Hey readers, I really appreciate all of the feedback and commentary in the last topic. I was going to just post my thoughts there, but decided that a new post might be better.
Anyways, I think I should rephrase my thoughts to better articulate my position.
I'm not adverse to returning Erik Karlsson to his Sweden per se.
When it was announced that Karlsson had earned a spot on the roster, Bryan Murray forewarned the fans that he and the coaching staff were willing to weather Karlsson's defensive shortcomings. Which is fair, provided that Karlsson provides the puck-moving and offensive prowess that Ottawa lacked last season.
It hasn't helped matters that his veteran partner, Filip Kuba, will miss his fourth straight game tonight and it's had a residual effect on Karlsson's game in two ways. One, he's playing more minutes and is at risk of being exposed more often. And two, he's forced to play with Chris Campoli who's ill-suited to compliment Karlsson's inexperience and style.
Five games just seems like too few to appropriately gauge Karlsson without considering that he hasn't been put in a position to succeed.
If his confidence is waning and it adversely affects his offensive capabilities then he deserves to be sent down. But just give him his ten game sample size first.
And another thing, Don Brennan and the Ottawa Sun have tried to dub Matt Carkner with the nickname "Big Country". It's okay but kind of bland. For the purposes of this site, from now on, I'll only refer to Carkner as Steve Perry because he's a Journey Man. Hi-yo!
This piece is dedicated to Darren M. from Silver Seven Sens, who tragically expressed his opinion that Erik Karlsson wasn't ready for the NHL in an article this morning only to have it be rendered moot by Bryan Murray later this afternoon. This one's for you Darren.
Amid speculation Karlsson might soon be packing for a trip to the American Hockey League team in Binghamton, general manager Bryan Murray said the 19-year-old defenceman is staying put here in Ottawa. ~ Allen Panzeri, The Ottawa Citizen
The way fans and the media have been carrying on, one would think Erik Karlsson's play had made Sens fans long for the days of seeing Jim Paek, Chris Dahlquist or even Hank "Sail My Boat" Lammens on the blueline.
For whatever reason, it's a polarizing issue for a Senators team that's done reasonably well thus far this season. Is there reason for legitimate concern? Or is this another Dany Heatley described case of the media/fans making an issue of something when there's nothing else going on?
In order to come to a conclusion, I'm going to examine this issue by the numbers:
Three Seasons...
...On an entry-level deal.
When I first found out that Karlsson had a legitimate chance to make this year's squad, my primary concern was that the Senators would burn a year on Erik's entry-level deal, bringing him one year closer to restricted free agency. Or for you non-savvy hockey economics readers, it'd essentially mean that the Senators would expedite the process for Karlsson having a bigger cap hit. Given the NHL's cap system, one can raise a valid point that the Senators would be better served if Erik Karlsson was still on his entry-level contract for the 2012-2013 season.
With the current trend to lock up young talent before their entry-level contract expires and if Karlsson develops as we all hope he does, the man might be making some big jack on his next contract. In other words, his next deal could have huge implications on Ottawa's payroll structure when the team might be better equipped for Stanley Cup contention.
165. Or is it 175?
There are two things that are taboo to talk about in Ottawa. One's light rail transit. The other is Erik Karlsson's weight. Even though no one knows his weight, we can take pride in that he's still bigger than half of the Montreal Canadiens roster. Regardless, there's legitimate concern for how it can affect his play over the course of a season. Can he survive the wear and tear of playing an 82-game schedule? Or will the size and speed of the average NHL'er ruin his swagger and confidence? Unfortunately, these are questions that can only be answered after the season.
18
That's the number of minutes per game that Karlsson is averaging in icetime thus far. According to Panzeri, that's three more minutes than Bryan Murray expected to be playing at this point in the season.
Part of this increased workload can be attributed to the loss of Filip Kuba to injury and that's part of the reason why it's difficult to gauge Karlsson's play right now. Without the positionally sound Kuba by his side, Karlson's been flanked by another puck moving defenceman in Chris Campoli. Not exactly the ideal pairing for a kid who's trying to find his niche or for a coach who's busy trying to get ideal matchups on the ice. Fortunately, Ottawa's currently on a stretch where they're playing five of six games at home, so the Kuba injury hasn't affected the team as much as it could have.
While some are citing Karlsson's weight as a reason for him to grow and develop back in Sweden, it's conceivable that because of Kuba's injury, Karlsson's been pressed into some meaningful minutes and that could help his development as he adapts to playing against the best in the world.
65
Karlsson wears a number most commonly associated with pasty white offensive linemen from Oklahoma. I hate to borrow something from the Jacques Martin era, but can the organization not ditch the high digits and give this kid a more appropriate number fitting of a defenceman? What about wearing 8? He wore that with Frolundra. Or maybe the 5 that he wore with the Swedish Junior team. Now that Schubert's gone, he can have that number too.
-4
Some are citing Karlsson's plus/minus stat as a determining factor as to whether he's ready for NHL duty. I don't want to get into a discussion over how trivial of a statistic plus/minus is, but let's examine the facts. Prior to Monday night's Pittsburgh game, Karlsson was only a -1 through four games in which the team had a record of 3-1.
After the Penguins game in which he posted a -3, people are criminalizing the guy on a night when Ottawa supposedly didn't get the bounces against last year's Stanley Cup Finalists.
Was his size to blame for Tyler Kennedy's first goal to deflect in off Karlsson's skate past a helpless Leclaire?
Or maybe his size was to blame when Alfie made an egregious turnover inside the Penguins blueline that resulted in a Tyler Kennedy goal? Or maybe it was Karlsson's fault when Kennedy blew the subsequent slapshot from just inside the blueline past Leclaire for Pittsburgh's backbreaking 3-1 goal.
"10 games is not going to be the measure of Erik Karlsson." ~ Bryan Murray
Nor should it be. How do you measure Erik Karlsson in 10 games when he's been in the city for months and no one still has any clue as to how much he weighs? If you can't measure something tangible, how can people be expected to measure his skillset and readiness.
It's funny though, it's only been five games and some have already filled out their scouting reports. With every loss, it's expected that people are ready to write off Karlsson's season. We're arrogant pricks pretending that as armchair GMs, we know better than team's scouts and braintrust.
Sure, maybe Karlsson's inclusion on the roster is PR for Bryan Murray doing something right, in case the season goes awry. Looky!! Looky!! See that shiny thing on the blueline? He's the diamond in the rough that I cultivated in a draft!! He's the guy that Brian Burke wanted with his Anaheim pick! I can draft talent well!
Honestly though, I've weighed the options personally and I don't have a problem with the kid sticking. Considering how shitty the power play has been and how blah the in-house alternatives are, I think Karlsson's shot and creativity are too good for the team to pass up in a year when the East is relatively wide-open. Maybe I'm being naive in thinking that the Sens can slide into one of the bottom playoff seeds in the East but whatever. After years of watching cut and paste stopgaps on the blueline, I'm willing to watch the first rookie blue-chipper since Meszaros develop back there. So count me amongst Clouston and Murray as a guy who can live with the rookie's mistakes. I guess I'm just buying into the Bryan Murray PR hype.
I'll take solace in the fact that I'm probably not the only one.
GARRIOCH: How is Kuba's upper or lower body anyway? Anyone else frustrated with these injury reports? Sorry. Change the subject. I digress.
BRENNAN: You're right, Bruce. I swear it has shifted from lower to upper. Where exactly is the uterus located, anyway? What a joke. Do you think if the opposition knew Kuba had a sore knee they'd go after his knee next game? This isn't Grand Prix wrestling and he's certainly no Don Leo Jonathan. ~ Courtesy of the Ottawa Sun .
Filip Kuba has a uterus? No way. Eat that Hayley Wickenheiser. A woman in the NHL. Who would have thought?
For a city that's renowned for its fence sitting fans (And yes, I'm allowed to say this because of the inability of the organization to sell out SBP on opening night.) and a negative media. I'm a tad surprised by the lack of negativity stemming from last night's loss to the Flightless Birds.
Why didn't Pascal Leclaire play well?
It was because he was shaking off the rust from sitting out Saturday night's game against the Thrashers.
How come the power play still isn't effective?
It's because Greg Carvel's still trying to adjust to new personnel and can no longer rely upon drawing up the Dany Heatley backdoor pass.
Where's the concern? Ottawa lost 4-1.
Pittsburgh's the reigning champion and Ottawa kept Crosby and Malking off the scoreboard. Small victories!
Shouldn't goal scoring still be an issue?
It's because they didn't get the bounces. Besides, the first line (?) of Michalek, Spezza and Cheechoo created some scoring opportunities. More importantly, Cheechoo was noticeable in his play.
Is Erik Karlsson ready to contribute at that NHL level?
He still has five more games to prove himself. Besides, Matt Carkner has a new nickname. And it isn't condescending.
Ottawa Senators (3-1-0) vs Pittsburgh Penguins (4-1-0)
@ ScotiaBank Place, 7:30EST
Who gives two shits whether the Penguins have a better record than Ottawa, the fact of the matter is that the Sens still rank ahead of the Penguins in the Eastern Conference. That's not a cruel byproduct of the current system, it's just the League's own way of telling the Penguins that they're nowhere near as good.
While these two teams are off to good starts, this game's subplot is the battle of the basement dwellers.
Karlsson vs. Crosby.
Who would have thought that Crosby still lived at Lemieux's place?
Paz Leclaire gets the nod for tonight's game while MA Fleury is expected to get the call for the Pens.
UPDATE: 12:20PM Here are the lines according to Sens Chirp:
Kovalev - Fisher - Alfie
Michalek - Spezza - Cheechoo
Foligno - Shannon - Neil
Ruutu - Kelly - Donovan
** With Filip Kuba still on the shelf, the defence shall remain the same as it has been for the past three games.
There's a song by the band Okkervil River that has some context for Senators fans. Plus Ones makes reference to a number of popular songs that have numerical titles by adding one to them. The playfully, tongue-in-cheek message is simple -- An added instance doesn't change anything if the inherent message is the same.
It's a lesson that fans of the Ottawa Senators could afford to learn because if you haven't noticed, some Sens fans are becoming increasingly masochistic with each goal that Dany Heatley scores.
"Five goals and five assists!!! Holy shit! He leads the League in scoring!!!" (Commence banging head off of desk...now.)
Sure, it sucks that the guys -- Michalek & Cheechoo -- who've come back in return haven't produced yet. But get over it already. The man (if you want to refer to Heatley as a man) is gone. So quit torturing yourselves by keeping daily tabs on his point totals. Instead take pleasure in the fact that you probably skate better than Cheechoo and have the same number of goals that they do.
Ah well, at least these Sens fans aren't as twisted as some guy from Pennsylvania who Google'd "friends boner" and found this site. (I bet it was Crosby.)
There's a certain innate awesomeness about enjoying a beer at a local pub, only to be interrupted by a text message at 6:45pm that reads, "do u want tix for 2nites game? have 2 xtra. call me back."
Yes. Yes, I would like two tickets to a Senators home game that's:
A) Only the fourth game of the regular season
B) On a Saturday night.
C) Untelevised.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Canada. The nation where people are subjected to compelling television like watching a monkey make playoff predictions or watching hockey "experts" concoct a fantasy hockey draft. With such an oversaturated market, it's almost inexcusable that a game in Ottawa isn't televised in this day and era.
I digress. Even though I arrived halfway through the first period, I was still fortunate enough to part of last night's sellout crowd that watch the Senators extend their current winning streak to three games. Here are my reflections from last night's game:
The most entertaining part of the game for me was a sequence of events that started with an Anton Volchenkov hit on Zach Bogosian. The crushing hit lit a fire under Bogosion who responded with a big hit of his own that sent him and Daniel Alfredsson to the ice. Even though it was clean, Chris Phillips and Mike Fisher went after the sophomore defenceman and it was one of the few times that I can recall seeing players responding to a hit on the captain like that. Maybe it's finally entrenched in the mindset that they're actually a team. Cory Clouston's obviously done a good job instilling this sense of camaraderie in his players and it's refreshing to see.
Volchenkov's hit marked the third time in three games that he's absolutely crushed someone. I don't want to criticize A-Train because he's stepped it up thus far in a contract year, but it's obvious the A-Train has embraced a more physical and aggressive style.
The third and fourth lines and the lesser-lights continue to carry the squad thus far. It's been the names like Carkner, Picard, Regin, Neil and Ruutu who have stood out and continue to play well.
Clouston shook up the lines last night and it seems to have worked. The Kovalev-Fisher-Alfredsson looked dominant for stretches of play last night.
Brian Elliott. Goalie. Of. The.Future. (This.Could.Change.)
First intermission, Timbits Hockey. It's a proven formula, the crowd eats up this kind of stuff. For whatever reason,
Kudos to Spezza for continuing to develop his two-way play. However, I'm not sure if Milan Michalek is the appropriate linemate to trigger some results. I think the problem with their pairing is that the bulk of Michalek's goals are generated when he's able to carry the puck with speed from the neutral zone in and conversely, Spezza's more effective when he's allowed to carry the puck into the offensive zone and use his creativity to create scoring opportunities. At some point, Clouston's going to have to pencil in Cheechoo alongside Spezza to see if number nineteen can get him going. The only problem is...
...That Cheechoo skates with the grace of a 50-year old man who was just thrown into a pool and is learning to swim for the first time. I never thought I'd say this but he makes Shaun Van Allen look like Jeremy Wotherspoon.
Next Up: Pittsburgh
Some fans may be skeptical of Ottawa's 3-1 record because they've beat teams like the Isles, Thrashers and the Leafs. I'm not too sure why people are being overly critical of their competition thus far, these were teams Ottawa used to lose to. For year's the team has had the reputation of playing down to the level of their competition, so I'll savour the points as they come in.
That being said, bring on the Flightless Birds, the 2008 2009 Stanley Cup Champs. It should be a good barometer for the team since Ottawa hasn't played a meaningful game against Pittsburgh since last year's epic battle in Sweden.
How fucking awesome is Jarkko Ruutu? By hitting and lying on Sidney Crosby for what seemed like a minute during the first period it was the most man-on-man action that Sid's had in weeks. Judging by how unusually slow Crosby was to get out of the predicament, you'd figure it's not the first time that his face has been in the vicinity of another man's groin.
Here are two pictures that a reader named Dave emailed to us after the game. I'd encourage readers to follow in Dave's footsteps and email us anything -- comments, pictures, whatever -- and we'll publish them here. (Note: The 2nd picture, Dave mentioned was torn to strips and dumped at the gate for people to walk on.)
Seventeen years ago today, the Ottawa Senators recorded their first modern NHL victory and seventeen years later, we're still waiting for our first Stanley Cup celebration. That's not to say that the Senators haven't had the opportunity to win, they have. The Senators were the sports equivalent to the television series Seinfeld. It had a strong cast that regularly made minor personnel changes, had minor plot changes, nothing got resolved and the end was nowhere in sight. Like Seinfeld, Ottawa fielded some very seasons, and like the Seinfeld finale, their postseasons have never quite lived up to the hype. Even the recent Curb Your Enthusiasm Seinfeld reunion mirrors Ottawa's situation. Some of the key players are still here, but it's just not the same.
It was late September, and John Muckler sat in his bunker-like general manager's office at the then Corel Centre, talking hockey before an Ottawa Senators pre-season game. Outside, the sounds of the National Hockey League were cranking up for the first time in a year, as the NHL clambered out of hibernation. A reporter noted that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa's chief rival, did not appear to be set up for the post-lockout NHL.
"No," said Muckler, shaking his head. "No, they don't." ~ Arthur Bruce, The Financial Post
It was early October and Tim sat in his unfinished basement, talking about hockey before the Ottawa Senators home opener. Outside, the sound of his mother could be heard. The tone of her voiced cranked up so that it was audible enough to be heard. Quit your hibernation Tim, and get a real job. In an exchange of emails, a Senators blogger named Nichols noted that two years removed from the Muckler era, the Senators still had not fully recovered from the damage that their former GM had caused.
"No," said Tim, shaking his head. "No, they have not."
For a long time, I've argued that John Muckler was the primary reason why Ottawa struggled since making the Cup Finals in '07. Since Ottawa's playing Long Island, and I have absolutely no desire to over-hype a Karlsson versus Tavares meeting, I've decided to do some research and put my theory to the test. Was John Muckler as shitty of a GM as I remember?
There's an old adage in the NHL: GMs are like politicians, you never really see the consequences of their actions until three years after their term has expired. Perhaps it's indicative when the results of the John Muckler era were transparent after one.
I'll make no bones about this. When John Muckler was hired by the Ottawa Senators on June 12th, 2002, he was the beneficiary of a young and talented organization that had prided itself upon strong drafting and player development. Also renowned for playoff disappointment and a hamstrung budget, the hiring of Muckler was intended to the put the Senators over the top.
Actually, over the top is the perfect way to characterize the Muckler regime. In one of his first duties, Muckler was hands on in the painting the Stanley Cup on the wall of the dressing room. Word has it that it looked something like this...
"I've said many times over the past 10 years that this has been a very good, very competitive organization. Whether it was luck of the draw, bad luck on the ice or whatever, they haven't gone as far as some people thought they might. I'm glad we rewrote all that."~ John Muckler
Rewrote what? You didn't win anything! In case you're wondering that above quote was made before the 2007 Stanley Cup Finals had started. Good ol' Mucks, maybe too much Wild Turkey that night induced that comment. Truth is, the sports fans aren't like American Idol fans. Not many people always fondly remember those Stanley Cup finalists. (With the lone exception being when you want to rub the appearance in the face of Leafs fans. And may the 1990-1991 Minnesota North Stars rest in peace. Their uniforms are amongst the greatest of all time.)
The fact is, too many casual Sens fans give Muckler credit for getting the Senators to that 2007 Final. He said it himself, luck and a good draw has a lot to do with it. When a team like Ottawa has been as competitive as they have, it was only a matter of time before there's an opportunity to win a championship. (Remember, in the pre-lockout days, players were typically under contractual control until they reached the age of 31. So the ability to keep a team together was easier than it is now.)
When Muckler was handed the reigns to this team, it was like he was given a free lease on a sportscar. One that he treated like an '83 Chevette. And as the lease was passed on to Bryan Murray and the hood was finally lifted, the carmay have hada lot of the same parts. However, the machinery under the hood was corroded and in the motor had ceased. "But hey, it's still a sports car!"
When Bryan Murray took over the GM reigns from John Muckler, he not only inherited a Stanley Cup Finalist, he inherited a team that was inherently flawed.After years of poor drafting and neglecting the depth on the farm, a few bad personnel moves compounded the problem and the Senators window of opportunity had closed. Only we didn’t know it at the time.
Following the 2007 Cup Finals, fans expected a perennial contender.But without any young talent that was ready to crack the lineup, management was forced to resign its core because there were no other in-house alternatives.
Even though it’s not really problematic to sign one’s elite talent to long-term deals, it’s counter intuitive to sign replaceable veterans to inflated, long-term deals making them completely untradeable in the process. Without young, NHL-ready talent, Ottawa’s veterans could print their own tickets and bleeding heart fans applauded the moves because they’d hate to see one of their own homegrown guys go.
And that's the problem right now. Too many fans are using revisionist views of the Senators to evaluate Bryan Murray's tenure for the past two seasons. Where once stood a Cup Finalist, is now a team that whose sole aspiration is to get back into the playoffs. "Lynch Murray! Bring back Mucks! The Murray regime moves slower than the pacing of a Wayne Scanlan column!"
Using some resources, I've pieced together John Muckler's transaction history. Let's take a stroll down memory lane, shall we? (Note to readers: If you're reading this for the first time, you may want to put a bucket or pail by your side to throw up into. You've been warned.)
John was hired in June of 2002, and with his hire, he brought in this bravado that he'd help put this team over the hump. Six months later, he made his mark by trading Josef Boumedienne to the Washington Capitals for Dean Melanson. After a few more months of watching the Senators get pushed around by their opponents, Muckler established himself by acquiring shitty, gritty players who he had connections to. Vaclav Varada for Jakub Klepis. (As an aside, I was completely disappointed with how shitty Varada was as a player and agitator. For a guy who had hands of cement, he should have inflicted more damage with his fists than he did.)
In retrospect, it was a banner year in Ottawa when the organization dealt for Bob Wren and Rob Ray on February 10th. Fortunately, any err in judgment was atoned for the next day when he sent Tim Gleason to Los Angeles for Bryan Smolinski. Even though Gleason has turned into a quick defenceman who can log big minutes and who ideally would have been a great candidate to replace Chris Phillips, I don't necessarily blame Muckler for moving him. If you're not familiar, Muckler and Gleason couldn't agree to terms on an entry-level contract because Gleason wanted Volchenkov-like salary. I'll hang this one on Rod Bryden's frugal regime and on Gleason for having the nerve to ask for $900k per year. Unacceptable.
On the heels of another playoff disappointment, Muckler reacted swiftly. He finally rid the organization of Mathieu Chouinard when he failed to qualify him as a restricted free agent. And who could possibly forget the three-way deal that netted Petr Smrek and sent Chris Bala to Minnesota and Chris Murphy to Nashville?
Denis Hamel was acquired for future considerations. I've always wondered what it must feel like to be dealt for something that's likely to be nothing. I don't know what I'd do if Bloguin was listening to offers for my wares. "Hey Bloguin, I'll take The 6th Sens off your hands, but only for future considerations. Maybe you'll get lucky and get another traffic generating rumours site like Sens Chirp. Or maybe you'll wind up with a Sens site that's updated as frequently as Kevin Lee's. Them's the breaks."
Magnus Arvedsson was also allowed to leave for Vancouver as a free agent without much fanfare. I feel like if this happened last summer, there would have been an outcry of public support for him. Like he was Chris Kelly or something.
In January of 2004, Ottawa acquired Brad Tapper for Daniel Corso. The city yawned. One month later, Muckler dealt an enigmatic Russian named Alexei KovalevPetr Schastlivy to Anaheim for Todd Simpson. The next month, Mucker feels compelled to add Peter Bondra because a skilled team like Ottawa could never have enough perimeter scoring. Going the other way were Brooks Laich and a 2nd round pick (Chris Durand).
In March of 2004, Shane Hnidy is dealt for a third rounder (Peter Regin) and a package of Karl Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux fetch Greg DeVries.
After another playoff collapse to the Leafs, Jacques Martin is fired and Patrick Lalime is dealt to St. Louis for a third rounder (Vitali Aneykeyenko). To fill the goaltending void, John Muckler reaches back into the Buffalo well and pulls out Dominik Hasek from the bargain bin. The League locks out the players and nothing matters for over a year.
Fast forward to 2005. The lock out ends. Hasek still wants to play. Hossa needs a new contract. Hossa and Muckler agree on a new deal. Three hours later, Hossa is dealt with Greg DeVries to Atlanta for Dany Heatley. Heatley is labelled by all as a power forward. Four months later, Senators fans call bullshit on the power forward label but love his Brett Hull'esque goalscoring ability. Another thing that Sens fans are loving, the Filip Novak acquisition. Tits! (I'd mention how Ottawa won the draft lottery by being awarded a top 10 pick...but John Muckler blew that pick on Brian Lee and it's been discussed ad nauseum. Google it, you'll see what I mean.)
Season ends in February when Hasek tweaks muscle at Olympics. Ottawa fans learn the word abductor adductor but rely upon old favorites like "Shitty cockballs!" and "That fucking Czech! Prioritize!" when referencing this event. But it's okay, Muckler fixes the issue by relying on Emery and making two minor moves -- claiming Mike Morrison off of waivers and trading a second rounder and Brandon Bochenski to Chicago for Tyler Arnason. Arnason's acquisition hits a climax when I bump into him after Ottawa eliminated Tampa in the first round of the playoffs. An obviously intoxicated Arnason was stumbling around the parking lot outside The Centrum's Baton Rouge and for whatever reason, I yelled "Hey Arnason. You're AWESOME."
That offseason, Ottawa opts to retain Wade Redden instead of Zdeno Chara in a move that's still hotly debated. In order to replace Chara, Muckler signs Joe Corvo. Apparently, he had a great plus minus in LA. (Note to self: When a trivial stat like +/- is used as the reason why it's a great signing, don't buy the hype. Interestingly, LA figured this out when they signed Tom Preissing as a Free Agent one year later.)
Editor's Note: This was originally where I intended to mention Gerber in the piece. But I forgot. I know, an egregious oversight on my part. Maybe I was too focused on all the other positive things that Muckler had been doing at the time.
If losing Hasek, Chara wasn't enough, Muckler continued to purge the roster of Czechs by trading Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski to the Blackhawks in three-way deal that involved the Sharks. Ottawa received Josh Hennessey, Michal Barinka, Tom Preissing and a second rounder (Patrick Wiercioch). In retrospect, the trade actually works out to be Havlat and Gleason for that package. It's one thing to give up a talent like Havlat, it's another to give up arguably the two biggest talents in that trade. What's that old spiel that some teams give at a trade deadline? "Sometimes, it's not the moves you make. It's the moves you don't make." Well, that's a deal I wish Ottawa never made.
Thankfully, Muckler atoned for the Havlat deal by signing Dean McAmmond and Serge Payer during the free agency period. It also helped that he was able to parlay another disgruntled Russian -- Alexei Kaigorodov -- into Mike Comrie.
Matt Koalska for Tomas Malec? Yawn. Lawrence Nycholat for Andy Hedlund? Yawn. Oleg Saprykin for a second rounder (Jared Staal)? Arrrgggg!
Here's a look at Muckler's entry draft record:
Editor's Note #2: I went easy on Mucker here and didn't include that 2007 Draft because Muckler was fired and replaced Murray before the draft began. But because Murray took over at the 24th hour, Muckler's scouting department was still in place and Murray based his selections upon the work done by Muckler's guys. Did I mention that Ottawa only had four picks from that draft? Enough said.
2002
1st round: Jakub Klepis
2nd round: Alexei Kaigorodov
3rd round: Arttu Luttinen
4th round: Scott Dobben; Johan Bjork
5th round: Brock Hooton
8th round: Josef Vavra
9th round: Vitaly Atyushov
2003
1st round: Patrick Eaves
2nd round: Igor Mirnov
3rd round: Phillipe Seydoux
4th round: Mattias Karlsson
5th round: Tim Cook
6th round: Sergei Gimayev
7th round: Will Colbert
8th round: Ossi Louhivaara
9th round: Brian Elliott
2004
1st round: Andrej Meszaros
2nd round: Kirill Lyamin
3rd round: Shawn Weller; Peter Regin; Jeff Glass
4th round: Alexander Nikulin
5th round: Jim McKenzie; Roman Wick
7th round: Joe Cooper
8th: Matt McIllvane
9th: John Wikner
2005
1st round: Anze Kopitar; MarcStaal; Brian Lee
3rd round: Vitali Anikeyenko
4th round: Cody Bass; Ilya Zubov; Janne Kolehmainen;
All it took was one win to quiet that sect of the Sens Army population who maintain that Erik Karlsson is too small to play in the NHL.
According to Cory Clouston, Brian Elliott's scheduled to make a start in the next two to three games. I have actually have no idea who this Brian Elliott is. I was too busy looking at the new goaltender of the future's OHL stats.
Some Leafs fan is irked by Bruce Garrioch for blowing off Jonas Gustavsson's hype after last night's game. He raises a valid point by attributing to the fact that Ottawa only scored twice on the Monster and one of the goals was the result of a controversial high-stick. (And by controversial, I mean the stick was over the crossbar.)This is all well and good, but it completely ignores the fact that Shean "Sloth" Donovan scored a goal and that should never happen.
This warrants another look:
"John Tavares plays his first game on Canadian soil at Scotiabank Place tomorrow. Wayne Gretky played his last game on Canadian soil. How is that for building up the rookie?" ~ Bruce Garrioch, OTP. Umm, Bruce, that's not build up. That's coincidence.
Jason Spezza missed today's practice with some bumps and bruises but will play tomorrow night against the Isles. Hopefully he doesn't draw some causation between these and his noticeably better defensive play.
I was watching some video of Ottawa's first regular season game in modern history and Ron MacLean dropped an awesome line in reference to the number of fans who wore togas to the game. "The sheets have hit the fans." Here's the video:
Also, tomorrow (October 8th) marks the day when Ottawa got their first win in modern history. Celebrate by making fun of your Habs fan co-workers.
This isn't related to hockey but I thought it was funny. I was walking down Bank St. yesterday afternoon and passed bya woman at one of the intersections. Anyways,she was engaged in a conversation with a friend when they were interrupted by her terrier that started yapping at another dog across the street. In an effort to quiet the dog, she gave one quick pull of the leash and a dropped a "Shut up you retard!" Ah,the irony in hearing a disabled person use a termused to negatively describe another form of disability. Classy.
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