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Man.Utd

8-09-05, 4:41 PM

While guys like Emery, Fisher, and company will likely just sign the qualifying offers or get minimal raises in arbitration I doubt many of the big guys like Hossa will. Nor do I think management expects them to but rather just wanted to retain their rights.

The surest bet I'm willing to make is that Hossa, unless he's willing to sign long-term and thus probably rewarded more handsomely by Muckler and the lot, will get no more than 4M. Not when Hejduk 3.9M. The two are very compareable players on every level, espcially statistically, and both play for contending teams. However, Hejduk has a Rocket Richard and a Cup Ring. Fellow Slovak P.Demitra also signed for 4.5M in LA, he to is compareable Hossa stat-wise but has a Lady Byng to his name. Marian may want to sign for a bargain basemant deal ala Gagne for only 1 year (3M - 3.5M perhaps ???) knowing that he can cash in big as soon as the contract expires and he becomes a UFA.

Havlat makes no more than 2.5M, absolute maximum. He just had a horrible season in Europe, didn't make his national team, needs to prove he can handle better competition than on the third-line (although we are all sure he can), and Gagne just signed for 2M. Once again, compareable players. Mach 9 may have better upside, but upside alone can't grant you more than a 500k difference in pay. Unlike Hossa who will porbably be willing to sign long-term if the deal is fair financially, Marty will likely keep taking his one/two years deals until he hits UFA status and is out the door.

Spezza is much harder to judge than the other big name. Obviously we want him locked up for a good while, but Jason probably won't like that at this point in time as he isn't yet able to command top-coin. He won't make more than 1.5M until he shows us how he handles a top-six role. Maybe a two year deal?

Muckler has made it pretty clear we're going to hardball Volchenkov and tell him to take or leave it the offer. His Russia stunt hasn't impressed management at all and we know we can get by without him since he was hurt all year and we didn't miss a beat. Plus, we now have de Vries. Anton is a big piece to the future but can't yet hold the cards in contract negotiations. He's only played one full season, and that was a whole 57 games! Muckler knows that Volchenkov knows he'll be shooting himself in the foot long-term if he opts to stay in Russia.

Madferret

8-09-05, 4:52 PM

As Andy stated, Fish / Emery and the like should accept their qualifying offers.
Hossa should be given a fair offer hopefully (2.8?) and I hope it's a 3-4 year deal. 12 Mil over 4 years would be ideal for Hoss *fingers crossed*
Havlat, I'm expecting a fight. Maybe arbo if he qualifies (does he?), and as I've stated before I do like Havlat and he is a one hell of a hockey player, but if Mucks does run into another contract squabble with him I think we should see what kind of interest he would gather in the way of a trade.

Man.Utd

8-09-05, 5:04 PM

Hossa making 12M over 4 years would be amazing! But if he's going to sign for that long I can't see him biting on anything less than 3.5M and he'll likely be hunting for 4M.

In any case, Ottawa has continually been able to sign their guys to fair deals. We saw it last year with Chara, Alfredsson, and Phillips and Hossa/Havlat both signed fair deals coming off of their rookie contracts a while back. I'm confident we can continue such successful dealings. The cap will make it impossible to keep everyone forever but for the most part this core can remain together for a good while yet.

I pretty much agree as far as Marty is concerned. I like Havlat too. Alot. But unless he can continue to increase his production on LW I think we should trade him in a year or two (assuming he can fetch a nice return) before he can become a UFA. He has (and will likely continue to be) a head-ache for negotiations and will be the type of guy who will turn down a fair deal to take us to the cleaners. One hell of hockey player with a nasty edge, and I love him as a fan because he's so exciting but we don't need guys like that in the organization. Not when we have proven to be able to lose a key player and maintain success through smart trading and skillful drafting. If we were a team who didn't have the ability to keep finding assests through multiple different methods I'd be singing a different tune with Mach 9.

grim

8-09-05, 5:33 PM

"Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara can become unrestricted free agents after next season, the bad news doesn't stop there because wingers Marian Hossa and Martin Havlat will be unrestricted free agents the following year.

Hossa will qualify for unrestricted status by virtue of the fact he will be 28 years old while Havlat will have seven years in the league.
.
.
.

And, sources say, under the new CBA both Hossa and Havlat will have the right to arbitration this summer, which means the Senators could be in for a battle as they try to get two of their top right wingers under contract before training camp begins."

http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2005/07/21/1141228-sun.html

Man.Utd

8-09-05, 9:35 PM

Damn. Well that's a kick in the pants. But as I said, I'm confident we will continue to be able to strike deals with these guys that please both the fans, the management, and the on-ice persoanl. And if not, we will once again be able to get by. Likely with minor short-term set backs, but no real loss in the big picture. We lost guys like Yashin and McEachern to name a couple - two first-liners for us - and did fine. I assume Havlat will be the tic in our wood-pile, leading to that last statement in regards to eventualities. He will be hard to sign. And Ottawa will low-ball him like they've never low-balled before thanks to his last exploits.

The Sens don't play games with players like Marty. We let Yashin sit out and were quick to shop him around. We ended up dealing him for a high pick, an at that point second-pairing defenseman, and an aging vet. Detroit was also (apparently) offering a package centered around Yzerman at the time which we seriously considered. Karl Rachunek came back to us from Europe with his tail between his legs after his contract disputes and was also delt soon after. And John Muckler has made it well known through the media that we'll gladly bid adieu to Anton Volchenkov if he doesn't smarten up with this Russia business (although it looks like nothing more than a barganing ploy from the young Russian). Rest assured Mach 9 will be dealt/let to sit if he proves to be a major problem child as we continue to contend for a Cup. I "if he proves to be more" because last time he did have a pretty low offer and I doubt this escalates to Yashin status. That being said, he should've just taken his lumps, got his PPG, and then asked for a well-earned raise when it was time for a new contract. Hossa did it and is now not only (IMO) our most popular player, but will no doubt recieve some long-term offers from Muckler and co. which will reward him handsomely if he wants to sign. Whether he opts for them over being a UFA so soon remains to be seen. Havlat on the other hand now has fans on his back offering him in trade proposals left and right despite having the talent to one day lead the league in scoring (does that seem right?), management having some ill feelings towards him, and a reputation as a cancer/hated guy which couldn't be further from the truth. He's just greedy. :mad:

If teams were more like Ottawa and New Jersey - giving fair contracts to big names like Chara and Elias and thus setting a healthy maket-place, not negotiating with big name players who make unrealistic demands, putting no one player above the franchise - the NHL would be a better place.

Newfie John

8-09-05, 10:18 PM

Trade Havlat... seriously. I'm not just bashing him here, I think you could get a good return and your better off anyway. He's as good as gone once he hits free agency. There's still a possibility that he could receive an offer sheet from someone also.

butterfly_style

8-10-05, 7:38 AM

Hossa and Havlat refused qualifying offers( not sure of the numbers).
Both are filing for arbitration.
Hossa said to be looking for Iginla type numbers . . .ouch!!

macca

8-10-05, 8:09 AM

macca

8-10-05, 8:11 AM

Hossa and Havlat refused qualifying offers( not sure of the numbers).
Both are filing for arbitration.
Hossa said to be looking for Iginla type numbers . . .ouch!!

Huh???? Really? Yeah, he deserves it. Didn't Hossa put the Sens on his back and carry them to the Stanley Cup final? :confused:

bluemeanie

8-10-05, 8:34 AM

Hossa and Havlat refused qualifying offers( not sure of the numbers).
Both are filing for arbitration.
Hossa said to be looking for Iginla type numbers . . .ouch!!

OTTAWA SUN: Bruce Garrioch reports the Senators and Marian Hossa are miles apart in their contract negotiations, with Hossa rejecting the club's three-year, $11 million offer apparently in favour of a three year, $21 million contract similar to that of Calgary's Jarome Iginla. Garrioch writes Hossa will likely file for arbitration by today's 5 PM EST deadline (along with Martin Havlat), sign a one year contract and become a UFA next summer.

Iginla?....really?

Max Power

8-10-05, 9:16 AM

Yah I heard this on the radio!? What is he thinking? Hossa of all people too? I can see him wanting more then the 11.5 3-year contract but 7 million a year get real. You have to wonder what these agents are thinking?

Max Power

8-10-05, 9:41 AM

What I don't understand is how he can compare himself with Thornton? I didn't know Thornton has resigned? I?d be very disappointed if Hossa went as a UFA next year and you know some team will sign him to ridiculous amount. The scary part is the leafs will be one of the few teams with big cap room next year :conspire: The good news is we should get a good season out of him

By BRUCE GARRIOCH, Ottawa Sun

MARIAN HOSSA is ready to go to war with the Senators to get what he wants.

Hossa told the Sun yesterday he turned down a three-year deal -- sources say it was worth $11.5 million (all figures US) -- from the Senators last week.

If he's going to sign a long-term contract with Ottawa, he wants close to the $21 million over three years that Jarome Iginla got from Calgary.

Instead of settling on a deal, Hossa will likely file for arbitration -- along with teammate Martin Havlat -- at today's 5 p.m. deadline, accept a one-year contract from an arbitrator and then shop himself around as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

"We're at a dead point right now," said Hossa, who was scheduled to make $3.45 million last season. "We are nowhere. They offered me a three-year contract, but it wasn't good enough.

"It wasn't anywhere close to my comparables. If you look at my points the last two seasons, they've been close to Iginla and (Boston's Joe) Thornton.

"I'm not pissed off. You know me, I'm not that type of guy. I love the city of Ottawa, I love the fans there. I want to be part of that team for a long time. I just want to be paid what I feel is a fair amount and I don't want to settle for less."

Ideally, the Senators would like to get Hossa and defencemen Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara signed to long-term contracts because all three will be eligible to be unrestricted free agents next summer.

Sources say representatives for Redden and Chara have both been approached in the last 10 days by Senators assistant GM Peter Chiarelli about doing extensions from 3-5 years. Both players are under contract for this season.

The 26-year-old Hossa is a different story. He led the club in scoring in the 2003-04 season with 36 goals and 46 assists.

"It's very exciting that he could be an unrestricted free agent," said Hossa's agent Jiri Crha. "There would be a lot of teams that would want him."

As for Havlat, he is two years away from unrestricted free agency and could also do well at arbitration. He was scheduled to make $2.3 million last season and it's believed the club would like him to accept his qualifying offer.

Centre Mike Fisher and winger Chris Neil both have rights to arbitration, but aren't expected to file.

Sources say the Senators are close to a two-year deal with D Anton Volchenkov worth $2.5-$3 million. He signed with Lada Togliatti in the Russian league, but has as escape clause until Aug. 31.

Madferret

8-10-05, 10:02 AM

Here's the Ferret solution:

See what Havlats after, if he is also being unreasonable then I'd pitch 24 over 5 years at Hoss, and deal off Marty. (To Was - Havlat, To Ott - Witt & 2006 1st Rounder)

Call me Ferret Muckler. I think Hoss is 2 years from becoming a Foppa style of player, if he could have someone here to empahaize him starting to go the net with the power that he's capable of, he'll become a true elite player.

grim

8-10-05, 10:20 AM

I?d be very disappointed if Hossa went as a UFA next year and you know some team will sign him to ridiculous amount. The scary part is the leafs will be one of the few teams with big cap room next year :conspire: The good news is we should get a good season out of him

It's two years until UFA for Hossa and Havlat. Not one.

Max Power

8-10-05, 10:36 AM

Yah Havlat is two years but isn't Hossa one?

Instead of settling on a deal, Hossa will likely file for arbitration -- along with teammate Martin Havlat -- at today's 5 p.m. deadline, accept a one-year contract from an arbitrator and then shop himself around as an unrestricted free agent next summer.

I can't remeber what the deal is with the new CBA for next year but two years does sound better then one for Hossa

Hossa compared to some of the recent signings does apparently deserve 5 a year and he'll easily get that IMO

macca

8-10-05, 10:41 AM

"It wasn't anywhere close to my comparables. If you look at my points the last two seasons, they've been close to Iginla and (Boston's Joe) Thornton.

OK here is what pisses me off. Hossa, ask yourself one question:

Every GM in the NHL has their choice of either picking you, Iginla or Thornton.

I hate to burst your bubble, but you would place third by a country mile!!!

Give your head a shake and don't give me any more B.S. about how you love the city and the fans etc....I have heard enough of that crap from too many players over the years.

grim

8-10-05, 10:47 AM

Yah Havlat is two years but isn't Hossa one?

The article I quoted back a few posts said two years til UFA for Hossa. Your article says one. Hmmm.

Max Power

8-10-05, 10:51 AM

The article I quoted back a few posts said two years til UFA for Hossa. Your article says one. Hmmm.

Hossa will be 27 next year and I think UFA age dropes to that but I could be wrong

Newfie John

8-10-05, 10:53 AM

Hossa at 7 mil per? I hope he has a good agent...

grim

8-10-05, 10:58 AM

Playing the waiting game
Job No. 1 for the Ottawa Senators is signing their own restricted free agents. Then they can look around the NHL.

Allen Panzeri
The Ottawa Citizen

Wednesday, August 10, 2005

CREDIT: Photo by Wayne Cuddington, Illustration by Dennis Leung, The Ottawa Citizen
(See hard copy for photo description).

With all of the action on the free-agent market last week, it's only natural that fans want to see the home-town team in there, throwing money after this forward and that defenceman.

Certainly that's the case in Toronto, where fans are clamoring for Maple Leafs general manager John Ferguson Jr. to begin buying some more aged, worn-out players (and please don't say he's going to sign Eric Lindros, as rumours suggest).

Like the Leafs, though, the Ottawa Senators have been conspicuous by their inactivity.

General manager John Muckler has left the door open to take a look at the free-agent market, but don't be surprised if he doesn't make a move before training camp opens in a month, for a couple of reasons.

First, he doesn't have to. Coach Bryan Murray could write out a pretty good roster card today. Virtually every spot is spoken for, and only an exceptional performance at training camp will earn a newcomer -- perhaps defenceman Christoph Schubert, perhaps enforcer Brian McGrattan -- a spot.

Second, Muckler's more important -- and expensive -- task is in signing the Senators' restricted free agents.

Players such as Marian Hossa, Martin Havlat, Jason Spezza, Mike Fisher, Antoine Vermette and Ray Emery form a core group that the Senators would like to have around for a long time. Getting their names on long-term deals is more important than chasing unknowns.

Third, the costs are not insignificant.

So far, the Senators have roughly $23,624,894 U.S. tied up in contracts to 10 players, give or take a couple of hundred thousand in bonuses that goalie Dominik Hasek won't be getting under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Add in about $10.6 million in qualifying offers and that totals $34.3 million. That would suggest the Senators have plenty of room to get in under the $39-million cap.

For example, for as little as $2.6 million, the Senators could give Marian Hossa a $1-million raise on top of his $2.622-million qualifying offer; Martin Havlat ($1.748 million) a $500,000 raise; Mike Fisher ($1.035 million) and Jason Spezza ($946,827) $300,000 raises; Anton Volchenkov ($837,900) and Antoine Vermette ($597,300) $200,000 raises; and Chris Neil ($643,400) a $100,000 raise.

Done, and well under the cap at just $37 million.

It's not that easy, though.

Many are fearful that the league's prediction of $1.7 billion in revenue for next year is too optimistic. If it is, the cap will drop next year.

If the Senators find themselves squeezed too tight, they'll have trouble finding room to sign defencemen Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara, both of whom could be unrestricted free agents next summer.

This is going to be just one of many summers that will test assistant general manager Peter Chiarelli, who has been charged with navigating the cap.

Most negotiations shouldn't be too difficult.

Chris Kelly, Andy Hedlund, Brian McGrattan and Schubert are all at the very bottom of the scale. They could make the Senators, but, if they don't, they'll play in the American Hockey League at Binghamton at minor-league salaries.

Emery is also at the bottom of the scale. He could have boosted his stock with a spectacular season last year, but had only a mediocre one. Still, he'll be the No. 2 goalie and will be counted on if Hasek falters, so he has a little more bargaining power.

Ditto for Neil, the only NHL-calibre player the team possesses who could be considered a scrapper, and Vermette, an exciting and capable player, but one who still has to prove himself.

Five negotiations will be difficult for the Senators:

Marian Hossa

He's today's prototypical player. Even Wayne Gretzky has said so. Some day, some team will make him its top-paid player.

If there had been a season last year, he would have been the fourth-highest-paid player on the team.

The Senators would like to keep him there, behind Daniel Alfredsson, Redden and Chara, but his $2.622-million qualifying offer is at least $1 million below his market value.

If the Senators could get him to take a four-year deal worth around $16 million, it'd be the bargain of the decade, but they'll probably have to go higher. Heck, former Senators draft pick Pavol Demitra received a three-year deal for $13.5 million from the Kings.

If Hossa jumps Chara and Redden, it won't matter much. They'll jump him next year, or jump to another team.

Martin Havlat

This could be tricky. It always has been with Havlat.

He would have been the eighth-highest-paid player on the team last year, and that's probably right where the Senators have him slotted now, with Chris Phillips just above and Hasek just below.

One of the truly magical players in the NHL, Havlat can also disappear when the spirit doesn't move him. If the Senators took his qualifying offer of $1.748 million and added $300,000, that would be fair. Still, when it comes to money in the NHL, nothing is fair. It will be interesting to see if the Senators make a long-term commitment to Havlat or give him a short-term deal to watch the maturation process.

Jason Spezza

This could be another problem. Under the old labour agreement, Spezza would have been looking for a rich, new contract based on his tremendous potential, but potential doesn't have any currency under the new deal. So Spezza is not going to score until he has demonstrated that he's a solid, points-posting NHL centre. He still must prove he's capable of being the team's No. 1 centre.

So there might be a disconnect between what Spezza thinks he's worth and what the Senators think he's worth. Three years for $5 million might do it.

Mike Fisher

This really shouldn't be difficult because Fisher wants to stay here and the Senators want him. With the trade of Todd White, though, Fisher has moved up the depth chart at centre and his qualifying offer of $1.035 million is not what a second-line centre commands. Fisher will also be an unrestricted free agent soon, too. Three years between $4 and $5 million would make everyone happy.

Anton Volchenkov

This one is trouble. He signed a contract with Lada Togliatti of the Russian Elite League for a reported salary of $1.2 million, about $400,000 above his NHL qualifying offer of $837,900.

The only way he gets out of it is to have a signed NHL contract in his hands by Aug. 31.

It has all the signs of a ploy to squeeze a bigger raise out of the Senators, and Muckler is not amused.

First, he's not going to let the team be held hostage. Second, anything the Senators give Volchenkov will affect what they have to give to Spezza and Vermette, two other players finished with entry-level deals.

Volchenkov has youth and promise on his side, and the Senators would like to have him, but don't bet on Muckler throwing Eugene Melnyk's wallet at the problem.

source (http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/sports/story.html?id=e0b33a89-987e-4714-98dc-cd57e1e7c076&page=1)

Max Power

8-10-05, 11:29 AM

That paints a tough picture for Ottawa
Let's say we sign the following to theses contracts
Volchenkov 1.2
Fisher 1.2
Spezza 2
Vermette 800
Emery 500
Neil 600

That leaves us with 16 players @30 million and 4 more players that need to be on the roster including Hossa and Havlat whom will at least get 6 - 7 between them in arbitration. No wonder it's taking them so long to sign these players
Man I can't wait for this to be settled and hopefully it turns out good

Man.Utd

8-10-05, 11:39 AM

Well, it sucks but wasn't unexpected. As I said, if we were going to lock up Hossa long-term and a handful of years past his UFA eligabilitity we'd have to offer him at least 4M and probably closer to $4.5M-5M. And I'd be willing to do that for a deal for 4+ years, maybe even 3 years. Hossa is going to thrive under the new game, likely getting low 90's in points now. If he ever gets a center better than Bonk or Smolinski I think he's a 100 point scorer who still has a strong two-way game.

Secondly, where in any article does he say he want Iginla like money? Point-wise he has been close but he isn't stupid. He surely knows he'll lose that comparison in arbitration, Hossa has never led his team to the SCF, won an Art Ross Trophy, a Lester B Perason Trophy, a King Clancey, a Gold Medal, or Two Rocket Richards. Major awards are a huge factor in arbitration cases. Ottawa has a history, just like in regular negotiations, to go to arbitration and strike a fair deal. The Redden case was a very good example. I think we can do it again. He won't get Iggy type money guys, don't worry.

If he wants Thronton money he's got to put up a 100+ season, not claim he has the ability to do so, and drop the gloves like Big Joe (and Jarome). Maybe he can show the leadership those captains do aswell. Again, let him go to arbitration because although we pay not get our trademark penny-pinching we'll quite likely get a fair one. He won't be compared to guys like Iginla and Thornton. For pete's sake, the former is a consensis top two forawrd in the league along with Forsberg and the latter a franchise guy which Hossa is not. Guys Milan Hejduk and Ziggy Palffy will be his comparables. They are more compareable stat-wise, accomplishment-wise, style-wise...... they're even all Czech/Slovak. And both those got slightly more than the offer we put on the table.

I'd be willing to offer up to 5M for 4 years but no more. Under the new-cba, contracts that are back-loaded/front-loaded will be averaged out and the average is what will count towards the cap. If it's a case of him wanting more $$$ now than in the future since he's only one year awat from being a UFA.

6.5M
5.5M
4.5M
3.5M

I think there's a chance he'd bite.

Max Power

8-10-05, 11:46 AM

Secondly, where in any article does he say he want Iginla like money? Point-wise he has been close but he isn't stupid. He surely knows he'll lose that comparison in arbitration

This is a quote from the Sun

"We're at a dead point right now," said Hossa, who was scheduled to make $3.45 million last season. "We are nowhere. They offered me a three-year contract, but it wasn't good enough.

"It wasn't anywhere close to my comparables. If you look at my points the last two seasons, they've been close to Iginla and (Boston's Joe) Thornton.

I'm sure this is just BS his agent has filled his head with and I hope he comes to his senses within the next year so we can sign him

Man.Utd

8-10-05, 11:48 AM

Fisher on the TEAM 1200. The two sides a quite close and a deal should be done soon. Won't file for arbitration.

:thumb:

This is a quote from the Sun

"We're at a dead point right now," said Hossa, who was scheduled to make $3.45 million last season. "We are nowhere. They offered me a three-year contract, but it wasn't good enough.

"It wasn't anywhere close to my comparables. If you look at my points the last two seasons, they've been close to Iginla and (Boston's Joe) Thornton.

I'm sure this is just BS his agent has filled his head with and I hope he comes to his senses within the next year so we can sign him

Damn. Oh well, who wouldn't want to compare themselves to high-scale players? Let him do so, he won't get equal pay in the end. All we can do now is sit back and watch this play out. I'm cautiously optomistic with all player negotiations/arbitration cases but Havlat's.

Madferret

8-10-05, 12:01 PM

Hoss goes to arbitration and he'll lose, simple. The only downside is that you can only sign the player to what the arbitrator awards for 1 year I believe. (I'd love to be wrong here so correct me if I am)
Offer him 24 M over 5 years and see what happens, that's my position. It equals out to 4.8 M a year for him, fair as fair.

Max Power

8-10-05, 12:03 PM

Madferret

8-10-05, 2:33 PM

Thought up something over lunch...

How 'bout Dave Andreychuck? He made 1.5 M, so with the rollback he realistically won't fetch more than 1,178,000, is a natural LW but can play Center (62% faceoff guy), is a great on / off ice leader. Seems like a win-win to me...someone call Mucks.

grim

8-10-05, 3:24 PM

NHL teams hope to avoid arbitration
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY

Although NHL owners sought and won a more favorable arbitration process for teams in the collective bargaining agreement, there probably will not be a rush to use their first opportunity to take players to arbitration.

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/_photos/2005-08-09-hossa-ins.jpg
Marian Hossa of the Ottawa Senators is considered a strong candidate to have his salary set through the arbitration process.
By Nick Wass, AP

"I can't say there will be many, if any, teams taking a player to arbitration this summer because of the unique situation we have here," Mighty Ducks of Anaheim general manager Brian Burke said. "But in the future it could become critical when players are coming out of an entry-level or second contract and they don't file for arbitration." (Related items: Biggest arbitration awards | Number of recent filings)

Players have until 5 p.m. ET Wednesday to file for arbitration, and teams have until 5 p.m. Thursday to file.

Under the old system, only players could file for arbitration after five years of service, and they would do so only if they had a strong chance of a favorable outcome. The NHL Players Association did an excellent job of choosing the right cases, and favorable results helped escalate salaries.

This year teams can take a player to arbitration only if they made a qualifying offer. Next year a team could also file for arbitration before making a qualifying offer and the team's arbitration offer is allowed to be a 15% reduction in the player's pay from the previous year.

"I think it will balance out to a certain extent," agent Anton Thun said.

NHL's largest arbitration awards
Player and team Amount Year
John LeClair, Flyers $7 million 2000
Scott Niedermayer, Devils $7 million 2004
Pavol Demitra, Blues $6.5 million 2003
Milan Hejduk, Avalanche $5.7 million 2004
Sergei Gonchar, Bruins $5.5 million 2004

Under the new labor agreement, players who enter the league at age 18 to 20 now are eligible for arbitration after four seasons. The real advantage for teams taking a player to arbitration is that a player can't withhold his services.

Most agents and team officials are predicting there won't be many arbitration cases this summer for a number of reasons, including the desire for teams and players to get on the same page after missing a year.

"My gut feeling is there won't be a lot because I think everyone is a little shellshocked having gone through what we have," agent Steve Bartlett said.

But Ottawa Senators forward Marian Hossa is a good candidate for arbitration, though Milan Hejduk's decision to sign a five-year dear for $19.5 million probably doesn't help his chances for a windfall because arbitration results are based on comparisons.

Hejduk gave up some years of unrestricted free agency for $3.9 million a year.

Recent arbitration numbers
Year Filings Reached hearings
2001 44 17
2002 40 11
2003 34 6
2004 67 18

Other players who are eligible for arbitration: forwards Marco Sturm and Patrick Marleau (San Jose Sharks), goalie Robert Esche (Philadelphia Flyers), left wing Brendan Morrow (Dallas Stars) and defenseman Dick Tarnstrom (Pittsburgh Penguins).

With the league scrambling to be ready for 2005-06 after missing last season, the arbitration process has been streamlined.

The legal briefs must be shorter, and teams and player reps are being told they won't have as much time to talk.

All of the cases will be heard Aug. 23-27.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2005-08-10-arbitration_x.htm

Max Power

8-10-05, 4:02 PM

Funny how the USA Today will write an article about the Sens but Sportsnet or TSN has trouble remembering they exist =]

Madferret

8-10-05, 4:27 PM

Funny how the USA Today will write an article about the Sens but Sportsnet or TSN has trouble remembering they exist =]

Mendes remembers.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/images/columnists/headshots/Ian_Mendes.gif

Max Power

8-10-05, 4:39 PM

Mendes remembers.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/images/columnists/headshots/Ian_Mendes.gif

Yah he sure earned his paycheck on that one =]

grim

8-10-05, 4:51 PM

Mendes remembers.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/images/columnists/headshots/Ian_Mendes.gif

Absolutely. Mendes laid it all out there. It was like he could read my mind...

*My hatred of Muckler and his ancestors
*My lack of understanding of what Muckler is doing
*Muckler's similarity to Amelia Earhart AND Jimmy Hoffa (I said this only last month)
*My paranoia
*How the signing of Hasek "was a coup like no other in franchise history"
*The pathetic-ness of the Ottawa Senators
*How I "don't seem to remember this housecleaning because it happened more than a year ago."

Spooky, man. Mendes rules. Well done. I emailed sportsnet to congratulate him. No sarcasm. Honest.

Max Power

8-11-05, 9:47 AM

So Hossa files for arbitration, any guesses at what he?s awarded?
I say 5

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 10:07 AM

So Hossa files for arbitration, any guesses at what he?s awarded?
I say 5

Well, he's not going to convince anyone he's worth as much as Iginla. All you have to do to prove that false is look at the stats AND accomplishments, not to mention leadership roles. I'm repeating myself here, but he'll very likely be compared to Hejduk (3.9M), Palffy (4.5M), and Demitra (also 4.5M). Now it is worth mentioning Hejduk willingly took less than his QO, but likely QO's cannot be used for leverage by either side in arbitration.

Worst case scenario: 5M
Best case scenario: 4M
My guess. $4.5M, for averages sake. He'll be right on par with Ziggy and Pavel.

grim

8-11-05, 10:31 AM

Hossa is no Iginla. But he has scored a lot more points over the last two seasons. I'm sure his agent is not blind. He's aiming high.

Iginla

2002-03 Cgy. 75 35 32 67 -10
2003-04 Cgy. 81 41 32 73 21

Hossa

2002-03 Ott. 80 45 35 80 8
2003-04 Ott. 81 36 46 82 4

Max Power

8-11-05, 10:46 AM

Their playoff stats... Not sure if they're a factor

Iginla
28 14 10 24 +13

Hossa
51 13 21 34 -3

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 10:53 AM

I'm pretty sure playoff stats can be involved. I would imagine so at least. How a player performs when the heat is on can really boost (Gelinas) or lower (Yashin) his value.

bluemeanie

8-11-05, 10:54 AM

We all know that there are so many more intangibles to being an elite player other then the numbers thing, and more often then not, the arbitrators know it to. Hossa has put up some impressive numbers though, but perhaps lined with Reinpreicht and Langkow his numbers might not be quite the same... I guess that's debatable though.

grim

8-11-05, 11:09 AM

bluemeanie

8-11-05, 11:24 AM

And Ottawa has the depth that draws some of the brutal coverage away from Hossa. One man show Iginla doesn't have that luxury.

True dat, g... true dat.

So, if it's 5 Million + for Hossa, what happens then?

grim

8-11-05, 11:42 AM

True dat, g... true dat.

So, if it's 5 Million + for Hossa, what happens then?

In one year... or two... we are screwed by our own responsibility and drafting success. But I think I like this new CBA world anyway. We have less to fix than some.

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 12:26 PM

True dat, g... true dat.

So, if it's 5 Million + for Hossa, what happens then?

I don't think the arbitrator can award multi-year deals, but since Hossa will likely like those terms management may try and extend the contract with him if he gets 5M.

As grim said, in a few years some guys are going to have to go. We've put ourselves in a tough but also desireable position thanks to our own great drafting and smart trades. If there's one hard descision that can have a silver lining, it's which star players you opt to keep. And I'm confident we can continue to re-stock our roster through the draft as years go by.

The new CBA probably hurts us more than it helps us now that Melnyk has come into the picture and has us on stable, but certainly not big-market, financial footing. Now we won't be able to keep all our big-name guys thanks to this system. And if one of Emery/Glass turns out to be a legit starter we'd have a team with no weakness come a few more seasons time. But Ottawa having to send a few guys elsewhere for a better NHL is definatly worth it. All in all, I too like this deal. I like it alot.

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 12:39 PM

Not worth a new thread, but Ribeiro signs a one-year deal with the Habs for 1.178M. Since Spezza is one of the few Sens who can't file for arbitration we can now use this as a means to squeeze some more pennies. :nod:

We shouldn't give him an offer so low to as insult him. Espcially after to whole Jacques saga, we don't want to sour him on the Sens organization. But he has no leverage to speak of. Advantage management. :) 2M - 2.5M should be able to lock him up for a few seasons at least.

bluemeanie

8-11-05, 12:40 PM

I'm confident we can continue to re-stock our roster through the draft as years go by.

You'll be in a good position to trade for youth as well, provided that you sign your boys to smart contracts now... and drink good beer of coarse.

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 12:56 PM

Hossa likely to get around $3.8M (Ottawa's original offer) or negotiate deal prior to hearing??? It would make sense for him, unless he really thinks he can get Iginla-type money.

It's likely the two sides will agree on a deal before arbitration, since the process is different than in the past. Now, there is no middle ground. The arbitrator picks one number: the one proposed by the player, or the one proposed by the team.

http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/news/sports/story.html?id=75219bc0-7ea7-4a00-84cf-1b5a6e993668

bluemeanie

8-11-05, 12:58 PM

Double post

http://www.b3tards.com/upload/wilf-twins.jpg

Max Power

8-11-05, 1:14 PM

He'll be good trade bate if hasek pulls his groin on the first game of the season =]

Newfie John

8-11-05, 2:52 PM

Has any teams taken players to arbitration yet?

Max Power

8-11-05, 2:53 PM

Has any teams taken players to arbitration yet?

Deadline is 5 tonight so we should see a list come out after that

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 3:12 PM

Deadline is 5 tonight so we should see a list come out after that

Anyone think we take some players to arbitration? I can't really see it. Maybe Volchenkov to FORCE him into a contract and teach him those threats of his to leave North America (leverage ploys) don't fly? Can a club even do that? Can we even take players who are ineligable to file for arbitration themselves (Spezza, Volchenkov, Vermette) to arbitration?

All I know about the system post-CBA is:

- A player needs 4 years experience now to file for arbitration, as opposed to 3.

- There is no more middle ground. A player will submit what he thinks he's worth and the club will do the same. The arbitrator will elect for the offer he sees more fitting. Hossa better set more realistic goals or he's playing for cheap.

Max Power

8-11-05, 3:48 PM

Anyone think we take some players to arbitration? I can't really see it. Maybe Volchenkov to FORCE him into a contract and teach him those threats of his to leave North America (leverage ploys) don't fly? Can a club even do that? Can we even take players who are ineligable to file for arbitration themselves (Spezza, Volchenkov, Vermette) to arbitration?

All I know about the system post-CBA is:

- A player needs 4 years experience now to file for arbitration, as opposed to 3

- There is no more middle ground. A player will submit what he thinks he's worth and the club will do the same. The arbitrator will elect for the offer he sees more fitting. Hossa better set more realistic goals or he's playing for cheap.

I doubt a team can take a (non eligible) player to arbitration but who knows.... That would be interesting. I would be seriously shocked and disappointed if an arbitrator ruled in favor of Hossa's 7 million. Although I believe he's worth more then the 3.8 he's being offered but 7 IMO is much more unrealistic then 3.8

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 3:53 PM

Agreed. Hossa getting 7M would be a crushing blow but I can almost guarantee it won't happen. If Hossa wants to compare himself to elite players like Iginla, Markus Naslund would be a more accurate compairison. And he got 6M with a much fuller trophy case, a few 100+ point seasons (both huge points if a case goes to arbitration) and a "C" on his sweater.

I have very little doubt in my mind that Hossa will recieve less than 7M. :)

Max Power

8-11-05, 4:42 PM

Now that Thornton signed for 3 years @20 million do you think Hossa will drop expectation =]

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 4:45 PM

Maxy, that contract actually hurts our odds IMO. Thornton getting 20M over 3 years that is. Hossa and his agent must be pleased. Now he can get a much better shot at 5M, a figure he'd be a tad lucky to get previously. I'm still not overly worried though, although this is definatly bad news.

The bottom line is guys like Hejduk, Palffy, and Demitra are much better comparisons. Anybody can see that. And Iginla and Naslund have a full trophy case if he's looking to franchise players. Hossa only has one big guy to point to and that is Big Joe. And even then we can point out that Thornton's the captain, the franchise, and has intangibles etc. I like the case that management can put forward much better than the one that Hossa and his agent can.

Of course, there is always a chance something gets done before arbitration. I wouldn't hold my breath but the possibility is there.

Max Power

8-11-05, 5:31 PM

Maxy, that contract actually hurts our odds IMO.

Yah I was being sarcastic because he asked less then Hossa's 21 =] IMO Joe is still a more complete player and has accomplished more then Hossa.

Madferret

8-11-05, 5:38 PM

Ferret Muckler's offer of 4.8M per year over 4 years (19.2 M) still stands...

Man.Utd

8-11-05, 7:28 PM

That sounds good to me, Dev! :nod: I think Hossa's more than worth that if we can lock him up for a good while.

Here's a great post I found on another board regarding Hossa, the type of money he may get in arbitration, and the market-place that is starting to manifest itself in the new NHL.

I think it's time to re-define 'star'... if I'm not mistaken, the only players who have been signed for more than $5M since Aug. 1 have been Forsberg, Thornton, Iginla, Pronger, Niedermayer, Khabibulin and Naslund (and Gonchar came in right at the $5M mark)... a pretty elite list, with noticeably exceptional qualities to each of those names that make them truly stand out. In fact, there are only 12 other players in the NHL set to make over $5M... Brodeur, Lidstrom, Blake, Sakic, Sundin, Fedorov, Jagr, Guerin, Tkachuk, Weight, Yashin, and Bertuzzi. And all things being equal, at least two of those players would not be getting over $5M if they were on the open market right now.

Basically, I think we're starting to see a $5M threshold forming in the league, with some pretty impressive world-class talent residing on the south side of it (Foote, Palffy, Hejduk, Modano, Hatcher, Holik, Leetch, Satan, Demitra, Kariya, Zhamnov, Murray, Aucoin, etc.)... if you expect to cross that threshold - even as a UFA - I think you have to demonstrate that you're bringing more to the table than just 'comparable PPG'. When you see literally ALL of Palffy, Demitra, Satan, Kovalev, Murray and Hejduk signing for $3.5M-$4.5M/yr, that should be sending a pretty strong signal to guys like Hossa and Havlat about what salary range a player of their skill sets can reasonably expect, even as a UFA.

Furthermore, only 2 of the 19 players set to earn $5M+ next year are non-power forward scoring wingers... Naslund and Jagr. You want Jagr's money? Please bring forward your Hart Trophy, multiple scoring titles, and Stanley Cups. You want Naslund's money? Score 40G in 3 straight seasons, be a PPG for 4 straight, throw in a 90-point and 100-point season, be a top-5 scorer in the league for each of the past 3 years (not just once), and be the team captain... oh yes, and score at a PPG pace or better in the past 2 playoff years. Not quite there? Then start talking around $4.5M-$5.0M because that's a lot closer to what you can expect, even on the open market. Personally, I'd peg both Hossa and Elias at around $5.0M/yr, but significantly more than that is really not worthwhile... Hossa is not $2M/yr better than Palffy.

What killed the league under the old CBA was the borderline ludicrous escalating value of comparative mediocrity, and I'm actually very pleased to see some of these thresholds making themselves apparent. Personally, I think that Hossa is going to be one of the first RFA's to learn that it takes more than comparable statistics to earn you your paycheque in a cap-driven NHL. He can compare himself to Thornton and Iginla all he wants, but nobody else is going to... and the era in which agents were able to blindly manipulate the market based solely on comparison statistics died on August 1st. Obviously comparisons will still be made in negotiations, but player intangibles are going to play a much bigger role in distinguishing a franchise talent from an all-star, and Hossa is just not there yet.

grim

8-11-05, 9:25 PM

Here's a great post I found on another board regarding Hossa, the type of money he may get in arbitration, and the market-place that is starting to manifest itself in the new NHL.

That is a very well written bit. Who wrote that?

Max Power

8-12-05, 8:57 AM

Ferret Muckler's offer of 4.8M per year over 4 years (19.2 M) still stands...

Is that true?

butterfly_style

8-12-05, 9:19 AM

Ferret Muckler's offer of 4.8M per year over 4 years (19.2 M) still stands...
Is that true?

It's only Mr.Ferret (Muckler's illigitimate son) saying that.
Not Mucks, himself.

Madferret

8-12-05, 9:33 AM

It's only Mr.Ferret (Muckler's illigitimate son) saying that.
Not Mucks, himself.

Ya Maxy it's just me being armchair GM.
Or is it....

:conspire:

Max Power

8-12-05, 9:36 AM

Well I did hear last night on The Score that Muckler upped his offer to 4m a year so it's not unrealistic =] I think it would be a very fair offer to Hossa

Max Power

8-12-05, 9:41 AM

Here's an article
Muckler talks about the Nash signing.... Like I said in earlier post on his signing I knew that would hurt us :mad:
I'm so smrt =]

Sens pursue HossaGM 'confident' of reaching terms with sniper; Emery agrees to deal
By DON BRENNAN, Ottawa Sun

THE SENATORS signed their backup goalie to a league-minimum salary yesterday, then vowed to continue moving toward a deal that will satisfy their best forward.

A long-term, arbitration-avoiding contract for Marian Hossa will take them closer to the other end of the NHL pay scale, however, especially in light of the five-year, $27-million (all terms US) deal Rick Nash signed with Columbus this week and yesterday's three-year, $20-million agreement between Joe Thornton and the Boston Bruins.

"Obviously, we're working on that every day and we will continue to do so right up to the arbitration date," Senators GM John Muckler said of a pact with Hossa, who has turned down a three-year, $11.9-million offer and is comfortable having his financial fate decided by an independent ruling later this month.

"I feel confident we can get something done,'' Muckler said. ''We want Marian here, and when I read him say he likes Ottawa and wants to stay here, I have to take him at his word and try to make that happen.

"I do think you have to say the Nash signing was a surprise. When you look at the player's age (21) and the years he has played (two) ... it certainly doesn't help (negotiations with Hossa)."

TWO-WAY DEAL

Meanwhile yesterday, Muckler received a signed fax from goalie Ray Emery, who has agreed to a one-year, two-way contract.

Emery will make the league-low $450,000 with the Senators and a qualifying offer of $55,000 if he is returned to AHL Binghamton, but the team is counting on him serving as Dominik Hasek's backup.

"I think Ray has something to prove ... we want him to be in position to put some numbers on the board and renegotiate a better deal next year," Muckler said. "It's a great opportunity. It's up to him to put himself in position to be No. 1 (post Hasek)."

Emery is more thrilled about getting his "foot in the door" with the Senators then the fact he is about to become a half-millionaire. He arrives in Ottawa today -- more than a month before camp begins -- and will begin training with Senators conditioning coach Randy Lee and skating at the Sensplex on Monday.

"I'm excited about the situation I'm in right now, about what I've been told and the moves Ottawa has made in making the position available," Emery said from Hamilton. "I've got to make the team, get off to a good start then prove I can play in the league. From there, hopefully there will be a slot for me there in the future."

Muckler's immediate future includes getting a deal done with defenceman Anton Volchenkov, who earlier had threatened to play in Russia but is now said to be close to staying in Ottawa.

"I don't foresee a problem with that one," said Muckler. "I think that's going to happen."

Also requiring new contracts are Jason Spezza as well as Chris Neil, which is supposedly close.

Asked about working on long-term deals for defencemen Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden -- both eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer -- Muckler said: "That's something I really don't want to comment on at this particular time."

AVOIDS FRENZY

As for why Ottawa has not joined in on the free-agent frenzy that has hit the rest of the league, Muckler said he felt there was no need.

"We're satisfied with our team, we felt we had the best players available," he said. "We just have to get them signed."

And Muckler expects that to happen without anybody missing even the first day of camp.

"I do believe that, at this time," he said. "But that's subject to change, of course."

Man.Utd

8-12-05, 10:59 AM

That is a very well written bit. Who wrote that?

A poster over at HF boards. I forget who it was and I don't want to guess as there are 2 or 3 names bouncing in my head, just thought I'd pass it on as I find out very insightful. I can go back and look if you'd like.

Max; thanks for the article.

- I think Emery's deal is a good one, both in length and financially. We will get to see what he's made of at the NHL level before either side commits long-term. Razor went on a huge hot-streak after some visits from the goalie coach last year donwn in Bingo. The fact he's with Low right now working on his game is great. I love his intensity, ethusiasm, and work-ethic. We just need to mold him right and take care of his five-hole problem. His glove hand could also use some work.

- The Nash deal was stupid. He can't file for arbitration and thus had no barganining power. Obviouisly, you don't want to insult you franchise guy with super low offers but his big 5M(?) deal is too much. As we have done to certain deals in the past, the Ottawa Senators organzation should say they simply won't recognize that contract. His contract won't help us trying to stike deals with our FRA's, that for sure.

- As expected, Volchenkov just wanted more leverage and wasn't overly serious about leaving North America. Don't expect huge $$$ for the big Russian though as he's an RFA, can't (and thus obviously didn't) file arbitration, and his Russia bluff didn't please management one bit.

- Good to hear Neil and Spezza are close. Rumour actually has it Spezza will accept his QO (just under 1M) and the two-sides will then try to work something out long-term from there.

- 4M is a good offer for Hossa and a step in the right direction. He surely must know his 7M is unrealistic and the arbitrator will choose Ottawa's figure if he doesn't lower his demands. It's in his best interest to negotiate a deal before the hearing. I hope he takes the 4M, but we may need to up to 4.5M for him to bite. I'd do it. Even 4.8M. But no more than that. After 4.8M I honestly like our odds in arbitration even if we risk him getting a big pay-off.

Man.Utd

8-16-05, 9:58 PM

Max, this had turned out to be quite a good thread. Just for some general purpose talk about our players and roster during the off-season. :thumb:

Anyway, Spezza was on the TEAM 1200 earlier today. His interview made it seem as if he was quite comitted to the organization.

He just wants to get back playing. He went to the Corel Center today and loves the new workout facilities. Ice will be back in the arena by the end of August. During the off-season he's been in Toronto skating with "25 NHL calibre guys" doing drills and playing games for 3 hours, a few times a week. He's loves the city of Ottawa and loves playing here, but admittedly every player says that. He made a point to state that he loves the curent group of guys and claims we have to keep the core together, stating they as a team need to prove they can win after that loss to Toronto. He knows there will be high expectations getting the #1 center job but will enjoy the challange. Apparently the expectations management/fans will have won't compare to those he has for himself so that's a good thing. He enjoyed his time in Bingo and used it to become a more complete player and set a goal of being the league's best player when he went down there. He feels he achieved his goal. The difference between the two leagues for him was the speed. He also said he wanted to build up confidence down in Bingo so he can build off that with the big-club. You can't put a price on chemistry. The best move Ottawa made in his opinion was to make no major moves at all as far as on-ice personal are concerned.

Muckler was on The TEAM yester day. Curtosy of a poster at another board.

"He'll be here this season, but beyond that...things will have to happen."

- Mucks on Hossa.

"Yeah, that was true. I talked to Lindros' father...all he did was take it back to the Leafs and get more from them."

"If he wants to play for a good team, this is where he should go. That's what I said to his father, and he seemed interested, but he never came back."

- Mucks on offers to Lindros.

"I wasn't too concerned about him staying in Russia. It was a ploy, you can't blame him for that. His heart was here."

- Mucks on Volchenkov.

"Kaigadorov could be a problem. We're very close to negotiating a contract with him...we hope we can get him out of there. You can get anything out of Russia for money."

- Mucks on the rejection of the IIHF transfer agreement.

"He's a Larionov kind of player. Great hands, better than average skater, great scorer."

- Mucks on Kaigodorov.

"They arrive on the fourth."

- Mucks on the opening of rookie camp.

"It starts on the twelfth."

- Mucks on the opening of main camp.

"As far as free agents are concerned, we don't have any wiggle room left in our budget. The priority is to sign the three guys. The top priority is to get hoss signed for a couple years maybe. We've got a few other things we're looking at, but they're secondary."

- On priorities.

"If Hoss goes to Arbitration, we won't be able to sign him for a year. It will be written in stone."

- Mucks on Hossa again. You cannot negotaite an extension with a player during a year which was settled by arbitration! You must wait until the following summer

"No. We might have taken a look at something for a good price, but we just wanted to lock down our guys."

- Mucks on the free agent market.

"You need about $2million dollars in reserve for call ups. If a guy isn't out 10 games or 23 games it counts against your cap. You can't just move them up and down like you could in the past. You're allowed to play with less than 20 - 1 or 2 guys short...I think you'll see a lot of that."

- Mucks on call ups under the CBA

"I love McGratton. Brian (murray) wants a tough guy. This gives Brian an opportunity to make our club and make us tougher. On your fourth line you need this kind of player.

- Mucks on McGratton.

"I might have a few (sarcastic). Smolinski, that's an old one!"

- Mucks on Trades

Max Power

8-17-05, 9:54 AM

Man.Utd

8-17-05, 10:12 AM

Thanks for the interview Man U
I caught the last half of that interview. It's odd and too bad teams can't negotiate a contract after an arbitration ruling. I don't think Hossa will be a Senator next year but I hope he gets the chance to prove he's worth 7 million in the playoffs

Yep. It'll be sad to see our own draft pick go that we not only developed the right way and molded into a great two-way player after being proclaimed a "one dimensional Euro", but the fact we overreached quite a bit to get our man and see it pay-off makes it sting so much more. Hopefully he has a monster year and playoff and helps bring a Cup to Ottawa. If he can do that I wouldn't mind paying hm his 7M for one year only and then seeing him leave.

As you said, Hossa may very well be a Sen next season as you said if he gets his 7M. Even 6M would be too much to ask. I'm not crazy about 5M either but we could swallow that. If Hossa makes close to the league max I don't want to see him back. It'll cripple a franchise to spend so much cap-room on one player who isn't in the mold of a Gretzky or Lemieux. Heck, Hossa isn't even in the mold of a Bure back in the day. Next summer will be interesting, we'll have to let go one core player to retain tje rest. I assume Chara and Alfredsson's jobs are safe. There's a strong chance Hossa is out (although I'd rather Redden) for cap purposes as you mentioned in your post. When he hits the market is when we'll look like geniuses. The bidding will start at 30M for 4 years, craziest GM wins.

grim

8-17-05, 10:15 AM

...craziest GM wins.

I don't think Mike Milbury will have room.

Man.Utd

8-17-05, 10:25 AM

I don't think Mike Milbury will have room.

Maybe Jay Feaster gets him down in cap room after letting half of his roster go to make room.

The same man who over-paid for Brad Richards - leading directly to Havlat's holdout for that type of money - has struck again. His overpayment for Lecavailler will no doubt leave Hossa begging for more. Cup or not, that is one poorly run franchise.

macca

8-17-05, 11:20 AM

Maybe Jay Feaster gets him down in cap room after letting half of his roster go to make room.

The same man who over-paid for Brad Richards - leading directly to Havlat's holdout for that type of money - has struck again. His overpayment for Lecavailler will no doubt leave Hossa begging for more. Cup or not, that is one poorly run franchise.

Let Hossa beg. Ottawa should gamble and ask for a two year arbitration settlement for Hossa at 4 million per season and I think they'd win it. There are many more examples of players who make 4 million who are comparable with Hossa. And if Hossa wants 7 million without yet proving himself in the playoffs I don't want him in a Sens uniform. This team has been filled with regular season players who think that they are more important than they are and then tank it when it counts most. I thought Hossa would be different but it sure sounds like he's going down this same path. Because we all know how dominant Hossa was the last time we were in the playoffs!

Man.Utd

8-17-05, 11:49 AM

Because we all know how dominant Hossa was the last time we were in the playoffs!

He was far and away the best skater in the series against Toronto. We all know Belfour was the biggest star. Hossa has been quite good in the past two playoff runs we've had and is proving to be quite a strong performer come April. He's not up to Iginla's level though and he surely must realise that in his salary requests.

I wouldn't be opposed to gambling in arbitration either. If we offer him 4.5M I think that wins out over his 7M every day of the week. Hossa has one very good compareable now thanks to Tampa's stupidity. But not nearly as many as management has just off the top of my head; Hejduk, Palffy, and Demitra. We can also make the arguement that he's DEFINATLY NOT worth more than guys like Naslund, Pronger, Niedermayer, and Forsberg which is what his demands would see him as.

Max Power

8-17-05, 11:53 AM

Let Hossa beg. Ottawa should gamble and ask for a two year arbitration settlement for Hossa at 4 million per season and I think they'd win it. There are many more examples of players who make 4 million who are comparable with Hossa. And if Hossa wants 7 million without yet proving himself in the playoffs I don't want him in a Sens uniform. This team has been filled with regular season players who think that they are more important than they are and then tank it when it counts most. I thought Hossa would be different but it sure sounds like he's going down this same path. Because we all know how dominant Hossa was the last time we were in the playoffs!

I agree... I thought Hossa was a stand up guy from the things I've heard but this 7 million business is a joke. Money and greed really brings out the worst in some people. Personally keeping him here to prove himself might be a good idea but at the same time I hope Mukler explores the market to see what he can get. I would just hate for him to be a disruption but I doubt he would a la Yashin

Man.Utd

8-17-05, 12:08 PM

Sens management had to fly over to Slovakia to get him to sign his previous contract too IIRC. He didn't like the deal but realised he had no bargainning power, never said boo, took his lumps, and gave us some stellar performances to boot until it was time to re-negotiate. That time is now. I say with confidence he won't be another Yashin type. But these Eastern Europeans are, by and large, strictly business when it comes to contract negotiations. We even saw it with Volchenkov. Hossa won't win more fans with his crazy 7M demands - nor should because they're far too high - but it's a shame that when a club low-balls players it great business but when a player shoots for the sky it's greed. That's more a general observation than a comment on this particular case. Anyone who knows anything about hockey knows Hossa isn't on Iginla's level.

P.S - Screw Tampa Bay. Raise the bar for Havlat and now Hossa with your stupid deals. I hate that franchise. :mad:

macca

8-17-05, 12:10 PM

He was far and away the best skater in the series against Toronto. We all know Belfour was the biggest star. Hossa has been quite good in the past two playoff runs we've had and is proving to be quite a strong performer come April. He's not up to Iginla's level though and he surely must realise that in his salary requests.

I wouldn't be opposed to gambling in arbitration either. If we offer him 4.5M I think that wins out over his 7M every day of the week. Hossa has one very good compareable now thanks to Tampa's stupidity. But not nearly as many as management has just off the top of my head; Hejduk, Palffy, and Demitra. We can also make the arguement that he's DEFINATLY NOT worth more than guys like Naslund, Pronger, Niedermayer, and Forsberg which is what his demands would see him as.

I agree. From the playoffs games I've been to Hossa has been our best forward, but he still has yet to be a consistent force in the playoffs, and lets face it 'quite good' isn't good enough. But I remember one game against the Flyers when he was absolutely dominant, but he has yet to reach the consistency of a Forsberg or Inginla especially in pressure games. And yes, Belfour was great but that was due to a large number of shots from the paremeter. The Flyers busted Belfour down low and got in his face and made him look bad, especially as that series went on. I'm just shocked that Hossa does not want to stay and play with a team that has the potential to compete for the Cup, and do it a great salary (4 million), while never once having the pressure of being the main go-to guy. I also now wonder where his head is at and whether or not he has the proper mental makeup to do it.

Man.Utd

8-17-05, 12:20 PM

I'm just shocked that Hossa does not want to stay and play with a team that has the potential to compete for the Cup, and do it a great salary (4 million), while never once having the pressure of being the main go-to guy. I also now wonder where his head is at and whether or not he has the proper mental makeup to do it.

I don't know if that's quite true as he, Alfie, and Havlat have all been expected to provide offense for us when the chips are down. There was no single guy as you said but it was pretty clear the role we wanted Hossa to play. Now that guys like Bonk and White are gone some of our real stars will have to be held more accountable. Jason Spezza in particular. His performance wasn't overwhelming in last year's playoffs by any means, but to be fair it's hard to make much happen with such limited ice-time and an extremely short leash.

Anyway, your remarks sparked something in my head that I just can't believe I didn't pick up on until now. What makes Hossa think he's worth more to this team than Alfredsson? He's our captain, has delievered more for us under pressure, and has scored at just as good of a pace over the past 5 years while being more of a marked man by opposition. And I'd rather play beside Bonk like Hossa did than White. There's another compareable for you, Marian.

Max Power

8-17-05, 12:32 PM

Anyway, your remarks sparked something in my head that I just can't believe I didn't pick up on until now. What makes Hossa think he's worth more to this team than Alfredsson? He's our captain, has delievered more for us under pressure, and has scored at just as good of a pace over the past 5 years while being more of a marked man by opposition. And I'd rather play beside Bonk like Hossa did than White. There's another compareable for you, Marian.

Very good point and this is exactly what kind of problems I hope doesn't trickle to team chemistry. Although you made a very good point about not thinking twice about teams that low-ball players but at the same time this is the nature of the business. Hossa asking for 7 is still way out of line, if he was asking for 5 I'd be on his side and IMO he would win his arbitration.

Max Power

8-18-05, 9:09 AM

What's the A channel?

THURSDAYS ARE A-OK: The Senators and the A-Channel announced a 20-game local broadcast schedule yesterday that features all 19 of the club's Thursday games (there's also one Tuesday date in April). The opener is Oct. 27, when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Corel Centre.

also

Not the Marian kind
By BRUCE GARRIOCH

Is Marian Hossa worth as much as Jarome Iginla ... or even Vincent Lecavalier ... or should he be happy to get Milan Hejduk money?

The Senators and Hossa will meet with an independent arbitrator next Tuesday in Toronto, unless agent Jiri Crha and GM John Muckler can strike a deal before then.

The Senators say captain Daniel Alfredsson will be their highest-paid player at $4.66 million (all figures US) with the 24% rollback.

Hossa's influenced by the $21-million deal that Jarome Iginla got from the Calgary Flames.

"I know exactly what Hossa is thinking: He wants to be the club's franchise player and he wants to be identified as the guy who is the leader by being the top-paid player," said a league executive. "The Senators are trying to be careful about their spending and they believe Alfredsson should be their top-paid player. They can't afford to pay Hossa the kind of money he wants, but they can't afford to go into next season without him. They're stuck right now with where they go next."

Hossa was insulted by the club's first offer of a three-year, $11.9-million deal that would have paid him $3.6 million in 2005-06 and 2006-07 and $4.7 million in 2007-08.

The Senators then offered a two-year, $8-million deal which Hossa also quickly turned down.

Sources say Hossa may have accepted a deal similar to the three-year, $13.5-million contract Pavol Demitra signed with Los Angeles.

"All Hossa wants is what he considers to be fair. He was identified as one of the league's best bargains for the last three years and now he believes that it's time to cash in," said a league source who is familiar with the situation.

It hasn't helped the Senators that other teams are spending big. The four-year, $25.7 million deal Vincent Lecavalier signed with Tampa Bay on Tuesday will likely give Hossa even more resolve. While Lecavalier has a Stanley Cup and a bigger salary ($6.8 million a season), Hossa has better stats. In 2001-02, Lecavalier had 37 points while Hossa posted 66. In 2002-03, Lecavalier scored 78 points and Hossa had 82. In 2003-04, Lecavalier had 66 while Hossa posted 80. Sources say Hossa will be awarded between $3.7-$4 million in arbitration, but he could get $7 million as a free agent next summer.

The Senators will argue that Hossa should be compared to Colorado winger Hejduk. Hejduk, who is also represented by Crha, agreed to play for $3.7 million this season and he finished with 75 points in 2003-04.

"My prediction is this will be an ugly argument," said a league source. "The Senators might win in arbitration, but they're going to end up losing Hossa in the end if they don't make peace with him. That doesn't make them a better team."

butterfly_style

8-18-05, 9:28 AM

What's the A channel?

Used to be the "NewRO", before that "CHRO".
They keep changing the name . . .I wonder if someone is stalking them.

Amoroq

8-18-05, 9:34 AM

Jiri Crha, any chance this is the same Jira Crha that played goal for the Leafs????

Man.Utd

8-18-05, 10:18 AM

This Tuesday it is then. If I was Hossa I wouldn't be impressed. Up for offer by 100k? Why even bother? Agreed he can't be paid more than Alfie but I have no problem putting him a notch below if it means a mutli-year deal.

Sources say Hossa may have accepted a deal similar to the three-year, $13.5-million contract Pavol Demitra signed with Los Angeles.

A 3 year deal worth (4.5M/per) for Hossa? If he is willing to accept that I hope managment will be wise enough to give it to him. By the end of the contract he will be a steal and as of now it's fair market value. He's been one of the league's best bargains his whole career by being under-paid, I say give him fair value (provided it fits into our salary structure) if he wants it and 4.5M for a mutli-year deal is just that.

Man.Utd

8-18-05, 10:23 AM

Redden Rumours False - Sens Want Extention

By BRUCE GARRIOCH

The Senators aren't trying to trade Wade Redden -- they're trying to keep him. Internet and published reports that said the defenceman was on the trading block were described as ''stupid'' by an NHL source yesterday.

And Redden confirmed last night that the Senators have approached his agent, Don Meehan, about a contract extension.

Redden will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season, but the Sens have already talked about contract extensions with Redden and defenceman Zdeno Chara. Whether they sign is another story, but nobody is on the verge of being dealt anytime soon.

''My preference is to stay in Ottawa,'' Redden said yesterday from Kelowna, B.C., where he is participating in the Olympic orientation camp. ''That is something when this Team Canada camp is over I plan to meet with Don Meehan about. There haven't been any formal discussions, but we're going to sit down and talk about all the possibilities.

''I don't think there's anything to it. I want to stay in Ottawa.''

Ideally, the Sens would like to get Redden and Chara under new contracts by January.

http://www.ottawasun.com/Sports/Hockey/2005/08/18/1177758.html

Max Power

8-18-05, 10:32 AM

This Tuesday it is then. If I was Hossa I wouldn't be impressed. Up for offer by 100k? Why even bother? Agreed he can't be paid more than Alfie but I have no problem putting him a notch below if it means a mutli-year deal.

True but if I was offered a 100K raise this year I'd be pleased... I could afford to buy tickets to see Hossa on a regular basis :thumb:

bluemeanie

8-18-05, 10:47 AM

True but if I was offered a 100K raise this year I'd be pleased... I could afford to buy tickets to see Hossa on a regular basis :thumb:

Yeah... I wouldn't turn down that kind'a coin either. That kind of money might be nothing to guys like Hossa and ManU, but for me, I'd be able to finally fulfill my lifelong dream and build a super highway directly from my office to my house to my cottage... or maybe I'd just get a helicopter... with missiles... and a built-in beer fridge...yeaaahhhh beer fridge.

Man.Utd

8-18-05, 12:35 PM

I would take gladly a 100k raise and run with it before anyone could re-consider. But I'm also not an NHL player. If I was, and one of Hossa's calibre, I too would turn down the offer if that was how much it was upped by if I knew I could get more and still not handicap my team.

4.5M over 3 years is quite fair for a guy like Hossa and would like to see them agree to such a deal. It'd be nice to get him on the cheap, but that just isn't going to happen with him. Not for a multi-year deal and he's one year away from being a UFA.

Max Power

8-18-05, 1:09 PM

True and you know we're joking. Well other then Blue's missile launching beer fridge. That's work in progress

Man.Utd

8-20-05, 3:38 PM

Apparently Bondra still wants a Cup and only has three teams showing interest: Atlanta, Washington, and Los Angeles. I'd imagine he'd go back to the Capitals of those three clubs but he chose us over them last year to try and win. Things haven't changed, we have a much better shot than any of those teams and (IMO) are hands down one of the top 2 or 3 teams for a Cup if Hasek pans out. And Bonzai played pretty well here prior to the huge hit he took from Domi. His strong defensive game surprised me and I wouldn't mind seeing him back.

Players over 35 can get contracts based heavily on insentives IIRC under the new CBA. Depending on Hossa's arbitration award this Tuesday (assuming the two sides don't come to an agreement before then) I wouldn't be the leat bit shocked to see us make a pitch for him. Maybe 1M - 1.5M base salary + bonuses for goals scored and such? Our second-line is lacking a bit compared to what will be one of the best 1st lines in the conference and a very good, high-tempo checking line for our 3rd unit. That'd let us put one of Havlat/Bondra on the second-line to give us a great top-six.

Bondra - Spezza - Alfredsson
Havlat - Smolinski - Hossa
Fisher - Vermette - Varada
Schaefer - Kelly/Martins - Neil

:shrug:

Just tossing ideas out there. There are lots of variables involved, the biggest of which being Hossa getting a favorable contract in arbitration but you never know.

TimmyTabasco

8-20-05, 5:16 PM

Madferret

8-20-05, 5:19 PM

Man.Utd

8-20-05, 7:20 PM

I have a question regarding Rachunek. I know he's a ranger now, but he was a sen for quite sometime

Whats the general feeling about his game?

I noticed he was unsigned..and playing overseas..due to being given more cash over there. Plus, I have read that he just isnt happy playing for the Rangers

The Canucks tried to acquire him, in the Salo deal..but ofcourse..settled for Salo.

So anyway, any feedback on the guy would be great

As Ferret said he feels he's a top 4 denfensman. And he is. On some nights. Unfortunatly, he needs to find some consistancy as on other nights he is a large liability. Rachunek thinking highly of himself isn't so much confidence as it is arrogance as we saw during his holdouts. He went to Europe and then came back with his tail between his legs once he realised the organization's stance with players like him. His cockiness led to him being traded actually as he wasn't happy being stuck behind great Ottawa defenders like Chara, Redden, and Phillips and wanted more playing time. It's no surprised he's not happy in New York either. He's a whiny cry baby. And we got de Vries for him so I'm very happy with the trade off. I'm confident the reliable vet can find his game here, even if he wasn't overly impressive last season.

But back to Rachunek; I really like his offensive upside and still think he can get 50+ points in a career year. His 33 points as a sophomore were really impressive. Good positional game and a willing shot blocker. He's also a right handed shot which is always a plus to have on the blueline and at 6'2, 210lbs he's got a very projectable build. He's a bit injury prone and since he hurt his shoulders a few years ago has not been at all physical - he was not a bad hitter prior - and is also unwilling to take a hit in his own zone when going back to retrieve the puck. That led to some costly giveaways. He still needs to learn when and when not to pinch in on the attack. That tendancy to get excited and pinch in at the wrong time, along with a very costly missed checking assignment by Wade Redden, cost Ottawa game 7 of the ECF against New Jersey. :mad:

All in all, you guys are better off with Salo. I've seen them both play and I'd rather just not put up with Rachunek's antics and streaky performances. He can do everything Rachunek can as good or better at this point (no bets on the future as Karl's got great potential) except stay healthy and is a good team player who, unlike his counter part, can slap more than two good nights together. Although off topic, I'd take Schaefer over both of them. :)

TimmyTabasco

8-20-05, 7:40 PM

Oh yeah, I'm glad we have Salo..he has been solid for the Canucks.

I was thinking of Rachunek for a pick..or something like that..

But, after that info..Sather can keep him :nod: :thumb:

Madferret

8-20-05, 11:18 PM

Ottawa signs Tomas Malec D
Source (http://www2.sportsnet.ca/nhl/free_agent_tracker.html)

Scouting Report
Assets - Moves the puck very well up ice. Has good mobility and offensive upside. Is a solid team player. Doesn't back down from physical challenges.
Flaws - Could use more bulk to better handle NHL forwards. Needs more polish in all aspects of the game.
Career potential Top four defenseman.
Source (http://tsn.ca/nhl/teams/player_bio.asp?player_id=2428&hubName=ANA)

Another lurching Slovak defenseman...(6'2). With Curtis Lespelling signing in Colorado, I guess this was just a depth move, but that career Top 4 defenseman scouting report is intriguing. On the other hand, a 23 year old UFA has got to make you wonder...

Man.Utd

8-20-05, 11:26 PM

I was actually going to make a thread on our newest signings (Malec, Martins, Clouthier) but am unable to make threads now for some reason. I'm looking into it.

Anyway, I can only assume Malec will either play nice minutes in Bingo or be our 6th d-man after the Big 5 of Chara, Phillips, Redden, de Vries, and Volchenkov. I like him better than Pothier that's for sure as I was totally unimpressed.

More in-depth on Malec, this guy could prove to be a huge coupe soon. He has a nice first pass, is a very smooth skater, and loves to use his size to hit people as Ferret's scouting report indicates. He's a real tough customer who's willing to drop his gloves if needed (always getting over 100 PIM's in a full season). Unfortunatly, the expression of the machiene not equaling the sum of it's parts seems made for this guy. He just hasn't been able to put it all together on a consistant basis. The bright side is at 23 the upside is still very much there and, again, he may be the option for us right now after our big 5. The consensis on him is that he can be a good guy to round out a top 4 someday if all goes well. He was the center-piece when he was traded to Anaheim from Carolina recently in exchange for backup Martin Gerber who has decent value himself. Ottawa GM Bryan Murray obviously is very high on him - he's gone after him twice both back as a GM in Anaheim and again in Ottawa.

Madferret

8-21-05, 9:39 AM

I'd also like to say good luck to Curtis as he heads back to Colorado.
On a team where his role was more of go to guy if one of the big D went down, he never moaned a word about always being a healthy scratch and lack of playing time when he could have easily gotten a top 6 job elsewhere. Class act all the way, and I apologize for the 1000 times I've miss-spelt your name...

http://www.slam.canoe.ca/HockeyHitsGalleryImages0102/mar21_hits6-cp.jpg

Man.Utd

8-22-05, 6:11 PM

Chara from an interview on The TEAM. Thanks to Sens4Life from sensnetwork.com.

-was in a couple of bike tours
-lost a bit of weight (down to 255)
-he's been skating for 3 weeks or so (3x/4x times a week)

-quite different sweedish experience (somewhere between love and hate)
-didn't like refs!
-liked the overall experience
-chose sweeden over slovakia because it was highest quality

-skating with hossa, demitra
-flew back with hossa
-doesn't know much about current situation with Hossa
-hopefully both sides can be happy and we can get back to hockey

-he's going to have to study rosters to get familiarized where everyone is
-very exciting to watch for fans, and new for the players
-anticipating refs to call more physical game in nhl, be more strict and hard
-must play smart and positional and avoid playing with your stick
-backchecking will be important
-hard for defenceman to join the rush and possibly more defensive

-thinks we have such a good team and skill level that we could adjust to any system
-no white, bonk, lalime, martin - hockey is a business, and you may get traded/moved
-it is important to keep core of the team together
-they can feed off each other, read off each other
-so much movement in NYI, that you have to get used to players, over and over
-totally different structure in Ottawa

On staying with the Sens long term:
-the first priority is to sign Hossa
-i still have one more year left,
-love the town, love the city, love to stay here
-i can't control what happens - could get traded...

BURY

8-23-05, 7:11 PM

Just needed to say this somewhere and it doesn't deserved a new thread. On the Ottawa Senators website there's a poll and the question is;

What has been the Sens best trade?

The first choice is;

Barrasso for Laukkanen and Tugnutt (3/14/00)

WTF ? I mean this is probably one of the worst deal in history even though Tugnutt and Laukkanen aren't exactly superstars.

Man.Utd

8-23-05, 7:19 PM

Yeah, that wasn't a good deal at all. :confused: Barrasso sucked here.

I nominate the Schaefer for Salo deal. Very underrated player. He can excell at any role. And seeing as he's our only (natural) LW he's all the more important to us.

BURY

8-23-05, 7:31 PM

I can't overlook the Chara, Spezza for Yashin deal. It's clearly the best deal the Sens have made but Shaeffer for Salo is a good one too.

I never realised that we shipped Straka in the Berard for Redden trade.

Man.Utd

8-23-05, 7:44 PM

Oh, yeah. Definatly the Spezza / Chara trade is #1. I'd say this recent Hossa / Heatley one can be a very close second though if Heatley becomes a franchise winger. And he has the potential.

I just nominated the Schaefer one to take the place of the Barrasso deal.

And yep, we shiped Straka to the Island with Berrard. Don Beaupre was also sent to NY.

Man.Utd

8-23-05, 9:45 PM

So...... any guesses on Heatley's number? Schaefer currently has 15.

Madferret

8-23-05, 10:02 PM

51?
We'll find out tommorow when Heats puts on his Sens jersey. Press Conf. is at 3 pm..

Man.Utd

8-23-05, 10:06 PM

Madferret

8-23-05, 10:28 PM

51 would be my guess aswell. Should be an interesting press conference as lots of people and media outlets don't understand the $$$ aspect of the game. And ignoring the money issues, this deal is heavily in favor of Atlanta although I think we win overall.

It is worth noting that RDS still has us getting a 1st rounder even though they've updated their story a few times already. I don't think we got that out of them, but fingers crossed.

Here's the official press release from OttawaSenators.com..
Sens Aquire Heatley (http://www.ottawasenators.com/news/press/2005/nr0823.aro)
Nothing about a 1st rounder coming our way, or anything other than Heats coming here for that matter. As far as the people thinking the deal is heavily in favour of Atlanta, something to ponder: Is Ottawa a better team with Redden, Heatley & Chara, or are they a better team with Hossa and Chara?

Think about it..

J.R.

8-23-05, 11:18 PM

So...... any guesses on Heatley's number? Schaefer currently has 15. I wouldn't be surprised if Peter Schaefer gave up his 15 to Heatley. If not, then I'll go with 18, because there has to be a Senator wearing the best number in sports. I doubt he'd select 37, but that's just a hunch.

Man.Utd

8-24-05, 9:48 AM

Good point. Schaefer always wore #29 prior to coming to Ottawa and that number is currently free. Now whether he wore that numbre because he liked it best or #15 was always taken I don't know. If it's the former I would expect a change of #'s. Like what happened with Hasek and Spezza.

Good call JR. That possibility slipped my mind.

Man.Utd

8-24-05, 9:52 AM

Bryan Murray was on The TEAM this morning. Summary:

-was looking forward to coaching hossa
-heatley an impact player
-can carry team on shoulders
-don't know how mucks made the move
-very few players in the league that can impact playoff hockey
-hoping that heatley can be that player

-waited a year to coach sens
-team is a different makeup than a year ago
-younger, great excitement
-talent level that can compete with the best
-especially against philly

-heatley can shoot, take it on the fly
-allstar game he shined, where there was more skill
-score from the perimmiter, and the dirty goals
-we love the character of heatley
-we can be a more grinding game
-we have another weapon for the shootout

-havlat has been discussed
-spezza/heatley and possibly havlat
-we should have two very competeitve lines

-heatley could play center
-more a winger role that can grind in the corner battles
-a playoff time, speed is neutralized, and battles in corners more important

-heatleys eye and knee still a concern but body should recover
-in near future, should be ok
-spoke with people who know heatley - excited happy to come to ottawa
-couldn't get a classier, better guy
-hope the fans will give him an opportunity
-a very powerful, smart good hockey player

-healtey on defence will have to be informed on team's system
-everyone's got to protect each other
-heatley's never been pat of a team that is more talented and should be ok
-important for him to do things without the puck

-golden opportunity for shubert, mezeros?
-shubert has ability to play in the nhl
-mezeros as a 17 year old had a terrific year last year
-exciting for the team to have two guys that could contribute
-could also get a vetran player on defence through a trade down the road (York has said he'd play here again for less).

Man.Utd

8-24-05, 2:21 PM

Muckler was on the TEAM this morning and I forgot to mention; we have a deal with Kaigorodov all but done.

"We have a deal with Kaigarodov, who wants to play in the NHL, and we want him to play. We havn't secured a transfer though, due to the lack of an IIHF agreement, and he isn't sure if we can get him. Having said that, Kaigorodov's contract ends after this season, so we can get him for free then".

Should be fun to watch this play out

Man.Utd

8-24-05, 7:05 PM

The news gets even better on the salary front. Something I heard on The TEAM 1200 from Muckler after the press conference; Ottawa offered all of Hossa, Chara, and Redden identical contracts (the last two were extensions) during the negotiation process with Marian. The idea was to establish that all 3 were equally as important to this franchise as the other and Alfie was going to be our highest paid player as our captain and leader. For references sake, the two contracts Mucks offered to Hossa were 8M over two years and and 11.9M over 3 years. Two of the three players were on board. I think we know which ones so this is great for future dealings. Nothing can be made offcial until Jan. 1 though under the new CBA.

Times do change, and I think Hossa leaving definatly changes things as far as actual figures are concerned, but this is still great news in regards to their commitment to the organization. I'm optomistic we can keep most of if not all of the core together with us shedding Hossa's/de Vries contracts, Hasek not coming back, and Heatley signing a very fair deal.

Man.Utd

8-25-05, 3:38 PM

Schaefer just gave Heatley his number, so hopefully nobody went out and bought a Heatley #51 sweater right after they announced he would wear that number. Schaefer now wears #27.

Madferret

8-25-05, 3:38 PM

Schaefer just gave Heatley his number, so hopefully nobody went out and bought a Heatley #51 sweater right after they announced he would wear that number. Schaefer now wears #27.

Class move by Schaef..

Madferret

8-25-05, 6:24 PM

Heatley to wear No. 15 for Senators
Canadian Press
OTTAWA (CP) - Newly acquired Senators winger Dany Heatley will get to wear his No. 15 after all. The Sens presented Heatley with a No. 51 jersey Wednesday after his trade from Atlanta. That's because No. 15 belonged to Ottawa's Peter Schaefer.

''Before the news conference, I didn't have a chance to talk to Peter to see if he was really attached to his number,'' Heatley said in a statement Thursday. ''I didn't want to assume anything. He said he didn't have a problem switching so I'll gladly wear No. 15 this season for the Ottawa Senators.''

Schaefer will wear No. 27

..

Newfie John

8-25-05, 6:40 PM

Any guesses on what Heatley will give to Schaefer?

Man.Utd

8-25-05, 7:02 PM

Any guesses on what Heatley will give to Schaefer?

Hopefully a Stanley Cup Ring. :thumb:

Schaefer never wore #15 prior Ottawa and it didn't seem like he had any attachment to it. Classy gesture though.

EDIT - Forgot to mention, Muckler confirmed yesterday that Schubert will be our #6 going into camp and it's his job to lose. That means that Meszaros will get plenty of minutes as the #1 guy in Bingo, where he doesn't get one of those 7 required years for UFA status. :thumb: Good, 'cause I've seen enough of Pothier and have him on roughly the same footing as Malec right now he's most of a big potential future investment than anything.

Newfie John

8-25-05, 11:18 PM

Hopefully a Stanley Cup Ring. :thumb:

Schaefer never wore #15 prior Ottawa and it didn't seem like he had any attachment to it. Classy gesture though.

EDIT - Forgot to mention, Muckler confirmed yesterday that Schubert will be our #6 going into camp and it's his job to lose. That means that Meszaros will get plenty of minutes as the #1 guy in Bingo, where he doesn't get one of those 7 required years for UFA status. :thumb: Good, 'cause I've seen enough of Pothier and have him on roughly the same footing as Malec right now he's most of a big potential future investment than anything.

I'm not trying to be negative or anything, but don't ya think you're rushing Meszaros a little? #1 minutes already? Defencemen take a while, you don't want to screw him up.

Man.Utd

10-03-05, 10:09 PM

Will revive this general purpose thread. New numbers after some player switched coming out of camp:

Andrej Meszaros - 14
Christoph Schubert - 5

Chris Kelly - 22
Brian McGrattan - 16
Brandon Bochenski - 10

Max Power

10-04-05, 9:17 AM

Varada is listed to play here?
http://www.ottawasenators.com/news/press/2005/nr1003-roster.aro
If he is I hope it's only as a fourth liner... I did not know he was ready?

Man.Utd

10-09-05, 11:07 AM

I guess that was just by alphabetical order or something as Varada isn't even skating yet as to my knowledge. He's still ahead of schedual though which is good news.

To this point of the season (very early mind you):

Hasek (OTT): 2W, 0L, 0.96 GAA, .967 SV%

Lalime (STL): 0W, 3L, 6.00 GAA, .833 SV%

Darsehole Tucker

10-09-05, 12:20 PM

I'm not saying anything about anything....but *cough*

Current Leading Point Scorers

1. Marc Savard, ATL: 3 GP, 2 Goals, 6 Assists, 8 Points, +3
2. Peter Bondra, ATL: 3 GP, 3 Goals, 3 Assists, 6 points, +1

I don't understand why I'M not the GM yet...;)

BURY

10-09-05, 12:57 PM

Well Atlanta played 2 games against Washington ... Wait until they play some decent teams. Unfortunately for us they play Washington 6 more times.

Man.Utd

10-09-05, 1:08 PM

I was about to say the same. I would've liked Bondra back for the right price, but quite a few of our boys would be posting similar numbers if we had faced such inferior opposition to date.

And if Bochenski sticks on the Spezza line - only time will tell - there isn't really room for Bondra once Varada comes back unless we bench guys like Vermette. The Sens fans on these are already upset about Antoine's ice-time under coach Murray.

Darsehole Tucker

10-09-05, 1:35 PM

No I know, you two are right. Besides, how many scoring forwards do we really need? If we keep scoring 5 goals/game having Bondra would have been redundant. The only position that I can see us having problems with maybe later on this season is at depth at center, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

grim

10-10-05, 8:24 PM

FYI folks. Not listed but the Leafs Sens game is on Channel 27 Sportsnet in Ottawa. Also Centre Ice is in a free preview mode channels 454 - 459 if you didn't know.

Man.Utd

10-11-05, 6:04 PM

Also Centre Ice is in a free preview mode channels 454 - 459 if you didn't know.

Much appreciated! :)

Man.Utd

10-19-05, 7:52 PM

Accordng to multiple sources, Ottawa's Staurday game against the Panthers will be post-poned (possibly to be made up on Dec 5) due to a hurricane threatning the region. Our game against Tampa on Friday is still a go as of now.....

PDO

10-19-05, 8:11 PM

Man.Utd

10-19-05, 8:27 PM

Aren't Tampa and Miami about 3 hours apart? :conspire:

Yep. That's why I said as of now......

The Tampa game may very well be called off aswell.

PDO

10-19-05, 8:29 PM

Yep. That's why I said as of now......

The Tampa game may very well be called off aswell.

I'd suspect if one is, they both will be.. I can't imagine the NHL being comfortable about the idea of 20,000 people sitting in a building with a hurricane going on anywhere near.

butterfly_style

10-20-05, 8:07 AM

I'd suspect if one is, they both will be.. I can't imagine the NHL being comfortable about the idea of 20,000 people sitting in a building with a hurricane going on anywhere near.
I guess if we were playing the Caps, the NHL would have nothing to worry about.

bluemeanie

10-20-05, 9:16 AM

I guess if we were playing the Caps, the NHL would have nothing to worry about.

lol. We have a Huricane rolling into Toronto tonight at 7:30pm. If the tampa game is cancelled, that will leave Ottawa 3 games behind Toronto... All that time off has to suck for momentum as Dev pointed out the other day. Oh well, you went a year and a half without hockey, you can handle another week and a half off.

Madferret

10-20-05, 3:30 PM

1:12 PM: Eaves recalled from minors
The Ottawa Senators recalled right-winger Patrick Eaves from Binghamton. He is set to replace the injured Mike Fisher (sprained left shoulder) when the Senators face the Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum on Friday, Oct. 21.

---

Is the Panthers game officially postponed now? SN says it is, TSN says it isn't. I haven't been this confused since yesterday.

Man.Utd

10-20-05, 6:34 PM

Madferret

10-20-05, 11:13 PM

The Florida game is indeed post-poned. We will still play against Tampa barring any big change in weather, as the Hurricane isn't expected to even come near Florida until either Saturday, Sunday, or Monday. Experts are not sure which day but the Panthers are playing it safe, cancelling the Saturday night matchup to be played on a later date (probably Dec 5). Friday isn't an issue.

Andy I caught a bit of the Caps / Panthers game and the announcers said the NHL still hasn't made the decision on Saturday?s game. They are expected to announce tomorrow, but that said I totally expect the game to be post- poned.

Max Power

10-21-05, 8:53 AM

Florida game is back on... The hurricane isn't expected to hit until Sunday so as of now from what I've heard it's back on.

Madferret

10-21-05, 9:02 AM

Florida game is back on... The hurricane isn't expected to hit until Sunday so as of now from what I've heard it's back on.

Ah, sweetness. Where did you hear that anyways Maxy?

Max Power

10-21-05, 9:09 AM

Ah, sweetness. Where did you hear that anyways Maxy?

The Radio
but according to this it's still questionable

Senators waiting on WilmaNo word yet whether NHL will postpone game against Panthers
By BRUCE GARRIOCH, Ottawa Sun

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. -- Hurricane Wilma hasn't yet decided whether the Senators are going to stay in the Sunshine State.

Yes, the Senators would rather put safety first, but they'd just as soon play tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers if the hurricane isn't going to hit South Florida until late Sunday or Monday.

Concerns the storm -- which was downgraded to a Category 4 by the National Hurricane Center yesterday -- was going to strike tomorrow night have subsided and the game could be played as scheduled.

NHL VP Bill Daly told the Sun in an e-mail there is still a lot of "uncertainty" on where the storm is headed. The NFL has rescheduled Sunday's Kansas City Chiefs-Miami Dolphins game to tonight.

HOPE TO PLAY FLORIDA

While there's no question tonight's game against the Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum will be played, the Senators still don't know if they'll be facing old coach Jacques Martin tomorrow for the first time.

And though the Senators are nervous about going into the area with a storm threatening, they'd rather play tomorrow than have to make a trip down here to face Florida on Dec. 5

The Senators' five-day break will end tonight when they face the Lightning and they'll carry a perfect 5-0 record into the game.

"When you're hot, you want to keep playing. There's no question about it. You don't want to have the kind of break in the schedule that we just had," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said following practice.

"You know the league has to be careful with what's happened recently (in New Orleans) and they're going to make the right call because they don't want to put anybody in danger. This is not something you can worry about because you can't do anything about it. As players, we would rather play."

But there are other factors as to why the Senators want play tomorrow night:

- If the game doesn't go ahead, the Senators won't have winger Martin Havlat, who is serving a five-game suspension for kicking Boston defenceman Hal Gill, back until Nov. 2 against the Sabres. As of now, he is scheduled to return Oct. 30 vs. Philly. "If we don't play, then my month is over. That'd be just great," said Havlat.

- Secondly, the Dec. 5 make-up date is just four days before the Senators play in Vancouver. That means the club would have to make a trip down here to play Florida, then head to the West Coast.

Madferret

10-21-05, 2:33 PM

NHL reschedules Saturday's Senators-Panthers game

Expected weather conditions in South Florida shift contest to Dec. 5

NEW YORK - The National Hockey League today announced the rescheduling of Saturday's scheduled game between the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers at BankAtlantic Center. The game will be played Monday, December 5, at 7 p.m., ET. The game was rescheduled due to unpredictable weather conditions associated with Hurricane Wilma.

"We rescheduled this game because so many fans and Panthers employees have left the area, and because we want to ensure safe travels into and out of Florida for the teams and the officials," said NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "We thank the Senators and Panthers for their cooperation."

Damn. Oh well..

bluemeanie

10-21-05, 3:02 PM

The Radio

You hear voices from the radio too?

Max Power

10-21-05, 3:07 PM

You hear voices from the radio too?

Yah? when I turn it on? What's up with that?

KB in Kelowna

10-21-05, 4:03 PM

You hear voices from the radio too?

Just put the tinfoil back in your hat and all will be well Blue! :conspire: :laughing:

Man.Utd

10-21-05, 6:39 PM

Dev (and all others wondering) it was the Panthers website that issued an online statement yesterday that the game would be postponed.

Madferret

10-22-05, 3:19 PM

Wilma is now a Category 2 that might or might not hit the Florida keys Sunday night.
:curse: you Wilma...

Amoroq

10-22-05, 4:08 PM

Wilma is now a Category 2 that might or might not hit the Florida keys Sunday night.
:curse: you Wilma...I think the NHL dropped the ball when they didn't allow double headers in the NHL for rain outs. ;)

Man.Utd

10-23-05, 6:31 PM

That 6th win gives us our longest winning streak ever to start a season. Our longest winning streak ever is 7 games. We should tie that tomorrow against Carolina if we play our best. It gets harder after that with Montreal, Philadelphia, and Toronto next in line. But we're just as good as they are if not better so let's hope for the best.

We have gone 11 games (6-0-3) undefeated once before to start the year (2000-01). That 11 games is also our longest unbeaten streak ever, though we have tied it twice before.

Ottawa, even for all it's horrible teams iced in the early 90's, has lost but twice on our first outing of the campaigne. In 2002 against new Jersey (2-1) and in '95 against Buffalo (3-1).

Madferret

10-26-05, 3:01 PM

1:50 PM: Spezza misses practice
Jason Spezza, the Senators leading point scorer, did not practise with the team Wednesday, tending to a minor ankle injury. Head coach Bryan Murray said it's nothing serious and he will play versus Montreal Thursday night.

:relief

Man.Utd

10-30-05, 12:27 PM

This was pointed out to me by a poster at another board, but it's still quite a valid point.

Looking at our schedual, we've had some tough oppostion thus far and have still managed a great start. Tampa, Boston, Montreal (x2) and Toronto (x3) are good hockey clubs but we've beat them all. Sure we lost to Carolina, but we should have really come away with at least a point there and they're currently atop the conference led by a red-hot Staal. Buffalo was also there, but we made quick work of them.

Nashville, by contrast, has yet to beat a team with even a .500 record at the time they played them. Most of our opponenents are on the other side of that mark, even after we've handed them each a loss or two. So who's the REAL hot team in the league, and the class of the NHL?!?! Ok........ maybe it is Detroit. ;) But my point remains.

Madferret

10-31-05, 3:09 PM

HNIC homers show their true colours
You'd think Leafs were the only team

CHRIS ZELKOVICH

It was more than a little ironic that on the same day the CBC trumpeted its Canada-wide celebration of hockey it provided some hard evidence for those who insist the regular Saturday affair should be called Hockey Night In Toronto.

With the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Ottawa Senators, who at last check were still located in Canada, the CBC was presented with a perfect opportunity to highlight one of the best teams in hockey. That's Ottawa, if you were wondering.

Instead, what viewers got was the usual Saturday night broadcast that told us far more about the boys in blue than it did about the team that won 8-0.

The game started off fine with both teams being given equal notice. Bob Cole even took time to praise the Senators ("These guys are dynamite,") though it sounded more as if he was surprised by their power.

The fact that he has seen much more of the Leafs may explain that.

If there was any doubt where the CBC stood, Don Cherry put it to rest in the first intermission.

After apologizing for calling Toronto "we," the man who has worn Leaf ties on air noted that his favourite team was no longer intimidating the guys from Ottawa. "It's sad to see," he moaned.

I imagine that played well in the Ottawa Valley.

He then came to the crucial matter that was no doubt on the minds of Canadians from coast to coast: Should Wade Belak be playing?

Instead of a focus on why the Senators were dominating the league and the Leafs, what we got was a discussion on why the Leafs were playing so poorly. In the HNIC world, that's all that really matters.

Cherry did interrupt his Leaf infomercial for a celebration of Ottawa forward Jason Spezza's amazing goal, but that appeared to be more fodder for one of his eyebrow-twitching rants against Europeans than anything else.

Cole didn't help matters in following Daniel Alfredsson's goal with, "that makes it 7-0 Toronto." It was a slip of the tongue, no doubt enabled by calling so many Leaf games.

After the game, you might think the main topic would be Dany Heatley's four goals. But Cherry had one overriding thought: that no Leaf started a fight after Tie Domi was knocked around. "That is disgusting," he spat.

The CBC's love of the Leafs is nothing new. In many ways, it's understandable.

There's no way the early game of the Hockey Night In Canada doubleheader would be averaging more than 1.6 million viewers this season if it weren't for the Leafs. That's why the Senators, Flames, Oilers and Canadiens get little national exposure in comparison.

That might be acceptable with a private network. But the CBC is supposed to be all things to all Canadians, not just those waving blue-and-white flags.

Funny article from the TO Sun..

butterfly_style

10-31-05, 3:18 PM

CBC biased towards the leafs. . .Don Cherry a homer . . .Bob Cole an idiot ?
Say it ain't so!

Madferret

11-05-05, 11:39 AM

Spezza sees Sens mates scoring 50
By BRUCE GARRIOCH
Ottawa Sun

Jason Spezza says he's surrounded by guys who could score 50 goals this season -- including Dany Heatley, Martin Havlat and Daniel Alfredsson, -- but he's not putting himself in that group.

"I believe there could be a bunch of guys in this league who score 50 and I think you're going to have a bunch of guys who are above 100 points," said Spezza.

"We could have three guys on this team who score 50. That's good for the league and that's what you want to see."

THIS 'N' THAT: Senators D Andrej Meszaros has impressed coach Bryan Murray. Under normal circumstances Meszaros might be a candidate for rookie of the year, but with guys named Alexander Ovechkin (Washington) and Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh) also on the ballot, it's going to be a little difficult to win the award. "Meszaros has shown he's going to be a guy who can improve," said Murray ... Spezza said he wasn't going to join G Ray Emery and W Brian McGrattan at a tattoo shop on Dalhousie St. yesterday. "When I take off this shirt, about the only thing anybody wants me to do is put this shirt back on," said Spezza. "This is not a body that needs artwork. I can't walk around in the summer like Emery and (McGrattan) with no shirt on."

With the bit on Mezzy, he does look like he's played on our blueline for a few years now. What an absolute steal getting him so late, and he's made a flawless transition. The kid has a big heart on him too, it's a pleasure to watch him play for us.

Madferret

11-05-05, 11:43 AM

Captain Alfredsson 'a man on a mission'
By BRUCE GARRIOCH

Daniel Alfredsson has bad news for opponents in the Eastern Conference. He thinks he can be better.

"I'm not quite happy with where everything is at right now," said Alfredsson yesterday. "I'm still working on a few things and I'm not completely happy with where my shot is at."

That's not what it looks like to most people.

"He looks to me like he's a man on a mission," said Senators GM John Muckler while watching practice yesterday. "(Alfredsson) has taken his game to another level. He looks like he realizes there's not going to be many chances."

Going into tonight's game against the Islanders, the Senators captain is having a standout season with 12 goals and 23 points in 12 games. If this continues, he could break the 50-goal mark.

But Alfredsson is just trying to keep his goals simple: Play hard, get the job done and show everybody what it takes to have success.

"I didn't come into this season and say I want to get this many goals and this many assists," said Alfredsson. "I don't think about stuff like that. I just try to play the best I can and keep everything going.

"What I'm trying to do is push myself and make myself better and that will help the team to be better. This has been fun. I'm feeling good and we've got a lot of strong players on this team. I want to help this team to have success."

Coach Bryan Murray has been impressed with what he's seen and admits he's "a little surprised" with the way Alfredsson has played this season.

"He's taken on a huge responsibility and he's been very intense," said Murray. "I don't know if he's a vocal guy in the room because I don't spend a lot of time in there, but in our meetings he's never shy about anything.

"He's definitely been exceptional. I think he is a guy who the other guys look up to. He works hard every shift and he leads by example.

"As a captain, I see him as a guy who goes out every night and gives everything he's got. That's the kind of guy you want to have in that role."

Killing penalties

Alfredsson said he has appreciated the chance to play an expanded role -- including killing penalties during 5-on-3 situations -- and the opportunity to line up beside young guys like Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley.

"I try to do the same thing every night," said Alfredsson. "I don't go out there (every night) thinking that I can score 50. Playing with Heatley and Spezza has been a lot of fun.

"They're both young, they bring a lot of enthusiasm to the game and I think that has helped me ... especially being the older guy on the line. You want to make sure you play well when you're those guys."

The goal for Alfredsson is to win a Stanley Cup with the Senators. That's why he signed a five-year, $32.5-million US deal that includes three option years rather than test the free-agent market in the summer of 2004.

But he's not going to be making any bold predictions about this season.

"We haven't had a tough schedule at all this month and we've been able to take advantage of that. We have to make sure we do that because it's only going to get tougher for us," said Alfredsson.

"We're going to have a lot of players going to the Olympics and that might not necessarily be a good thing with the schedule we've got when we get back. Maybe, if we can build up some points here, we might be able to get some guys some rest down the stretch for the playoffs.

"You want to be ready for the playoffs. That's the most important time of year."

http://www2.ottawasenators.com/_static/webUpload/news/183_1.jpg

Man.Utd

11-05-05, 4:53 PM

With the bit on Mezzy, he does look like he's played on our blueline for a few years now. What an absolute steal getting him so late, and he's made a flawless transition. The kid has a big heart on him too, it's a pleasure to watch him play for us.

He even looked solid in our top 4 against TB in the absence of Volchenkov. And there are few better forward groups than the Lightning's. He was actually a team best +3 that night. A barely 20 year old ready for top 4 duty on a stacked Ottawa D? Maybe not quite yet, but based on that one game he looked adequate and I'll go out on a limb and say he will be by season's end if need be. Hopefully he'll stay on that bottom-pairing as Redden, Chara, Volchenkov, and Phillips are all ready to go. But it's nice insurance to have, espcially so early in his career.

No bigs hits yet though. :shrug: And he doesn't seem overly willing by the looks of it. That's odd, as he was boarderline dirty in the WHL and was making some noise in trainning camp for throwing his weight around (hit on Schaefer, anyone?). Maybe he's not comfortable going for the big hit yet. That's alright, as if he doesn't feel ready he'll likely only end up out of position anyway. As long as he keeps finishing those routine checks and remains responsible defensively I'm happy. Good offensive upside too. Other than Chara, I think he's got the best shot among our blueliners once he gets it loaded.

Madferret

11-06-05, 11:17 AM

Varada's time may be up as Sen
By BRUCE GARRIOCH
Ottawa Sun

Winger Vaclav Varada's future with the Senators is, at best, uncertain.

Before the NHL season started, Senators GM John Muckler told the Sun editorial board that under the new cap system teams could no longer afford to "have guys on the fourth line making $1 million."

That's exactly where Varada sits today, leaving his future in Ottawa cloudy. Skating on a line with Chris Kelly and Brian McGrattan, Varada played just over five minutes against the Lightning on Thursday night.

"Right now, he's having a tough time and part of the problem is he got hurt in training camp," Muckler said yesterday. "I still feel he's going to get his opportunity."

Naturally, this hasn't been easy for the 29-year-old Varada, who is pulling down $1.216 million US this season. He was brought in from Buffalo in 2003 because he has a reputation for being a pest.

But Varada has been hampered a knee injury he suffered in the first game of the pre-season on Sept. 18 in Toronto. That has made it difficult for him to battle for a spot on the left side of one of the top lines.

LOST LINEMATES

Not only was he unable to fight for his ice time and earn the trust of new Senators coach Bryan Murray, longtime linemates Radek Bonk (Montreal) and Marian Hossa (Atlanta) are both gone. "This is a tough situation, but the team is winning," said Varada.

Murray said before last night's visit by the Islanders to the Corel Centre that Varada hasn't done anything wrong. "All that's happened to Vaclav Varada is Chris Neil has played well ... better than our expectations and he has earned the ice time. That's why Varada is in this situation at the moment," said Murray.

"I know it is tough for him. I know he's not happy with the ice time he's getting and I can see it in his play. I'd like to find a spot for him, but I feel pretty comfortable with the way things are right now. But part of Varada's problem is the game has gotten better and speed is a big factor. Neil has played well. That's why he's where he is."

Dealing Varada isn't an option at the moment, but if his role doesn't increase, then it may become a necessity under the NHL's new system.

I guess Smoke took himself off the bubble with his play, now it's Varada. I guess in a cap world you'll see alot more of this, and alot more of coaches calling out players. I think that's a good thing.

Man.Utd

11-06-05, 1:27 PM

I've actually really liked his board-work in his limited time this season. He's winning alot of battles and cycling the puck well. We do have some cap-room - enough to make a trade deadline deal if need be in fact - so I'd like to keep him here as long as it's feasable budget-wise. He's layed some huge hits since his return and with some more ice-time I'm sure could likely draw alot of penalties for our deadly PP.

He's also good insurance if someone goes down. He can play anywhere in our lineup but on that loaded first unit - they're obviously above his level of speed and skill. Having said that, if a team wants his services and is willing to pay fair value, it wouldn't be a bad thing to get his contract off the books. As the article said, he's not seeing much ice. And guys like Eaves may be ready for prime-time. He really impressed me as an injury call-up after a very dissapointing camp. Murray said he'd like Eaves here full-time sometime in the new year, so that may require a deal to be swung.

Personally, I'd rather him spend the year in Bingo and play here next campaigne. But he hasn't looked out of place at the NHL level, that's for sure.

Darsehole Tucker

11-06-05, 3:01 PM

And guys like Eaves may be ready for prime-time. He really impressed me as an injury call-up after a very dissapointing camp. Murray said he'd like Eaves here full-time sometime in the new year, so that may require a deal to be swung.

Personally, I'd rather him spend the year in Bingo and play here next campaigne. But he hasn't looked out of place at the NHL level, that's for sure.

I agree with you on Eaves spending the year with the Jr. Sens, and it seems as though they need his services, heh (1-5-1-1). Here's the thing: Varada is getting paid decent bank, that's for sure, especially for a fourth liner. But Eaves on the fourth line? He's going to be a "skill-guy." I like that our fourth line is going to be our "grit" line and that's not really where Eaves belongs. He played great on a line with Alfie. I like where Varada is, competing for one of the top-9 forward spots. With the way Neil has been playing, they can't very well demote him to the fourth line.

Darsehole Tucker

11-06-05, 6:47 PM

MESZAROS WORKING HARD TO STAY WITH SENATORS

Andrej Meszaros knows he has to continue working hard to keep his spot with the Ottawa Senators. Still, the talented rookie defenceman, who just turned 20 on Oct. 13, has been a pleasant surprise early this season. His confidence keeps growing, too.

?Everything has been great so far,? said the Slovakian.

?I?m trying to do my best every game and help the team. I have to show the coaches I want to stay here.?

While most of his teammates left the building after a recent practice, Meszaros stayed behind and worked out in the gym with strength and conditioning coach Randy Lee. It?s that type of work ethic that will benefit the young star. A participant in every Senators game so far (including rookie, pre-season and regular season), Meszaros said he has learned a lot from two key people -- defensive partner Wade Redden and countrymen Zdeno Chara.

?Things are easier for me because of them. Z is a huge help. He?s a real leader on this team. Reds is a great defenceman, and I am learning a lot from him.?

A graduate of the Western Hockey League?s Vancouver Giants, Meszaros can?t help but smile when talking about how things have developed.

?It?s unbelievable. I?m glad the coaches have given me the opportunity to play. I?ve played in every game so far. I?m young, so I don?t get too tired.?

Just to add to the discussion on "Mezzy" here's a little write-up I found on the Sens' site

Madferret

11-07-05, 11:01 AM

Alfie enjoying role as designated killer
Sens captain credits work on PK for improving his game
By Chris STEVENSON
Ottawa Sun

Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson went into play yesterday tied for the NHL scoring lead. He's playing the best hockey of his career at age 32 and has 11 points in his last three games.

It's funny how things work out.

In the aftermath of Saturday night's 6-0 win over the Islanders, Alfredsson credited the chance to kill penalties for his improved play.

Senators coach Bryan Murray has been using Alfredsson as his designated killer in 5-on-3 disadvantages. You wouldn't think such a defensive responsibility could have such an impact on a player's offensive performance.

"It's a new responsibility and it keeps me in the game," said Alfredsson. "I like being out there and taking on a role."

DIFFERENT WITH MARTIN

It's a chance he wasn't afforded under former coach Jacques Martin on a regular basis. Alfredsson wasn't available to kill a 5-on-3 advantage for the Islanders in the first period Saturday night because he was the first guy in the box, soon joined by Mike Fisher.

His teammates killed the 29 seconds of two-man disadvantage and then Alfredsson jumped out of the box, took a blocked shot off the shin pads of teammate Chris Phillips and scored the first goal of the game on a breakaway.

It was Alfredsson's third short-handed goal of the season.

BAD ON FACEOFFS

While he loves the chance to kill those 5-on-3s, Alfredsson is concerned with one aspect of those situations. Faceoffs.

"I'm terrible," he said. "I'm 2-15 (ranked 334th in the league) this year. We talked about it. We're going to have (defenceman Zdeno) Chara take it and I'm just going to jump in for the loose puck," he chuckled.

"On a 3-on-5, you have to win them clean because they have two guys jumping in." Faceoffs are huge in those situations because a win and a clear can chop 20 seconds of the disadvantage.

One of his two wins in the circle came against countryman and teammate on the Swedish Olympic team, Peter Forsberg of the Flyers.

You think that might come up when they talk?

Nah.

NOTES: The Senators next game isn't until Thursday in Boston against the Bruins. When a team is going as well as this one, four days between games is not welcome ... The Senators added to their best-ever start Saturday night. They have 11 wins in their first 13 games. Their previous best after 13 games was eight wins in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 ... The Senators are 4-0 on Saturdays -- outscoring their opponents 24-1 ... Not only did Senators G Dominik Hasek tie Patrick Roy for 13th place on the career shutouts list Saturday night, but he tied Peter Sidorkiewicz at eight wins on the Senators' career wins chart. Sidorkiewicz played 64 games in the Ottawa goal in the franchise's first year. Next up on the list: Craig Billington (1993-95) at 11 ... The Senators are averaging 19,182 fans a game or a 10.7% increase over the same number of home games in the 2003-04 season ... W Brandon Bochenski had a goal and an assist in his first game with the Binghamton Senators of the AHL on Saturday night. That wasn't enough for a win as the Senators fell 5-4 to Rochester in a shootout.

LINK (http://ottawasun.ca/Sports/Senators/2005/11/07/1295846-sun.html)

Madferret

11-07-05, 12:53 PM

Alfredsson, Kiprusoff win weekly honours
Daniel Alfredsson
TSN.ca Staff

Ottawa Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, who led all scorers with 11 points in three games, has been named the NHL's Offensive Player of the Week. Calgary Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff, who backstopped the Flames to three victories with a 0.33 goals-against average, .984 save percentage and two shutouts, has been named the league's Defensive Player of the Week.

Senators forward Jason Spezza, who posted seven points, Montreal Canadiens forward Saku Koivu and Philadelphia Flyers forward Simon Gagne, were runners-up for offensive honors, while goaltender Jussi Markkanen of the Edmonton Oilers and defenseman Ryan Whitney of the Pittsburgh Penguins were runners-up for the defensive award.

Playing on a line with Spezza and Dany Heatley, Alfredsson tied a franchise record with his first career six-point game in a 10-4 victory at Buffalo Wednesday and tallied a goal and an assist in a 4-2 victory against Tampa Bay Thursday.

He concluded the week with three points, including the game-winning goal, in a 6-0 victory against the New York Islanders Saturday. In three games, the Alfredsson-Spezza-Heatley trio combined for 24 points.

Kiprusoff stopped 62 of 63 shots for the week, beginning with a 23-save performance in a 3-0 victory against the Minnesota Wild Tuesday. He turned aside 16 of 17 shots in a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Blue
Jackets Thursday and collected his third shutout of the season and 10th of his career (23 saves) in a 1-0 victory against the Vancouver Canucks Saturday.

Kiprusoff has appeared in 15 of Calgary's 16 games and is 7-6-2 with a 2.31 goals-against average and a .912 save percentage.

Atta boy Alfie..

Madferret

11-08-05, 2:26 PM

More Varada news..

Restless Varada eager for action
Lack of ice time leads to Muckler meeting
By BRUCE GARRIOCH
Ottawa Sun

Senators winger Vaclav Varada works out at practice yesterday at the Corel Centre. Varada's ice time has been limited this season. For now, Vaclav Varada will just have to be patient.

Accompanied by his Edmonton-based agent Ritch Winter, the Senators winger huddled with GM John Muckler yesterday at the Corel Centre to discuss his slipping role and his future in Ottawa, the Sun has learned.

While the 29-year-old Varada didn't demand a trade, he was able to voice his concerns to Muckler after watching his ice time fall to only five minutes a game under new coach Bryan Murray.

Muckler told Varada he will get a chance to play an increased role, but Murray hasn't had an opportunity to get to know the veteran because of the knee injury he suffered in training camp.

Winter also represents Senators goalie Dominik Hasek and defenceman Andrej Meszaros, but he confirmed he travelled to Ottawa so that Varada's situation could be discussed in a face-to-face meeting.

"The subject of a trade was never brought up,'' Winter said last night. ''We all recognized the difficult challenge that is facing Vaclav Varada right now. (Murray) really hasn't had the chance to find out what Vaclav Varada is all about. That's part of the problem.

"John Muckler knows what Varada can bring to a team. He has traded for him twice (once in Buffalo and again in Ottawa) and they have a good relationship. Varada knows the challenge ahead for him and sometimes you just have to hear it from somebody to find out exactly where you stand."

Winter said Varada's focus remains winning a Stanley Cup. "You're not going to win a Stanley Cup just anywhere and (Varada) feels this is a good opportunity for him. He doesn't want to a win a Stanley Cup anywhere. He wants to be part of what is happening here," said Winter.

After suffering a knee injury in the first pre-season game Oct. 18 against the Maple Leafs, Varada worked hard to return to action by mid-October, but he's been playing with Chris Kelly and Brian McGrattan.

KNEE INJURY

Varada's previous linemates, Radek Bonk and Marian Hossa, were traded since the last NHL season, and the firing of coach Jacques Martin meant Varada had to prove himself all over again this fall. That didn't happen because of the injury.

"John Muckler has a lot of experience and a lot of things were discussed," said Winter. "We left that meeting with a good feeling. I would think what we're going to do is just see how it goes.

''Vaclav Varada knows that he can contribute and he's going to get his opportunity. The team has only lost two games and there hasn't been any need to make any changes."

Varada, who is making $1.2 million US, couldn't be reached for comment at his Kanata home last night.

Murray said he expects Varada will get a chance to contribute, but Chris Neil's solid performance has taken away ice time from him.

"I hope (Varada) can contribute and I hope he can remain comfortable with the situation,'' said Murray. ''I know he's not happy with his ice time and he knows he wants more ice time."

Max Power

11-08-05, 3:03 PM

Holy cow he's only been back for a few games and he already has his agent involved? He's on a team that's a strong cup contender and he'll get his chances to play at some point if not now. Don't start complaining and whining because the team doesn?t need this kind of ridiculous distraction from a player

Madferret

11-09-05, 9:59 AM

Havlat will not B wary
By CHRIS STEVENSON
Ottawa Sun

For Martin Havlat, sorry seems to be the hardest word. At least when it comes to Bruins defenceman Hal Gill.

Havlat, the Senators winger who was suspended five games for kicking Gill in the groin Oct. 15, doesn't have any plans to apologize.

WON'T TALK TO GILL

"I'm not going to talk to him unless he wants to talk to me," Havlat said yesterday. "I apologized to my teammates. It wasn't the smartest thing I've done."

The Senators will travel to Boston this afternoon to face the Bruins tomorrow night. "They gave me five games and I've done my time," said Havlat, who said he didn't expect any extra attention from the B's in the first meeting since the incident. "Every game is the same. You have to be aware of the other players. It's the same game for me like the last one and another 70 games."

Another day till the Sens play...*groan*
This 2 games a week business has got to stop. We're like 4 games behind most teams now...WTF?

butterfly_style

11-09-05, 10:01 AM

Another day till the Sens play...*groan*
This 2 games a week business has got to stop. We're like 4 games behind most teams now...WTF?
No Kidding, Ferret.
No need for big breaks in the schedule at this point in the season.
I would prefer some break time in March/April.

Madferret

11-09-05, 10:02 AM

Murray emphasizes tape-to-tape passes, puck handling, shooting at practice
For Sens, it's crispness time
By Chris Stevenson
Ottawa Sun

It seems like a pretty simple thing. Pass the puck. Receive the puck. Shoot the puck.

Simple, but it doesn't just happen, no matter how easy the Senators have made it look this season. They went into last night's action with 64 goals -- tops in the NHL -- despite having played three games fewer than their closest pursuer in that department.

When fans come out of their seats at the Corel Centre after a Senators goal, they've seen a few seconds of slick puck handling. That few seconds is the result of countless repetitions in practice.

Passing and handling the puck receive a great deal of emphasis from Senators coach Bryan Murray, who's brought his own priorities to the table. It would seem like a mundane thing, asking as skilled a group as this year's edition of the Senators to work on such a fundamental thing, kind of like getting fish to practice swimming.

But that was the focus in preparation for tomorrow night's game against the Bruins in Boston (7 p.m., A-Channel).

"He wants it to be crisp," said Senators centre Jason Spezza. "Everybody traps against us now. What's the best way to beat the trap? A 'D' to 'D' pass and then up to the winger. You need to be able to make three or four good passes to break the trap.

"We want to have puck possession as much as possible. We don't want to dump it in unless we have to. It's repetition. Repetition is the best way to get good at anything."

WHIRLING BODIES

A Senators practice is whirling bodies in multi-coloured sweaters, pucks hurtling from stick-to-stick, two, sometimes three pucks skimming the ice.
Murray stopped practice yesterday because he didn't like the execution.

"I asked them, 'Do you see what we're trying to do today? Do you understand what this practice is all about? It's puck skills and moving the puck.' "Repetition, as boring as it might be on occasion, is what develops certain skills."

As skilled a bunch as this year's edition of the Senators might be, they can still improve their skills, said Murray. "We do have a good group. Most of the teams I've had could make and receive passes, but maybe they couldn't score as well," said Murray. "You have to develop that.

"I think the young players will very definitely improve. Some of the veterans are good (at moving the puck), but the young guys can really benefit, watching, playing and repeating."

Murray said even players like Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson, 32 next month, can improve. "It used to be at 26 or 27 players hit their peak," said Murray. "After that you couldn't get much better. Now I'd say it's 25-40. Players are playing so much longer. If they look after themselves, they can probably improve. You look at guys like Alfie and (Brendan) Shanahan. They don't tail off until they decide they don't want to play anymore."

PRAISE FOR ALFIE: Alfredsson is in some pretty good company.
Murray showered praise on his captain yesterday, putting him in the same class as captains Murray has had with other teams like Paul Kariya (Anaheim), Rod Langway (Washington), Scott Mellanby (Florida) and Steve Yzerman (Detroit). "Those are real good people. You recognize the names and they've had great careers. He fits in that group, the type of person he is," said Murray. But that doesn't mean Murray won't admonish Alfredsson when necessary. "I told him if he wants to fool around with the puck between drills, he should come here early and do all the fooling around he wants."

AROUND THE RINK: Senators G Dominik Hasek has kept his old equipment around. If he gets the call to play for the Czech Republic at the Winter Olympics, he said he'll definitely use the older, bigger stuff, as permitted by Olympic rules ... Murray said Alfredsson, tied for the NHL scoring lead and the offensive player of the week, had a bit of a tight knee yesterday. "He went for a run (Monday) afternoon," said Murray, shaking his head. "He practises, lifts weights, then he goes for a run? What the heck is going on?" Alfredsson said his running was after his son, Hugo ... The Senators are a tale of two teams when it comes to special teams. Their power play is second in the league at home, but 22nd on the road. Their penalty killing is reversed: 23rd at home, but fourth on the road. Go figure ... Ottawa is the only team not to have a minus player in the plus-minus stats.

http://ottawasun.ca/Sports/Senators/2005/11/09/58Spezza.jpg

Madferret

11-09-05, 10:09 AM

No Kidding, Ferret.
No need for big breaks in the schedule at this point in the season.
I would prefer some break time in March/April.

After the Olympic break Ottawa's schedule is wild.
The next 3 weeks we have 3 games each week. What is that?

butterfly_style

11-09-05, 10:14 AM

After the Olympic break Ottawa's schedule is wild.
The next 3 weeks we have 3 games each week. What is that?
I think the schedule maker is a leaf-fan.

C-O-N-S-P-I-R-A-C-Y :conspire:

Max Power

11-09-05, 10:30 AM

Yah our schedule is a joke and was obviously not very well thought up.

March will be crazy for sure Ferret

Max Power

11-09-05, 10:45 AM

AROUND THE RINK: Senators G Dominik Hasek has kept his old equipment around. If he gets the call to play for the Czech Republic at the Winter Olympics, he said he'll definitely use the older, bigger stuff, as permitted by Olympic rules ... Murray said Alfredsson, tied for the NHL scoring lead and the offensive player of the week, had a bit of a tight knee yesterday. "He went for a run (Monday) afternoon," said Murray, shaking his head. "He practises, lifts weights, then he goes for a run? What the heck is going on?" Alfredsson said his running was after his son, Hugo ... The Senators are a tale of two teams when it comes to special teams. Their power play is second in the league at home, but 22nd on the road. Their penalty killing is reversed: 23rd at home, but fourth on the road. Go figure ... Ottawa is the only team not to have a minus player in the plus-minus stats.

Great Hasek wants to play in the Olympics?
I don?t blame him but if it?s all about winning the cup for him then he should rest. We have a very tough schedule come March and Hasek should rest rather then play in Italy. I can see this turning bad for us if he does go to Italy and plays

Madferret

11-09-05, 10:51 AM

Great Hasek wants to play in the Olympics?
I don?t blame him but if it?s all about winning the cup for him then he should rest. We have a very tough schedule come March and Hasek should rest rather then play in Italy. I can see this turning bad for us if he does go to Italy and plays

I think Vokoun will be the stater for the Czechs regardless. I have no problem with Dom being the #3 guy, but I would rather him not push his luck.

butterfly_style

11-09-05, 10:57 AM

Ottawa is the only team not to have a minus player in the plus-minus stats.
Well when you're outscoring your opponents by nearly 3 goals per game (36 goals over 13 games) . . .
I wonder if there's ever been a team that has no players with a minus after a complete season.

Oh! Mr. Shilling ??

Madferret

11-10-05, 10:04 AM

Sens winger pulls no punches when he says role on last line is affecting his play
Varada fourth-right
By Bruce Garrioch
Ottawa Sun

BOSTON -- These are tumultuous times for Vaclav Varada. For a proud guy who loves playing hockey as much Varada does, he's having a tough time figuring out what his role -- or lack thereof -- is with the Senators.

Varada, as the Sun reported, has been troubled by the fact he's only been playing an average of five minutes under coach Bryan Murray and summoned agent Ritch Winter to Ottawa for a meeting with GM John Muckler.

Varada's biggest problem has been a knee injury he suffered in training camp, which undermined his ability to show Murray what he could do. And since he's returned to the lineup, he's been stuck in a fourth-line role while making a salary of $1.2 million US.

With only five minutes of playing time a game, his salary and one assist in eight games ... it could lead a guy to believe his days are numbered with a team.

"John just told me I had to be patient," Varada said prior to the club's flight here. "I'm fully healed. I'm ready to go. I'm in good shape. I just want to play.
"It's not up to me to decide how much I'm going to play and other guys are playing ahead of me. I just don't think (Muckler) will keep me to play 4-6 minutes a game. We will see if he is going to be prepared to do that. If not, I'm not sure what is going to happen."

NO TRADE TALK

Muckler said dealing Varada has not been discussed. "I know what he can do and he did a pretty good job for us for the last (18 months)," said Muckler. "The team is playing extremely well and we've got some people who are contributing.

"It would be extremely difficult for Bryan to move (Varada) up in the lineup. He is going to have to wait. What he has to remember is things don't always stay the same and they're going to change.

"There could be changes to the lineup because of the way people are playing or injuries. He was injured in training camp and he didn't really get a chance to show (Murray) what he could do. I know he wants to play, but he has to be patient. Do I understand how he feels? Definitely, but there's nothing we can do at this time."

Varada said he is struggling with his confidence because of the lack of playing time. "If things are going to change, I will feel better," said Varada. "The situation is not good for me. I'm glad the guys are playing well and we are winning games.

"I just want to play more. I think I'm a better player than to just play five minutes a game. In the last game, I didn't have many shifts. What can you show the coach if you are not playing? I just have to try to do the best that I can do in this situation, but it's not easy because I want to play more."

Muckler said part of Varada's problem is he wants too much to happen at once. Murray is having plenty of success with the top three lines and there is no reason to make any changes at this time.

LEFT WINGERS PLAYING WELL

Besides, where would Varada fit? Dany Heatley, Peter Schaefer and Mike Fisher have all played well on the left side. That could change if the coaching staff decides to move Fisher back to centre at some point.

As Varada was speaking, the atmosphere around him was lighthearted. Other players were laughing and joking ... and they have plenty of reasons to smile going into tonight against the Bruins.

"I like the fact that we're winning, but I would like to feel part of the winning," said Varada. "Right now, I'm not feeling like I'm part of it, but the guys in here have been great to me."

A third-liner at best should not be getting this much media attention, suck it up Varada.

Max Power

11-10-05, 11:31 AM

Varada should suck it up or they should sit him out. No place for whining when the club is doing well. Like Dev said this should and does not deserve this media attention and Varada should be embarrassed for it

Here's an article from the Citizen on Heatly and others

Happy days here again for Heatley
As Senators general manager John Muckler concedes, 'Not every deal turns out this good,' Allen Panzeri reports from Boston.

Allen Panzeri
The Ottawa Citizen

Thursday, November 10, 2005

CREDIT: Wayne Cuddington, The Ottawa Citizen
Acquired for Marian Hossa, Dany Heatley could pass another of Hossa's club records tonight.

Dany Heatley has been wearing Easton's Synergy skate for about a year now, and, like any enterprising company, Easton is trying to capitalize on Heatley's fast start to the new NHL season.

The company's news releases over the past week have made the skates sound a bit like Superman's cape. Not that Heatley, with 11 goals and 13 assists, minds. Easton, after all, helps pay the bills.

"They can say anything they want," Heatley said yesterday.

"Doesn't bother me."

However, note to Easton: It's not the skates.

In fact, one of those ads the PGA Tour uses for its golf pros would be more appropriate because it'd be closer to the truth: This guy can play.

It'll be difficult, of course, for Heatley, 24, to entirely erase Ottawa Senators fans' memories of Marian Hossa, a wonderfully exciting and prolific player many were stunned to see traded for Heatley.

Still, Heatley's equally dynamic performance in the first 13 games has eased the pain and started to shape his own legacy.

Indeed, all Heatley needs is one point tonight to erase another little bit of Hossa from the Senators' record book.

Heatley has already set a record for a consecutive point streak from the start of the season (zipping past nine, shared by Hossa and Radek Bonk), and a point tonight here against the Bruins would set the franchise record for longest point streak, breaking a tie with Hossa.

If he wanted to, general manager John Muckler could reel in the accolades for the brilliance of this deal.

He won't, though.

"I think I've been in this business long enough not to gloat about it," Muckler said yesterday. "Every deal doesn't turn out this good."

For his part, Heatley couldn't have written a better first chapter for his new start in Ottawa. So far, it has been a fairy tale.

"I didn't feel like the world was being lifted off my shoulders when I got traded, but it felt good to be back in Canada, and to be (in Ottawa)," he said yesterday. "And, with the lockout last year, I was champing at the bit. I wanted to get going. I was excited. So I guess it has been a combination of all that.

"Obviously, any time you come to a new team, you want to get off to a fast start, and, with the lockout, with the things that were said, I just wanted to get back to playing the way I can play."

Those "things" were that Heatley was damaged goods, either from the 2003 car accident that killed good friend and Thrashers teammate Dan Snyder, or the puck Heatley took in the left eye last year while playing in Switzerland.

For anyone who has seen him, though, it's clear those theories have been rendered baseless.

He looked terrific when, on a bad Atlanta team, he scored 67 goals in his first two NHL seasons. On a good team such as Ottawa, with Jason Spezza and Daniel Alfredsson as linemates, he's frightening.

Even if Heatley's only reason for leaving Atlanta was to play on a better team, who could have blamed him?

He is likely also well on his way to a place on the Canadian men's hockey team for the 2006 Winter Olympics.

Going into the season, he was far from an automatic choice.

His first appearance for Canada, during the 2004 world championships, was outstanding, a grand coming-out party.

Canada won the gold medal and Heatley, who had eight goals and three assists in 11 games, was named the tournament's most valuable player.

However, his next two appearances were mediocre.

He had only two assists in six games in the 2004 World Cup, and followed that with seven points (three goals, four assists) in nine games during the 2005 world championship.

He has heard the whispers that he's in tough for a spot this time, and, though he's not dwelling on making the team, he would like to prove his critics wrong.

"People can say whatever they want," he said, adding that critics didn't seem to think players did very much at world tournaments unless they scored nine or 10 goals.

"It doesn't bother me, but it's funny how that works. I feel I'm the same player I was before, but better than before."

Muckler believes Ottawa fans have only seen the tip of the iceberg.

"I think he's going to be a lot better than he is right now," Muckler said.

"When we made the trade, we did it because we thought there was a tremendous up side to Dany. He's a skilled hockey player who's determined to be a success.

"He wants to be the best he can be, and I think it's limitless for him."

Varada: He'll have to earn more ice time, Muckler says, page B3

Madferret

11-12-05, 10:47 AM

Heatley's streak won't be greatest
Sen certain Gretzky's 51-game record 'safe'
By BRUCE GARRIOCH
OTTAWA SUN

Dany Heatley insists Wayne Gretzky's record is safe.

The Senators winger pushed his scoring streak to a team-record 14 straight games by scoring twice in Ottawa's 5-2 win over the Bruins on Thursday night. But Heatley hasn't set his sights on Gretzky's 51-game streak with Edmonton Oilers in 1982-83.

During his NHL record point scoring streak, Gretzky notched an astounding 61 goals and 92 assists.

"No, I think that one is safe. That's pretty untouchable," said Heatley. "I don't think I'm going to be breaking that one. I'm pretty sure that one of Gretzky's 60-odd records that is safe. You don't even think about that stuff when you're playing."

By comparison, Heatley has 13 goals and 13 assists through his hot stretch, which matches the second- longest streak in history with a new team. That record also belongs to Gretzky, who had points in 23 straight games with the Los Angeles Kings in 1988.

Heatley, who was obtained from the Thrashers in the summer for winger Marian Hossa (who set the old team mark of 13 games in 2002) and defenceman Greg de Vries, had a previous career-best streak of seven games.

"I don't want to downplay the (team) record and I am happy to have it, but it's not something that you think about," said Heatley. "You just want to make sure the team is successful."

THIS 'N' THAT: G Ray Emery will make the start in net for the Senators tonight, simply because he needs to see some game action ... The Senators started practice yesterday by switching sticks and using their wrong hands. It made for some funny moments, with players winding up for shots and missing the puck. "We just thought we'd try something like that," said coach Bryan Murray. "It's nice because the coaches don't have do it."

http://www.ottawasun.com/PhotoGalleries/Senscamp/2005/11/08/sens6.jpg

Madferret

11-15-05, 10:13 AM

Sens feeling defensive
Team can do more than score
By CHRIS STEVENSON
OTTAWA SUN

THE ACCOLADES -- and rightly so -- have been piling up for the Senators' offensive juggernaut this season.

The big guns have scored an average of almost five goals a game (two of their 75 goals are credits from shootout wins). Overlooked in the carnage, however, is the fact the Senators have become the league's best defensive team, too.

Surprised? Let's see.
Leading the league in goals scored.
Leading the league in goals against.

Guess which gets more headlines? "We're the ugly stepsister," said Senators defenceman Chris Phillips.

The Senators went into last night's games with a league-best 2.04 goals against average. Goaltenders Dominik Hasek and Ray Emery shared a league-best save percentage of .932 (.937 for Hasek and .917 for Emery).

SHOWING OLD FORM

Hasek, of course, has looked like his old self and Emery (4-0) has emerged as an up-and-comer Senators coach Bryan Murray can confidently call upon any time.

The defencemen -- Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden, Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov, Andrej Meszaros, Brian Pothier and Christoph Schubert -- haven't gotten enough credit for their play as a group.

If the Senators forwards are the guys manning the guns on the deck of the battleship, the defencemen are the guys shovelling the coal into the furnaces to move it forward.

There might not be a better bunch in the league as far as ability to move the puck goes. "Always, I tell our defence, they are like the quarterback in football," said Murray.

"They've got to be able to make that pass and that's why we repeat so many things on a daily basis. That, combined with the ability to play back, really helps our team a lot."

BREAKING FREE

On Saturday night, the Buffalo Sabres tried to use a 1-2-2 forecheck to take away the middle of the ice. The Senators defencemen were capable of making a cross-ice pass that consistently broke forwards free.

"We consistently hit the wide man with a great pass," said Murray. "That makes all the difference in the world. That comes from the 'D' not only being able to defend, but get the puck going."

Senators centre Jason Spezza pointed out that with the club's emphasis on offence this season, they haven't spent as much time in their own zone.

Good point.

"But our defencemen don't get enough credit," he said. "They are great at making that first pass. I think Reds (Redden) is the best in the game doing that."

The Senators defencemen have done a good job adjusting to the new rules. They're good at getting the puck back and know what to do with it when they get it.

The defence will get a test tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes, one of only two teams to beat the Senators so far this season (3-2, Oct. 24).

The 'Canes, powered by 21-year Eric Staal, are one of the early season's pleasant surprises with a 12-3-1 record, good for second spot in the Eastern Conference.

But they're still smarting from a 9-0 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday night, which snapped a franchise-record nine-game winning streak.

"I'm not shocked that they've done well," said Murray. "They lost a big game. Like a lot of teams, you get very comfortable. That's all that happened to them. They were rolling along, everything was great, and they got bombed.

"It'll be a wakeup call and I expect that they'll be quite good (tonight)."

http://ottawasun.ca/Sports/Senators/2005/11/15/60Sens.jpg

Max Power

11-17-05, 10:17 AM

I've never been too familiar with our coaching staff but in regards to our special teams? resent problems is it not our special teams? coach who worked under Martin the same guy most of you wanted us to keep. The same guy who respectively had us at or close to number one in both PP and PK last season?
I?m sure we?ll fix these problems but I was just curious

butterfly_style

11-17-05, 10:37 AM

Madferret

11-17-05, 11:11 AM

Perry Pearn

Ya Pearnsy, who's an assistant with the Rangers now who not surprisingly have a pretty effective PP.

Max Power

11-17-05, 11:45 AM

Yah that’s him
There’s no excuse why Ottawa shouldn’t have the best PP and even PK. I would think that the coaching staff can turn it around but recently it’s been painful to watch. During the Hurricane game I swear I was almost disappointed when we got a PP =]

Madferret

11-17-05, 11:56 AM

Yah that?s him
There?s no excuse why Ottawa shouldn?t have the best PP and even PK. I would think that the coaching staff can turn it around but recently it?s been painful to watch. During the Hurricane game I swear I was almost disappointed when we got a PP =]

Our PP and PK are night & day. The PK is actually more threatening..

Madferret

11-17-05, 12:16 PM

Power outage for SensMurray: "It's really disappointing ... we have to learn to get some dirty goals"
By CHRIS STEVENSON
OTTAWA SUN

IT WAS tough to tell what was colder yesterday: A) The first slap of winter; or B) The Senators' power play.

The Carolina Hurricanes took down the Senators 2-1 last night at the Corel Centre and have now handed the Senators two of their three losses this season.

It wasn't hard to figure out why this one went the way it did.

The power play, guilty of over-handling the puck, went 0-for-8 last night and is now just 1-for-23 in the last three games.

"We were trying to make pretty plays, passes across the box," said Senators defenceman Wade Redden. "We have the ability to do it, but sometimes the ugly ones count, too. When things aren't going well, you've got to get those kinds of goals."

Senators coach Bryan Murray agreed.

"It's really disappointing," he said of the power play's performance. "We had a lot of chances and one group tried to finesse the puck ... rather than getting traffic at the net. We have to learn to get some dirty goals."

SPEEDY HURRICANES

The Senators had been getting away with a sputtering power play lately because of their strong 5-on-5 play. But last night they met their match in the speedy and hard-working Hurricanes and couldn't beat Carolina goaltender Martin Gerber -- again. Gerber was also brilliant in the third period of Carolina's 3-2 win over the Senators Oct. 24 in Raleigh.

Down 2-0 last night, the Senators got a spark in the third when captain Daniel Alfredsson scored his 16th goal of the season at 3:55. It was the 600th point of his NHL career and the Corel Centre was filled with its first emotion of the night as the crowd of 19,544 gave him a standing ovation.

Alfredsson acknowledged the crowd with a wave.

A 5-on-3 advantage came shortly after that, but the Senators couldn't even muster up a good chance. They also couldn't capitalize on a power play with three minutes to go.

"That 5-on-3 was a real good chance to get the momentum and maybe the win," said Alfredsson. "I had it teed up twice and missed the net. If you don't hit the net, you're not going to score.

'CAN DO BETTER'

"We lost and we had our chances. Sometimes it's not good to analyze it too much. We're doing good. We're not too far off. We know we can do better."

The 'Canes, meanwhile, nursed their lead, built on a power-play goal from Ray Whitney 12 seconds into the second period after it looked like Carolina's Justin Williams knocked the puck out of the air with a high stick.

Then, seconds after a pair of big kills, Carolina made it 2-0 with 41.2 seconds left in the second on defenceman Mike Commodore's seeing-eye shot from the point.

"For us, this is huge," said Gerber, who made 35 saves. "Ottawa is the best team in the East. They are such a strong team and we aren't taking anything for granted just because we have two wins against them. This is a big challenge and we felt good about it."

The Senators face former coach Jacques Martin and the Florida Panthers tomorrow night as the homestand continues.

Murray knows.

Man.Utd

11-17-05, 5:38 PM

Although Pearn was outstanding, this falls on the players. No NHL level coach would be stressing the crazy plays these guys are trying to pull off. Not when they've been ineffective for a while now.

Madferret

11-18-05, 9:44 AM

The Burn Unit
By DON BRENNAN

Stop the insanity. Enough with the lame names already.

And please, please ignore the winning selection of a contest gone bad conducted by this town's boring broadsheet.

The Cash Line is a very poor, dull and unimaginative nickname for the Senators top forward unit, consisting of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dan Heatley. Just as were the other two finalists -- The Dash Line and The Dazzle Line.

The Pizza Line, adopted by the Team's Morons, isn't bad as Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley will contribute largely to the population's quest for free slices this season.

But we can do better.

Until now, Cheapseats has refrained from taking part in this particular name game. The wait is over.

Ladies and gentlemen and kids of all ages, from this day onward the Senators most prolific wing-centre-wing combination shall be referred to as .... (drum roll please, Anton Volchenkov) ...

The Burn Unit.

It took a while for it to catch last night, as well as the help of back-to-back Eric Cairns penalties, but the Burn Unit's members once again scorched the opposition.

Igniting the comeback from a one-goal deficit, however, was the line of Mike Fisher-Bryan Smolinski-Chris Neil, which we unofficially dubbed The Donut Line because of the hole in its middle.

Smolinski broke Roberto Luongo's shutout 2:25 into the third period, tapping a shot over the goal line from six inches after a remarkable pass from Neil.

"We're the Boston Cream Line now," Neil proudly shouted across the workout room following the game. "Our centre has been filled."

Indeed, it was a busy night for the Neiler, providing the feed of the night and the line of the night, defending his line. Now, moving forward ...

Starts and Stops:

Jacques Martin was honoured during a stop in play 40 seconds into the game, when he was shown behind the Florida bench along with the caption "Thanks for nine great seasons, Jacques." The message had to be brought to his attention, as it was one of the rare times Martin wasn't looking at the scoreboard. "It's nice to be welcomed to Ottawa," the former Senators coach said after the game. "It's a great city." That's it, that's all .... Didn't catch all of Martin's post-game comments, as we wound up at the back of a huge media scrum (never have so many waited so long for so little) for him to emerge from the visiting coach's room. Did hear him say, however, that the game was "part of the learning process" and the downfall was the play of his "speciality teams" and Ottawa "is a good hockey club." .... Far as we can tell, Dominik Hasek is the only person in the building who doesn't take off his hat (helmet/mask) for the national anthems. But then we're not scouring the stands for other such offenders, either ... Stop the presses! Peter Schaefer took a shot on net! It was in the second period, off a 2-on-1 with Chris Phillips, after the latter had just emerged from the penalty box. Schaefer's slap shot was kicked out by Luongo, with Phillips just missing the rebound that would have found him with an open net ... As the night went on, Luongo's left pad would also turn aside great scoring chances off the stick of Martin Havlat and Heatley.

Between Periods:

Interesting how Jacques is followed to Florida by the player who gave him the most trouble here --Joel Kwiatkowski. He never could pronounce that name ... For all his downfalls, Martin and his system did make stars out of former backups Damian Rhodes, Ron Tugnutt and Patrick Lalime. He should help Luongo to the Hall if the goalie stays in Florida long enough ... One of the Senators' best 5-on-5 shifts came from the fourth line of Vaclav Varada, Chris Kelly and Brian McGrattan, midway through the second period ... I know he makes too much money to play on the fourth line, but trading Varada would be a mistake. You don't get rid of the very ingredient your organization lacked for so many years. Varada's grit will be valuable to the Senators, especially in the playoffs.

Punch Lines:

Eric Cairns hopped over the boards and skated right to McGrattan, inviting him to fight when the Senators enforcer was busy playing hockey on his third shift in the first half of the opening period. What a goon coach, that Jacques ... McGrattan gets the decision in this one, staggering the giant Cairns with a right, then, a couple of moments later, knocking him awkwardly to the ice ... That Panther on the front of Luongo's jersey was pelted by Senators shots most of the night ... The logo on his mask was also nailed by a Brian Pothier second-period slap per ... It was pointed out to McGrattan that he is a throwback to the days when NHL fighters preferred to slug it out rather than grab, wrestle and generally try to push each other off balance. His response? "I don't like holding on. I like going in there and throwing. I find it tiring, wrestling around. I like to go in throwing ... and throw more than the other guy." ... Crappy weather and the dull Panthers are in town, yet 18,650 still show up for a November game at the Corel Centre? Impressive.

Burn line eh?

Max Power

11-18-05, 10:12 AM

I for one can't stand any of the names and the fact that people are trying to name it. Maybe at the end of the year but for now just let them play

Man.Utd

11-18-05, 5:51 PM

A victory hides all mistakes. That was a crappy performance until the third. And those Panthers were playing typical Martin hockey - boring and very defensive. They took the life out of it for the first 40 minutes but just couldn't contian us all game. We won on talent. Poetic justice almost, for us to come from behind and win against Jacques Martin's team as he had us money in one goal games until hislast year here when we gave up many leads.

Darsehole Tucker

11-21-05, 12:23 PM

Centre nursing bruised shoulder
Senators centre Bryan Smolinski's condition was updated yesterday: He has a bruised right shoulder and is listed as day-to-day.

His status for tomorrow night's game in Carolina against the Hurricanes will be assessed today.

Smolinski's status is better than what Senators coach Bryan Murray expected. Smolinski was hurt in the first period of the Senators 5-4 win over the Devils on Saturday night.

"At the beginning, (the trainer) told me he's hurt pretty good, but I think it had calmed down a lot by the end of the game," said Murray.

After a slow start (one goal in his first 12 games), Smolinski had scored three times in five games.

"Hopefully he'll be all right for the next game. He's been playing well for us," said winger Chris Neil.
http://www.ottawasun.ca/Sports/Senators/2005/11/21/60Smolinski.jpg

Link (http://www.ottawasun.ca/Sports/Senators/2005/11/21/1315935-sun.html)

I like the way the Fisher-Smolinski-Neil line has been playing too. They're all solid and have a great forecheck. Fisher had a great game saturday night as well

Max Power

11-22-05, 12:02 PM

I just noticed the NYI game is on at 2 on Friday
WTF is that about?
Don't see why they'd make any Canadian team play an afternoon game on a US only holiday?

Madferret

11-22-05, 12:22 PM

I just noticed the NYI game is on at 2 on Friday
WTF is that about?
Don't see why they'd make any Canadian team play an afternoon game on a US only holiday?

Isn't it in NY Maxy?

charlio lemieux

11-22-05, 12:30 PM

I like the way the Fisher-Smolinski-Neil line has been playing too. They're all solid and have a great forecheck. Fisher had a great game saturday night as well

Whats with Neil? Did someone splice his gene's with Cam Neely's? The dude can score!
Domi was on pace for 20 goals when he was playing on the top line with Mats a few years back, but Neil is doing it with less tallented linemates, and is on pace for 30 or more.
Good for him. It looks like Neil's scoring touch came at a perfect time, because his former enforcer role is now McGratton's.

Max Power

11-22-05, 12:40 PM

Isn't it in NY Maxy?

Yah
I just don't get why they need to make afternoon games on US only holidays involve Canadian teams. The TV ratings are better in Canada then the US so it makes no sense

butterfly_style

11-22-05, 12:46 PM

Yah
I just don't get why they need to make afternoon games on US only holidays involve Canadian teams. The TV ratings are better in Canada then the US so it makes no sense
Maxy, I guess you'll have to take the day off.

You're looking a little pale.
Are you alright?
*cough* *cough*

bluemeanie

11-22-05, 12:57 PM

Maxy, I guess you'll have to take the day off.

You're looking a little pale.
Are you alright?
*cough* *cough*

Max isn't pale from Illness... he's pale because he just found out last night that you're not supposed to cut the tips of condoms off before you use them.

Besides, he's used up all his sick days for golf.

Although I agree with you Max, US ratings for sporting events on holidays are usually better during the day, they like to eat their deep fried turkey and mars bars at night with the family and stuff.

butterfly_style

11-22-05, 1:00 PM

Blue, where the heck have you been ?

Lurking . . .I see.

Max Power

11-22-05, 1:22 PM

Max isn't pale from Illness... he's pale because he just found out last night that you're not supposed to cut the tips of condoms off before you use them.

Hold on a sec
This is totally not true considering I still have the same condom in my wallet from high school. Never Used
So HA!
Jerk trying to make me look stupid
I?ll know how to use a condom when I have sex

Max Power

11-23-05, 8:44 AM

Yah horrible defensive game in a whole, a few solid performances but as a group they looked bad. Hasek was down to early on most of the rushes and was clearly off his game, although he did make some good saves.
I was wondering what the deal was with Havlat. I never even noticed him in the first and the play by play never mentioned him either.

Madferret

11-23-05, 12:56 PM

Speaking of that Havlat deal..

Sharks interested in Havlat
TheFourthPeriod.com

According to the Ottawa Sun, the San Jose Sharks tried to pry winger Martin Havlat away from the Senators last month.

While Senators GM John Muckler is not about to trade the 24-year-old any time soon, the Sun claims there was a belief in that Havlat's five-game suspension for kicking Boston's Hal Gill on Oct. 15 may have put him on the outs.

The Sharks weren't the only team after Havlat, as the Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers had supposedly made inquiries as well.

Muckler has suggested that he won't entertain any offers until after Christmas, unless the team finds someone interested in taking Vaclav Varada off his hands.

Max Power

11-23-05, 1:10 PM

Speaking of that Havlat deal..

Varada and Havlat for Cole and a 2nd round pick
Done and Done

That will never happen since Muckler supposable already tried

For me I'd like to keep Varada around but it's looking more and more unlikley

ADD
OK I'll take Havlat for Marleau

Max Power

11-23-05, 1:28 PM

According to Sportsnet Havlat is having groin problems

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/connected.jsp

Madferret

11-23-05, 1:29 PM

According to Sportsnet Havlat is having groin problems

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/connected.jsp

That's a re-occuring thing with him. His groin has caused him to miss games before.

Madferret

11-23-05, 7:13 PM

Damn, the injury bug is biting..

Senators' Redden out a week with knee injury
OTTAWA (AP)

Star defenseman Wade Redden of the Ottawa Senators will be out at least a week after spraining his left knee at practice Wednesday.

Redden has four goals and 17 assists and is fourth in the league in scoring among defensemen. He had a goal and an assist in Ottawa's 5-3 victory over Carolina on Tuesday night.

Max Power

11-24-05, 8:53 AM

That's a re-occuring thing with him. His groin has caused him to miss games before.

I guess as usual Sportsnet simply throws out what they think or have heard most likely from a Leaf forum or something. No groin problem for Havlat it is a hamstring

charlio lemieux

11-24-05, 11:49 AM

Varada and Havlat for Cole and a 2nd round pick
Done and Done

That will never happen since Muckler supposable already tried

For me I'd like to keep Varada around but it's looking more and more unlikley

ADD
OK I'll take Havlat for Marleau

Ok that would make four #2 overall draft picks on the Sens. How many do you want? (Redden could be considered #1 what with Berard demanding to be traded, Spezza and Heatley are the others)

Varada and Havlat for McAmmond, Tkachuk and a case of effendrine.:D :laughing:

Varada and Havlat and Smolinski for Gomez and Langenbrunner and a conditional pick:thumb:

Madferret

11-24-05, 11:52 AM

Some juggling for Sens

Ottawa's Wade Redden will be out at least a week after spraining his left knee in Wednesday's practice. Christoph Schubert will replace Redden on the blue line.

And with the absence of Chris Neil and Martin Havlat, the Senators' line combos will be juggled for tomorrow afternoon's game in Long Island. Dominik Hasek is expected to get the start in net.

I have a bad feeling about Saturday's game against the Beaners.
Well, let's see how we respond with these injuries. Now is Smoke back tommorow?

Madferret

11-24-05, 12:21 PM

Neil's buddy rides to rescue in 'tough time'
Big Fish story for Sens
By CHRIS STEVENSON
OTTAWA SUN

RALEIGH, N.C. -- The Senators squeezed some extra juice out of their heavy hearts last night. Just hours after finding out Bonnie Neil, the mother of teammate Chris Neil, had been killed in a car accident, the Senators pulled out a 5-3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center.

It was the Senators' first win in three tries against the 'Canes this season and they did it the hard way, overcoming a sub-par effort and riding Jason Spezza's third-period goal after twice blowing leads.

The win vaulted the Senators into first place overall in the NHL with a 16-3 record. They were led by Neil's best friend on the team, Mike Fisher, who had a goal and two assists and was far and away the Senators' best player on the night.

'IT MEANT A LOT'

"It meant a lot to get the win. We said we wanted to play for Chris," said Fisher. "He gives his heart and soul to this team. We all feel for him. This is a tough time.

"We wanted to play as hard as we could for him and his family. It was a devastating afternoon for all of us."

After what had been a ragged effort for the Senators' big line (they were minus-2 at that point), Spezza scored the winner at 4:15 of the third. Dany Heatley made a nice play to strip the puck from Carolina's Justin Williams just inside the 'Canes' blue line to start the play.

The assist on Spezza's goal extended Heatley's scoring streak to 19 games. Peter Schaefer scored an empty-netter to seal the win.

Senators coach Bryan Murray said he was worried about his team's emotional state after the team got the tragic news early in the afternoon.

QUIETEST BUS

"I really was concerned. That was the quietest bus I've been on in a long time," he said of the ride to the rink for the game.

"Nobody knows what to do or say. I spoke briefly and told them Chris would want them to work hard. He's a hard-working guy."

The 'Canes had erased a 3-2 Senators' lead just 72 seconds into the third when Cory Stillman was alone to poke in a rebound after another easy entry into the Ottawa zone.

The Senators got the quick start they were looking for as Fisher, one of the few Senators who seemed to be into it at the start, scored shorthanded at 3:18 of the first.

A little less than six minutes later, defenceman Christoph Schubert, taking Neil's spot on the roster (Neil left to return home yesterday afternoon) and playing on the wing, scored his first NHL goal to make it 2-0.

Smooth sailing, right?

But it turned out to be a start eerily like the last time the Senators played here in October with the 'Canes battling back.

In short, the 'Canes top line outplayed Ottawa's top line to the tune of 2-0 in the first, something that hasn't happened this season to the league's plus-minus leaders.

Goals by Eric Staal and Craig Adams came against the Senators' big line, which looked like it was skating in mud.

Senators defenceman Wade Redden got the lone goal of the second for a 3-2 Ottawa lead off a nice setup from Fisher. The Senators lost winger Martin Havlat early in the game as he tried to battle through a hip injury. "Some nights it's not pretty," said Murray. "You've just to work and battle it out."

chris.stevenson@ott.sunpub.com

Atta boy Fishy..