*note - I hadn't noticed the article up at Black Aces about this exact subject until 5 minutes ago...guess I shouldn't be so loyal to S7S!

We've heard, pretty much from game #8, that Paul Maclean is in the running for the Jack Adams Award as the NHL Coach of the year. Though he's certainly going to be in the running, the fellow in St. Louis has that wrapped up at this point. Then we move to King Karlsson. Norris Trophy talk has followed him for a couple months now (longer if you sit within earshot of yours truly). Jason Spezza has been mentioned as a Hart Trophy possibility at a few points in the season, as has #65. However, there's another award that a Senator is certainly deserving of...and it came as a surprise to me too.

jump!

Continue reading this post »

Let me start by saying I was a huge fan of Not-Chris when he was a junior. He was outstanding at the WJHC in 2008. As we all know, he then went on to capture the Alfredsson Calder Trophy in 2009 after an amazing season. He had 32 of the teams 41 wins. Great SV% and GAA to boot. He was, without a doubt. a future star in the NHL...part of the "next generation"...hell, he was on the list for the Olympic Team....

However, in sheer Andrew Raycroft fashion, his game has gone downhill faster than Jonah Hill's waist-line.

He's now on the bench after 2 terrible (and statistically similar) seasons. 

Rumour is he's on the block. He's proven he has the ability, he has the size and movement and has 1 year left at cap hit of 2.9.

My question is pretty simple. If he's available would we be interested and would you (the armchair GM) trade King Lehner for Steve Mason, straight up.

Old man Murray was a sportcaster in Ottawa for 30 years. He did radio forever and was the TSN guy back in the late 80's and early 90's. I mention that only to lend some credence to his opinion about hockey. He's knows the game pretty well and sees it from a different perspective than most. He's unbiased towards any team, even though Ottawa is his team.

So...he and Mom watch every game (my mom says "we're total losers Marc...we have the schedule on the fridge and plan our week around it". Not losers, I say, but awesome fans!)

So...Dad writes to me after the Rangers game...

Continue reading this post »

simple poll. One look at the replay and it's blatant, pretty dangerous and basically a vicious hit to the head (blindside and targeting the head). This is what the new rule was put in place to enforce (literally, blindside and targeting the head). It's suspected (and expected) that WW will have a meeting with Shannaban. Personally, this is Steckell/Crosby but WITH intent. The essence of what the NHL is trying to remove. 

Also, I now despise Wojtekian one.

I know it's early and I know it's early. I also realize it's pretty young in the season but bare with me.

It was a lopsided trade. Having our hand forced by DanyDouchebag we ended up with a flash-in-the-pan Cheechoo and an injury riddled 'maybe' in Zbynek's brother.

It was always my opinion that the trade was never going to look good, even remotely decent, for Ottawa. I think we're seeing what Milan 'can' do early this season. He's always had wheels, questionable hands and a great attitude. 

If he scores at par/better than Daniel LeDouche, is the trade suddenly (and more importantly, forever) swayed?

I know there are a lot of 'what if's' had Daniel LeDouche stayed...could we have been better? Would we have remained competitive? My answer is no...Senate Reform was bound to happen. All he did was perhaps push us towards it a year earlier than we'd liked.

What say you, people that read this site? What say you!

Let me start by saying Ottawa has more than ample centremen and, before the puck has dropped on the season, BMurray is faced with some 'tough' decisions. Giggles, Ronald Regin, ZappaCosta, ZBad all appear to be ready to start the season in Kanata but with the Oilers placing Creme Brule on waivers it got my brain going.

GIlbert is young. Gilbert is fast and GIlbert has shown an ability to play hard-nosed (break your pelvic bone however) hockey. My thinking is this.

Pick him up, he'd become out 4th line centreman and we allow (even though he looks 'ready') Mika to play a full season of North-American hockey in Bingo. He'll have a great coach, will play real minutes and come next year will be full-blown ready to make an impact (at the age of 19!). Worst case with Creme is he flops and goes to Bingo. Best case, he flourishes in his 'new role' and pots 17 goals. He is 24 and was billed as "Brule vs. Crosby" at one point.

Giggles, Ronald and Zappa start the season with Creme on the 4th line....change them up as Walrus sees fit.

thoughts?

Some early thoughts on Colin Greening. I'd never heard of him until last season, I'd never seen him play until this season but there certainly is something to be said about a very big, strong dude who can skate like the wind and, clearly, has some hands/finish. 

I, for one, thought he was likely miscast on the top line with Giggles and Bustler but after 14 games, I think I'm ready to buy in.

My first thoughts of Soylent were "Brad Isbister showed flashes...didn't he?". Big, strong with a could-be imposing style of play all lumped Soylent into the Isbister mold, but after seeing how hard he plays every shift and how he goes directly to the net (not to mention his awareness of where to be when Giggles is carrying the puck in) is enough to have me think he could be a true gem.

With him and the crop of other young'ns like Anacondra, Bustler, Weer-kosh and the true gem coming over from Sweden on the back end (Runblad is going to blow us all away...I'm mesmerized by Karlsson's raw talent, but Runblad is a step or 3 above that...scary) we could have a nice team to watch next year and for many years to come.

now...Bell has purchased my employer so I have to listen to the "Town Hall Meeting" now...wonder if I'll still have a job?

We sit 17 points back with 46 points available. Lots of teams to leapfrog. But would a 6 game win streak change your mind? I remember St. Louis going on an amazing tear 2 years ago...they went like 28-6 over the final 30 plus games. They made it (only to be swept with ease by VAN).

It's amazing what a goalie who stands on his head can do down the stretch....I just refuse to accept this season. 

It couldn't be any more obvious that CoachClou won't be back next year, which got me to thinking. Who's out that that warrants the task of taking over a team with a few prospects, no goaltending (yet) an aged Captain and a GM who likes to spend money on old Russians. 

Is Kirk Muller the leading candidate? Has he shown enough in MTL to warrant a head coaching gig? He's supposed to be 'in tune' with the players...is that the route we need to follow? 

I'm not one to scream for change.

I'm not one to hop on and off a certain player's wagon.

I do think, however, that the time has come for a change (and of the 'major' variety).

I think trading Spezza is all but impossible. With his crazy contract and near invisibility on the ice, the only way he goes is if we take a Souray-type player back. No thank you.

I think we are saddled with Spezz until he remembers he's an 'elite' offensive player. Being anything but a point per game player isn't going to cut it. Sorry giggles, but that's what you get when you sign a monster contract like that.

I like Clouston. I like his attitude. I like his work ethic and I think there are alot of positives that rub off on the worker-bees. But I also think he has a small fanny-pack of offensive schemes he works from. It's hard to blame it on coaching, but when a team shoots the puck as reluctantly as we do, that is a coaching move. Have they been told to shoot when there's traffic and only with there's traffic? How else can you explain it? I don't think firing Clouston is the solution, but it certainly couldn't hurt. His team couldn't score in a brothel. They couldn't finish a sandwich.

I think tomorrow we will wake up to something large. A big trade (Neil/Foligno/Regin I think could all be dealt).

Rumour in Vancouver is that Chris Neil has been targeted by Mike Gillis. It's a rumour. Grain of salt.

I'm tired of watching a boring team who won't shoot, can't finish and can't get a save when we need one.

Spezza to Toronto for Kessel and Schenn.

(Ed. note: This FanPost was written by a community member, and promoted to the front page by the Silver Seven editors, but does not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of the site managers, editors, or Sports Blogs Nation, Inc. Got your own post to write? Click the 'New FanPost' link at the right of the page and get started.)

So we're selling our house, it's a nice house. It's a new house we built. It's kind of a grey-blue. We'd hoped for more grey, but it's actually quite blue. Nice floors, radiant heat AND airconditioning.

That's not the story, the story is my agent has a son who plays in the BCHL and is heading to Portland to join the WHL Winterhawks this season. I poured him a cup of coffee in my fancy Sens mug and he says "my son's buddy just signed with Ottawa". I prod him for more (he coaches and is very involved in the BCHL). He says David Dziurzynski is huge, strong and very slick. He says he has very soft hands and can skate like the wind. He was on the top line (league wide) with 2 brothers (one of whom was a 4th rd. pick of Montreal...Mark Macmillan ). Turns out David was the reason that line was so dominant. Lots of 2nd assists and even more '3rd" assists. My agent said in the playoffs, when the team was losing, the kid "decided" to stop making his linemates look so good and took over. Look up his playoff stats....pretty impressive.

(Ed. note: The Ottawa Senators signed Dziurzynski to a three-year, two-way, entry-level contract back in April.)

The kid has a grade 9 education, and was heading up to Fort MacMurray to work the oil rigs (and disappear from the hockey scene) but after such a strong season, was hustled by Edmonton, Ottawa, NYR and another team (forgot the 4th...sorry).

My agent has seen plenty of talented kids move from the WHL/BCHL to the NHL and, to quote "this kid could very well stun some people". He's not a...ahem, Joe Juneau level rocket scientist, but could be worth a close watch next month.

These are my thoughts from the far west. I"ll certainly be following David Dziurzynski.

(My agent also said Pat Wiercioch is a total stud and, if his wonky knee...yikes...is OK, should/could make the jump this year. )

Now... who wants to buy a 3200 sq. foot house off  Main street in Vancouver?

So the dust has settled, post-July 1 and there seems to be a sense of mild nervousness 'round these parts in regards to the back end. 1 proven defensive defenseman (BigRig), another pretty good option in Kuba and a couple "might be's" in Campoli having a solid season/Carkner improving/Lee maturing.
The fact that Andy Sutton hasn't signed, especially with the "crazy" money being thrown around (seriously...Dan Hamhuis is all of a sudden a 5 million dollar defenseman? For what...35 points). I'd be thrilled if BMurray gave Sutton a 2 year deal at 2 million per. He's a fairly safe replacement for Anton and clearly benefitted from playing alongside 65.

Sign Mount Sutton!

I am amazed at his growth the past month. Confidence, skill and strength. Is there any doubt he will be our best defenseman in a month? Skill like that is scary. Clouston is using him perfectly. He was out there to end the game, is being used on the PP and clearly has been given the green light to skate it out and up. I can't say enough about the kid.

Could he end up being the best pick of the lot from the draft?