Official Ottawa Senators Thread

[Madferret]

Mike Lundin
Age: 27
Date of birth: September 24, 1984
Place of birth: Burnsville, MN
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 191
Shoots: L
Salary: $1,150,000

Guillaume Latendresse
Age: 25
Date of birth: May 24, 1987
Place of birth: Ste-Catherine, Que, Canada
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 230
Shoots: L
Salary: $2,000,000

 

[Madferret]

According to SC it sounds like Alfie is coming back next year - great news if he's got his info straight. Alfie!

Carkner / Konopka / Kuba - best of luck with your new teams. Carks especially was a real beauty...game 2 legend.

Sounds like Methot will be Karlsson's partner as he's a left shot.

Lots of local boys on the team moving forward - Methot / Ceci / Cowick / Borowiecki...

 

[Brian Glennie]

I think Ottawa is better without Alfie. Why do we have this page anyway? It's like this is a Beatles site and there's a couple of guys showing up all the time who want to talk about blink-182.

 

[Madferret]

I think Ottawa is better without Alfie. Why do we have this page anyway? It's like this is a Beatles site and there's a couple of guys showing up all the time who want to talk about blink-182.

Stings don't it? Gonna get worse mate

 

[Madferret]

What will it be, Alfie?

Daniel Alfredsson is keeping everybody in suspense and hasn?t made his decision on what?s next.

While Senators GM Bryan Murray and the club?s faithful fans want to find out whether the Ottawa captain is going to return or retire, the 39-year-old Alfredsson is back in Sweden mulling over his next move.

?We don?t know when Daniel and his family are going to come to a final decision. They are thinking it through and we?ll let everybody know,? Alfredsson?s agent J.P. Barry of CAA Sports said Monday from Kelowna, B.C.

Though it?s believed Alfredsson is leaning towards coming back to play out the final year of his contract, he wants to make sure he?s fully committed to off-season training before letting the Senators know what?s next.

If Alfredsson does return, don?t be surprised if the Senators either sign him to a one- or two-year contract extension or open discussions on a new deal immediately. He certainly showed last season there?s plenty of gas left in the tank.

The Senators want Alfredsson to finish his career in Ottawa. He will be 40 in December, but if the Senators talk contract, New Jersey?s Martin Brodeur and Dallas? Ray Whitney are going to be used as comparables.

The 40-year-old Brodeur sniffed around the market, but agreed to sign a two-year, $9-million deal with the Devils Monday morning. Whitney, a UFA who spent last season in Phoenix, got a similar deal with the Stars.

Not only would an extension ensure Alfredsson doesn?t go anywhere as a UFA, the Senators could include a signing bonus so that Alfredsson gets a bump from the $1-million salary he?s supposed to collect 2012-13.

Murray has stated publicly in the past Alfredsson shouldn?t retire now and should consider playing at least a couple of more seasons because he was one of the club?s best players on many nights last season.

Alfredsson finished with 27 goals and 32 assists in 75 games last season. If he were to walk, he?d have to be comfortable with the fact he?s retiring without winning a Stanley Cup ? and the Senators have as good a chance of winning it as anyone.

The Senators don?t want Alfredsson to rush his decision and Murray isn?t going to put any pressure on him, but he did place a phone call to Barry on July 1 asking to find out what?s happening in the ?not too distant future?.

Murray and owner Eugene Melnyk have a pretty good idea which way Alfredsson is leaning. The two sides ? including coach Paul MacLean and Barry ? sat down to discuss the situation during last month?s NHL Awards in Las Vegas.

The Senators simply need to know because they?ve still got some decisions to make. If they lost Alfredsson, they could be forced to either hit the UFA market or make a trade to find a capable replacement.

Since the Senators are out of the running for Columbus winger Rick Nash, they?d have to look elsewhere to find a Top 6 winger to make a trade.

There isn?t a lot left on the free-agent market that is attractive.

Murray and his staff went into free agency operating under the assumption Alfredsson is going to be back. There?s no reason to believe that thinking has changed, but the Senators need to hear it from the man himself.

If Alfredsson does decide to retire, he has an advisory role in the front office waiting for him. At this juncture, though, it makes sense for him to keep playing because he?s still contributing in a more than meaningful way.

We all just have to be patient.

 

[Madferret]

Questions about revamped Sens
Don Brennan, Ottawa Sun

At least one of us who happened to see Tie Domi at Sensplex chatting with Bryan Murray Monday admittedly jumped to conclusions.

After losing tough guys Matt Carkner and Zenon Konopka on Day 1 of free agency ? along with trading scrappy Nick Foligno ? could the Senators GM be trying to coax the third-highest man on the career PIM list out of retirement?

Seems Murray has been talking to just about everybody else lately in an attempt to upgrade his team, right? Why not old Hardhead?

Alas, the 42-year old Domi was simply checking out the Senators development camp and catching up with acquaintances in between tournament games for one of his sons.

So as of now, Chris Neil will basically be left to fight the good fight alone for the Senators next season ? not counting some assistance from the still-evolving Zack Smith.

Sorry to disappoint you yet again, folks.

I already feel bad enough having led you to believe the Senators had a shot at Rick Nash, then Justin Schultz, and even a prayer of landing Zach Parise. But believe me, they a) did with Nash until the Blue Jackets sniper ridiculously refused to include Ottawa on the list of teams to which he?d accept a trade, b) were runners-up on the Schultz bidding before losing out to the former Wisconsin Badger?s desire to feed passes to a group of talented young Edmonton Oilers and c) realized just how absurd Parise?s contract demands were becoming.

Murray does deserve credit for his efforts. However, the bottom line is the Senators may have actually gotten worse while other teams improved on July 1.

Needing a replacement for Filip Kuba on the blueline, some say they ?settled? for a downgrade by acquiring Marc Methot for Nick Foligno. I mean, I?ll like Methot better than Kuba. At least he hits people. But players insisted Kuba was a keeper, that he significantly helped make them tick last season. Methot may actually have big skates to fill.

And while there were complaints about Foligno?s inconsistencies, at least we knew what we were getting with the 24-year-old winger ? a good man who would occasionally flash signs of brilliance and could be counted on for 15 goals and 40 points.

His replacement, Guillaume Latendresse, is a gamble. He has the potential to score 30 goals, but if he runs into the injury problems that have limited him to 27 games over the last two years ? or if he shows up to camp out of shape, as has been the knock on him in the past ? Latendresse won?t have a spot on the roster.

Now, the Senators will argue the assertion that they haven?t improved. They?ll say Mike Lundin, a veteran of 241 NHL games, will help their defence. There are legitimate concerns about Carkner?s knee ? and no way was Ottawa going to give him the three-year, $4.5-million deal the reckless New York Islanders did ? but even if he only plays 50 games, ?Big Country? is still one of the most feared men in the league. At least that?s being best at something.

The Senators will also say they have a bevy of prized prospects who will challenge for spots on the forward lines. Jakob Silfverberg will be given an opportunity to play on the first line. Along with Latendresse, Mika Zibanejad, Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman will be considered for a spot (two, if Daniel Alfredsson retires) on the second line. But Zibanejad, Stone and Hoffman, like Silfverberg, will also be rookies. Asking them to take on such a load could be a little much. More gambles.

Perhaps to somewhat appease the ruthless media here, Murray and director of player personnel Pierre Dorion raved about the play of Zibanejad and Hoffman on the final day of development camp.

Zibanejad did score a couple of goals in the semi-final and the winner, a beauty, in the championship game of a 3-on-3 scrimmage. But after Thursday?s 5-on-5, coach Paul MacLean said he would?ve liked to have seen more from the 2011 first-rounder.

?It?s a good way to end this week, and a smart way to end a tough week,? Zibanejad said of his play Monday. ?Obviously, you?ve got to believe what you?re doing. I have to believe I can make it. You have to have that mindset that you are going to make it. It?s tough, both mentally and physically. You just have to fight every day and fight even harder every day.?

Hoffman, a speedster who led Binghamton in scoring last season, also aims to unpack his bags here in October.

?That?s my goal, coming into training camp, to work as hard as I can and push for a spot this year,? said the former MVP of the QMJHL. ?I think I?m right there. Time will just tell.?

Indeed it will, as it will tell if the Senators have taken a step backward going forward.

QMJHL MVP Mike Hoffman is one of the prospects expected to challenge for a spot on the Senators next season (Darren Brown/Ottawa Sun)

 

[Madferret]

Prospects set stage for competitive training camp
2012 Sens Development Camp
By Rob Brodie  - OttawaSenators.com

So it wasn't anywhere near the biggest goal of Mika Zibanejad's young life.

The gold-medal winning tally he notched for Sweden at the 2012 world junior hockey championship figures to stand on a pedestal all by itself in that area for quite some time yet.

But still, the Swedish prospect with plenty of flash and dash had reason to smile today after putting one final exclamation point on a Senators development camp that showcased a number of the organization's future stars.

"It's a game-winning goal," the 19-year-old Zibanejad said after wiring a wrister just under the crossbar to clinch top honours for Team Orange in the 3-on-3 tournament that brought the curtain down on the camp at the Bell Sensplex. "It's always fun to score those goals."

Fun indeed it was for Zibanejad, Shane Prince, Corey Cowick, Darren Kramer and Jordan Fransoo, who denied Team Blue a repeat title and secured some bragging rights among their fellow prospects. Whether they'll all be back to defend that crown a year from now ? or they're "graduated" from this camp ? is another story.

When Senators general manager Bryan Murray and his staff decided they were staying out of the big-dollar bidding for the top available free agents, it was also a signal to the organization's young talent ? many of whom were on hand this week ? that the door is open for some of them to possibly crack the roster when the Senators assemble for training camp in September.

"We?ve got, I think because of our development camp, a good number of young men who will challenge for a position on this hockey team," Murray said Monday after adding veteran blueliners Marc Methot and Mike Lundin, along with forward Guillaume Latendresse, to the Ottawa mix for the coming season while saying goodbye to a handful of last year's veterans.

Up front, opportunity surely exists for Jakob Silfverberg and Mark Stone ? both of whom made their National Hockey League debuts back in April in the Stanley Cup playoffs against the New York Rangers ? along with Zibanejad and perhaps Mike Hoffman, the Binghamton Senators' leading scorer in 2011-12.

Young blueliners Mark Borowiecki, named the winner of the hardest-working player award for an unprecedented second straight year at development camp, and Patrick Wiercioch will also get a long look. But as anyone who took part in this week's camp will attest, there are even more contenders emerging on the horizon at all positions.

"Everybody wants to be an NHL player but when they see the competition ? this is their competition," said Randy Lee, the Senators' director of hockey operations and player development. "These are the guys they?re fighting against to get that spot, whether it?s in Binghamton, whether it?s in Ottawa or whether it?s just earning a contract."

Zibanejad, the sixth overall pick of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft, played the first nine games of last season with the Senators before being returned to Djurgarden of the Swedish Elite League for the balance of the campaign. He's confident there is a place for him in Ottawa in 2012-13.

"You've got to believe in what you're doing and I believe that I can make it," he said. "You have to have that mindset that you are going to make it. It?s tough, both mentally and physically. You just have to fight every day and fight even harder every day.

"I've got to focus on what I can do ... and make sure I show them that I can make a big impact on this team and try to help them win. That's the big difference."

After a week a hard training both on and off the ice, the 3-on-3 tournament provided just the right finish to the camp ? even if only one team could emerge victorious.

"There?s a lot of pride factor," said Lee. "The scrimmage game (last Thursday) is more similar to an NHL game, but the 3-on-3 is a skills competition but with compete (level). If you don?t compete, you can?t do well in that game. There?s a lot of strategy in that game. You can see the experience of the guys who played in that game before. They really shone through."

Added Zibanejad: "It's a fun way and a good way to end this week. It's been a tough week, both mentally and physically. You wake up every morning and you know it's going to be a hard day. But you make sure you do the best you can every day. Even though your hips are sore or your legs are tired, you've just got to do everything you can."

 

[Sucker Punch]

The Sens are now the proud owners of the biggest disappointment from the '03 draft.

Welcome to Bingo, Hugh Jessiman.

 

[Madferret]

The Sens are now the proud owners of the biggest disappointment from the '03 draft.

Welcome to Bingo, Hugh Jessiman.

Ha! He was a first rounder wasn't he?

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

The Sens are now the proud owners of the biggest disappointment from the '03 draft.

Welcome to Bingo, Hugh Jessiman.

Ha! He was a first rounder wasn't he?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl2003e.html

You could've drawn names from a hat in that 1st round and got a great player.  Except for Hugh Jessiman.

 

[Madferret]

The Sens are now the proud owners of the biggest disappointment from the '03 draft.

Welcome to Bingo, Hugh Jessiman.

Ha! He was a first rounder wasn't he?

http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl2003e.html

You could've drawn names from a hat in that 1st round and got a great player.  Except for Hugh Jessiman.

I can't believe how late Shawn Belle went

 

[Madferret]

Methot: 'Overwhelming' to play in Ottawa
By Bruce Garrioch
Ottawa Sun

Home sweet home.

Newly-acquired Senators defenceman Marc Methot looked and felt right at home as he met with the media Tuesday for the first time since being dealt here Sunday by the Columbus Blue Jackets for Nick Foligno.

The 27-year-old Ottawa native, who bought a house in the Mooney?s Bay area last year, couldn?t have been more thrilled with getting traded to the Senators, especially with the opportunity to play in front of his family and friends.

?It was overwhelming a bit at first. When I first heard about it, I was really excited,? said Methot, who was attending a family reunion close to Ottawa when he got the news. ?It was a surreal feeling. Growing up here, it?s always been a dream of mine to play in the city.

?Just walking in the dressing room kind of gave me that weird feeling. I?m pumped.?

Players no longer find out about trades the old-fashioned way. He got a text asking if the deal was true. Methot checked Twitter ? where it had been confirmed ? and then got a call from Columbus GM Scott Howson.

?I had heard a lot of rumours around free-agency time regarding a lot of other teams. Ottawa is never something you really think could come true,? said Methot. ?A teammate sent me a text (the day he got traded) asking me if it was true and I had no idea what he was talking about.

?Apparently, that kind of news spreads pretty quickly. I found out on Twitter before anybody even gave me a call. I have a fairly large support group in Ottawa. It has been non-stop since the news broke. From Facebook to Twitter to phone calls, it?s been awesome.?

Methot, who received a telephone message from centre Jason Spezza (a teammate at the 2011 world championship with Team Canada) after the trade was made, said he is a defensive defenceman.

?I?m not really sure (about his role yet),? said Methot. ?I know what I?m capable of: I?m capable of shutting down lines. I can really use my speed and my size to defend and play against those top lines.

?Whatever it is, I?ll be ready to do and accepting.?

You have to think Methot is going to get a chance in camp to play with all-star defenceman Erik Karlsson. It only makes sense for Methot, who has three years left at $3 million per season, to take up Filip Kuba?s ice time.

?If I played with Karlsson, I?d probably give him the puck most of the time. He?s an exceptional defenceman,? said Methot. ?Right now, I have no control over that. I don?t know what?s going to happen.

?I can control what I can on the ice. I can prepare myself and I?m prepared for that role for sure. I?ve played that similar role before. It?s up to the management and coaches. We?ll see how things work out at camp ... He?s a special player, it would be an honour to play with him.?

Like Matt Carkner, Jason York and Todd White, Methot is going to face different pressure playing at home. He noted there was a lot more media in Ottawa during a mid-summer news conference than he ever saw in Columbus.

?It?s certainly a lot different here. I?m certainly not used to this many cameras,? said Methot. ?It?s a big change, but in terms of pressure and all that, it?s just something that you?ve got to get used to and handle.

?It?s a good pressure. It?s a pressure that I?m willing to accept. You get up for all your games here for sure because you?re playing in front of your family and friends and you don?t want to let them down. Certainly, you don?t want to let your teammates down, so it?s a good thing.?

 

[caver]

The Wild will be this season's version of the Senators. They will exceed everyone's expectations with an elite forward and an All-Star defenceman (like Ottawa last year), but the final piece is their secret weapon the Senators let go of..... Zenon Konopka!!  Bet the house. 

 

[Madferret]

Winchester waits for bite
By Bruce Garrioch

As a fisherman, Jesse Winchester has learned it takes patience to land the big one.

He?s taking the same approach to his hockey career.

While the Senators could re-sign Winchester if GM Bryan Murray frees up a forward spot through a trade, the 28-year-old centre is shopping himself around the unrestricted free agent market.

Winchester has had to watch as dozens of other NHLers landed contracts through the first four days of free agency. Three of his former teammates were snapped up on Day 1 Sunday: Filip Kuba (Florida Panthers), Matt Carkner (New York Islanders) and Zenon Konopka (Minnesota Wild).

Winchester, meanwhile, continues to wait.

While there are concerns about Winchester?s health after he missed much of last season with a concussion, he has passed his baseline test, been cleared by doctors and will be ready to play for whatever team signs him.

?I?m just taking it day by day like I have for the past six months,? Winchester said after completing a workout near his Long Sault home Wednesday. ?I didn?t play a lot last year, so I?m just trying to stay positive.

?I?m feeling good. I?ve talked to (agent Peter Fish) quite a bit. I was hoping to be picked up early. If you look at years past, there are so many guys who sign late in the summer and later in July. There?s a wave of stuff that happens. I?m not a huge piece to the puzzle, so I?ve got to take a back seat to some of the other stars and role players.?

Signed as a free agent from Colgate University on March 28, 2008, Winchester spent parts of five seasons with the Senators. He was effective in a fourth-line role and as a penalty killer, although he suited up for just 32 games last season, scoring two goals and adding six assists.

At this point, Ottawa simply has too many forwards in the mix to fit in Winchester.

Nailed into the glass by Buffalo?s Paul Gaustad in late December, Winchester missed most of the season with a concussion. He returned in the playoffs against the New York Rangers, but didn?t make it through the series.

Since the end of the season, he has received the proper amount of rest required to recover from the head injury and is back in full gear preparing for the start of the season. He?s just not sure where that?s going to be.

?There will be a place for me at some point,? said Winchester. ?I?ve just got to stay upbeat and positive. I?ll be ready when something happens.

?For whatever reason, nothing has happened yet. There is some genuine interest. I passed the baseline a couple of weeks ago.?

Murray said on the weekend he?d have interest in bringing back Winchester if he makes a deal involving one his forwards. But there?s nothing on the radar screen to suggest that?s going to happen.

Winchester is appreciative of everything the Senators have done for him and there won?t be any hard feelings if he?s not brought back.

?I?ve loved it here. It?s close to home and there?s so much support for me along with my friends around. That?s been really nice,? he said. ?I was hopeful it would work out here. If it doesn?t, that?s the way it goes.?

 

[Sucker Punch]

I'd expect him to get a two-way deal somewhere.  He may have to ride the buses for a while, but when healthy, he's a serviceable bottom 6 forward.

 

[Madferret]

Daugevins filed for arbitration today (player elected)

 

[Madferret]

Classic Brennan tripe - Dear Senators: Take a chance on Semin

Classic Garrioch tripe - Senators in mix for Bobby Ryan

Foligno cap hit <3.083M> Methot cap hit <3M> - Columbus signs Foligno to $9.25M deal

 

[Madferret]

Melnyk is an idiot BTW - just sign the checks Uncle Eugene

 

[Sucker Punch]

Typical Garrioch.  The title of the article is "Senators in mix for Bobby Ryan", but the article itself is full of nothing but speculation.

- don?t rule out the possibility of the Senators making a pitch for unhappy Anaheim Ducks winger Bobby Ryan
- the Senators could still add depth up front
- the Senators could focus on Ryan
- The Senators can get in talks like this
- the Senators could have the pieces Anaheim would want in return
- the club could easily turn to Ryan

 

[Madferret]

Typical Garrioch.  The title of the article is "Senators in mix for Bobby Ryan", but the article itself is full of nothing but speculation.

- don?t rule out the possibility of the Senators making a pitch for unhappy Anaheim Ducks winger Bobby Ryan
- the Senators could still add depth up front
- the Senators could focus on Ryan
- The Senators can get in talks like this
- the Senators could have the pieces Anaheim would want in return
- the club could easily turn to Ryan

Yeah they're both wannabe Toronto media hacks. Did I ever tell you the story about when Garrioch & I almost fought?