GAME DAY - BoO Edition

I dunno. Does the fact the Leafs are starting their back-up goaltender kind of say it all?

Deadline Dealmakers

I found this little snippet in this morning's Toronto Star.

The NHL's most successful franchise over the past 11 seasons, the Detroit Red Wings, has traded away more draft picks (13) in deadline deals than any other team.

The three teams that have acquired the most picks since 1997 – the year the Wings began a run of four Cups over a decade – are perennial playoff outsiders: the L.A. Kings (12), Chicago Blackhawks (12), Florida Panthers (9) and Phoenix Coyotes (9).

New sens blog

Hello everyone! It's your favourite Leaf troll! So some of you know that I moved my site a while ago over to the SportsBlog Nation platform. For too long I operated with only one venue to troll as more and more teams had their slots filled.

Today I am glad to announce that there is finally a senators blog up and running. PeterR from Sens Army has taken the reins and hit the ground running as have the Leafs' fans. Head over and check the site out. The beauty lies in the fanposts (longer posts) and fanshots (quick hits) that you can all contribute.

Silver Seven Sens

Game Day: Sink or Swim

Who better than the league's best to confirm whether a given roster player is a keeper or trade bait? As Saturday's month ender (and hopefully face saver) against the leafs will be overshadowed by talk around that evening's Satellite Hotstove, this could be the last chance for potential suitors of the likes of Filip Kuba to get a good look and up the ante. Not sure whether its a good or bad thing that Neil and Schubert won't be on display. Caveat Emptor.

Sens 3, Sharks 2 (Shannon, Fisher and Comrie FTW).

I hope Burke brought his scouts with him.

The prospect traded in the Kunitz/Whitney deal:

Tangradi, who just turned 20, is having a fine season with the OHL's Belleville Bulls. In 52 games, he has 38 goals and 87 points. He was drafted by the Ducks in the second round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

I guess the second round isn't so bad? PK Subban was taken next after Tangradi. Of course I know at least one of you in here thinks the late first and second is just one big mess of "probably-miss" prospects.

Here's a potential late first rounder for 2009, ranked 30th in fact. He currently has an Islanders emblem beside his name if you are into those Mock Draft thingies. We'll be sure to keep our eye on what happens in case he's the one that got away.

It's why I'm here folks!

Hockey Day Game Day 1: Sens at Scabs

While the CBC feeds us their annual treacle celebrating all that's great with the game, I wanted to acknowledge what for me has been the highlight of this season's blogging campaign. "No Habs No!" has succeeded in coupling a noble goal with cheeky and pertinent correspondence. For me, what takes it beyond mere awesome and into truly heroic is the excitement of seeing it achieve its intended effect. Take away the western canadian stinkers and they've lost 7 games in the last month by 2 goals or less. Is it possible the dollar in local currency and a thank you note has altered incentives on the opponents bench? Regardless of the reasons, Sens fans, leaf fans, and Bruin fans are truly delighting in the "time outs", the off-ice gong show and the "trade the lazy russians" hue and cry that has come to characterize the glorious centennial. As Puck Daddy wrote recently: "Be honest, it would be hilarious if Montreal missed the playoffs". We here at the BoO enthusiastically agree.

Sens 5, Habs 1 (Heatley 2, Comrie, Shannon, Ruutu), I make my pre-order for a Bell Centre brick. Suggested wording: "I was there! Sens knock Habs out of playoff contention. April 6, 2009"

Pre game pump up music: As a salute to the Hab's atmosphere of tragicomic decadence, I offer you "Fallen Angel"...

Call Ripley's! Bryan Murray Makes A Trade

So I guess the senators were intent on getting a centre with a history of hip problems:

OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire - Feb. 20, 2009) - Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced today the club has acquired centre Mike Comrie and defenceman Chris Campoli, eight- and four-year NHL veterans respectively, in exchange for centre Dean McAmmond and the San Jose Sharks’ 2009 first-round draft pick, obtained from the Tampa Bay Lightning in August 2008.

Glove tap to TorontoSportsMedia for the heads up. Comrie is a UFA this season and Campoli is a RFA. McAmmond is also a UFA this summer but makes $3.1M less than Comrie. Let's face the facts senators fans, this team isn't making the playoffs this year. It might not make it next year either. So why, after years of not trading picks away for fear that it might actually contribute to the team's success, is Bryan Murray throwing away another first rounder? Sure, it'll be in the 27-30 range but don't the senators need as much cheap talent as possible to fill the gaps around the Big Three?

Game Day: On the rebound

Last time we met up with our orcha-sporting friends, the Sens were just kicking off an absolutely wretched roadie where they would earn 3 of a possible 14 points. Now the Sens are on a the tail end of an energetic streak where they collected 9 of 10. Although Cement Hands Kelly will be stepping in for Alfie on the top line, the Canucks will need a lot more than another sick performance from the likes of Curtis Sanford to roll over this squad again.

Sens 5, Nucks 2. The return of Matsny will be overshadowed by the coincident arrival of another false messiah in the nation's capital. Ryan Shannon >>> Lawrence Nycholat. Leafs suck.

Off the posts

A couple of good posts on the Sun blog about Chris Neil's situation and Wade in NY.

Game Day: Keep this up and I may actually start blogging about you guys again

Sens are in Minny to take on the Wild, looking for an extension on their unlikely three game win streak. You know it's been a good week when we're talking about the team's actual on-ice performance and energy level rather than the latest Facebook account breach, Mike Fisher's dating habits, an ex-coach's bitter grumblings and Ray Emery's complications with the russian mafia errrrr ruble exchange rate.

I keep my aspirations for the team at a moderate level. Happiness for me would achieved by becoming one of our struggling northeastern counterpart's worst nightmare as they hit the late season mark and need two easy points to clinch a playoff spot. Recall the wrap up to 95-96 if you will. After the Bowness/Sparky shitstorm, we had started working toward franchise respectability under Jack Martin. I believe it was the last game of the season when the defending cup champs from Jersey were fighting for their playoff lives and the Sens put them down and out. How bright a smile would you sport after becoming Hab-spoilers in their divinely ordained 100th season? Highly unlikely, I know, but we do face them in the 79th game.

Stay tuned, I hope to have keep/trade spreadsheet ready to roll for our upcoming March firesale.

Fun

It's been a good week for a Sens fan. Good feeling to see the guys playing well and winning. I'm not going to say out loud that a 21-7-1 finish to the year is possible but, right now it's looking more likely than Montreal going 0.500 for the remainder.

As for the 40+ year rebuilding project down the highway, I wonder who Burke will throw out to the media after another loss? They've allowed 4 or more goals in 7 of their past 8 games with the terrible Habs the only one that could only put 2 in on the NHL's worst defensive team. Yeah, yeah, we're the worst offensive team in the league - but we both know which is the worse distinction.

Oh, and I'm waiting for the Maurice quote: "We were over .500 when I was fired. They're five under now. Somebody needs to take responsibility for that."

From The Horse's Mouth

"I think now he's next in line," Paddock told the Courier-Post. "We were 14 games over .500 when I was fired. They're seven under now. Somebody needs to take responsibility for that. Whether the coaches he hired and fired were good or not, they're his players and they're either not playing good or can't play, one or the other."

But Paddock, who is currently the head coach of the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms, doesn't think coaching is the issue in the nation's capital.

"The players are not very good, that's the problem," Paddock told the Courier-Post.
- TSN.ca

The hits just keep on coming for the senators. First, Five For Smiting reported on the team's lack of physical fitness (wonder if Gary Roberts could have instilled that value in the team a couple of seasons ago?) and now a former coach is putting into words what most people already know: the senators suck.

I wonder if this year will be the season that ends the myth of Bryan Murray building that Cup winner in Anaheim. If he had stayed the team would probably have been relocated.

How's it going down there?

TSN power rankings:

Game Day Thread - Northeast Edition

Leafs roll into Montreal after their worst loss of the year, while Ottawa having been in a few close games this week will host the Sabres. I think the Leafs lose this one and the Sens win. Ottawa seem due. Toronto seem to be getting worse.

Say what you will about Coaches and GM's calling out players and whether it works or not, but Wilson and Burke double teamed Toskala in the media pointing out the obvious. He sucks this year. Unfortunately no "benching" yet, as Toskala gets the start tonight.

The feud between Toronto's Mikhail Grabovski and Montreal's Sergei Kostitsyn is playing out, but going by comments from players it's a fabricated media blitz. We'll see. I doubt I'm alone in hoping to see these two welter-weights go at it. I'm betting Burke would like to see if Grabs will throw down. It beats the usual heavyweight hug fest, or the ridiculous "fight because you laid a clean check on my teammate" crap we usually get. At least there's a real hatred between the two Belarusans. Just like Neil and Tucker back in the day.

For some reason it's news that the Leafs lost Kronwall on re-entry waivers, but this guy was never gonna be a regular as far as I could tell. If the Leafs truly do think he has a future here, for whatever reason, they can get him back when the Caps inevitably send him down after being bored to death watching him play.

Lastly, As you all know by now Avery waived by Dallas. Perhaps Ottawa could pick him up on re-entry and along with Neil and Ruutu create the best agitator line ever formed. The thought of seeing them together would make teams skin crawl.

Number 1 goalies

Who's got a problem in net going into next season?

Ottawa averages 28.3 shots against per game:

	GAA	SV%
Elliot	2.50	0.911
Auld	2.60	0.907

Toronto averages 28.1 shots against per game:

	GAA	SV%
Toskala	3.34	0.883
Pogge	4.33	0.824

"Inspector Clouston"?, "Clouston We Have A Problem?", "Sparky Allison Redux?"

Or will we be able to stash the gags and be content with "a reasonable substitute for Bruce Boudreau and/or Pete DeBoer"?

Here's his opening night lineup against the Kings (via Hockey Capital):

Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson
Foligno-Vermette-Neil
Kelly-Regin-Fisher
Winchester-McAmmond-Ruutu


And of course, Elliot FTW! Coach killers, on your marks...

Hartsburg gone

Fired last night after the Capital beatdown.

News conference at 11am today.

Jeremy's post after the Columbus loss was bang on:

It was one of those games that intermittently sours me on Craig Hartsburg. I've both liked and disliked him at various points this year but I'm starting to tilt one way over the other.

...

Something is not right here. Hartsburg is looking desperate and illogical by first scratching Jason Smith, one of the guys who plays the shutdown system the most effectively and then sitting Dean McAmmond last night in what can only be seen as a coach just trying to embarrass a veteran player.

...

Instead we get another low scoring snoozefest and a coach who has hit rock bottom by trying to embarrass his veteran leadership group.

If this keeps up, Hartsburg will be gone and he'll have to take at least some of the blame even though the fans and the media will predictably make him out to be a martyr.

Garrioch is reporting the coach of the Binghamton Senators is taking over:

The man who is expected to take over as head coach is Cory Clouston, who has been the coach of Ottawa's AHL affiliate in Binghamton. He has led a talented young team in Binghamton to a 25-16-3 record in his second season there as head coach.