Clouston made the right call, and so did you

Frankly, I was surprised that so many people are not buying into the potential goalie controversy in Ottawa. Good on ya.

Pascal Leclaire certianly did his part to win the game for the Ottawa Senators. He kept the team in the lead late in the game, and the goals that he did surrender weren't terrible.

He did seem to be a bit nervous though--too much sliding along the ice, peeking behind himself to check if the puck had gone through. But over all, he's silenced some doubters with his play against the Leafs last night.

Sixty-five percent say Sens playoff hopefuls

I'd say that sounds about right.

The Sens Army Blog's most recent poll suggests that Ottawa Senators fans aren't quite ready to start planning the Stanley Cup parade route. Sixty-five percent said the team are mere playoff contenders.

In fact, only 18% of respondents would commit to the Senators making the playoffs this season. The team's play of late certainly wouldn't convert any of you skeptics out there.

With a winning percentage of .470 and a tieing percentage of .176 (the NHL really has to get rid of that shit because that just sounds stupid), the Senators are on pace for around 92 points this season.

Right now, that puts them in 11th place in the conference. Last season, Eastern Conference teams needed 93 points or more to qualify for the playoffs.

...but that's okay because Alex Kovalev is going to start scoring some goals soon... right? RIGHT?!

New poll in, old poll out

With *cough* recent events compelling me to change the poll, now is the time to analyze the old poll. It appears that the majority of Sens fans felt a couple weeks ago what Bryan Murray is only feeling now: A terrifying sense of dread and hopelessness.

With 53% of respondents expressing some kind of hopelessness about this season so far, I think we've become a pretty depressed bunch. Though I applaud those of you who believe in playing for pride, I can't help but think of those pitiful Maple Leafs who have been compelled to not only play for pride, but trade for it too.

However, it's a new poll and a new era tomorrow. Let's embrace it... or not. VOTE AWAY!

We have spoken! Again!

Once again, Sens Army,we have spoken. And there aren't many big surprises in the results of the most recent poll; more than half (51 per cent) of voters think the first player GM Bryan Murray should try to trade are Antoine Vermette and Christoph Schubert. I'm sure it's no coincidence that those two are part of the package that Murray is rumoured as offering in a package to upgrade the Sens d-corps, including being offered for Jay Bouwmeester, according to the Ottawa Sun.

About Vermette, and interesting article was on the Bleacher Report on the weekend, suggesting that the centre-cum-winger is unlikely to achieve the potential he's believed by some to have in Ottawa, and will need a change of scenery to get there. Although at times we've seen him show great speed, and at other times he's got great moves, and other times he can actually put the puck on the net, he never seems able to use all of his skills at once. He's like a Swiss Army knife; he's got scissors, a blade, and a fish scaler, but God help you if you're looking for all three at once.

In third place on the vote is Mike Fisher. This is likely due to the recently-penned high contract that Fisher hasn't come close to earning yet, but it might be too soon to say he can't produce at all. Or maybe it's not, he's had plenty of opportunities to prove himself as a second-line centre, but can't consistently produce offensively.

And there were a bunch of voters who selected 'Other'; who would you have voted for, if not someone on the list?

The Rumour Mill: Who should Bryan Murray try to trade?

You may notice a new poll in our left sidebar featuring a very simple question: Who should Bryan Murray try to trade? On a team that has only scored four goals during a four-game losing streak there is no shortage of candidates, but the names we've listed are some of the front-runners. If you've got your own ideas of who should be on their way out, post the name (and some reasoning, if you're so inclined) in the 'comments' section. Without further adieu, here is a breakdown of what we think are the leading candidates, in no particular order, with their contract status in terms of cap hit (including this season).

1. Christoph Schubert, D/W, two years at $0.9M
   Schubert wsan't happy going into this season at the prospect of playing another year of forward instead of his natural position at defence. In training camp he was given every opportunity to prove he could do it, but didn't prove it to anyone. It wasn't until both Brian Lee and Luke Richardson played themselves out of the lineup that Schubert got a chance, and he hasn't looked great. He's often caught out of position, doesn't work on the powerplay, is weak on the penalty kill, and his one real asset--his hard shot--rarely hits the net. Although his contract is reasonable, a more reliable sixth defenceman can be had for less.
2. Jason Smith, D, two years at $2.6M
   Smith started out strong, but has faded in recent games. It doesn't help playing with a different partner every night, but he often seems to be caught out of position, and is very vulnerable to faster players and the back-door play. Smith has let his physical play fade away, and needs to get that back to prove his worth. Once Smith realizes his limitations and focuses on his positional play, he could be valuable. One question: If the Sens aren't able to make the playoffs (perish the thought), is there any reason to have a playoff warrior?
3. Mike Fisher, C, five years at $4.2M
   After a very slow start, Fisher has finally passed Shean Donovan to become the Senators' fifth-highest scorer. He's still only got six points in 15 games, on pace for 26 points on the season. Not good enough, considering his salary. Fisher does have some intangibles, however, and the possibility may still exist for him to become that second-line centre the Sens pay him to be. If not, it would be difficult to deal him anyway, since he's got a no-movement clause and his trade value is probably as low as it's ever been.
4. Antoine Vermette, C/W, two years at $2.763M
   Vermette isn't producing so far this season. But not many players are. Still, he can no longer say he wasn't given an opportunity to play as a top-six forward, and he didn't produce in that role. It may simply be that he needs a different opportunity, or that he isn't as good as the flashes of brilliance he teases us with might indicate. Given his relatively low cap hit and his potential, and the fact that Florida and Vancouver are both rumoured to be interested, might make him the Sens' top trade bait right now.
5. Chris Neil, RW, this year at $1.1M
   I was all over Neil last season, and for good reason--he was terrible. This year, so far at least, Neil appears to have gone back to what was working for him (fighting), and is proving that he does still have some value to a team. The writing seemed to be on the wall when Jarkko Ruutu was signed, but the two of them have been an effective duo at getting under the opposition's skin (see: Adam Mair). Still, if there is no intention of re-signing Neil with the likes of Cody Bass and Chaz Johnson (and Jeremy Yablonski!) in Binghamton, then there is likely a market for Neil. If he wants to re-up for a little less than he's making right now, and proves he can get back to 10-15 goals this year, it might be good to keep him around.
6. Alex Picard, D, two years ay $0.8M
   Picard was a necessary return for Murray in the Andrej Meszaros trade, largely because of his purported potential. Unfortunately, he has struggled mightily at times, and that has made the times when he's looked good a little less memorable. It seems unlikely that the Senators would give up on a project player like Picard after so little time, but if a trade involving him would improve the team, then I'm certain Murray would take it.
7. Chris Kelly, C, four years at $2.125M
   Kelly is the fourth player on this list that Murray re-signed last season; it's not a good sign. Kelly's value is as a third-line defensive centre and penalty-killing specialist, but those can likely be had for less than his cap hit. Which is why it might be difficult for the Sens to find a trading partner for Kelly. He has played well given offensive opportunities, however, so he might be a flexible opportunity should the Senators need a more offensive centreman to step up.
8. Other
   Who else do you think is likely to be traded? I'm sure I'll see Jason Spezza in the comments; why do you think he's so expendable?
   

We have spoken!

It seem that Alex Auld has won over the Sens Army faithful pretty quickly. Voters in our most recent poll have given Auld the #1 goalie position, at least conditionally. 55% even voted to make him the permanent #1, and let Gerber ride the pine most of the time. It even appears that Auld will start this evening's contest in New York against the Rangers, despite a couple of mediocre performances against the league-worst Islanders.

Your point predictions

According to a poll conducted on the website, more than half of visitors who voted felt that the Senators' are poised to get between 90 and 99 points on the season. Almost a third believed the Sens would eclipse the century mark, and two Leafs fans think Ottawa will get less than 50 points.

• 100 or more: 42 (31%)
• 90-99: 74 (54%)
• 80-89: 14 (10%)
• 70-79: 2 (1%)
• 60-69: 0 (0%)
• 50-59: 1 (0%)
• Less than 50: 2 (1%)

The poll is considered 99% accurate, 19 times out of 20. (Not really.)