Don't Know What You've Got 'til It's Gone: The Joe Corvo Story

When the Ottawa Senators traded Joe Corvo and Patrick Eaves to the Carolina Hurricanes in February of this year, the deal seemed like a good one. The Sens got rid of an unhappy defenceman and an injury-prone forward while acquiring Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore; both tough players with Stanley Cup experience.

Now, it appears, the once appealing trade has gone sour. Stillman left Ottawa and signed a contract for $3.5 million with the Florida Panthers. Commodore went to the Columbus Blue Jackets. So how does one rate the deal now? Not very well.

The irony metre has been cranked up yet again in Canada's capital as Bryan Murray is now on the market for a "cheap" puck-moving defenceman. Someone who can put some points on the board; someone to anchor the powerplay; someone with a contract in the area of $2.5 million per season. Mr. Murray, you are looking for someone named Joe Corvo.

Corvo signed a four-year contract with Ottawa in 2006 to be an offensive defenceman, and, I suspect, a complement to, or replacement for, Wade Redden. Now, Redden is gone, and so is his backup.

A name being heard around Sens circles is Frantisek Kaberle. Let me fill you in on this guy: the 34 year-old native of Kladno, Czech Republic will earn $2.2 million for the next 2 seasons. He had 22 points last year and 44 in 2005-06 playing 80 and 77 games in those seasons(missing 55 games in 06-07 due to shoulder surgery). Corvo had 48 and 37 in his past two seasons.
In summary, he is older and doesn't score as much as Joey C.

Another possible acquisition is San Jose's Kyle McLaren. He had only 11 points last year and will become a UFA at the end of the upcoming season after a season at $2.5 million.

I guess the Corvo trade couldn't be seen as a salary dump, since the Sens are now want to acquire similar (or worse) players at a similar salary.

My verdict: You screwed the pooch on this one Murray. The Corvo deal depended on you retaining either Stillman or Commodore for the upcoming season (at least). Failure to do so has left the Sens spinning their wheels in this offseason searching for the pucking-moving defender that was on the roster less than 6 months ago.

The Rumour Mill: Free agency preview

This might be a premature free-agency preview with July 1st more than two weeks away, but I figured I'd give my take on the current Sens' roster, the holes that need to be filled, and some players I'd like to see be signed to fill them.

I'm looking mostly at free agents in this preview, but with rumours in the Ottawa Sun suggesting the Senators might be wheeling-and-dealing on draft day, there might be some established NHLers or young prospects coming in to fill some of the spots I'm going to go over.

Here's a projected lineup for the start of the season, based on players currently under contract:

Heatley - Spezza - Alfredsson
Foligno - Fisher - _____
McAmmond - _____ - Winchester
Schubert - Bass - Neil

Phillips - Volchenkov
_____ - _____
Nycholat - Lee

Gerber
Emery

And now, to get in to the needs:

FORWARDS

1. Second-line winger: GM Bryan Murray has been looking for a second-line winger for two years, going through Mike Comrie and Cory Stillman while looking. It would be great to sign Marian Hossa, but I don't think that will work if the Sens want to stay under the salary cap. Stillman was a pretty good success, aside from an injury that slowed him down, and he demonstrated a good rapport with second-line centre Mike Fisher, which is a great sign.
   Even with Stillman, however, there is still a weakness on that line, and I'm sure Murray would like to upgrade from Nick Foligno to find a better scoring forward for the line. I think the hope is that newly-signed college prospect Jesse Winchester, with his size and offensive abilities, can step up and produce with Fisher and whoever else is on that line. Markus Naslund would be great to see--he'd probably love to play with Alfie--but he's very expensive, so the Sens might be looking for a cheaper alternative, like David Vyborny, Mark Recchi, or Mike Johnson. And I might be alone in this, but I'd love it if the Sens to could sign Sean Avery. He can take an internship at Ottawa Living magazine.
   
2. Third-line centre: Obviously, Antoine Vermette is technically still an Ottawa Senators' asset, and could very well be re-signed for a pretty good price. I don't think Murray is ready to give up on the Vermette Experiment, especially considering his special-teams ability.
   If Vermette isn't back, the Senators have a few prospects in Ilya Zubov, Alexander Nikulin, and Peter Regin who I'm sure will get long looks and good opportunities to step up and fill this roster spot. Zubov and SputNik are older and now have a year of AHL experience and at least one NHL game under their respective belts, so one of them could very well get in. If so, Ottawa would have a finesse third-line after a pretty hard-checking second line, which is an interesting swap, but it could very well work with the speed that would be involved from Dean McAmmond and Jesse Winchester. If neither of these three are able to crack the big team's lineup, I would imagine one would be traded to get some more asset(s) on the farm team, rather than three skilled centremen.

Overall, I think the forward corps looks pretty good, but there's definitely room for improvement. I think Murray would like to pick up depth, especially enough to allow him to bump Christoph Schubert back to defence, where he's desperately needed.

DEFENCE

1. Two defencemen: I'm not even going to try to classify the Sens' needs as for a 'number three' defenceman or a 'number five' defenceman or whatever. I think it's pretty obvious that Brian Lee will be back on the Senators blueline after an impressive showing in the playoffs, and Larry Nycholat has a one-way contract and has earned a spot on the big Sens after an all-star worthy performance in the AHL.
   Andrej Meszaros is still around, and the Sens would be in the wrong if this blue-chip prospect was allowed to walk. I do believe that Murray will bring Meszaros back, even if it's just for a one- or two-year contract. And, although he had a tough go at the start, I think Mike Commodore is worth bringing back.
   I think every GM in the league is looking to sign Brian Campbell in the off-season, and Murray is certainly no exception. Reports are that he's going to throw everything he can at Campbell, but I'm not optimistic that's going to be enough, considering the salary pressures the Senators are currently under.
   After Campbell, there isn't much in the way of puck-moving defencemen. Rob Blake would be awesome, but I don't think he's leaving Los Angeles unless it's for Colorado. Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit are two names that come up as next-best-behind-Campbell conversations, so they'll be given looks. I think the Sens should take a look at Dick Tarnstrom; although he's soft, he can quarterback a powerplay, and he led the Penguins in scoring in the year 1 B.C. (Before Crosby, that is). Karel Rachunek was good while he was here, as well, and I don't try to hide the fact that I'm a Rachunek fan. I'm not sure how much he likes the idea of coming back to Ottawa, though.
   
2. Defensive depth: This isn't a hole that shows up on the depth chart above, but the Sens are seriously lacking in defense in Binghamton if Nycholat and Lee are both on the big team. Tarnstrom could be signed as depth, if he's willing to accept a two-way contract. No matter what, assistant GM Tim Murray is going to have a lot of work in signing young or middling defencemen. I won't go over names, but it'll be a task of the younger Murray to find needs and ways to address them.

The Sens are in decent shape defensively, but definitely need depth to fill out the D corps. Thank goodness Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov are such bargains, because it's great to have their steadying presence on the roster and on the ice.

GOALTENDING

According to the depth chart, the Sens have two NHL goalies. But Ray Emery will not be back next season, and I think that there are a lot of ways to upgrade Martin Gerber, even. I'm far from certain the answer lies in either Jeff Glass or Brian Elliott, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Nor do I think a goaltender that may be drafted this year could step in right away.
The free agent goaltender crop is slim pickings. Olaf Kolzig, Jose Theodore, and Cristobal Huet are all out there, and any one could be good, but they could also be abysmal failures. There's the prospect of running with an all-Swiss duo of Gerber and David Aebischer, which would be hilarious if nothing else, and would make a huge fan club amongst the hockey circles in Switzerland (especially if Streit was brought in on defence). I like both of Johan Hedberg and Alex Auld, but neither of them could be starters, and would at best be tandem-starters.

COACHING

Hello, assistant coach? We need one. These rumours of bringing John Paddock back are hopefully hogwash. Nothing personal, but I think we need to move on. I have a feeling that Peter DeBoer's trip to Barbados was a last-ditch effort to talk him into accepting an assistant coaching role, but that's just a personal inkling. I'm anxious to see the other names, though, and whether the successful candidate is one of Craig Hartsburg's people or someone Murray wants to bring in.

That article really made itself grow quickly. Congratulations on making it to the end. Let me know if there are names out there you think warrant a good look from Murray, or who you'd sign were you in his place.

Disheartening, but promising: Pens 5 Sens 3

Wow, Martin Gerber. Wow.

Despite allowing four goals in a 5-3 loss, Gerber was by far the best player on the ice for either team as he stopped 49 of 53 shots that he faced. Many of the shots were of the difficult variety, to boot. Most impressive was that Gerber's reaction play has improved; whereas in previous solid efforts Gerber's saves were because of solid positioning and knowledge of angles, Darth Gerber really had his act together on making second and third shots when his defence wasn't helping him out.

After the play of Gerber, the best thing about the game was the grit and tenacity the second-, third-, and fourth-lines played. Although the top two lines are still being outplayed by the Penguins top two, the third and fourth each scored an even-strength goal tonight and outplayed their opponents. And finally, thank God, the powerplay did something. And they did it by driving to the net and making Marc-Andre Fleury battle through bodies.

After going down 3-0 mid-way through the second, the Sens' second line of Shean Donovan, Chris Neil, and Dean McAmmond made some magic: they scored. I'm amazed at how exciting a single goal is to the highest-scoring team in the NHL's regular season, but there it is. On the play, Neil did the simple play--threw the puck on net--and Donovan did another simple play--drive to the net with your stick on the ice. And it worked. This whole line was powerful all game, and I've got to give credit to Neiler for playing a good game. It was his best effort in a little while, despite the fact that he took an unnecessary slashing penalty that led to a 5-on-3 that led to the first goal of the game.

Scoring in bunches

Going into the game, I had a feeling that once this team scored one they'd score a few, and that's just what happened. Less than five minutes after Donovan's goal, with the Sens on the powerplay, Cory Stillman did just what Donovan did for his goal and drove to the net, picking up a rebound and directing it into the net. It was a respectable 3-2 going into the third, and the Sens had all the momentum.

If you hadn't seen the third Sens goal, you can probably guess how Cody Bass put it in. That's right, by driving to the net. The common denominator here is that when the Sens drive to the net, Fleury can't concentrate and goals go in. End of story. So perhaps if Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza start driving that net, they'll start racking up the points and this series will take off.

On Bass' goal, Randy Robitaille made me eat my words by cutting into the slot and firing a pass to the BassMaster, who reeled it in and tucked it under Fleury. To clarify, my qualms with Robitaille are not that he's lacking in skill, because when he's got time he can showcase some offensive creativity. He seems unwilling or unable to use his body to protect the puck, however, and has a hard time finding the time and space necessary. When he cut in on Hal Gill and exposed Gill's slowness, he made some space for himself, and used it to get Bass the puck in front of the net.

Warriors

Off the score sheet, leading the way in hits for the Senators were Christoph Schubert and Mike Commodore, both of whom had seven on the night. No Penguins player matched that game-high number. Commodore, who played over 22 minutes on the night, finished a remarkable +2 and had one of his best games to date (Although he was on for the Pens' two powerplay goals, which don't count against +/-). Maybe he really is a playoff warrior.

Speaking of warriors, Anton Volchenkov didn't change his play one bit. This guy is absolutely amazing. He played over 21 minutes and had 4 hits and 4 blocked shots.

Referees always suck for both sides

On factor that fans always complain about is refereeing, but I'll try and make my case for two of the Penguins' goals. First off was the goal by Sergei Gonchar; Neil took a chincy slashing call when he gave Georges Laraque a tap on the shinpads, and--although it could easily have been overlooked--it was illegal, so I'll leave that there. The call on Chris Phillips to put the Sens down two men, though, was ridiculous. Phillips lost his stick so he pushed Sidney "the league's favourite person ever" Crosby down, a perfectly legit defensive play, and got called. Murphy's Law prevailed, and Gonchar scored about 16 minutes in.

Then, with just over a minute left in the third period, Martin Lapointe got his stick up on Jarkko Ruutu. Somehow, this mild contact--which I'll admit was a penalty--sent the stick flying out of Ruutu's hands, and he went soaring through the neutral zone as if thrown from a trampoline. It was the definition of a dive. In a game as close as this is, there should have been a call on both players. It's not as if Ruutu isn't a known diver; that's his game, and don't tell me the referees aren't familiar with his antics. Although I'm absolutely sure this is simply a conspiracy theory, on thing is certain: the league wants Pittsburgh to move on. Whether or not that's affecting the way the referees see the game--consciously or subconsciously--is another story, but there's no hiding the fact that the league would benefit more from the Penguins in round two than the Senators.

Positives

Looking at the Sens' four most impressive players, a lot of heat that has been put on Bryan Murray may have been lifted. He was leaned on by many to play Ray Emery instead of Gerber, but the way Gerber has been playing has been outstanding. I think we all realize that Peter Schaefer could never have scored the goal that Donovan scored, and that's why Murray traded Schaefer to Boston for Donovan. Cory Stillman made that second goal happen, with a great pass to Heatley and a solid drive to the net. Finally, although the Robitaille experiment has been a failure so far, it all comes out in the wash and if Ropes finds a way to make the fourth line an offensive threat than we're back in business. Now all Murray has to prove is that he can out-coach a hack like Michel Therrien and everyone will love him again.

The Sens made some good strides in this game, and they showed that there's some emotion and some pride in making this series respectable. While they are in a huge hole, I'm not sure I'd go so far as to agree with Milks from Black Aces and suggest that "their chances of coming back in this series are slim at best." The Sens lost two in Pittsburgh, now they just have to win two in Ottawa. If that was the best effort the Penguins can put forward than the Sens are in good shape going into game three; I only hope that Sens fans come out in droves to cheer on our team, because community support has a funny way of getting players on top of their game. Just look at game three of the Stanley Cup Finals last season, when the team played out of this world.

Playoff engine struggling to start

This seemed to be one of those games where if the Sens won, the lead for the game would have been: "A hard-fought playoff-style victory, exactly what Ottawa needs".

Since the Sens lost however, the lead in the Ottawa Sun was "Just when it looked like they might finally pave their rocky road to the post-season, the Senators blew a 3-2 lead in the final minutes of the third period and lost 4-3 in a shootout to the Buffalo Sabres at Scotiabank Place last night."

Let's not let the outcome of the shoot-out determine our feelings about the players' efforts during the game.

The Sens played well, creating offensive chances throughout the game and showing sparks of both physicality and dominating talent. Cory Stillman continued his strong play, but left the game due to a leg injury.

I'm not sure where people are coming up with a 'strong game' from Martin Gerber. I didn't see anything but bouncing rebounds and holes in his game. I think it's time for a rest.

Biggest surprise of the night: JASON SPEZZA SHOOTS THE PUCK! I was expecting a no-look drop-pass to nobody, but instead the notorious play-maker sets himself up for a nice 5-hole goal. Rookie Brian Lee was the pass-option in this 2-on-1, maybe if it was Dany Heatley, Spez would have passed. Just a theory.

...and speaking of the General, I may make Wade Redden the Nancy Kerrigan to my Tanya Harding, just to give Lee as much icetime as possible. It was also reported during the broadcast that Lee will stay with the Sens throughout the playoffs. Wicked.

Also from the Ottawa Sun:

THE BUZZ: Another sign of spring approaching: Senators defenceman Wade Redden got his barbeque dug out of the snow the other day. On the menu? Homemade turkey burgers

Why does Chris Stevenson know these things?!
How does Chris Stevenson know these things?!

Comeback completed: Sens 6 Sabres 3

The D-Mac attack is back, Jack! Thanks to Dean McAmmond returning to the lineup after missing the Senators' 7-5 loss to Montreal, the Sens won tonight. I don't want to overstate things, but I'm pretty sure that it's all thanks to McAmmond's short-handed goal mid way through the third period. (Alright, fine, that's a tremendous overstatement; in the efforts for full exposure, I'll admit that I'm a huge McAmmond fan, in case you couldn't tell.) In the end, despite going down 3-1 early in the third period, the Sens responded with five straight goals and won by a final score of 6-3.

Almost to a man, the defence played great. I'll start with Brian Lee, because he's going to have a lot of people saying, "Wade who?" pretty quickly if he plays like he did against the Sabres for every game. He ended up playing over 18 minutes, including some powerplay and penalty-killing time, took two shots on net and had two others blocked--including one which broke a stick and gave the Sens some great sustained offensive pressure in the second. He looked incredibly composed, and you could see him communicating with teammates while on the ice, which was awesome. He played Derek Roy perfectly on a one-on-one, and put Roy down on his can to boot. Plus he stopped a certain goal with his foot in the second period. I hope Lee sticks around for the playoffs, because if tonight is any indication, he can definitely contribute.

After Lee--whose nickname, as declared on Scarlett Ice, is "General"--the rest of the D played pretty well, too. Especially Anton Volchenkov, who scored his first goal of the season off a howitzer and added a couple assists for good measure. But especially Mike Commodore, who finally looked a little better, blocked five shots and threw two hits in over 21 minutes (unfortunately his consecutive point-scoring streak ended at two games). But especially Andrej Meszaros and Chris Phillips. Luke Richardson was pretty quiet, but I guess you should expect that from Richardson.

Strange but true: Mike Fisher, Cory Stillman, and Antoine Vermette all had more ice time than either of Dany Heatley or Jason Spezza. It's just something we haven't seen much of, but considering the way Heatley and Spezza played in the first two periods, they didn't really earn much ice time. Daniel Alfredsson didn't even lead the forwards in ice time (Fisher did), but his two goals were a couple of beauties and his assist on Volchie's goal was a great cut-cross-cash sequence (i.e. cut away from the Buffalo defenceman, pass across the ice to Volchenkov, who cashed in the winning goal).

Randy Robitaille was once again invisible. I don't know if that was why he only got 5:20 of ice time, or because he only got that much ice time, but coach Bryan Murray warned him that he's not got any spots locked, so if he wants to stay in the lineup when Chris Kelly comes back, or even when Cody Bass comes back, he's going to need to do more than he did. And Chris Neil, the next lowest player in terms of ice time on Ottawa, didn't take a penalty! Hooray! He actually drew one, too, so he was +1 in penalties drawn/penalties taken plus/minus rating.

In the nets, Martin Gerber did not look good on Roy's first goal. He had no chance on the second, or on Jason Pominville's goal, but he looked downright terrible on the first one. He amde some key saves, though--29 on the night--and I think he earned the start on Thursday against the Sabres again.

But hey, it's a win, right? Even if the team bombed the first forty minutes, it's a valuable two points on the way to clinching a playoff spot. Go Sens go.

How to make a bad team look good. By: The Ottawa Senators

The Sens lost this game in the first period.

They terrorized the Leafs for the first 20 minutes of the March 22 5-4 loss, but left the first period up by only one goal. It should have been three.

If you were at the game, as I was, you would have heard a steady increase in the instances of "motivational mumblings" as the game wore on. You know, those things that people say in the crowd that are said loudly, but no one is really meant to hear.

"C'mon Fisher - get 'er done"

"Awwwww Redden, you're garbage! Hit the guy!"

"Alfie, you're the man - put the puck in the net"

And I mumbled the following:

"Murder him! When you get the chance, smash his face in!"

These sayings are a measurement of crowd frustration. As the team begins to suck, people say these things more.

Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, and Daniel "Boooooo...yaayyyyyy..ooo....yyyyyy" Alfredsson played well together throughout the game. The real story is, however, the second line.

Chris Neil, Mike Fisher, and Cory Stillman took an entirely different approach to scoring goals, and it seemed to work for most of the night. I don't think the team missed Randy Robitaille in the least.

Reading my own comments here, offence doesn't seem to be the problem. Defence was the problem. The huge, gaping, undeniable problem that pulled the Senators into a deep chasm of self-loathing and "what-if" statements.

As in, what if Ottawa hadn't surrendered that goal late in the second period? What if Spezza had netted one of his many chances? What if the team didn't take that stupid additional penalty?

So much could be said about this game as it summarizes the Senators searching for the meaning of their season at this point. Lack of discipline, lack of leadership, lack of direction.

There is one question that can be answered tonight however:

Are the Sens ready for the playoffs? Not by a long shot.

Too close for comfort: Sens 3 Blues 2

Hey, it was a win, right? Right? I guess it all counts for two points. But if that's how the Sens play for the rest of the season and the playoffs, it will likely be a short post-season.

The biggest problem for the Sens was defensive coverage. Both of St. Louis' goals were of defensive gaffes, where a cross-ice pass forced Martin Gerber--who played well and had little to no chance on the two goals--to stretch out, but was unable to stretch far enough. The first one was all thanks to Wade Redden, who gave the puck away and then gave up his check (Jamal Mayers), and it was Mayers who tipped the puck in.

I don't know that Redden had a bad game, though. He had three or four terrible shifts, though, and they were really terrible, so it made his whole game seem abysmal. Also struggling on defence was Mike Commodore, again, but there are signs that show he's on the verge of coming around. One good sign was a decent pairing of Commodore and Christoph Schubert, which is an experiment I maintain Bryan Murray should try for a game or two. Luke Richardson could probably use some rest, anyway.

Speaking of Schubert, he had a solid game whether at defence or on forward, and I'm not just saying that because of the goal he scored. His goal was huge, though, and that fourth line of Schubert with Dean McAmmond (who had a beauty pass for Schubie's goal) and Shean Donovan (whose forechecking never seems to cease) is turning out to be just as useful as the fourth line Murray constructed in last year's playoffs. Which will be valuable. On defence, Schubert--who was playing with Redden on the powerplay--actually looked really good controlling the puck along the blue line with the man advantage, and when he was killing penalties with Commodore he looked positionally solid.

Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov played as reliably as they seem to do on every night, and both finished +2 in less ice time than they usually have to play (largely thanks to Barret Jackman's four stupid penalties). Volchenkov blocked three shots, and added an assist for good measure.

The best defenceman of the night, though, was Andrej Meszaros. He threw two huge hits (and three total, according to NHL.com), played more ice time than anyone else on the Sens, threw two shots on net and blocked a Blues shot, too. His powerplay control was great, and he was bumped up to the first power-play unit alongside Cory Stillman for good reason. He appears to be regaining the form of his rookie season (knock on wood), and it couldn't come soon enough.

Well, enough about defencemen. (If you couldn't tell, I was once a d-man, which is why I talk about them so much.) Now I'll move onto forwards. This is going to be a long post, I guess. It's because it was the first game I've seen in quite a while.

I'll start off with Randy Robitaille. He wasn't bad tonight; he was just Randy Robitaille. Which means he shied away from all physical play, was soft on the forecheck, controlled the puck well but was unable to make time and space that he needs to make plays. When he plays alongside Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley, those two are rendered less effective in the offensive zone because the opposing team can allow Robitaille some leeway and focus on checking Heater and Spezza more. And in the first period especially, it was evident that the two marquee guys on that line were getting frustrated. Robitaille's role on this team is quickly diminishing with the acquisition of Stillman, and I have a feeling he might be the odd-man out when Chris Neil is ready to return.

Part way through the game, the CASH line was reunited, and it seemed to reinvigorate Daniel Alfredsson. It's obvious that he benefits greatly from playing with Spezza and Heatley, and those two use his skills well. And while playing on a line with Stillman and Mike Fisher, Alfredsson looks a little out of place; those two have a chemistry that is independent of Alfie, and I think that Neil might fall on the second line with Stillman and Fisher when he does return. Speaking of Fisher, he played incredibly, despite the fact that he had no points. On his way to recording a game-high seven hits, Fisher suckered Jackman into a penalty, and then the former rookie of the year (why did he ever win that?) Jackman took an unsportsmanlike penalty, to boot. A team composed of six Christoph Schuberts on defence and twelve Mike Fisher's on forward would be a lot of fun to watch.

The third line was outstanding. I'm not sure what it is, but Martin Lapointe seems to have changed the play of Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly, and I think this line is really making a case to get themselves a lot of bonus ice time at even strength situations. While Lapointe's skill set is limited, he has a pretty good shot, and his speed and tenacity on the forecheck mean a lot of pucks get coughed out into open spaces, where Vermette or Kelly are often buzzing around and are able to pick them up. This line was the best through two periods, maybe through the whole game. While I'm unsure about Lapointe's role on the powerplay, he sure is a sucker for punishment--he must have taken a dozen cross-checks while standing in front of the net in the second period.

The fact that nine different players registered a point for the Sens is a good sign to me. Although it was only Hannu Toivonen in nets at the other end, the knowledge that each line has the potential to contribute offensively was a huge part of last year's team's success, and is a necessary asset going forward.

One final note: I never gave Eric Brewer much credit, but he was the most effective St. Louis player during the game. And Paul Kariya was invisible except for a couple of shifts in the third period. And that's probably enough rambling "insight" for one day. I'm sorry if it was too long. If you think it would be more effective to write in bullet-point format, let me know.

Retrospective: The Commodore/Stillman deal

It's been about a month and a week since the Sens traded Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo to Carolina for Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore. Both teams were looking for different things in the trade, and all players involved serve different roles. I'll hold off on judging the winner of the trade until after the playoffs, and maybe even after another season, but it seems for now that all players are settling in well. Here are statistics since the trade:

• Corvo: 15GP, 6G, 9A, 15Pts +6, 4PIM
  
• Eaves: 9GP, 1G, 3A, 4Pts, -1, 2PIM
  
• Stillman: 17GP, 2G, 12A, 14Pts, -5, 8PIM
  
• Commodore: 17GP, 0G, 0A, 0Pts, -8, 20PIM

Right now, it looks like the 'Canes have won the trade. Especially after that embarassing 5-1 loss were Corvo scored thrice plus an assist and Eaves added a goal. Even before that, though; they have gone 10-3-1 since the deal, for a .670 winning percentage, and Corvo has made a huge impact on the powerplay. And, while Eaves missed some time due to injury, he appears to be assuming a role on the third or fourth line.

This trade wasn't made for "right now", though. We won't really know the true value of Stillman and Commodore until the playoffs. Stillman, while playing alongside Daniel Alfredsson and Mike Fisher, helps form what many say is the best second line the Sens have ever had. When (or if) the going gets tought for the top line in the playoffs, he will be a valuable asset. As a point-man on the powerplay, he brings some offensive perspective and allows Alfredsson to play down low in the zone. His experience and presence in the dressing room are also intangibles people are giving a lot of value to, so I won't discount them.

Commodore, it is obvious, has struggled the most since the trade. When play tightens in the playoffs, though, his size will become that much more important, and his sluggishness will become less noticeable (or at least that's the hope). Most of all, his ability to throw a big check at some forwards gives Ottawa a nice complement to Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips.

Although time will tell, I'm hoping that the trade works out more for Ottawa than for Carolina. I wish Corvo and Eaves all the luck in the world, except when they're playing against the Sens.

Things were bad, but now they're good! Forever!

Have I said this yet? I love Bryan Murray. He's like Jesus and these muppet guys rolled into one.

The one thing I noticed from this 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens, after missing out on watching many games over the past week, is the defensive coverage being much better. I'm not sure if the offence improved at all, but the defence had their shit together.

...the Sens are still getting most of their scoring from Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza, but it seems like the Cory Stillman/Mike Fisher/Daniel Alfredsson combination might be taking some time off their shoulders finally.

Spez and Heat played slightly over 20 minutes while Stillman/Fisher/Alfredsson played 15 each. That sounds like a #2 line to me.

Martin Gerber? Listen to me man. Don't mess this one up. You're the man. People have faith in you right now and you could be the Sens #1 goalie come playoff time AS LONG AS YOU DON'T MESS IT UP! If you go ice cold for the next three weeks I will personally find you and kick your ass*.

Too bad the Sens can't carry this momentum into a game in the next couple days, as they next play on Sunday. Three of their next 9 games are against the Habs, and the Sens have won all but one of the meetings between the two teams so far this year.

*Not an actual threat.

Progress being made... right?

Call me crazy, but I think the Sens are getting better.

Competing against some very good Western Conference competition, Ottawa is not getting blown out of the water.

In their game against the Ducks, the Sens we generally man-handled by a bigger and meaner team, but they didn't take it lying down. They created some great offensive chances before the game got out of hand and occasionally gave the Ducks a scare.

In San Jose, Jason Spezza scored two goals, but the team gave up a goal with 3 minutes left to allow the Sharks to force overtime. The Sens gave up 30 shots in the process and probably gave up about twice as many scoring chances.

Tonight, Ottawa takes on the worst team in the West, the LA Kings, who, for all intents and purposes, play every game without a goaltender.

Dan Cloutier? I thought he died in that grease fire back in '82. (I'm not including him in the labels because I presume we'll never discuss him again)

In good news, Cory Stillman is playing well since being acquired, with 10 points in Ottawa's past 10 games. Nice one Murray!

New policy: You're in and you win

Ray Emery picked up the shootout win over Martin Biron and the Philadelphia Flyers with a 3-2 victory.

Antoine Vermette and Jason Spezza scored in the shootout for the Senators... and did the Sens ever need this one.

I think they'll begin to turn this season around, and it begins in net. I think John Paddock has been pulling for Emery all season, because he knows that only Rayzor has the balls to lead the team through the playoffs.

Giving Emery the start tonight is a vote of confidence and he seems to be making the most of it.

A beautiful goal from Chris Kelly started off the game (who knew Mr.Heart-and-Soul had it in him?), and after the very tradeable Vermette (Murray, I know you're listening) made it 2-0, the Sens took their foot off the gas a little.

It almost cost Ottawa the game. As the teams traded posts in the third period, it seemed the game was slipping out of Ottawa's hands. But, the ability to win tight games is a skill that must be honed for the playoffs.

Oh yeah, Mike Commodore and Cory Stillman? This is what it feels like to be a Senator. For reals.

Where we stand: Last year to this year

The Sens are in the stretch run now. While Bryan Murray is looking for more additions to fill out the roster in preparation for the playoffs, there are already a few changes that can be argued to have strengthened or weakened the team. After making it to the Stanley Cup Finals last year, how does this year's roster stand up to last year's? While some of these were not straight-up deals, here is a comparison of players who, at this point, will be on the roster come playoff time:

Now: LW Cory Stillman

Then: RW Mike Comrie

• This is a tough call. Comrie's speed offered a lot to that second line, but Stillman comes in with the potential for clutch scoring and much more playoff experience. They play a similar style, but the six points Comrie scored last year should be replicated by Stillman should the Sens progress in the playoffs (knock on wood).
• Verdict: Now. Although it's still early, I'll give Stillman the benefit of the doubt.

Now: D Mike Commodore

Then: D Joe Corvo

• Also, it's such recent news that you're probably bored hearing about it. We lost a speedy, puck-controlling defencemen who is great on the powerplay but could be prone to defensive liability--although he was solid in the playoffs. In place we have Commodore, a punishing defenceman who's limited offensively but makes it unpleasant for opposing forwards to hang around in front of the net. He'll be a valuable presence physically and shot-blockingly in the playoffs, but our powerplay might feel a pinch.
• Verdict: Now. It's a tight race, but if Murray can acquire another puck-mover then Corvo's absence will be softened. And the presence Commodore brings come playoff time should be pretty valuable, especially if it allows D Wade Redden to take a few more offensive chances.

Now: RW Randy Robitaille

Then: LW Oleg Saprykin

• Since the Stillman acquisition, Robitaille has been relegated to fourth-line minutes, which is probably a good place for him to be. While his quickness is not as good as Saprykin's and he's not as willing to work in the corners, Robitaille has the ability to add a scoring dimension to the fourth line of Shean Donovan and Chris Schubert, which is valuable in the playoffs.
• Verdict: Then. With the minutes the fourth line plays under John Paddock it's negligible, but Saprykin seemed to have a little more gusto. If Robitaille steps it up come playoff time, though, this verdict could very well change.

Now: C Shean Donovan
Then: LW Peter Schaefer

• This is a strange comparison because the expectations for each of these guys is completely different. Where Schaefer was expected to be a second-line player, Donovan is expected to be a third- or fourth-liner. Donovan's numbers aren't as good as Schaefer's, but neither is his ice time. While Schaefer was occasionally good offensively and could kill penalties like nobody's business, he couldn't be relied upon in clutch situations. Donovan hasn't been given a shot at PK, but he did it last season, and he's a decent player for the 10 minutes or less he plays in a night.
• Verdict: Then. Just because Schaefer looked good on a line with Mike Fisher and Comrie, coming reasonably close to a second scoring line in the playoffs. If another second-liner comes in to off-set the hole on that line, then Donovan's position as a role-player will be valuable.

Now: D Luke Richardson
Then: D Tom Preissing

• Richardson brings a lot of experience to this team. He's recently spoken of how this is the time the team needs to really pick up their socks, and he showed he's ready to do so with a two-point effort in the last game against New Jersey. Scoring is just an added benefit, because Richardson's real role is to offer leadership to young players--hopefully Andrej Meszaros will benefit from their pairing--and to play a physical game in limited ice time. However, it remains to be seen if Richardson will last through the playoffs, and whether or not he will be the odd man out if the Sens acquire another defenceman. Preissing, on the other hand, was underappreciated for what he brought to the team throughout the season in 2006-07. He scored two important goals, and was an extremely good sixth defenceman.
• Verdict: Then. But that's a shallow judgement; it's difficult to know what immeasurable intangibles Richardson is bringing to this team off the ice.

Now: Distracted G Ray Emery, Flustered G Martin Gerber
Then: Focussed G Ray Emery, Supportive G Martin Gerber

• Maybe this is changing. Hopefully this is changing. But there is no way you can say Emery's play this season has been anywhere near where it was last season. It might be the contract he's been awarded, or the inability to get motivated, but Emery's play has fallen off. No matter what happens anywhere else in the lineup, if a goaltender doesn't step up, this team won;t likely last long.
• Verdict: Then. Obviously.

Now: Coach John Paddock
Then: Coach Bryan Murray

• With the other changes being rather subtle, this might prove to be one of the biggest changes in the approach to the playoffs. Murray was a much more confident coach, and seemed to know what his players were thinking at all times. From a complete outsider's perspective, Paddock seems to be unable to challenge his players positively, and some individuals have fallen off as a result. Also, although this is changing, the two individuals approach ice time very differently; Murray was ready and willing to play his fourth line, while Paddock seems hesitant and overplays the first and second lines as a result.
• Verdict: Then. But there is no way to know; Paddock's approach may be tailored to the playoffs, and our experience of it during the regular season is misinformed. I hope that's the case, but I have my doubts.

Now: GM Bryan Murray
Then: GM John Muckler

• Murray isn't afraid to make big moves. While he's stated he isn't interested in removing any more players from the lineup, he is obviously willing to do anything that will make this team better. The chief criticism of Muckler is that he only made small deals, and wasn't able to pick up players that could take the Sens over the top (see this post). His confidence in the roster he had, however, was admirable.
• Verdict: Now. Murray's willingness to make more trades might enable this year's team to address all the areas where there has been a step backwards (mainly defence and goaltending).

One man's opinion: The expendables

I think the Sens have got a good core, but these are the players that I think should be shopped around before the trade deadline:
Randy Robitaille - Now that we've got Stillman, is he even necessary? Was supposed to fit in on the first or second line, but has looked more average than ever lately.

Anotine Vermette - RFA coming up. As I stated before, another player who may never reach his potential

Cory Stillman - Everyone's talking about how good (not great) he is, but if there's a great deal out there that might require him, I would say do it.

Andrej Meszaros - What have you done for me lately? Great rookie season, but Alexandre Daigle had a great one too.

Ray Emery and/or Martin Gerber - You know the story.

Lawrence Nycholat - Older than most players on the farm team, he could be used as a bargaining chip instead of giving up a draft pick.

Bryan Murray, use these people. They're not the future - they're barely even the present. Shuffle the deck a little but more and the results could be delicious (playoff-wise).

Ugly welcoming party: Sabres 5 Sens 1

Well, that was an ugly game in most respects. Ottawa's powerplay was next to useless at 1-for-7, and the team only managed 11 shots in the first two periods. Even with 15 in the third, the Sens looked like they were once again too little, too late, and Ryan Miller played a good game in net for the Sabres when he had to.

As it so often does with this team, the fate was in the hands of the top line. Daniel Alfredsson, naturally, had some great tempo, but Jason Spezza wasn't making the passes he has to and Dany Heatley was sluggish and, when the opportunity to shoot came up, he couldn't take advantage. The defensive tandem of Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov--neither known for their offence--had as many shots (six) by the end of the night as the CASH line did, which isn't how you win games.

The new guys looked alright. Cory Stillman's by no means a power-forward, but he was in forechecking at times, and looked to have some chemistry with Mike Fisher. It's obvious that there is a hole on the right side for that line, though; neither Chris Neil nor Randy Robitaille are cut out for duty on a secondary scoring line. A good start for Stillman to get an assist on Ottawa's only goal.

As for Mike Commodore, he also came in as advertised. Better than I'd expected, actually, and he jumped into the play at times and had a couple of shots. He made an impact, hammering Clark MacArthur solidly with a hip check and blocking a shot on the same shift (flashes of Volchenkov). His toughness in front of the net was good, too. Although he finished -2 on the night, the first goal he was on for was off an unlucky bounce, and the second was the inconsequential fifth goal for Buffalo.

Whether it was thanks to Commodore's presence or a just a change in attitude, Wade Redden had a great game. He was moving his feet, he was up in the play offensively a lot, and he made some of the great outlet passes we remember from earlier in his career. I was disgusted to hear fans actually booing Redden when he touched the puck near the end of the game (unless it was just general booing of the team, which is still pretty stupid); you're booing a guy who wants to stay in your city and play for your team. Thinking back to a player who refused to play in this city and for this team (Alexei Yashin), we should be happy guys want to be here.

On the subject of puck-moving defencemen, Andrej Meszaros looked alright, too. He made one big gaff in the first period, but other than that he was solid defensively, had a few great shots, including the one which Robitaille tipped for Ottawa's goal.

The goaltending situation will be interesting for tomorrow. While five goals against doesn't sound very nice, only two were stoppable goals; the first had was a wicked shot by Tomas Vanek that had Ray Emery off on his angles, and the fifth goal went in off Rayzor's pads. He stopped 34 of 39 on the night, but the last two games he's played were both pretty darn good. Further complicating the situation is the fact that the Sens play again on Wednesday, and John Paddock hasn't approached the goalies in back-to-back games situation consistently this season. So I guess we'll find out tomorrow, but I'll guess Martin Gerber will get the start.

A win-win trade: Sens acquire Commodore and Stillman

As Ben noted, the Senators traded up-and-down offensive defenceman Joe Corvo and injury-plagued young winger Patrick Eaves to Carolina for defensive stalwart (but offensively challenged) Mike Commodore and injury-plagued winger Cory Stillman. Both teams seem to have assessed their current positions, and made the change to head in a new direction.

In Ottawa, it's been well-documented that the recent slide was a result of defensive gaffs, and unloading Corvo might cut down on those. By replacing him with the younger Commodore, there's another physical defenceman who can make opposing forwards pay and also plays a responsible style defensively. While there's a definite loss of offence from the defence--Corvo was a big part of the powerplay, not to mention his even-strength abilities--the addition of Stillman may offset that.

Stillman offers veteran presence and brings some offensive depth--which Bryan Murray has made no qualms about seeking. In playing beside Mike Fisher, Stillman will bring something to the second line that has been missing, and will make our second powerplay unit reasonably respectable. Not to mention the Stanley Cup rings both new guys bring, evidence of their abilities. Even though Eaves is a price to pay, his injury problems have made it difficult for him to keep any sustained offensive numbers. Also, with Chris Kelly and restricted free agents like Andrej Meszaros and Antoine Vermette, it would have been difficult to re-sign Eaves.

Even though both Stillman and Commodore are unrestricted free agents after the season, neither is making a lot of money this year, and it's possible we could get a bargain like that again.

For some reason, I don't think that Murray is done adding players to this team. I have a feeling another top-six forward could be on the way.

Done deal: Corvo, Eaves shipped out

I'll let TSN.ca do the legwork:

Sources say the Senators have acquired defenceman Mike Commodore and forward Cory Stillman in exchange for defenceman Joe Corvo and forward Patrick Eaves.

Commodore and Stillman are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents on July 1. Stillman had to agree to waive his no-trade clause to go to Ottawa.

Eaves is a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Corvo has two years remaining on his contract, paying him $2.75 million per year but with a salary cap hit of $2.625 million.

Seems like the Sens tried to accomplish two things with this deal: loading up on experience before the playoffs and dumping Corvo's salary. It often seemed like that guy was gone after his first season in Ottawa.

Good on Bryan Murray for having some balls and getting a deal done.