Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Would you do it again? Part 1 - Alex Kovalev

Boredom, sadness, anger. These are the continued emotions I have at dealing with the Sens loss and watching players like Heatley, Crosby, Thornton, etc having success in this year's playoffs. So I'm going to keep busy with a new series that gives us a chance to play hockey's version of armchair quarterback.

First - the Alex Kovalev signing.

It is a very safe argument that when Kovalev was on his game this year, he helped Mike Fisher have his best season as a Senator. He also saw time with Regin and Shannon and helped their play. He commands attention on the ice, clearing room for his centre to find open ice in the slot for one timers and rebounds. His hands are still strong and he knows how to skate and conserve energy by being in the right place at the right time.

But he was given a two year deal and he was given a lot of money. He had two points after the Olympics. He is 37 years old and just had major knee surgery (not his fault, of course). Let's think back to summer 2009 - do you think Kovalev could have been acquired on a one-year deal instead of two? Montreal had already made up their mind to move on and so it would have come down to us and whoever else pursued him. I'd like to think that Kovie would have gone for a one year deal near his beloved Montreal. Do you think that Kovalev could have been signed for $4M a year instead of $5M? Again, his bargaining power had dropped and I don't think he was a very highly sought free agent. Did we have to spend the full $5M and make him our second highest paid player?

There is also the consideration of other eligible players that we passed up. I don't want this to turn into a "we should have signed Mikael Samuelsson" thing, but did we pass up on something more important? Our hole was on defence, especially when we didn't know what we'd get from Karlsson to start the year. Could the money have been better served on a lesser forward and another defenceman, thus pushing someone like Campoli a bit harder?

Let us know - if you could do it all over again, would you still sign Alex Kovalev and would you sign him to that contract? Why?

51 comments:

Anonymous said...

I probably would have re-signd him but as you pointed out, for 1 year and 4 Mill...This contract is still not the end of the world as Him, Leclaire and Cheechoo all walk after this year....Thank goodness!

Anonymous said...

I don't think he would have signed here for 1 year. From what I understand, it was either Montreal or whoever else. Murray nabbed him by giving him the two years guaranteeing he'd be close to home for the forseeable future.

Lewy said...

It's a tough call. Ottawa was the only one to give him a 2-year deal, right? I think if everyone had offered him one year, he'd have returned to Montreal.

Anonymous said...

I think I'd have done it again, although as pointed out, I'd have given him $4M for two years, instead of $5M.

This off-season knee surgery will be a blessing. He's never been known for his incredible summertime work ethic, and I think this rehab will force him to stay in better shape.

Not only that, but I think his knees were bothering him near the end of the season anyway, so I'm of the opinion that we will see an all-new Kovy when he steps onto the ice at SBP for the first time this fall... like a Kovy, circa 2003.

Unknown said...

If Murray had offered what you suggest, Kovy would have gone elsewhere. Murray doesn't tend to pay above market value for players. And he knows what's going on. I'm sure there was no chance of landing Kovy for a $5m one-year or $4m two-year contract. Also, I'm looking forward to seeing him in the lineup next year. I mean, maybe he can teach the young guys to finish. And, I'm sorry but a second line of Mich, Fish and Kovy is awesome. I'm also convinced that if he's not gotten hurt, the Pittsburgh series would have ended differently.

GelatinousMutantCoconut said...

Kovalev actually came out and said last summer that the only reason he chose Ottawa was that they were the only club that offered a two year deal.

Geoff said...

What's funny is that I think we as fans judge contracts based on if we got a perceived 'good deal'. A fair deal can often seen as a bad deal just because the organization didn't get some big savings.

That being said, if we were the only team offering two years, could he have signed for less? It sounds like people are happy with him here, though, over other available UFAs.

Unknown said...

Contracts aside, yes, I would have signed Kovy at that time. When he was signed, the Heatley fiasco had no end in sight and we needed to add scoring depth in his inevitable departure. Kovalev was a great choice given his ability to change games and dominate power plays.

Did he do it? Hardly. And hindsight is 20/20 and I can see clearly that he wasn't a $5M man. In the same breath, it's really too bad we couldn't see him in the playoffs, as per Tim's point above.

The argument last summer against the signing were that Kovy was too old and too lazy. While those might seem true now, I was all for the Kovy signing and have to honestly say would do it again.

My question is, however, if not Kovalev, who else could Murray have signed as a replacement for Heatley?

Conrad said...

I wasn't a fan of the signing at the time and I'm still not. A small market team with intense media pressure that needs to make it to the 2nd round of the playoffs just to break even: I don't think it makes sense to sign big ticket, older UFAs that aren't expected to meet that standard. If all we were looking for is about 20 goals and some depth, why pay $5M for it? Better to look for those cheaper guys who offer bigger value.

Now that we've had a year to look back I think it may be worse than I expected: lowest shooting total of his careers (and if you're Kovalev and not shooting, what are you doing?), less than 20 goals, and that's with 4 and 3 goal games, meaning he only scored in about ten other games during the season. And the times he makes room for others are balanced by long stretches of disinterested play. All of this would be excusable on a cheaper contract - say, $3M - but $10M over two years? Huge mistake.

Look at what Miro Satan is doing in Boston for $500k. I'd rather take a flyer on three or four of those guys and end up with a couple in the press box.

Carey Thezero said...

Was it a good hockey deal? No.

But the Kovalev signing was as much about marketing as it was about the on-ice product.

The franchise was desperate to sell season tickets. They needed a good news story to change the channel on not making the playoffs and having their top sniper demand a trade.

Kovalev was a name and a face that they could market around. Witness the band of kids they surrounded him with when they introduced him to the Ottawa media. Or more telling, the fact they took his photo for the outside banner - presumably to replace Heatley.

How many tickets would Samuelsson have sold?

As far as term goes, I believe Kovy's on record saying the reason he signed with Ottawa was because they were the only team offering a two-year deal.

Master Of Puppets said...

I was one of the ones wondering why we didn't take a chance on a couple of guys - like Tanguay, Sykora or Samuelsson. I wonder what the team would have looked like with a couple of them instead. But I also wonder (what the team could have been) what if we had gotten Ehrhoff in the deal instead of Cheechoo.

Hindsight. 20-20.

Kovalev signing is still up in the air but leaning toward fail. Of his 18 or so goals half were in multi goal games. If he had put up 25 with 40 assists it's more passable. That he didn't get to show us the playoff Kovalev, pushes it more to the fail - we didn't get to see that value.

Now he's had surgery and an injury to rehab - probably won't skate in a game until November. I'm hopeful in a contract year he will play better and his knee won't be a nagging problem leading to a 30 point 60 game season.

The risk in it all - we now have two aging stars - bless Alfie for bringing what he can but he's gonna regress sooner or later.

Michalek is young and still growing with this team - hopefully next season he becomes the consistent 30+ goal scorer this team needs.

The off season is nearly here - let's hope Murray can bring in some improved D men, maybe sign Cullen, when A train walks there is gonna be a shit storm ...

It's a pivotal time in Sensland - stars burning out with no real signs of superstars coming up (Karlsson maybe the exception).

Key off season. For sure.

Master Of Puppets said...

I didn't answer - would I do it again? Yes, given the Heatley mess and there wasn't much out there with a Marquee name I'd probably have too. It was damage control.

You could sign Koivu, Sykora and Tanguay for the same amount and have a decent 2nd line too I suppose. But then Regin, Smith and Shannon don't see the NHL. And Winchester and Chum are the press box observers.

Hmmm, would this mulligan have been better to start the year -

Michalek, Spezza, Alfredsson
Tanguay, Koivu, Sykora
Foligno, Fisher, Cheechoo
Ruutu, Kelly, Neil

Maybe, but would that have dampened the Heatley black eye and filled seats?

My concern with next year is will the team be as good as this year. A train will be gone. Murray can't afford to keep him and pay the rest.

Bright spots - Regin and Karlsson.

Regin looks like another Michalek and may develop even better.

Michalek has to get better. He just pitched his worst year since his first full year in the league and his first with a negative rating.

UFAs Sutton, Cullen, Volchenkov, Donovan - about 9M last year

RFAs Foligno, Regin, Lee, Campoli(arbitration eligible), Winchester (arb el)- 4M total last year

Question Marks - Kovalev and Kuba. 9M Question mark. Do they perform better, status quo or regress?

Goaltending? Who's your number one in 2010/11?

Conrad said...

Kosmo, not sure if the Kovalev signing sells enough season tickets by itself to match, let alone exceed, the $10M worth of salary taken on.

Anonymous said...

Kovalev is a dog and Murray was stupid for wasting money on him. He infects a team like Herpes and, rather than contribute to the team, sucks the life out of it. His intangible talent and mojo does not make-up for his lack of character. I also don't think he helped Fisher as much as all that -as he was simply being his usual streaky self and was due for a good run, after stinking up the ice for the previous season. Sadly, Mr Underwood didn't let us down and went back to his usual "invisible man" routine after the Olympic break and during the post season.
The Sens needed character guys and youth, but instead Murray has loaded up the team with aging misfits and softies...

Hated that deal from day one.

Grinder

Anonymous said...

Huггah, thatís whаt I was ѕearсhing foг,
what a stuff! existіng hегe at thiѕ website, thаnκs aԁmіn of this ωеb site.


my hοmepаge; http://www.bosgemors.co.za/index.php?option=com_blog&view=comments&pid=4119&Itemid=0

Anonymous said...

Sometimes funny piсtures are cгeated automatically, and now need a
littlе tіme to οur own. It is hard to imagine how аthletes can do such entеrtaining and funny
facial еxpressions, but appaгently the desіre
to wіn is more impогtant than image.
A few young suρerѕtaгs have mаdе
their nаme just from being ѕpread acrоss the internet іn videos and phоtos.


my ωeb-site - visit the up coming website
my website :: lol pictures

Anonymous said...

Education is not about memorizing and getting the degrees in hand.

Yet while viewers will inevitably make comparisons between Diane Sawyer and Katie Couric, they
have very styles, as Diane Sawyer has more of a reputation for a 'harder' journalistic style.
The reliable reviews on business and forecast about products and services.


Also visit my website: http://rays-big-mouth.com/

Anonymous said...

These are truly great ideas in regarding blogging.
You have touched some good factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.



Feel free to surf to my web page monrezo360.com

Anonymous said...

Outstanding quest there. What occurred after?
Thanks!

Feel free to visit my weblog ... chamecon.com

Anonymous said...

Your payments will not only get to you faster but it
will provide you with a history of your earnings for your records.
If you weigh yourself everyday or every other day and see that you've gained weight, your motivation may go down and you'll be likely
to give up. Having some company can also make the fitness session more fun.



Also visit my site: vitalland.hu

Anonymous said...

Bring your favorite magazines to the i - Phone with an i - Phone app.
Who does not want to know what is happening in our favorite celebrity''.
This is why the said Albanian gossip thashetheme celebrity news blog page is written in Albanian '.

Visit my web site www.celebsandrats.com

Anonymous said...

Your payments will not only get to you faster but it will provide you with a
history of your earnings for your records. Even if your small business doesn't have some sort of refrigerator (a rarity today) you can choose vegetable and fruit that do not even require refrigeration. What I tell my clients is that they need to schedule their fitness time like it's a
doctor's appointment.

Visit my web site www.articledirectorynews.com/Revealing-Vital-Elements-I n-Fitness-Tips.html

Anonymous said...

While nutraceutical and pharmaceutical content in the baseline algae strain is very small, current market values for these products are extremely high.
The gels went through a trypsin digestion and then were analyzed by a MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometer, which
identified the proteins digested from the gels.
Bioaugmentation is the procedure chosen if the treatability study of groundwater comes back with no
signs of degradation, or an extended time before degradation is found.



Look at my blog post :: http://lumtice.com/link/366

Anonymous said...

This study shows that progression of AIDS become rapid in
the presence of negativity due to less social gathering
and stress in life. Well-mannered, handsome men, looking forward to earn
some money, can apply online to Men2hire for. However, for the next several miles until we got to our hotel, he smelled pretty
dog-gone good, not.

Also visit my web blog microfinance.ca

Anonymous said...

It improves blood and oxygen flow to the muscles that are recovering from the prior hard workout.
It will help the prospective health and fitness aspirant keep
pace with the ever evolving world of fitness. Nothing is more motivating than seeing physical proof of results.


Feel free to surf to my website - http://theresaparty.com/

Anonymous said...

Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your article seem to
be running off the screen in Chrome. I'm not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with browser compatibility but I thought I'd post to let you know.
The design and style look great though! Hope you get the issue resolved
soon. Thanks

my web site ... refrigerator repair chicago lakeview

Anonymous said...

Have you ever considered publishing an e-book or guest authoring on other blogs?
I have a blog based upon on the same ideas you discuss and would love to have you share
some stories/information. I know my viewers would appreciate your work.
If you are even remotely interested, feel free to send me an email.


Feel free to visit my page; fitnessgram nyc

Anonymous said...

I am really enjoying the theme/design of your weblog. Do you ever run into any browser compatibility issues?
A small number of my blog readers have complained about
my website not operating correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera.
Do you have any tips to help fix this problem?


my weblog ... circuit breaker tracer finder

Anonymous said...

Howdy, I am new to running a blog and internet sites in general and
was wondering how you got the "www" included in your domain name?
I see your web address, "http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21451947&postID=2048156159756583928" has the www and my web address looks like, "http://mydomain.com".
Do you know the way I can change this? I'm using Wordpress platform. Thanks

Here is my page ... converting slides to digital images

Anonymous said...

Your weblog seems to be having some compatibilty problems in
my chrome browser. The wording seems to be running off the webpage pretty bad.

If you want you can contact me at: sherman_low@gmail.com and I'll shoot you over a screenshot of the problem.

My webpage apple computer parts power supply

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I'm about to start my own website and was wondering if you know where the best place to purchase a website url is? I'm not even sure if that's what its called? (I'm new to this) I'm referring to "http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21451947&postID=2048156159756583928". Exactly how do I go about acquiring one of these for the website I'm building?
Many thanks

Stop by my website :: frigidaire parts refrigerator door shelf

Anonymous said...

I really like reading through an article that will make men and women
think. Also, many thanks for allowing me to comment!

My weblog: latest celeb news

Anonymous said...

I truly love your site.. Very nice colors & theme. Did you
build this website yourself? Please reply back as I'm hoping to create my own blog and would like to know where you got this from or what the theme is called. Kudos!

Also visit my weblog :: Best Diet Patch

Anonymous said...

We stumbled over here from a different page and thought I might check things out.
I like what I see so i am just following you.
Look forward to going over your web page repeatedly.


Also visit my weblog Uk.Chefs-jobs.com

Anonymous said...

My brοther reсommended I may likе this webѕite.

Ηe was oncе entiгely гіght.

Thiѕ post trulу made my day. Үou сan not conѕideг sіmply how so much time I had spent for this info!
Thank you!

Also visіt my web blog Motel Price Comparability Vs Traditional Travel Look for Web sites -- Accommodations Savings

Anonymous said...

I гeally like what you guyѕ are usually up too.

This κind of clever ωork аnd reρоrting!

Keep up thе excellent workѕ guys I've included you guys to blogroll.

Also visit my page ... Last minute Resort Reservation

Anonymous said...

Үeѕ! Finаlly ѕomeοne writes аbοut Leіsure Visitors.


my webpage - Why would you Compare Accommodations Rates?

Anonymous said...

Hey there this іs κind οf оf off toρіс but I was wanting to know if blogs use WYSIWYG eԁitorѕ or if уou hаνe to manuallу code with HTML.
Ι'm starting a blog soon but have no coding knowledge so I wanted to get guidance from someone with experience. Any help would be enormously appreciated!

Feel free to surf to my website - Getting ready For a Getaway in Cancun Mexico Resorts

Anonymous said...

I hаѵe гead ѕo many postѕ concerning the blоggеr lovers but this paragraph is genuinеly a nіce piece
of ωriting, keep it up.

My ωeblog Strategy The Buying Remain in Dubai Hotels Around Shopping Center

Anonymous said...

I quіtе like reаԁing through a poѕt
that cаn make men аnԁ ωomen thіnk.
Also, thanks fοr аllowing for me to comment!


My web ρage :: Manchester Resort Arranging -

Anonymous said...

ӏ'm gone to inform my little brother, that he should also go to see this web site on regular basis to obtain updated from latest news update.

my web site: review Least expensive hotel fees

Anonymous said...

Ahаa, its fastidiοus dialoguе cоncerning
this post hеre at thіѕ web site, I
have rеad all that, so at this time me also commenting here.


Αlѕo visit my wеblog - Booking Motels At A Cheaper Price

Anonymous said...

Heу, I thinκ your webѕіtе might be having
bгowser соmpatibility issueѕ.
When I loοk at your blog in Oρera, it looks finе but whеn openіng іn
Ιnteгnet Explοrer, іt has
sοme overlaрping. I just wanteԁ tо giνe you
a quіck heads uρ! Оtheг then that, amаzіng
blog!

My раge ... Best Places Throughout The European Union With Regard To Team Ski Vacations

Anonymous said...

Dеfinitеly beliеve that ωhіch you said.
Your faνoгite reason seemed to be on the wеb
the sіmplеst thing to be awarе of.

I say tο уou, I certainly gеt irked while people think аbout worгies that they ρlаinly ԁоn't know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top as well as defined out the whole thing without having side-effects , people could take a signal. Will likely be back to get more. Thanks

My web page; Initial Amount Pricing On Very last Minute Lodge Rooms

Anonymous said...

Hi to all, how іs evеrything, I think evегу one is getting more
from this web sіte, and your views are ρleasаnt dеsіgned for new people.



Visit my web-site Shanghai Accommodations Reduce Our Price range

Anonymous said...

It iѕ not my firѕt time to gο to ѕee thіs wеb
sіte, і am viѕiting thiѕ web ρagе daillу
and take pleasant informаtiоn from here evеry day.


my wеblog ... The Very best Accommodations In Sydney

Anonymous said...

I am new to building internet sites and I was wanting to know if
having your blog title relevant to your articles and other content
really that important? I see your title, "Blogger: Another Ottawa Senators Blog " does seem to be
spot on with what your website is about yet, I prefer to keep
my title less content descriptive and based more around site branding.
Would you think this is a good idea or bad idea?
Any kind of help would be greatly appreciated.

my site: www.youtube.com

Anonymous said...

Everything is very open with a very clear explanation of the issues.
It was truly informative. Your site is useful. Thanks for sharing!


my blog: orangecountyirina75.bravesites.com

Anonymous said...

Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually enjoyed account your blog
posts. Anyway I will be subscribing to your augment and even I achievement you access
consistently quickly.

Here is my website: http://orangecountyhank71.edublogs.org/2013/05/31/basic-gardening-tools-for-the-avid-gardener

Anonymous said...

Hi there terrific website! Does running a blog such
as this take a large amount of work? I have very little understanding of computer programming however
I was hoping to start my own blog soon. Anyways, if you have
any ideas or techniques for new blog owners please
share. I understand this is off subject but I simply wanted to
ask. Many thanks!

Feel free to surf to my page; mp3 player mit aufnahmefunktion test

Anonymous said...

Hi there Dear, are you genuinely visiting this site regularly, if
so after that you will without doubt take pleasant know-how.


Check out my homepage pumpen für solaranlagen