Agon-knee & Ecstasy

[Madferret]

Injury sidelines Varada for six weeks...rookies could get shot at playing
By BRUCE GARRIOCH
Ottawa Sun

ONE GAME, one casualty. The Senators will have to figure out how to replace winger Vaclav Varada, who will be out for the next six weeks after leaving Sunday's 5-2 win over the Maple Leafs with a right knee injury

Senators coach Bryan Murray told reporters that Varada, who had earlier blocked a shot, twisted his knee when he got caught up on a play near the boards. It should be noted it is not the same knee that forced him to miss 52 games during the 2003-04 season.

"He was pretty sore when he left the game," said Murray. "He's a gritty guy, but hopefully we've got some other guys here who are going to be able to step up." The loss of Varada is a tough blow, but it'll give an opportunity to some other players in camp -- including Chris Kelly, Denis Hamel and Brandon Bochenski -- with the Senators ready to start making cuts.

Murray and GM John Muckler are expected to start sitting down with some of the 49 players today to begin moving them out. Some will return to junior hockey teams and others will go to Binghamton.

"By the time we leave (tomorrow), we could be down in some numbers because I'm pretty sure we're going to re-assign some guys before we play in Binghamton (vs. Pittsburgh) Friday," said Murray.

Hamel and Kelly will be given an opportunity to play this weekend in back-to-back games against the Penguins, but a player who has already made an impression is Bochenski.

Bochenski has been reunited with Jason Spezza, who he played alongside last year in Binghamton (scoring 35 goals). The pair have been lining up with Dany Heatley. Alongside the dynamic duo, Bochenski had a goal and an assist against Toronto. "I've got seven games left in the pre-season to keep showing what I can do," said Bochenski. "If I don't show that I belong here when those seven games are over, then I don't deserve to be here."

Since Bochenski is a goal scorer, Murray wants to give him every opportunity to make the team. He'll leave the line of Spezza-Bochenski-Heatley alone for now, but there are concerns about who is going to take care of the defensive responsibilities.

"If we've got the puck that might be the best defence we can have," said Spezza. Muckler is a Bochenski fan. "I believe he's improved his skating," said Muckler. "The one thing you know about this guy is he can score goals and he's done it at every level he has been at. You can teach a guy to play defence. Goal scoring is a skill you can't teach."

http://www.ottawasun.com/PhotoGalleries/Senscamp/2005/09/19/sensleafs8.jpg

I'm glad that our organization and scouting department is equipped and deep enough that we can look 'with-in' when injuries arise, as opposed to sponging up cap space with some bought-out, under achieving loafer.

[charlio lemieux]

You can teach a guy to play defence. Goal scoring is a skill you can't teach."

Duh, When you get the puck, shoot it at the net. Try to put it where the goalie isn't. The faster and harder you can do that, the more goals you will score.
He can't teach that?

Lately, Muckler has been pissing me off, with some of the stuf he says. He calls Spezza "ok" and said he had a "good year" in the AHL. The guy lead the league in scoring. The Hasek " you don't lose your skill" comment, this guy is losing it.

[Max Power]

Lately, Muckler has been pissing me off, with some of the stuf he says. He calls Spezza "ok" and said he had a "good year" in the AHL. The guy lead the league in scoring. The Hasek " you don't lose your skill" comment, this guy is losing it.

Hasek?s success will solely depend on what shape he?s in. None of us can predict how well he?ll do until we see him play in a few games. As far as I?m concerned if Belfour can do it at 40 then Hasek can too if he?s in shape

[Madferret]

Duh, When you get the puck, shoot it at the net. Try to put it where the goalie isn't. The faster and harder you can do that, the more goals you will score.
He can't teach that?

Lately, Muckler has been pissing me off, with some of the stuf he says. He calls Spezza "ok" and said he had a "good year" in the AHL. The guy lead the league in scoring. The Hasek " you don't lose your skill" comment, this guy is losing it.

Are you a Sens fan Charlio? The extremely curious side of my split personality really wants to know.

[charlio lemieux]

Are you a Sens fan Charlio? The extremely curious side of my split personality really wants to know.

I am definately not a hardcore Sens fan but I like the way team has developed, and maintained a high level of play. Quite often they are more entertaining to watch than the leafs. I am a Spezza fan and he deserves more credit than Muckler gives him. When they aren't playing the Leafs I am usually cheering for them. Unless they're against the Jets or Nordiques.

[grim]

Are you a Sens fan Charlio? The extremely curious side of my split personality really wants to know.

Split personality eh?



Bad Puns | Extreme Curiosity

[Madferret]

Split personality eh?


Bad Puns | Extreme Curiosity

Ouch, G...man take the knife out of my back...
lol

[grim]

Ouch, G...man take the knife out of my back...
lol

Sorry MF. But agon-knee??? :]

[Madferret]

Sorry MF. But agon-knee??? :]

Blame the Mutant Chipmunk, he wrote it...

[Newfie John]

Blame the Mutant Chipmunk, he wrote it...

Maybe YOU are the mutant chipmunk, you're just disguising yourself as a ferret. :conspire:

[Madferret]

Maybe YOU are the mutant chipmunk, you're just disguising yourself as a ferret. :conspire:

No No, I'm really LeafHatred disguised as a Ferret.

:boogie:

[Newfie John]

No No, I'm really LeafHatred disguised as a Ferret.

:boogie:

I'm sorry, but a ferret could never look that obese.

[Man.Utd]

Hasek?s success will solely depend on what shape he?s in. None of us can predict how well he?ll do until we see him play in a few games. As far as I?m concerned if Belfour can do it at 40 then Hasek can too if he?s in shape

Bingo. If Eddie can do it I'm sure Hasek can. He was by all accounts the better goalie until the retirement/injury fiascos. Unfortunatly, that injury risk seems much higher for our masked man than theirs. And there may be quite a few jumping boat early too, just hopefully not management. It'll take time to reach game shape and he was never a quick starter even in his days in Buffalo.

If Varada can't come back and play a full season I don't want him back. Once if a fluke, twice is a pattern, three is evidence. This was his third strike, but I'm counting it as 2.5 since the others were on his other knee. One more full season on the sidelines and I can't see how managment can bring him and his contract back on board in good confidence.

[Newfie John]

It'll take time to reach game shape and he was never a quick starter even in his days in Buffalo.



Neither are the sens as a whole, hopefully this trend continues this year since the leafs have 2 early games vs the Sens. :nod:

[Man.Utd]

Neither are the sens as a whole, hopefully this trend continues this year since the leafs have 2 early games vs the Sens. :nod:

You're quite right. Many people forget that Lalime was red-hot to start last year and helped a very suggish looking Sens team save-face early on. However, there are two points to consider in this new capaigne for Ottawa:

- All the significant positions on this team (other than our top 3 defenseman, with whom I have plenty of confident in) have either been shipped out, replaced from within', or demoted to a lesser role in favor of a younger, up and coming player. Maybe this new group of key people gets off to a fast start. Maybe they start slow too. Maybe they find a pace and keep it from start to finish.

- Toronto seems to start just as slow as us. I remember how everyone was on Eddie's back that one year for their poor showing out of the blocks, having just seen Cujo bolt to Detroit.

[Newfie John]

You're quite right. Many people forget that Lalime was red-hot to start last year and helped a very suggish looking Sens team save-face early on. However, there are two points to consider in this new capaigne for Ottawa:

- All the significant positions on this team (other than our top 3 defenseman, with whom I have plenty of confident in) have either been shipped out, replaced from within', or demoted to a lesser role in favor of a younger, up and coming player. Maybe this new group of key people gets off to a fast start. Maybe they start slow too. Maybe they find a pace and keep it from start to finish.

- Toronto seems to start just as slow as us. I remember how everyone was on Eddie's back that one year for their poor showing out of the blocks, having just seen Cujo bolt to Detroit.

You're right, except for in Belfour's first regular season game with Toronto he had a shut-out. It was a 6-0 victory over pitsburgh. After that though it got a bit bad. :laughing:

[Madferret]

Injured Varada: 'This is tough right now'
By BRUCE GARRIOCH
Ottawa Sun

Injured again? Vaclav Varada couldn't hide his disappointment. Not when he wanted to show the Senators just what he could do. The Senators winger limped into the dressing room, with a blank look on his face, trying to come to grips with the fact a torn MCL is going to keep him out of the lineup for up to six weeks.

While Varada was injury free playing in his hometown in the Czech Republic last season, he didn't even make it through his first NHL game in 17 months Sunday in Toronto. "It was a pretty simple play: I just went to deliver a check on the defenceman and I kind of got my foot caught in some bad ice," Varada told reporters yesterday. "This is tough right now. This is a new year with a new coaching staff and I'm trying to find new linemates.

"It could have been worse, but I'm not happy about being out. I'm really disappointed. I was really excited about coming back and being in the NHL. "I just hope that I am able to get through this pretty quickly."

But Varada's injury means there's going to be a chance for somebody else to join the lineup on opening night on Oct. 5 against the Maple Leafs. The chances of Chris Kelly, Denis Hamel and Brandon Bochenski starting the season in Ottawa just got a whole lot better.

TIME TO STEP UP

Senators coach Bryan Murray, who may move centre Antoine Vermette to left wing to make up for the loss of Varada, suggested yesterday the players pushing for a spot should make their presence known in the exhibition games.

"My suggestion to them would be to do something," said Murray. "Do anything to show us that you can play in the exhibition games and that's going to give you a chance to make the team. "We're just going to have to look at a few things over the next couple of days."

NO CUTS YET

The Senators held off on making cuts, but this morning some players will be re-assigned back to their junior teams or Binghamton.

Others will get to play in weekend back-to-back games vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins Friday in Binghamton and Saturday in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, then they'll get shipped down. "We need to get down to more workable numbers and we certainly want to inform some players of their situations before we go to Binghamton," said Murray. "I would think by the time we play Toronto (Sunday at the Corel Centre) we'll be pretty close to having our team with 25 or 26 players."

LINK (http://ottawasun.ca/Sports/Senators/2005/09/21/1228826-sun.html)