It's causing a bit of buzz right now, so I figured I'd draw attention to it: Erik Karlsson and Peter Regin did not attend practice today. Brent Wallace from TSN just tweeted that they are sick, which is almost certainly true. However, a lot of fans looking at the schedule have realized that this is quite convenient timing, so I'll explain why.
Speculation is running rampant with Karlsson missing practice because he has now played 9 games. If he is sent down to Binghamton or back to Sweden, then this year does not count as a year on his entry-level contract. Therefore, sending Karlsson down makes very good cap management sense for the Ottawa Senators, because it means that they could have a better Erik Karlsson next year (and the two years following) for the same price he's at currently. ~ Darren M., Silver Seven Sens
I did some digging around and found out that Don Brennan was discussing Karlsson on OTP. Here's what he had to say...
Have to admit, after Saturday's game against Boston I thought the Senators would be keeping Erik Karlsson around. Now I don't. Nobody has said anything, no decision will be announced until Tuesday or Wednesday, probably. But just by the way coach Cory Clouston was talking after practice this morning, I think they're going to ask their prized teenage prospect to go back to Sweden for another year of development. They'd prefer to put Karlsson in Binghamton. Get him used to the North American lifestyle, the rink sizes and such. But by doing so, it would count as a year on his contract. I think they'd rather have that year when he was 22 rather than 19. Karlsson has been the team's fifth or sixth best defenceman (depending on your thoughts about Chris Campoli) since Filip Kuba has been out. With Kuba almost ready to return, something has to give. I'm betting Karlsson is heading back to Sweden and the Senators go to Brian Lee, who's playing in Binghamton, when they need another defenceman.
As Darren mentioned, it's convenient timing. Convenient timing indeed. But maybe not for the reasons outlined by the likes of Darren and Brennan.
If you had not noticed, the city of Ottawa is in a bit of a lull. The Senators hasn't played since Saturday night and their next game is on Wednesday. News has been sparse, although this has provided perfect timing for that 42-year old, Hep-C ridden, rock star porking Baywatch skank to get some headlines with some promotional work in the Byward Market.
Part of the problem has been that Cory Clouston compounded the problem by giving his players the day off following Saturday night's loss to the Bruins. Without the media providing a lifeline to what's going on, fans are starving for any kind of information -- be it line combinations, mundane player quotes, or which players are displaying flu-like symptoms.
Are fans reading too much into Karlsson's absence? Possibly.
And why would I think that? Because that's what Bryan Murray said.
"Whether he's here for every game or whatever this year, I don't know that, but 10 games won't be the trigger point. 10 games is not going to be the measure of Erik Karlsson."
Okay, so even if Karlsson does get sent back to the SEL, Bryan Murray technically wasn't lying -- 10 games wasn't the trigger point. Nine was/is/could be?
But in the meantime, couldn't we just analyse and dwell on the other shit that's going on? Or is it already tiresome to discuss Spezza and Cheechoo's inability to score? Or maybe it's boring to synonymously use the word enigma when referencing Kovalev's play? Or maybe fans feel content to just let Bruce Garrioch discuss the negative aspects of the season thus far.
Brian Campbell to Ottawa?
I was kind of shocked to see his name today in my emails and texts from sources. I will add some more possible destinations shortly, but the one aspect of all these sources that seems to be converging is that the Blackhawks are up to something bigger and trying to land a big-time scorer.
I am told that it is a pending UFA, so we may be talking about Savard or Frolov...however, Campbell is not the direct trade...he would go some place else...
As I am writing this, the first two possible teams that came through were Ottawa and the Islanders...
I am off to return some calls.
Word to the wise. If you get the swine flu, don't rush yourself back to normalcy. I am paying for that.
All I'm getting out of this is that Eklund has swine flu. (E5) The rest of it however, doesn't make any sense. Why would Bryan Murray ruin his team's depth and payroll structure to take on Brian Campbell?
Eugene Melnyk Launches Fundraising Initiative For Alpine Canada
The plan offers 3,000 special Alpine Canada memberships available via the website win2010.ca at a price of $100, which includes a two-year subscription to SRC (Ski Racing Canada) Magazine.
Members are also eligible to win one of over 700 prizes with a total value of more than $250,000, highlighted by an all-inclusive trip to the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Melnyk, the Canadian businessman and Ottawa Senators owner, bought the first 300 memberships for his family and friends.
All proceeds go directly to fund costs of national ski team athletes competing in Vancouver. ~ CTV Olympics
Last night was one of those games that you could spend hours micro-analysing and still not come away with a distinct conclusion as to what you had just witnessed. After two mediocre periods of nothingness, Ottawa overcame three deficits of 3-0, 4-3 and 5-4. The latter erased by a Chris Phillips goal that came with only 1.6 seconds left on the clock. The elation and disbelief that accompanied The Big Rig's tally was remarkable. I couldn't believe that the Senators had sent the game to overtime after Gary "fucking" Suter's kid nephew had scored at the 19th minute mark of the third. (An aside, I refer him as Gary "fucking" Suter because of that dirty, vicious cross-check that he laid on Paul Kariya. Not only did it hurt Canada's Olympic gold chance, I've always felt that between that and the Stevens hit, Kariya's never been the same.)
So when Shea Weber scored a powerplay marker with Matt Carkner in the box, my high disappeared faster than a Theo Fleury cocaine hit. (Sans helicopter ride to Atlantic City for some gambling at a Trump Casino. But you get the point.) Instead of being happy that the Senators came out of the game with a point, I am mind-numbingly headfucked that they didn't steal two from a beleaguered Nashville team that featured the horrendous goaltending of Pekka Rinne. Who consequently, did nothing to disprove the sophomore slump. Need an indictment of his play? I was actually confident that Ottawa could victimize the guy in a shootout.
Carkner/Picard
Not strong performance by either of these two last night. It's easy to shit on Picard because of his egregious mental and physical errors and the fact that he was benched for the third period, but why are some shitting on Carkner? It's not like he was the beneficiary of Picard's play in the first period. (An aside, if Picard was given credit for the goal and assist that he gave Nashville, his numbers wouldn't be that bad.)
Powerplay
Much has been made of the Senators early season powerplay woes and it was nice to see Chris Campoli chip in with a goal last night. It was a rare incidence of seeing the defence just blast a shot from the point with the other team guarding Spezza's patented backdoor/cross-ice pass.
Too often I find that Ottawa's defencemen are willing to throw the puck up front and let the skilled forwards work their magic and creativity down low. Right now, Ottawa's powerplay runs like a NBA offence. It's all about giving the stars as many touches as possible to keep them satisfied. Unfortunately, I think Erik Karlsson's suffers a bit from this. Whether it's confidence, an inclination, or pressure to feed the puck to Ottawa's elite guys, Karlsson's not shooting the puck as often as I'd like to see. Even though last night's game was a bit of a clusterfuck, one of the few things that I appreciated in Nashville's game was the fact that their defence loves to shoot and can hit the net with consistency.
Eklund Has Swine Flu (E5)
According to his Twitter, the hockey rumo(u)r blogger is battling the flu. It's tough to believe him though. I mean, I checked TSN and neither Dreger or Bobby-Mac had broken the news first. Get well soon Ek.
Winchester to the AHL
As I had speculated, Cory Clouston announced at practice today that the Senators have optioned Jesse Winchester to Binghamton for a 2-week conditioning stint and will play tonight against the Syracuse Crunch. If you're a big believer that a trade is imminent, this 2-week period should serve as a window of opportunity for Bryan Murray to make a move and address the team's abundance of depth.
"For the simple fact that these reputation things just came out in the last three months," Heatley said. "I played seven years in the League and my reputation has always been good, I thought, with my teammates and everyone I played against. It's humorous that in three months, because of some people in Ottawa, all of a sudden your reputation takes a hit. So, no, I'm not concerned about it. I've said it before; everybody I have played with would say I'm a good teammate." ~ Dany Heatley via NHL.com
SunDoniBjust noticed that 8 Sharks got more ice time tonight than Heatley, who had 0 shots on goal and was a minus-3. he can't be happy. #nhl#sens
Another gameday means another prediction as part of the Ottawa Citizen's panel. Here's what I had to say...
Senators 4, Predators 2
"If it bleeds, we can kill it." ~ Dutch (Arnold Schwarzenegger's character from the movie Predator)
It's tough to pick against the Senators when the Predators organization is bleeding profusely.
Heading into action last night's action against the Bruins, the Preds owned a 2-4-1 record -- Good for second worst record in the Western Conference. Combine an underachieving roster with some average goaltending and it's a recipe for disaster. Even Sens fans who are concerned with Erik Karlsson's defensive shortcomings, can appreciate the fact that he doesn't share Hamhuis or Klein's plus/minus of -7. Have I even mentioned that Jason Arnott has a significant arm injury that will keep him out of action?
To read the rest of the panel's predictions, click here.
Earl McRae of the Ottawa Sun is running a nickname contest for members of the Ottawa Senators. To enter, you just have to give him any current five players and their respective nicknames. It's not a bad way to encourage some discussion and get your readers involved, until I saw some commenter named Danny borrow my 12 steps idea for Michalek and pass it off as his own. (Angry fist shaking motion.)
In homage of Earl McRae's piece...I'll submit a list of nicknames if you guys put together a good list.
Matt "Steve Perry" Carkner has done it. He's finally landed the one-way deal that he has sought since being drafted ten years ago by the Montreal Canadiens. After an impressive training camp, exhibition schedule and first six games, Carkner has signed an extension for two additional years at a cap hit of $700k.
At the outset, there may be some subjective reservations about extending the contract of a 28-year old "Journey Man" who hasn't played enough to deserve a $200k raise and a one-way contract. But what's the risk? His salary is modest. If he cannot maintain his current level of play, the team can expose him to a trade, waivers or re-entry waivers down the road.
On the other hand, if Carkner's solid play continues, the cost of retaining him would only increase as Carkner got closer to July 1st and unrestricted free agency.
By locking him up now, the Senators organization did themselves and Carkner a favour and I couldn't be happier for the guy.
(
October 2, 2009 - Photo by Christopher Pasatieri/Getty Images North America)
And here I was, going to write about how much I hate the long layoff between Sens games. It wasn't because I don't get to watch my favorite hockey team play for awhile. No. It's because everything that's written about the Ottawa Senators is the same.
I had these two introductory sentence all typed out.
Were you aware that Jason Spezza had zero goals so far this season? Were you also aware that he's become a much better defensive player?
If you answered no to either of those questions then today's your lucky fucking day.
Consequently, I was all set to make fun of the numerous local articles that articulated that Spezza's defensive prowess made up for the fact that he wasn't producing. And then I was set to make fun of the non-local commentary that was opining his lack of production. I even had the links and headlines all typed up and ready to go.
And then Bryan Murray had to go out and resign Matt Carkner to a new two-year contract extension. (Ed. note: The Ottawa Citizen has revealed that the terms of the deal are two years, $1.4M total.) If this wasn't interesting enough, things only got better when two of the local Sens bloggers got into a dispute on Twitter.
In one corner, Sens Chirp. In the other, The Universal Cynic, Erin Nicks. Sit back and enjoy the fireworks. And while you're at it, start following The 6th Sens on Twitter.
I love Anton Volchenkov. I love everything about the guy -- his nickname, his willingness to block shots, his patented hits along the boards by the blueline and the fact that I know nothing about the guy's personality even though he's been here for years.
That's why it was so refreshing to hear Chris Campoli recall a story to the Citizen regarding that he and Volchenkov spent hours searching the Internet for footage of a hit that the A-Train put on Campoli when he was playing for the Isles. (Allegedly, the hardest one that Campoli's received in his career.)
So if I like Volchenkov so much, why did I spend a few minutes this morning wiping coffee off of my laptop monitor after reading that Sens Chirp believes that Volchenkov was poised to get $4-5M from the Senators on a contract extension?
Here were Chirp's exact words...
There are already whispers that Murray is working on an extension for Volchenkov but those talks are very much in the early stages. Volchenkov is expected to bring down anywhere from $4-5 million on a long term deal.
Either way, locking up Volchenkov has to be a priority for the Senators this season and the sooner they get it done the better. Volchenkov appears to be well on the way to a career season and if hes allowed to hit the open market he will certainly demand top dollar.
So why would I be so hesitant to give the A-Train that kind of coin? Probably because there's a lot of inherent risk involved. Especially when history dictates trusting that much money and years into a player who's a physical, shot-blocking machine isn't necessarily the safest long-term investment.
One recent example of this is Jay McKee. On July 1st, 2006, McKee signed a 4-year, $16M contract as an unrestricted free agentthat saw him register 98 hits and led the league with 241 blocked shots for the Buffalo Sabres.
McKee, a 10-year veteran, had been Buffalo's senior player. He was coming off a strong season in which he helped the Sabres win a franchise-best, 52 regular-season games and clinch their first playoff berth since 2001. McKee then played a big role in Buffalo's extended post-season run, which ended with a Game 7 loss in the Eastern Conference finals to eventual Stanley Cup champion Carolina. ~ Canoe
After three injury marred seasons, McKee had his contract bought out by the Blues. When asked for his opinion on why he was let go, Mckee said, "The bottom line is, I didn't fit in their depth chart and my salary was probably a hindrance to their payroll."
Now I'm not saying that Volchenkov's going to be the next McKee, wherein injuries could adversely affect him in the same way. It's just that I view physical, defensive defencemen like I view NFL running backs. Once they're on the wrong side of thirty, the bumps and bruises that they've accumulated over the course of their careers tend to take their toll. Because of the way he plays, he's likely to be more suceptible to injury. (I know this is completely circumstantial evidence. Believe me when I say that I'd like to back this up with statistical data. But, I can't. You'll just have to take my word or decide for yourself whether this is a reasonable assertion or not. Although, Wade Redden's softness is a fine Exhibit A in my defence.)
While the nature of his play could be a deterring factor later in his career, it's equally as important to examine his financial worth moving forward. Since Volchenkov is Ottawa's premier shutdown defenceman, it's imperative to discuss the current open market rate for comparable players.
And as Sens Chirp alluded to, recent contracts like Mike Komisarek's have set a bit of a benchmark. I've done some research and have come up with a list of some players who have posted similar high shot blocking and hits totals on par with Volchenkov -- 7GP, 18 hits, 24 blocked shots, $3.2M salary ($2.5M cap hit)
Interestingly, no one on this list earns more than $4.5M per year. While I'd give Volchenkov the nod over almost all of the names on the list, I think it's important to note that both of the players who earn over $4M (Komisarek and Hannan) are considered amongst many to be overpaid.
So if you're Bryan Murray, what do you do? Obviously, trading Volchenkov isn't an option unless the Senators suddenly fall flat and perform a Battle of the Blades'esque death spiral out of the playoff picture or contract negotiations stall and he promises to go on the open market. However, as Sens Chirp indicated, there allegedly is optimism from both sides that a deal can be reached.
During negotiations, however, there's a fine line to be drawn here: One one hand, A-Train's too valuable to lose on a blueline that can best be categorized as average. And on the other hand, an overpriced contract in a salary cap system can seriously debilitate the team's financial flexibility as the team continues to improve in the future.
Here are three options that I have come up with for Bryan:
Since Volchenkov's turning 28, give him big dollars on a two or three year deal. $4M-$4.25M maximum offer. The key here is not to extend the contract past the point where the A-Train's prime of his career is over.
Offer a staggered contract extension similar to the one that Kronwall signed in Detroit to manipulate the cap. Ken Holland manipulated his average cap hit by giving Kronwall $1.5M in his first year and $3M, $3.25M, $3.5M, and $3.75 in the subsequent years for a $3M average.
Offer a contract extension similar to the ones that are being investigated by the NHL for circumventing the cap. (ie. Hossa's contract.)
Once again Saturday, Price played just well enough to lose. The difference in the Ottawa game (just as it was against Colorado and Edmonton) was the difference between Price and the opposing goalie.
In Edmonton, it was Nikolai Khabibulin. Against the Avalanche it was Craig (not Shawn) Anderson. Against Ottawa, it was Pascal Leclaire, who is proving what a difference a goalie makes for a Senators team that is playing well once again.
I didn't get a chance to watch the finer details of the game, so I'll have to cross reference this statement with some credible Ottawa writing. Let's see what SLC from Five For Smiting has to say...
Blech. And a lucky blech at that. Had Pascal not stood on his head early, had the PK not been batshit crazy solid, had the Habs spent even just a little bit more time playing and a little less shooting themselves in the foot, I'm filling this space with enraged yammerings targeting everyone and everything wearing a Sens jersey (YA HEARD ME, SPARTY!). Instead, we'll take the two points, thank our gracious hosts and slink out of town like thieves. Oddly enough, I'm okay with that.
Speaking of Saturday night's game against the Canadiens, Alexei Kovalev had this to say afterwards,
"I can't find any more words to describe how I feel, and how much support I keep getting from these fans."
I'll help you find the words Alex. Thanks for not torching the team bus Habs fans.
While Darren from Silver Seven Sens has come up with a list of reasons why the Senators have reversed their fortunes from last year, Chris Stevenson nails it by showering the Senators second overall ranked penalty killing unit with love.
According to Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Citizen, what got lost in Saturday night's win wasn't the fact that the Senators didn't play that well. It was that Erik Karlsson's best game of the season was overshadowed by the Alexei Kovalev story.
"Maybe it was anxiousness, the nerves, the atmosphere," Clouston said.
"But I thought the last 40 minutes might have been his best. He looked comfortable, he was making some better plays with the puck, he had a lot more poise with the puck, and physically he was a lot more involved, as well."
The key for Karlsson, Clouston said, is in playing as if he believes he belongs in the NHL, not as if he is still trying out. That can only lead to tentativeness and uncertainty.
"I think he has just got to play his game," Clouston said.
"He has got to, basically, realize that he belongs here and not be in awe. Just go out there and play his game. And, for the most part in the last two periods, he really did that.
"He just said, 'You know what? I'm going to have to make a difference here, that my team needs me."
Jeff Blair of The Globe and Mail has two interesting blurbs from his piece this morning:
Circle Oct. 30 on your calendar: You want a look-ahead? On Oct. 28, the Toronto Raptors open the NBA regular-season at home against the Cleveland Cavaliers while the Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Dallas Stars. The Leafs have just two games before then (in Vancouver and Anaheim) so if they can continue losing and the Raptors can pull off an upset, there you’d go: Toronto’s NBA team has its first win before its NHL team. You don’t like the Raps’ chances against the Cavs? Neither do I, but not to worry: On Oct. 30 the Raps are in Memphis and the Leafs are in Buffalo. Lookahead? There’s your stinkin’ lookahead ..
and...
Turfed as president and chief executive officer of the Ottawa Senators and Scotiabank Place, Roy Mlakar received early consideration for the Toronto Blue Jays presidency, I’m told.
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.
Advertisers
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
Bloggers Wanted
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!
RSS Feed 
Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics. 
The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.
The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.
The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account! 