Put this man's face on the front of Scotia Bank Place

A four year extension. After eleven games played.
Well..... ok
When asked about the recent Craig Anderson signing, Bryan Murray explained that he will provide stability in goal. This basically provides the answer to "Will Lehner be the starter next year?"
I guess he's the new poster boy.

Hockey Violence. The Ongoing Saga

First of all, I would like to say:
What the **** Quebec?
If the police in Montreal are investigating the hit Chara laid on Pacioretty (please ignore the ignorant comments on the linked video) is a criminal offense, the Quebec Legal System has more problems than National Hockey League. If this was Hal Gill ( okay, work with me here) rubbing out, say, Rich Peverley, do you honestly think that the Quebec government would be involved? No.

I am not saying that the law does not belong on ice and in every sport, but the line has to be drawn somewhere. What has happened in the QMJHL, with the police getting involved in any violent thing there is one thing, but this is totally different.
If you want to think about it, Quebec is also a province where MMA is perfectly legal, and where the Ultimate Fighting Championship is loved. This is hypocritical by the government.

So he wasn't traded....

And Chris Phillips remains an Ottawa Senator, signing a 3 year, approx. $9M extension. Although many were worried that the Phillips situation would be prolonged to this June's entry draft, we should not have been worried about a guy like Chris Phillips doing the right thing. He is after all, a better role model for the organizations future blue liners than say, Filip Kuba.

And than the inevitable happens....

Murray has already expressed his wish that at least one of the prospect defence-man, such as David Rundblad or Jared Cowen, will play next season in the NHL, so since Phillips was coming back, someone had to go.  That man was Chris "I cant believe we got a second rounder for him" Campoli. Coming back to Ottawa from Chicago is Ryan Potulny (a one time 15 goal scorer in the NHL) and the aforementioned second rounder. 
At least somebody is staying.

Sorry Brian

 Finally, a trade where a fan favourite isn't involved. Out of all the deals, I think I like this the best because it seems one of the large pieces of managements "plan" is coming clearer. Besides the obvious fact that the Sens want to get younger,It is also clear that a veteran goalie is badly wanted for next season, possibly to serve as a mentor for Robin Lehner.
Enter Craig Anderson.
Back in the disastrous 2008-09 season, I particularly remember one game against the Florida Panthers. The only reason I remember a game against Florida was because of the dominant performance, where the Senators got about twenty shots in third period, and did not score a single goal. The goalie in net for the Panthers was Craig Anderson. That type of single game dominance was displayed last night against the Leafs, with a 47 save shutout performance. Anderson seems like the right type of goalie for a team like Ottawa will be going forward. Since not many are expecting a playoff appearance next season, Anderson could be the guy. He can be a very entertaining goalie who could backstop a young team that's sole purpose is to keep losing while selling tickets in the process.
As great of a game Anderson played last night, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, here.

Side note: We probably witnessed the fight of the year last night, with minor league heavy weights Francis Lessard and Jay Rosehill throwing 'em.


Here are the highlights:

Phillips Update: And now.........

According to Bruce Garrioch's Twitter, Phillips want to stay in Ottawa and be part of the solution.
Sorry Chris, but fans around town have said that you are part of the problem.
For this little situation, I think it is best to look at possible outcomes for this scenario:


1. Phillips realizes that to make this team get better, he should move on.
It really would be sad to see Phillips leave.  He, like Kelly and Fisher are great team guys who provide an important veteran presence for their teams. Phillips says he wants to stay now, but that could change if Bryan Murray and Eugene Melnyk give him an old fashioned "talking to". It's also possible Chris finds another fit that works better for him and his family than Ottawa. But that's enough speculation on personal life. I have already mentioned the situation of the Vancouver Canucks depleted blue line. Well that situation has gotten worse. Keith Ballard, Andrew Alberts, Alexander Edler and spare Lee Sweatt are all on the injured reserve. Depending on the severity of those injuries, the Canucks could make some cap space for Chris Phillips.
What could be coming back to Ottawa is a prospect, mainly because I doubt a significant prospect will be coming back to Ottawa for a rental. A player like Anton Rodin, could be sent to Ottawa. Rodin would, in a couple years, fit well with Jakob Silverberg, who he played with for Team Sweden at the World Juniors.

Some other  possibilities are coming soon.

Who is next to go?

After the huge deal of Mike Fisher, it looks like Chris Phillips will be moved next, possibly in the next few days.
One team that could use him, is Vancouver. Even though their defence was ranked second by the hockey news, they have suffered some key injuries. Coming back to Ottawa could be a first round pick, and likely be a younger player that takes up some salary. But this rumor that was reported by a certain reliable site, is one I'm not buying. First, Vancouver is great right now, even though they have some injury problems. But it is not likely they will be able to fit him in an uptight Vancouver roster.  I don't think they have the cash. But hey, I've been wrong before.

He's Actually Gone.........

Mike Fisher has been traded. When I first heard those words, something in the back of my mind was telling me it was a joke, but I knew it wasn't. Although the return the Sens received from Nashville was pretty good (first round pick and conditional pick) for what is really a third line centre, there is something telling me that Fish is more than a great third liner. Ya i know, I'm a sap, but the guy did more than play what was defined as "Ottawa Senator Hockey" on the ice, he was a first-class citizen off the ice, going to third world countries to help them get by. With who was going to be the next captain gone, Fish leaves us with not only a couple picks and a hole in our hearts, we also have that ongoing wonder about who is the next great Senator. I know that I'm talking like both Alfie and Fisher are dead, but we seriously need to think here. Karlsson is too young, but he will get there, and Phillips will be dealt within the next few weeks, so who's it going to be Ottawa? How about Gabriel Landeskog? Well on behalf of all of Ottawa, thanks Mike, for being the prototypical Senator, and being an all around great role model. Even though he's gone, he still plays like every  Senator should: with no fear, no quit, and no mercy. He's proven he is more than just Mr Underwood

If Hell Freezes Over.....

Well, it looks like when this season draws to a close, the Senators will be looking for a new general manager. And guess who has been listed as a favourite for the position

Ya, this guy has been mentioned in forums all around the interwebs, and by certain sports morning shows, again and again.

Ok, I 've said in the past that I badly wanted Pierre to be a general manager for some team, but I was hoping it would be somewhere far, far away. Mainly because he is one of the worst broadcasters out there. Why can't he go to San Jose? But if by some strange decision by the Euge and the rest of the organization, what could happen to the Senators we know?
Well, to start off, we would probably have some good guidance in the entry draft, considering all of the knowledge McGuire has about prospects. So that would be nice and all. After the draft, free agency would arrive, and considering again Pierre's knowledge of the game and it's players, I think he could do a good job with some signings. But then, comes the big "if".  Two words. Zach. Parise. Don't get me wrong, I think Parise is a great player, and would love to see him on a line with Spezza, but, let's think about something here. Parise is a restricted free agent, and the restrictions are freaking huge.  Now let's look at next year's compensation for RFA's. One of the notable points in the compensation chart is that four first round draft picks would be given up if the free agent is signed for $6,539,062 or more.   

Pierre has already said that he would send an offer sheet to Parise if he was GM of the Sens, (you can tell he has a huge man crush on him if you watched the Olympics) but if you look at what they would have to give up is it worth it?

For the love of Brian Burke it isn't! Four first round draft picks! For a guy who isn't named Crosby, I don't think so.I need to add that Parise is much, much better than Phil Kessel, who Toronto acquired in exchange for two first rounders and a second rounder. 

But that, is just the beginning, if Parise is signed, that does not only take a big bite of the salary they have to spend, but it also screws over the teams future. I doubt I would even make that move in NHL11. Another thing is that McGuire also likes Craig MacTavish as a coach. I mean seriously? MacTavish is another Mike Keenan or even Ron Wilson type. His coaching style is irrelevant to a team that wants to get young. Another idea for him is Kirk Muller, which I guess is better. 

But the bottom line is, although he watches more hockey than anyone, he hasn't coached since the 1990's, and has never been in a General Manager type role. So really, hiring McGuire could be a huge step backward for this organization, and it would also piss off it's most dedicated fans.

Some Reassurance

Well, the Euge broke his silence, and the Sens are going to rebuild.
THANK. YOU.
Well, I guess it's time to jump aboard the lottery pick express
Just think happy thoughts through out the rest of this miserable season, It's the only thing keeping me sane.

SERIOUSLY?

 That's it. Get rid of everyone, really even Alfie, I just do not care anymore. Really? That just happened against Montreal? With their pot-head goalie, their short, overpaid core and Hal f****ing Gill. I mean a team with the same management as the 96 Senators actually did that. I mean COME ON! I was hoping for won forsaken win just so I could wear my Sens gear with pride around Montreal this weekend, but now I'm thinking of throwing out all of that Sens crap. Please, for the love of all that is good Murray, put Clouston out of his misery. And I swear if the Euge even mentions the word "playoffs", I'm going to start cheering for the Thrashers.

Draft watch: Tomas Jurco

Yup. That's it.
That guy must put a lot of wax on his shaft.

And now what?

Things have honestly gotten that bad. After the last game against the Toronto, and dealing with those damn annoying Leaf fans who occupy half of SBP, and are the only ones who ever cheer at the so-called "Battle of Ontario". All of you who were wearing dated jerseys, bringing booze into the family zones and cheering like they have something to cheer about. Well the message I have for you is, it's not like your team is going anywhere either. Their rebuilding has been going on six years and have they made any progress? I don't think so. So my point is that we should all shut up, breakdown, cry and then stop complaining about our horrid suckiness. All I've seen in the news is "THE SENATORS WON'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS'', and I wonder why that is such a shock. Sure it would have shocked me at the start of the year, but for the past month I've come to face the sad reality that this team is going nowhere. Why should anyone care if they make the playoffs this year anyways? Does anyone want to see them get their heads kicked in against those so frickin' annoying Penguins again? I didn't think so.
Now that I've dealt with that, the real point is how our sad sack team can climb back to the top of the League again. It seems that everyone either forgets the Senators used to be a model franchise, or still think that they are. But they're going to have to get worse before they get better. Hopefully (I know this sounds stupid) they stay at the bottom of the league, and maybe even sink to the bottom five, or maybe even bottom three? Or even the pitied but also sometimes envied last place spot, if they can possibly out-suck the Islanders. But why tank it? No one will see the games if they continue to suck, and what about the poor season ticket holders, who will have to suffer through more God-awful play. Firstly, tanking it for an early pick makes sense because of this year's shallow draft class. Second, empty seats aren't exactly foreign to the NHL. And lastly, I have trouble pitying people who can afford season tickets.
Another step to achieving the ultimate suckiness that leads to greatness, is making, Heaven forbid, a trade. Even though poor Murray can't string together a trade, even everyone except Karlsson is apparently on the market, something has to be done. I mean right now, I would take a bag of pucks for Kuba or Kovalev, and almost anyone on the roster for a new scoreboard (Why can't teams just release players???).
Well as Bruce Garrioch said, "Somethings Gotta Give".
Lord I hope so.

 

Because it's true