Thursday Thoughts - Kovalev, Lee, and much more

So I was talking with co-blogger Pynch yesterday about what we wanted to do with this site and while we both want to keep blogging, we find it difficult to put in any effort to write about the shitshow that we've had to watch on the ice so far this season. I guess Kovalev and I have more in common than originally believed.

Some thoughts heading into a pretty important weekend with divisional games against Buffalo and Montreal:

1. Goaltending. Is there any surprise that this is one of our key issues again? I hate to say it, but the only time that we've truly had stability in our nets was the half season we got from Dominik Hasek. He was lights out that year and we've all just grown to hate him again for the whole adductor thing. But up until the Olympics, we all felt that a trip to the Finals was inevitable because of our goalie. I find it hard to believe that Murray sees us as a real contender this year at the same time he let us enter the season with Snoopy and Ells. I know his statements were that we'd be a playoff team and then anything can happen in the second season. But seriously, what the hell did we expect from these two guys? It doesn't make it any less frustrating that porcelain Pascal is out and Elliott pats himself on the back with praise after giving up five goals, but it isn't surprising.

2. On Karlsson, let us not forget that the kid kinda stunk up the joint last year in the early going, too. I'm not suggesting that some time in Bingo is warranted, but it might take some time to get some swagger going again. The reason that the sophomore slump typically exists is that rookies leave at the end of their first year full of confidence and a touch of arrogance. Sometimes, that can affect their off-season workout because they no longer have to fight for a spot on the team. I'm not insisting that is the case with Karlsson, but it is entirely possible that he didn't fight quite as hard this year compared to last year and thus is having some trouble catching up to the pace. He'll find his game, no question about that. Hope he moves back in with Alfie!

3. On Gonchar, he'll be fine. Special teams take time and our powerplay has an abundant amount of pressure to be top ten in the league with his addition. Let them learn how to move the puck around and find the good shots. Recall that Sarge just spent a few seasons feeding Malkin on the halfboards for one-timers, now he looks over there and sees Alex Floatalev. That is a massive adjustment! When he plays the left side, he needs to feed Alfie for the one-timer and it will take time to get that down.

4. On the other youngsters, there are what we thought they were. Remember when some morons thought Peter Regin was going to get a $3M offer sheet and we should match? As fans, we always look at the smallest of sample sizes to evaluate someone's performance. Just as we want this year's team blown up after six games, people thought Peter Regin was a lock for top line duties after the six playoff games last year. If we're lucky, he'll turn out like a Jiri Hudler (who is a p*ssy, so hopefully Regin is a bit tougher) and be a 45 point guy on the third line. Would anyone have a problem with that? I just don't see enough jam in this kid's game to see him regularly getting top line minutes with guys like Spezza and Alfredsson.

5. On Alfie, he's incredible. I'm going to cry and weep like a two-year old when he retires. But let's not talk about that, let's talk about how he is still one of our best skaters. That's both a testament to him and a knock on some of the rest. No way that a 37/38-year old should be one of the top skaters. C'mon, Foligno!

6. On Brian Lee, there is little doubt that his time in Ottawa is about done. Hale is called up to take his spot for now and Kuba is starting to skate. What surprised me is how nobody tied him in with trade rumours back to Minnesota. First, people always assume that every Minnesota-born player is destined to play for the Wild (see: Matt Cullen). Then, we know Lee is garbage and we want him gone. Finally, Murray admits that he was on the phone for a very long time with Chuck Flether talking trades. Lee for Havlat? No. Lee for Burns? No. Lee for Clutterbuck? No. Minnesota needs energy, too, so don't bother with the Lee + Kovalev talk. What we have to remember here is that Lee's trade value is very low unless there is some GM out there that feels he needs a fresh start and points to an Alex Steen or something.

7. On Spezza, I just saw on Andy Strickland's website that Murray is still shopping him. Strickland is normally pretty reliable and connected, but can we drop the Spezza trade talk? He's our most talented player and the future of the Senators. Trading top line centres never works and Murray will not make a job-saving desperation trade involving someone as talented as Spetz. Move on, Andy, and find out who we are REALLY shopping.

8. On Clouston, if I see one more too many men penalty, I want him and his staff having to go through a bag skate. Sure, the players know when to come on and off, but there must be something going on with the coaching staff that is causing this chaos on the bench. Are they changing wings? Changing linemates? It just blows my mind how this can happen so often. Clouston has insisted he won't call out names of the culprits but it has happened so many times now that we have nothing else to do but to call out the coach. Get your shit together on the bench and learn to play with five men instead of six! Or seven.

9. On the scoreboard, heard that Eugene is hoping to get a new one for the All-Star Game. I'm indifferent.

10. On Murray, I just hope he doesn't make any desperation moves. His track record with trades his floating between failure and disaster. I was trying to think of successful trades and can point to the Meszaros deal (which was quite good for us) and the Schaeffer/Donovan trade, just because Chum was decent for us and it got that little douchebag Schaeffer off our payroll. Besides that, not much to write home about. Sure his drafting has stocked the cupboards, but that is only a part of building a winner. The Pascal trade hasn't worked out. He took a chance and tried to address an issue and it didn't work. The Kovalev signing was and still is one of the worst moves we've seen just based on the cap hit and the wasted icetime. More on him next. He signed Emery and then cut him; he signed Heatley and then traded him; he's had three coaches; his most successful signing has been Jarkko Ruutu.

11. On Kovalev, I can't stand him. My good friend and former co-worker Peter at Silver Seven Sens has a good piece on the bright side of the player (link) but I'm still having a hard time accepting his spot on this team. Stubborn, I am. I also don't buy the long-held theory that he is always making his linemates better by giving them more space. Who in God's name is double-teaming Kovalev at this point? If anything, this guy should be wide open on the ice and Fisher is the one battling for time and space. Does anyone think that maybe Fisher was just due for a good season, with or without Kovalev? I wouldn't be happy with Kovalev at $2M right now and I'm sure as shit not happy with him at $5M. He has KHL written all over him next year, seeing as how there is no way Ghost brings him back to MTL for his goodwill season.

12. After six games, Murray's argument that losing Volchenkov isn't a problem hasn't worked out. Small sample size and nothing to discuss in great detail yet, but giving up 40 shots on the weekend doesn't sound like a team that is dominating in puck possession and taking more shots on the other team. Defence needs to improve.

13. Elliot has never lost to the Sabres. We're all pining for a Lehner start, but Ells has their number. Let Lehner have the Montreal game back at home.

And just win!

Question for Day 1

Why doesn't Brian Burke tie up his tie?

I realize this is a Sens blog, and sure, I haven't blogged about the Sens in a while, and yes, there is a lot of Sens topics that can be covered, talked about and questioned. All of this is true. But as this NHL season opens today, sans Sens, the one thing that's bugging me is Brian Burke's refusal to tie his tie.

This shot is taken from an interview that Burke did with Sportsnet. Sportsnet is a major sports media outlet in this country. Brian Burke is the General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs. You think the combination of the two previous sentences would warrant a the 10 seconds it takes to tie a tie. But no, Burke gets in front of the camera with his tie draped loosely around his neck.

I'm sure Brian Burke ties his tie most of the time, and I'm even ok with him not tightening up his tie around his collar, but to have it hang loosely? Why even bother with the tie? And the thing is, this isn't the first time I've seen this. It's becoming a "thing", which is ridiculous. Sure, he's busy, I get it, but c'mon. I mean, c'mon.

Would we be ok if Murray talked to the media with tie untied? Or better yet, his shirt unbuttoned or his fly down? It's all the same thing! Finish getting dressed!!! The answer, of course, is no. It's ridiculous, tie your tie.

Go Sens.

Sens Leafs Video Analysis from Toronto

So I missed the first period of last night's exhibition game last night and heard that Foligno scored a nice little number after passing Phaneuf. Youtube, though, only has video of all the three fights, but I also found this beauty of a video giving real-time, in game analysis. I just wish Ottawa would play fair. Enjoy.

Also, Ron Wilson on their powerplay: "First off, we haven't worked on 5-on-3 yet..."

Random thoughts as camp opens

What a long off-season. Here we go:

- Love that Snoopy is telling reporters to find something new to talk about other than his injury history. Our media is boring as hell and lacks any kind of original thought. I watched the interview clips of Spezza and Alfie at the All-Star Game announcement and the inability of our media to ask one sensible question amazes me. "Jason, do you want to play in the All-Star Game in Ottawa?" No, dipshit, I want to sell hotdogs in the stands. "Will you stuff the ballot box to make it?" Yes. "So does that give you motivation to play hard so you can be in the All-Star Game in Ottawa?" Are you still talking about the ASG that is 500 days away in a totally different season? Get a job, man! You guys can't even manage to get good sound bytes anymore. This childish work is in the same week that CTV announces that Pat Burns is dead. Great work, fellas.

- All the Gonchar talk seems to be on improving our powerplay. While I agree that he does add credibility to special teams, he's also a #1 guy on 5-on-5. You don't pay a guy that much money just to work the powerplay (outside of Kovalev, of course), you pay him that because he is our top defenceman, the puck mover that Murray has been longing for during the past three seasons. I'm excited to see these guys move the puck up the ice 5-on-5 and catch our opponents on a lazy backcheck. As great as A-Train and Big Rig were, forwards didn't exactly have to fly out of our zone because the puck never really left. With Sarge, we should be able to get some odd-man rushes. If Michalek can get his speed back that he did in the beginning of last season, we're in for some awesome end to end plays just using his breakaway ability with Gonchar's outlet.

- While I do hope that a guy like Butler or Wick can have a stellar camp and make the squad, it is a bit strange that we would turn down the offer of having a Lang or a Guerin come on a tryout basis. I know that cap space is a major issue and that we need the youth in our system to prepare for the departures of Kovalev and Alfie in the next couple of years, but would it hurt to see how those free agent vets could do in our camp? I guess it might not be fair to them knowing that we don't have the cap space to pay for them, but it would be a shame if we missed the boat on a guy like Guerin that can still hang around in the top six ranks because we think Wick might be able to do it. Then again, youth needs experience, right?

- Excited to see if Kuba can regain is 40+ point form that he used to bring. He's a good dman that won't have to play 24 minutes anymore so hopefully he brings a second wave of offence with Karlsson on the second pairing.

- Does anybody anywhere expect Brian Lee to crack the top six?

- Pardon me for being in the minority on this one, but I just don't give a shit about our scoreboard. When I'm at a game, I look up to see time remaining, shots, and penalty minutes. I just don't need some flashy HD screen. If I wanted a great TV picture of it, I'd watch from home where beer is cheaper. Garrioch says some scoreboards show who is on the ice. So do my eyeballs. To me, scoreboard is nothing more than a status symbol and I'd personally rather we spend the money on hiring the best scouts, the best trainers, the best nutritionists, the best training equipment, the best doctors, stay in the best hotels and fly in the best planes, and then go win a fecking Cup. And when Alfie hoists Lord Stanley's mug and parades around the ice, I'll be watching him and not the scoreboard.

- DROP THE PUCK! We're ready to roll.

the Case for Chris Campoli

So I'm reading through various comments sections in the Sens blogosphere and read the usual rants and raves about Roman Wick being a 50-goal scorer, Regin winning the Art Ross, Karlsson breaking Coffey's records, etc, when I notice a trend. The trend that feels Chris Campoli "just didn't work out" for us and that he doesn't have a role on this squad for what he brings.

Let me get this straight. The kid made a whopping $675K (cap hit) the past two seasons, is one year removed from a 30-point year with us and the Isles, and managed to snag 18 points in 67 games last year when he wasn't being benched. We have no room for this guy? You simply cannot argue that he doesn't belong here based on his own individual stats.

That being said, I understand that this team has a growing depth chart and he won't crack our top four (Phillips, Sarge, Karlsson, Kuba). We also know that Carkner is on a one-way deal and will likely slot into that 5-6 spot. That leaves one final spot for Campoli, Lee, or Cowen to compete. We know how Campy does against Lee, so I guess the question becomes whether or not 1) Cowen earns a spot on the roster, and 2) we want to go back to three full-time shutdown defencemen like we had last year. Again, Campoli gives us a presence on the second powerplay and an ability to move the puck up the ice against third and fourth lines. He's a modern-day Tom Preissing, except his agent isn't informing us during the Stanley Cup Finals that he can't wait to leave Ottawa in the off-season.

I looked at defencemen with similiar point totals as Campoli, understanding that his offensive skills are the only tangible part of his game. Given that he doesn't bang bodies or block shots, he isn't really comparable to guys like Regehr, Jackman, and Zbynek, all players in Campoli's point range. But other names were guys like Joe Corvo ($2.25M with Carolina), Tim Gleason ($2.75M with Carolina), Brad Stuart ($3.75M in Detroit), Nick Schultz (3.5M in Minnesota), Andrej Meszaros, remember him ($4M in Philly), and Marc-Edouard Vlasic ($3.1M in San Jose). These are all offensive defencemen that are on the second pairing and second powerplay unit at best. Campy managed his points with 3/4 of a season and third pairing minutes in the 17 minute range.

So given that Campoli is fighting for a spot in the top six, what do you pay him? That's where I have a problem with the parts of the fanbase that are saying we let him walk if it is over $1.5M. You wouldn't pay $1.5M for a 25-year old defenceman that likes Ottawa and has put up 30 points a year? He isn't a star in his own end but he isn't bad in his own end, either. Personally, I'm comfortable up to $2M with the guy just simply based on the fact that anything more than that just screws up our cap number. In all honesty, I think his agent can make an argument that he's worth over $2M and he'd have a case. We just need to try and get a 'good deal' on the kid and get him for less than 2.

On that same note, I'm a bit tired of seeing people say that Kuba isn't any good in his own end. He puts up 40pts and very, very rarely is out of position or making bad passes. For whatever reason, fans demand that all six defencemen score 40 points, block 200 shots, and hit forwards into the 8th row. With our budget, we aren't going to sign 6 Chris Prongers. We have to find a healthy mix of offensive players, defensive players, and the occasional hybrid that can do both. We don't get pissed when Phillips doesn't hit the 30 point mark, so why are we pissed when Campoli or Kuba don't block 5 shots a night? They all know their role on this squad, but do we?

And that is my case for Chris Campoli to come back and be a contributing member of these defensive group. Agree or disagree?

Who cares if it is a lifetime contract?

In light of the 17-year contract just signed by Ilya Kovalchoke today with the New Jersey Devils, I was a tad surprised to see the angry masses complaining about the 'loophole' in the CBA. Statements like "why did we even bother having a lockout" and "the owners will wan to sew up this loophole in the next deal" all the way to "these deals are horsesh*t" have appeared all across the web. My question is, what is the problem here?

First off, we are all in agreement that Kovalchuk is one of the top five most talented scorers in the league. Not best all around, not best leader, but top five best talent. He has been a consistent scorer on a bad team (although he had Savard feeding him for a while) and can take over and win a game as well as any player in the league. The Devils are a better team with a potent offence now that they have Kovy in the lineup.

That being said, I don't see how the Devils are getting a 'great deal' on the contact. Regardless of how he performs in the playoffs, the Devils have a $6M cap hit for what will feel like an eternity. Let's remember that this a player that has won two playoff games in his entire career. Only once did he help Atlanta get into the postseason before they were whisked back home in four games by the Rags. Last year, his rental status (made permanent today) to New Jersey netted him two wins with Marty Brodeur in the pipes. This is a hefty term and cap hit for a guy that has never won a playoff series. $6M gets you the zero leadership and an unproven track record. Hell, at least Gomez has a Cup!

Secondly, it isn't like the Devils can walk away easily. He is still making a boatload of cash for 12 years in what will be close to an untrade-able contract should the Devils ever feel they need to get rid of the contract. If you think that is an unreasonable idea, think about how Charles Wang felt about Yashin as well as the Dipietro contracts. How about Lecavalier? Even Hossa was rumored to be on the block this summer. These lifetime contracts cannot be moved. The New Jersey Devils have made a long-term organizational decision that they will have Kovalchuk as a cornerstone of their franchise for the next 12 years. A big shift for a team that has been built around Stevens, Niedermeyer, and Brodeur in the past 12 years...

Finally, why does the rest of the league care about this 'loophole'? NJ is taking a huge risk here but are using a rule that is permitted in the CBA. They haven't exploited anything that other teams couldn't use. For the other 29 teams, all that they should really care about is that the Devils have $6M less cap space for the forseeable future and very little cap flexibility. They needn't look past Chicago to see how locking up your 'core' for life has its disadvantages as it relates to the rest of the team.

To me, the Devils got the player they wanted and they used a fair contract to get him. Do both the Devils and Kovalchuk intend to 'honour the contract'? Obviously, the guy won't play until 44 but I just don't see why the owners are going to try and put a term limit and restrict their own GMs that they task with acquiring players like this. If teams are going to open themselves up to this risk, then you can't just keep regulating the CBA to fix stupidity. My opinion is to leave the rules alone and let these teams run themselves out of cap space with these lifetime contracts. I have yet to see one where everyone just stands back in jealousy and envy that they didn't get their star player's signature on a 12-year deal.

We'll see.