process. And with rebuilding, at 30 he's in the middle of his prime but won't factor into the future plans. He plays a physical style much like Micheal Peca for example, but has been lucky in not being hurt overly much if at all. You know that the style of play will take its toll and like Peca he'll start to break down in the next 4 or 5 years, so it was in Ottawa's best interests longterm to sell high if a deal was met for what they were looking for.

The physical element that Fisher brings will be a great asset to Nashville, along with his experience, especially in playoff situations (07 finals with Ottawa). They made a balsy move but one that will give them a good shot at going deep in the playoffs by adding to their depth since he clearly replaces Jason Arnott who left last summer.

Now a lot of people are devastated here in Ottawa. Fisher is a fan favourite and many are wondering why they didn't dump guys like Gonchar and Kovalev before moving him. The fact is, they can't get rid of Gonchar or Kovalev. Both are too old, paid way too much and contribute too little. Fisher may be a fan favourite, but they have to make a move in the best interest of the club, not necessarily the fans. Yes the fans are the reason your in business and all, but if you ask any fan who they like more, their favourite player on their favourite team, or being a contender every year and maybe even winning the Cup. Most fans will say the team winning since one player doesn't make a team in the NHL. But this is exactly like with Toronto in the early 1990's. leaf fans didn't want to trade Wendel Clark since he was a fan favourite. But the team sold high  and moved him despite the fans wishes. The fans were mad for awhile, but what helped was getting Mats Sundin on the deal, which over the long term they clearly won. Wendel ended up being solid after the deal but clearly was starting to decline. Fisher will always be a fan favourite for what he did during his time here, but he simply won't be fitting into their long-term plans moving forward, especially when they are offered a huge piece of the rebuilding puzzle.


Now I know there is a lot of anger amongst the fans in Ottawa already and it's probably going to escalate as time moves forward from this deal. I have already heard from some of my own co-workers even about how they want Bryan Murray to be fired and they won't be buying any more tickets or going to the games. To me I think this is incredibly stupid and shows how stupid Ottawa fans have become.
Now I am going to agree, that GM Bryan Murray should be fired. He should have been fired 3 years ago when he wouldn't handle the situation with Emery which is the root cause of all of this team's problems as they've spiralled out of control. But lets face facts, he's not coming back at the end of the season as the GM and frankly, this is the first bit of sense the man has made in years. For me it comes down to this. The fans were stupid enough to keep going to the games with this idea that the Sens went to the final in 07, so this team, being roughly the same, should be able to go back again. 3 years later things have gotten progressively worse, yet no one called for anyone's head, and everyone still piled into the arena with this stupid belief that they were elite. In other words they've spent 3 years ignoring the problems and issues that keep plaguing this team. If they'd (Sens management) have done something about this 3 years ago, they would have had an off season in 2008 and been back in contention since then by doing a mini renovation. But instead they ignored it and now they will have to spend 3-5 years most likely rebuilding. So the fans have no one to blame but themselves and by not going to games now are nothing more than fair weather fans. To take it a step further, by not bothering with resigning Alfredsson's contract for $4 million per over 4 season and trading him for a 1st rounder to Detroit (rumoured to have been the offer at the trade deadline a year and a half ago) they would have unloaded his contract and brought in a major part of the renovation process and Fisher wouldn't be going anywhere now. However fans wouldn't stomach that either as they are under an illusion Daniel is still 28 and able to get 90+ points a year. They failed to sell high on Alfredsson but I'll give Sens management credit for learning from their mistakes and selling high on Fisher during their next go around.

Richards will be staying in Dallas next season. He's a great fit there and he enjoys playing there. If they make a deep playoff run it'll only confirm it. You know they'll do something to keep him regardless of the internal cap they have set, especially as with selling the team, its easier to move with a top tier player.  So Leafs fans forget about this one.

Lay off Kessel. The guys a sniper. He's not Crosby, He's not Gilmour, He's not Gretzky. If anything he's close to Dany Heatley. All the guy knows how to do is put the puck in the net which is great, every team needs one and they're hard to come by. However with that in mind, he needs a talented playmaker as well. Thats where the trouble has been as they are hard to come by too. If you look at any other team, they are building around a core couple of players. Clearly Toronto is attempting this as well, however people forget about how F'ed up the situation was under the previous manager (probably as much to blame with ownership fiddling as well). Back in the 90's for example this would take 2 seasons to fix by buying out crappy contracts and overbidding on free agents. You could easily right the ship and Toronto was damn good at it with their deep pockets. Today with the cap era, true parity has hit the league and now the big money teams like TO or NY can't just throw money around to correct bad management. Add in the timing of the cap hitting in 05/06 and Toronto continuing to make stupid moves for the first 2-3 years after the lockout and you have a really pathetic situation. The key moving forward is to build from within. Burke attempted to load up on spare parts and 2nd, and 3rd liners in attempt to build depth. This allowed the prospects and draft picks ( since most were traded for aging veterans before and just after the lockout) that they have acquired int he last couple of years to get more time in the minors and properly develop rather than throwing them into the mix in the NHL so the team could get blown out on a nightly basis like the Islanders have been doing the last couple years (I feel bad for Garth Snow, since if you think the Leafs situation is screwed up bad, Mike "Self Certified Genius" Milbury screwed them up about 20x worse. They're still paying Alexei Yashins salary for God's sake!). And yes they could have stock piled with the 2 first rounders traded for Kessel. That's a fair remark. but then Kessel is an established top tier player in the NHL regardless of what anyone thinks of him. It was a steep price to pay, but then both first rounders could turn out to be flops. Look at Alexandre Daigle in Ottawa in 94 or Patrick Stefan with Atlanta in 99. Neither are still playing in the NHL and haven't for years. Both came as huge prospects (not unlike Tyler Seguin actually) and ended up flopping. Sure Hall or Seguin are not going to flop and go onto very good careers but hindsight is 20/20 and you have to see the trade at the time of the deal. Otherwise that would be like making a stock trade and being mad 2 years later when it shoots up 50% at all the money you lost. No you didn't loose anything, you pocketed what you did at the time and moved on. Its very well Seguin could break his leg and fizzle away like many players have.
So folks before you start riding Kessel, remember he's one guy who plays a specific role in a team sport and take some patience. No one likes their team to be a loser, but given how Toronto has bought its way into competitiveness over the last 20 years, its about time they took their honest lumps and rebuilt the right way. And given Burke's cup ring from building Anahiem like this (he started with a hell of a lot more there than in Toronto too), give him the benefit of the doubt and some time to get the job done. Otherwise you might as well have not fired JFJ and let him keep pissing money everywhere in the hope of getting lucky. As for Kessel, he knows he's slumping, any NHLer knows when things are not going well. Get off his case and let him figure it out on his own. He's young and still learning so this will be a great experience for him, but don't paint him out as something he's not and that is a savior like Dougie was in 92.

Q - With the trade deadline approaching, some top teams will want to stock up on talent to make a serious run for the Stanley Cup. Which veterans can the Ottawa Senators trade and what potential prospects can they hope to get in return?


A - I have some thoughts on this. Some are shocking to Sens fans, but at the end of the day its time to face it up, this team isn't winning anything other than a draft lottery pick - it's time to rebuild.

First of all, they should either try to move or demote Kovalev. I'd waive him to wipe his $5 mill of the books (he's done in 6 months anyway). This could help you have money to bring in a trade (for example, a player for a prospect and Commodore in Columbus - they deal a high salary off, and you buy him out in the off season and it becomes a player for prospect deal).

Leclaire is a bust and since he's done this year, either dangle him for whatever you can get or run the clock this year and let him walk as a UFA.

Make a call on Phillips - If you keep him, you know what you'll get out of him, but run the risk he'll walk as a UFA in July. Ultimately I'd try moving him as he will have value and you can pick up a prospect or maybe a 2nd/3rd rounder and clear $3.5 mill at the same time (use that money to sign someone in the off season or re-up Karlsson). After all, he's not helping you to the finals this year.

Trade Alfie - This will probably get me killed if I leave my house but he's past his prime (even if there is a touch left in the tank) and he's not leading this team to another cup (unless its behind the bench or in the front office somewhere). Move him and his high salary while you can still get anything for him from a contender. Let's face it, this team needs to re-up and he's a trade-able asset.

Move Fisher if you have the right deal and he's willing to waive his NTC. He's a great player and an excellent number 2 C, but if you get the right deal (Ryan Ellis from Nashville for example), then I'd pull the trigger. It would be easy enough to patch that hole with a UFA signing or by bringing someone up like Zack Smith.

Keep Cowen as he is going to be apart of the future core with Karlsson (sort of like when Phillips and Redden came up together in the late 90s and provided the core after they added guys like Chara and Berard). Same with Campoli as I think he is better than what he is playing, however given where he is on the depth chart I think his low ranking has something to do with it.

Move Gonchar IF you can. With his salary, declining play, absent defense and the fact that he would be a liability if he retires (cap hit would stick regardless if he plays or not) it will be hard if at all possible to move him. Let's remember that in Pittsburgh, the talent around him hid the problems with his game and being in Ottawa has exposed them which will hurt his value. Maybe you get someone who is desperate and gambling on his shot at bumping them either into the play offs or just tipping the scales to make them a contender. Try the same with both Chris Kelly and Filip Kuba if you can as well.

If you can get something equal for Spezza, I say take it. His soft defensive play, high salary and declining point totals make him worthwhile to get shipped out. He'd be amazing if they actually brought in a coach who would hold him to his laziness and holes in his game, if that could ever happen. On the other hand he is talented enough to be a legit number 1 centre in the league and they don't grow on trees. If you can get a top prospect (Seguin or Hall for example) then sure, go for it, other wise sit on him and try to turn things around.

Keep Milan Michalek as his value right now is too low to make it worth while and I think he's having a rough go while still recovering from his last injury. He is a great plug in the top two lines even if paid a touch more than he should have been (probably $3.5-4 mill a year is right).

I would probably run a tandem of Ellior and Mike Brodeur next year since these guys are more 1a types (not quite a starter by better than a backup) and would hold the fort until Remier is ready to take the starters job. Plus they will come cheap.

To say what they should get back, that really could be anything and everything. They need a better and more mobile defense core. Bieksa would be the first guy that comes to mind and is respectably paid which would make an immediate impact. That said they will need to bring in a few guys - 1 or 2 established NHLers and maybe 1 or 2 through promotion from the farm.

They need better wingers to play with the centres. Spezza has taken a nosedive since Heatley left town since Alfredsson is too old and slow, Kovalev only shows up for 1 in 4 games to play and Michalek has only had mild chemistry with him as well has lost a gear in his speed since his knee injury. Someone they may want to target here is Devin Setoguchin in SJ. SJ needs a defensive D (maybe Philips) and Ottawa maybe where Devin can re-energize and find his game again.
They have average depth on the back two lines where I would probably hold onto Neil and Ruutu (both crowd favourites, decently priced and do a reasonable job). I look to a team like Pittsburgh who spent the last 3 years collecting grinders, fighters, role players and other 3rd and 4th line players. Many think that it is stupid, but this is the depth that makes them difficult to play against, as well as go the distance through 82 games and a full cup run. Vancouver has done the exact same thing this year when guys like Manny Malhotra where signed (his face off percentage is also a huge bonus). It's time to emulate the successes of other so either grab some depth at the deadline or on July 1st.

Lastly, fire Bryan Murray! This guy has been the biggest overall problem to the team as he's shown nothing but desperation and rolling the dice on a lot of the moves he has made in the last 2 years. I believe these moves have brought this team nothing and probably made them worse which is why they are in the situation today. With that consider firing Clouston as well. I think he's a good coach, but has lost the confidence of the players. Maybe you can turn it around next season with him if there is a turnover of the core guys in the next 8 months, but that would be the only situation.

Marc-Andrew Bergeron would fill a second pairing role on many clubs in the league right now. At 30, the guy is right in his prime and already has a few years of NHL play under his belt (7 seasons to be exact). When you look at the teams he's played for in the past - Edmonton, NYI, Anaheim, Minnesota and Montreal, neither have been an exact power house or offensive haven outside of arguably last years Montreal team. However in 60 games last year, he was able to grab 13 goals and 21 assists for 34 points. Not too bad for a number 2 pairing. Given that if he played a full season he could potentially have hit the 40 mark for the first time in his career. His career line of 75g and 119a for 194pts in 399gp is very solid and averages to 0.5 pt/g. Again, not bad for a second line pairing or even a third line depth role/insurance for a contender. While he's averaging about even points per period for his career, he has a slightly higher chunk of the pie for the third where he's had 69pts compared to 51pts in the 2nd and 59pts in the 1st. So he can reasonably be put out at any time and find the net for you. Further, he can also perform when the game is on the line.

Now his defensive play is merely average, but his value is strictly tied to his hard shot and offensive abilities to move the puck up the ice. Pair him with a solid stay at home defender and he fits the role perfectly. His only other issue will be how he performs coming off a bad knee injury from last season which will spook teams into offering him a 1 year deal to see how he does before possibly offering something longer. Teams like Dallas, NYI, Toronto, NJ and St. Louis could all use his skills to help better the club for this season. For Dallas (especially need his skills), St. Louis, Ottawa, etc. he could be a great addition to help them get into the playoffs and perform. It won't be too surprising to see him get signed before the Christmas freeze in the next week and a half given that he'll come cheap and be effective.

Since this is my inaugural post, I felt it made sense to bring up something that's been bothering me for awhile about the hometown Sens - Bryan Murray.

I have never seen someone make such rash desperation moves to keep their job than I have in the last 2 years of his management. It became especially apparent in the Danny Heatley debacle where clearly, someone in his front office leaked this story to the press, causing the whole to-do around here in the first place.
That said, I think this has been a sinking ship since the 07 cup run and it will only be getting worse as time moves forward. Murray has done clearly little to reverse the teams fortunes with the exception being promoting coach Cory Clouston.
Take for example how Murray has been doing everything short of literally getting down on his knees and begging his counterpart Scott Howson in Columbus to make a deal for Bryan Lee. Lee of course has done little to help raise his stock value in the last year playing very mediocre when he is in the lineup. Unfortunately for Bryan Murray is that he's the only one who hasn't yet figured out that no one wants Bryan Lee. Mr. Hoswon of course is probably still laughing after ripping off the Sens for the Vermette/Leclaire trade a couple years back where despite Leclaire's superior talent level, Columbus got the better player at the end of the day. Murray's next laughing point is his insistance to replace players that either were traded away or walked during the free agent period with overpriced veterans. Guys like Kovalev (who was signed to a $5 mill deal literally 2 months after his public benching in Montreal), Sergei Gonchar ($5 mll)who at 36 is not going to be getting any better (especially not his piss poor defence which is why the Pens took a pass on him) and even the lovable Daniel Alfredsson ($4.87 mll) who again at 38 on the 11th, is pretty much at the end of his rope. If I was in charge when he signed his last 4 year extension, I would have simply moved the guy to someone like the Red Wings (Reportedly were every interested at the time) for a couple draft picks since that was the highest his stock would have gotten, but I digress. Combined this group of 35+ makes just under $15 million or around a quarter of the overall cap hit this season. And considering that if anyone of these 3 were to retire randomly, the cap hits would continue for the duration of the contracts as they were over that magical age of 36 when they signed up. Sure that is likely not going to happen, but its a hell of a liability to have sitting around as a possible, much less than at least two of the three are arguably drastically overpaid.
That leads me into the next point in part 2 - what does Bryan do from here?