my sources tell me that Richards would come to Ottawa, but didn't want to waive for a possible trade to Ottawa because he wants these assets to be in place when he arrives July 1st. True story
For me, all this team needs is a new coach, a decent free agent winger, and signing Anderson. If we manage to get that done, then I think we'll be a playoff team.
I think Cowen, Rundbland, and of course Anderson will make an impact next year and make our Defense pretty damn tight, next year will certainly be exciting..
As long as we utilize our great opportunity this draft as best as we possibly can, and get a few signings (especially 1-2 top 6 forwards) I think we could be in great shape, but we would also be VERY, VERY Young..
I think Cowen, Rundbland, and of course Anderson will make an impact next year and make our Defense pretty damn tight, next year will certainly be exciting..
As long as we utilize our great opportunity this draft as best as we possibly can, and get a few signings (especially 1-2 top 6 forwards) I think we could be in great shape, but we would also be VERY, VERY Young..
Im as excited as the next guy about these two players, but that would be a disaster. Giving two guys who never played in the NHL before second pairing duties is shaky at first, but pairing them with each other would be bad. That could be like having two broken legs and no crutches.
I personally want Phillips to mentor and be paired with Cowen. If its even half of what Phillips-Chara was i'll be happy.
I like both Cowen & Rundblad as much as the next guy but we have to remember that these two are only 20 yrs old & will be rookies in the NHL. My guess is that one or both will spend significant time in Bingo next season likely Cowen since he needs to work more on his foot speed & get used to the pro speed. Z. Smith, Regin, Butler, Greening & Condra all have to get better & Anderson will have to stand on his head on a lot of nights. The biggest weakness on this team IMO is the defence & that will take a few yrs to weed out the bad ones & allow the good ones to mature & develop.
If Murray can pull off a miracle & get two of the top 4 guys in this yr's entry draft that would go a long way towards returning to respectability with this rebuild (Landeskog & Couturiere). However, although the Bingo young guys look good now I have to wonder what they will be like over an 82 game schedule against the best players in the world. Goalies will start to get used to them as will defencemen & the forwards so it will progressively get more difficult for them. I think it will take at least two yrs to get back into the playoffs & likely three to challenge for a cup but everything will have to go right for the Sens. All of their prospects will have to improve together & continue to get better.
Also, hopefully Murray can sign another free agent from college/Europe that may be able to contribute as soon as next season & maybe he can add one or two UFAs this summer that will take some pressure off the young guys & help them mature.
the team needs to take its time...
we've all seen how TO took a huge step back in their rebuild by trying to take a shortcut
Their shortcut was trading 2 first round picks and screwing themselves out of getting a potential 1st line Center.
If you ask me, if you have a 1st line Center (Spezza), a #1 Defenseman (Karlsson/Rundblad/Gonchar), and a #1 Goalie (Anderson/Lehner), then any depth on top is just gravy. We have some decent guys who project to be Top 6 FW's, a Top 3 pick this year, a fistful of picks this year to fill out depth.
I dunno if we should be worried about taking shortcuts at this point. Just try to win, draft and develop well.
richards at 8 mill a year? no thanks man, thats nuts.
philly was able to do it by making smart moves, even then what happened to the flyers was the exception, not the rule.
we will not be a competitive team for another 2-4 years probably, even if we were hypothetically dumb enough to pay brad richards money like that i'd still bet he takes a lesser play for a contending team.
Briere signed for how much? When the cap was how much lower?
As great as Richards is he wouldn't be our #1 Center, he's not nearly as fast as Spezza and our first line is going to fly for the next few years, and isn't as good as Spezza in any area.. Just an overall great hockey player though and would lov ehim on this team.. But he also just got a concussion.. no way he gets more then 3 years from me..
Richards is better than Spezza. And I really like Spezza. Mostly because Richards has incredible hockey sense and does not try to force so many plays.
Their shortcut was trading 2 first round picks and screwing themselves out of getting a potential 1st line Center.
If you ask me, if you have a 1st line Center (Spezza), a #1 Defenseman (Karlsson/Rundblad/Gonchar), and a #1 Goalie (Anderson/Lehner), then any depth on top is just gravy. We have some decent guys who project to be Top 6 FW's, a Top 3 pick this year, a fistful of picks this year to fill out depth.
I dunno if we should be worried about taking shortcuts at this point. Just try to win, draft and develop well.
This part tells me we don't have a #1D or #1G yet. Gonchar isn't a #1D anymore. Karlsson isn't there yet. Rundblad is a prospect. Anderson has proven he has the tools to be a #1G, needs to re-sign though. Lehner isn't even close to being a #1G yet.
Travis Yost seems to think that penciling Anderson into future line-ups is quite ridiculous at this point. Seems to believe that Anderson will not want to be with a re-building team (interpreting Murray's quote that Anderson wants to "look at the situation first"). Take it for what it's worth but seems quite possible.
I can't agree with that take on the situation, for 2 reasons:
1- Roster on paper isn't built to tank. Spezza, Michalek, Alfredsson, Gonchar, Neil, and Phillips are established NHL players. Most rebuilding teams don't carry that many Veteran NHL players. If we add a UFA (has to be a forward) there's enough established NHL players to fill our Top 6 and Top 4.
2- Goalie market isn't friendly for Anderson this off-season. I did a breakdown of the whole thing, and virtually every top team in the league either has a starter, or has some serious cap considerations that exclude them from getting a goalie. Tampa is the only top club that doesn't have a decent goalie right now, but they may sign Roloson, or have Vokun shift on over to their club. Beyond Ottawa, there's really only Edmonton, Toronto, New York Islanders, Colorado, and Florida.
Murray's comments generally weren't out of line with how contract signings usually go in situations like these. Meaningful negotiations shouldn't be rushed. You risk the possibility of making the player feel uncomfortable, or are trying to sign the guy at a bargain before he gets a chance to improve his numbers.
We Need goals more than a playmaker, although we need a 2nd line center.
We won't be contenders for a year or two at least, but I don't think making the playoffs is out of the question. I've seen too many teams jump around the standings after minor changes. Ottawa does have a nucleus on defense, and although we are looking to add a couple of defenseman it's not like they are 18 ye olds, both have accomplished all they can at their current level. And both players are fast, that masks deficiencies in young players,
We aren't Edmonton, we still have some decent guys playing defense, and look at how much better they look with a competent goalie in nets.
I make no mistake, we need some things to go our way in order to be chasing a playoff spot next year.
Different coaching
NHL goaltending
More goals up front
Young D can't fall apart
It looks like we might have found the goalie, the state of the young D will reflect our scouting prowess.
The goals and coaching will be for the GM to figure out.
This part tells me we don't have a #1D or #1G yet. Gonchar isn't a #1D anymore. Karlsson isn't there yet. Rundblad is a prospect. Anderson has proven he has the tools to be a #1G, needs to re-sign though. Lehner isn't even close to being a #1G yet.
The point is that you at least have to have the pieces in place and have a couple options before moving forward. Most rebuilding teams on the upswing never have all of the pieces in place initially. They stay in contention long enough to figure out a viable solution or a workaround.
Toronto has basically pushed forward without having a #1 Center, or a #1 Goalie. It's also debatable whether or not Phaneuf is a #1 Defenseman as well.
2- Goalie market isn't friendly for Anderson this off-season. I did a breakdown of the whole thing, and virtually every top team in the league either has a starter, or has some serious cap considerations that exclude them from getting a goalie. Tampa is the only top club that doesn't have a decent goalie right now, but they may sign Roloson, or have Vokun shift on over to their club. Beyond Ottawa, there's really only Edmonton, Toronto, New York Islanders, Colorado, and Florida.
There's potentially two others. Both Chicago goalies have no contracts past this year. Philly have Bobrovski for peanuts for 2 more years, if he bombs in the playoffs this year, they could be in play as well.
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It's also debatable whether or not Phaneuf is a #1 Defenseman as well.
There's potentially two others. Both Chicago goalies have no contracts past this year. Philly have Bobrovski for peanuts for 2 more years, if he bombs in the playoffs this year, they could be in play as well.
There's not much to debate, Phaneuf is garbage.
You aren't considering cap space though. If any of those teams are a remote possibility then he has to take a severe paycut.
Chicago has 10 roster spots to fill and 10 million to do it. They will definitely qualify Crawford and he won't make peanuts. There are a few other players up for raises as well.
Philadelphia is really cap pressed as well. There's no way that they can make a competitive offer either, and they have some RFA's that are worth keeping as well.
The things that generally rank highest on free agent's lists when looking for a place to sign: 1- Salary and term, 2- A legitimate playing opportunity. Money is always a big deal, and for a guy like Anderson who's basically made backup dollars all his career, he's basically looking at Ottawa as his payday. If we compensate him reasonably, he'll be interested in signing. The other part of the equation, particularly for goalies is to have an opportunity to play and actually establish a name for themselves.
For me, all this team needs is a new coach, a decent free agent winger, and signing Anderson. If we manage to get that done, then I think we'll be a playoff team.
The Sens won't be in the Richards sweepstakes.... book it.
Summer UFA signings are 80% of the time overpayment contracts... look at the teams that have been most active in the summer in the past... Rangers, Leafs, ... Sens - Gonchar, Kovalev.
I doubt that after being a seller that the Sens are going to be willing to drop it large on a player like Richards... who's a 1st line center. It just doesn't line up.
Sure Richards would look dirty in the a Sens jersey but.... with Spezz, the Sens need to sign a UFA to play with 19. Not to compete with 19 for ice time.
On top of it, Ottawa needs a 2nd line center. And 19's contract doesn't warrant that.
WE JUST GOT RID OF AND ALBATROS 2nd LINE CENTER CONTRACT - Fisher.
Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see a playing like Richards in Jerkstore's barber pole jersney. And don't get me wrong, I loved Fisher.
If Murray's around. I bet you anything he will rule this franchise via the kids. And build via the draft. The smart way... And also the safe way. He's been burnt by Heatley, Kovalev, Gonchar, Kuba... and so on. He's gonna play it safe.
Look at his most recent moves. Elliot for Anderson. Anderson was brought in as a possible UFA signing. Murray isn't going for a homerun goalie a la Vokoum... He's buying time with a stop gap goalie while Lehner is marinating in the AHL.
Plus time's on the GM's side now, now that the Senators will be a much younger team. Why the hell would you blow you load with big contracts on something you kinda don't need (1st line center).
Murray has said he plans to sign a UFA top 6 forward.
I see that being a 2nd line center to play with Alfie.
That D is not "terrible". It is young and inexperienced....and both of these problems are solved with playing time.
Gonchar has been decent at best, Kuba is terrible and just makes the team worse, Karlsson can be a defensive liablility. Lee is decent as well, and Phillips is pretty solid. So out of our 6 defensemen we ice 1 defenseman that can actually play defense? We better have the best offense in the NHL next year if we are hanging our playoff hopes on that D lineup
I think we "could" make the playoffs next year. I don't expect us to, given Melnyk doesn't want to spend to the cap, but it's not like it's impossible.
