This past Friday the Ottawa Senators organization graciously reached out to this blog to “acknowledge the online/blogging community’s work and development in social media.”
In an email, an Ottawa Senators representative invited me -- and I’m assuming that a few other Senators bloggers received a similar email -- to attend a game in the coming month so that I can “experience a day similar to what is available to the media who cover the Senators.”
Although the Senators did cordially invite bloggers and other online community members to attend the press conference that announced the launch of their 20th anniversary season last summer, Friday’s invitation is just the latest instance of the organization placing some emphasis on engaging the blogosphere to see where this relationship might lead.
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With a collection of forwards who have provided little secondary scoring over the past twenty games, the Ottawa Senators have turned to Rob Klinkhammer for some help.
And why not? no comments
With the Swedish Elite League regular season drawing to a close Tuesday, an interesting question must be raised by Senators management. Mika Zibanejad’s (and Fredrik Claesson’s, obviously, but for the purpose of this debate, he doesn’t really matter) Djurgården are finishing up a terrible year with games on Saturday and Tuesday, playing to avoid the dreaded relegation playoffs.
The two worst teams in the 12-team SEL square off in a mini-series of home-and-homes against the four best teams from SEL-2 for the right to remain or be promoted. Djurgården currently sits one point back of Linköping, these bottom dwellars face the same pair of opponents in their final two games, after which one team will be done for the year, and the other playing for their existence.
This brief lesson of the Swedish league system serves a purpose for Sens fans. If Djurgården can end the season with a few points in the last two games, they’ll be done playing by Tuesday. If they fail to climb ahead of Linköping, then this is a debate that will re-surface in a month or so, when the relegation playoffs are over.
When Mika’s not busy cuddling his puppy, he likes to put his hands to better use, playing hockey. Ending the season in early March might increase the amount of puppy pictures on Zibanejad’s Twitter account, but it’s certainly not what you’d like for one of your top prospects. Even though hitting the gym, stuffing himself with some Swedish meatballs and adding an inch to his 6’3 frame wouldn’t be all that bad. However, seven months without competitive hockey obviously isn’t the ideal situation. no comments
* Thans to @SensForLife11 for the Photoshopped image.
For the first time since suffering a cut to his right pinky finger that severed a tendon, the Senators' number one goaltender addressed the media for the first time but refused to comment or elaborate on how he sustained the injury itself.
In concealing his right hand with his jacket, it aroused the interest and suspicions of the Ottawa Sun's Don Brennan.
“I really don’t care to talk about the details of it all,” Anderson said Thursday at Scotiabank Place, hiding his wounded hand with a dark coat. “(It was a) freak accident. Happened in the kitchen. Leave it at that. Something you learn from. Unfortunately, it was a costly mistake.”
Or maybe it is not. Having received the lion's share of the work between the pipes, maybe Craig Anderson's desperate need for some post-game protein is simply a blessing in disguise. At the very least, it creates a unique opportunity for Tony Greco to use his radio program spots to discuss the inherent dangers of cooking the kitchen and how high-performance athletes can forego frozen chicken for much safer protein supplement alternatives.
In fairness to Anderson, maybe he just not want his injury to be a distraction to his teammates. Or perhaps he is just frustrated or concerned that his rhythm may be disrupted by his injury. Whatever the case, recent events can afford him the opportunity to step back and re-focus and recharge for the playoffs. At the same time, it gives the organization an opportunity to put Robin Lehner in some pressure packed games and evaluate his development as a goaltender. no comments
Earlier today I had some conversations with Scott about the Norris Trophy debate and how it is an exercise in futility trying to convince people in outside markets who don't have the luxury of being able to watch Erik Karlsson on a game-by-game basis that despite his offense overshadowing whatever defensive capabilities on the ice, he is far removed from being a defensive liability.
At one point in our discussions, the topic of the Selke Trophy came up and we drew the parallel that the annual award that recognizes the league's best defensive forward rarely goes to a player who lacks offensive ability.
Since the NHL started awarding the Selke at the end of the 1977/78 season, only seven times in its thirty-three year history has it been given to a player who had less than 40 points in the regular season. The last to do it was John Madden during the 2000-01 season when he had 38 points.
Gone are the days when modest contributors like Bob Gainey, Craig Ramsay, Guy Carbonneau or Rick Meagher would win. Ever since the conclusion of the 2004/05 lockout, no one with less than 70 points has won the award.
It reminded Scott of a point that Elliotte Friedman made in a Q&A blog post by Thomas Drance for Oilers Nation.
Here is an excerpt from that post (that should be read in its entirety):
Thomas Drance: Lots of stat geeks looked at this years Selke nominations and were shocked. Toews and Kesler, for example, were not even the “elite defensive centers” on their own teams. Do you think we’ll reach a point where the PHWA is prioritizing zone-starts and events against, so that hockey can have a Frans Nielsen, “Felix Hernandez” type Selke winner?
Elliotte Friedman: Yeah I think absolutely it will get there. I tell you, when I was voting last year (and I think I voted for Kesler) I remember I was being lobbied for Frans Nielsen. I had a few people that said to me well look at Frans Nielsen. I did. It’s not like I didn’t consider him. But one of the reasons I voted for Kesler over Malhotra myself, is that I think being a defensive player isn’t only about being a defensive player. I think if you’re a two-way player, and an offensive threat – to me you’re automatically a better defensive player.
Everybody knows what a great defensive player Pavel Datsyuk is – but why is that? It’s not only because he back-checks, it’s because he’s always got the frigging puck. You can’t take it off him, no matter where you are on the ice. So if he’s playing against your best players, and you can’t get the puck, he nullifies your guy. I think a guy like Kesler is not in Datsyuk’s class - but I think about it that way. If this is a guy who is a 40 goal threat, and is a threat to score more than Malhotra is, does that not make him automatically, if they’re both really good defensive players, doesn’t that make Kesler better?
To get back to Nielsen – last year, there were a few people, and Islanders fans saying, “look at him.” I think you’re silly if you don’t listen, and people were constructing some reasonably good arguments, so I watched a few more games in depth, and he looks like he could be a really good player.
I think sometimes people take it as an insult “oh my guy didn’t win – these reporters are morons and they don’t know anything.” I understand sometimes that people look at us reporters and say “they’re not into statistical analysis” and I would probably agree to that to some extent. When you’re a man or woman who covers a team everyday – you’re probably going more by feel than you would be stats, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I do find that I read more people who use some of these statistical arguments, and make sense with them. And I think there are some reporters who are more open-minded. But it’s hard to be when you’re following a team around every day, and you watch 80, or 100, or however many games it is, and you’ve got somebody telling you “no, you’re an idiot! You should be watching Frans Nielsen, instead of somebody else” – I understand how people would say, “well I’m not listening to that jerk.”
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Norm MacIver points record wasn't the only thing to come to fall within the past week. Yes, the Brian Lee era in Ottawa has also come to a close.
Since being drafted with the ninth overall selection in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, it's been a long and uphill climb for the John Muckler draft selection to try and endear himself to the fans and incumbent managerial group.
Now that climb is finally over.
Although the bulk of this team's work -- the separate Kyle Turris and Ben Bishop trades -- was done prior to yesterday's deadline, the Ottawa Senators did trade a bottom pairing/depth defenceman to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a bottom pairing defenceman of their own. Averaging 17 minutes and 36 seconds of ice-time per game, Matt Gilroy ranked fifth amongst Lightning blueliners in average time on-ice.
General manager Bryan Murray's pursuit of Gilroy is well publicized and dates back to 2009 when the defenceman was a senior at Boston University. The then highly pursued collegiate free agent opted to sign a deal with the Rangers instead. After two forgettable seasons in New York, Gilroy became an unrestricted free agent this past offseason when Glen Sather opted not to tender him a qualifying offer. Gilroy then inked a $1M one-year contract with the Lightning. no comments
