Building "character" in the dressing room

A lot is being said in the fallout of the Ray Emery buyout, and the subsequent trade of Brian McGrattan hasn't put any water on the fires of discussion about the Senators' team dynamics. The Ottawa Citizen is calling it an "image overhaul", but I don't think that's accurate. You don't solve an image by sending people away; you solve a reality be getting rid of the problem. So I would be inclined to agree with Alanah McGinley of Kukla's Korner in her analysis of "The Bryan Murray Show" as little more than a deflection tactic, using buzzwords like "accountability" and "character" to avoid discussing real problems.

While reading the Citizen's coverage of the trend today, some quotes from Murray had me wondering what it was we were dealing with before Emery and McGrattan were dumped:

"I want a team of real character people," Murray said, watching the club's younger players and recent draftees go through the second day of an arduous development camp at the Bell Sensplex. "I definitely want good people in the room to clear up that perception. Fans are influenced by what they read and hear, and we want to keep good people.

"Obviously, we're looking to make the team better and get in better shape in that area."

What is it we are dealing with, Bryan? This was obviously never simply a perception. Murray's comments have acknowledged that there have been problems in the dressing room, and that the two most recent transactions were measures meant to defuse the bomb that blew up the 2007-08 season before it could do any damage to the 2008-09 season (man, I am on a roll with the metaphors right now!).

If you ask long-time Senators fans for a common denominator that exists between the three biggest departures from the roster to date this season (McGrattan, Emery, and Wade Redden), they won't quote their abilities to fight. I've got no proof, and have no right to make accusations, but the fact remains that all three have been linked with off-ice shenanigans, at least in rumours. I'm not trying to lend credibility to the rumours, I'm simply acknowledging that they exist.

Those long-time Sens fans may also remember an "image overhaul" intended to clean up the attitude in the dressing room from years ago. This one involved André Roy, and the affects his decisions or outlook may have had on who was at the time a very promising developing Wade Redden. Despite being a fan-favourite, Roy was traded for Juha Ylonen in order to clean up the dressing room, so we were told.

It deserves to be discussed that McGrattan and Emery were two of the best friends of much-maligned (at least this summer) Jason Spezza. Although Spezza's apparent disinclination to seriously address the immaturity in his game--a hesitancy to back-check consistenly, a refusal to stop making no-look backhand passes--has not been linked to the deals, he needs to grow his game. And his old friends, evidenced by their on- and off-ice attitudes, were not promoting that maturity. Firing John Paddock and bringing in Martin Lapointe to stop the cancer proved insufficient, so Murray must have believed that the tumour was a lack of work ethic--given form in Emery and McGrattan, and perhaps others--and had to be cut out.

Time will tell whether or not these moves will work as intended. Another very interesting point raised in the above-linked story on Kukla's Corner is the media in Ottawa, and why these stories--which are apparently known by everyone--are never reported. Is it a refusal to use anonymous sources? Give me a break--it's obvious that in his rumour-reporting, Bruce Garrioch has no problem with quoting the anonymous. Is it wanting to stick to the on-ice news? Last year was evidence that off-ice problems make on-ice news. Is it an unwillingness to bite the hand that feeds you? Well, if you're afraid to report the truth out of fear for the repercussions, journalism might not be you true calling.

Draft update: Drafting positions released, and other fun things

As an update to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft in Ottawa, here are the positions the Sens will be drafting for all seven rounds:

Round 1, pick 18 (18 overall)
Round 2, pick 12 (42 overall, acquired from Chicago)
Round 3, pick 18 (79 overall)
Round 4, pick 18 (109 overall)
Round 4, pick 28 (119 overall, acquired from Tampa Bay via Dallas)
Round 5, pick 18 (139 overall)
Round 7, pick 18 (199 overall)

And that's all she wrote. After only four picks in last year's draft, the Sens will make seven in 2008 (and maybe more, if Bryan Murray really wants to keep the hometown fans busy).

Ottawa's second-round pick was traded for Oleg Saprykin back in 2007, but Murray will still make a pick in that round thanks to the second-round pick we got with Tom Preissing, Michal Barinka, and Josh Hennessy in exchange for Martin Havlat and Bryan Smolinski; it had better be good, because--with the exception of one year of sixth-defenceman services from Preissing--so far it hasn't been a fruitful trade.

That extra fourth-round pick was part of an all-draft-pick trade at the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, where the Sens sent a fifth- and two seventh-round 2007 picks (one seventh having been acquired from Phoenix) for one 2008 fourth-round pick.

Finally, Ottawa got rid of the 2008 sixth-round pick when Martin Lapointe was acquired at the trade deadline this past season.

Funny notes about the draft:

• Toronto has ten picks altogether (tied for the second-most with the Islanders and Coyotes), including three consecutive in round five (numbers 128, 129, and 130 overall). Look for them to package some in an effort to move up a few rounds
• Los Angeles has more picks than anyone else, with fifteen. It pays to suck, I guess, at least when you get to the draft. Two picks in round one, three in each of round two and three, two in round four, one in round five, and two in each of round six and seven. Picks 2, 28, 32, 48, 61, 63, 81, 88, 92, 101, 123, 153, 179, 183, and 185 overall. Holy crap. Maybe a trade?
  
• Florida (31, 80, 100, and 190 overall), Minnesota (24, 55, 115, and 145), Philadelphia (27, 118, 178, and 208), and Pittsburgh (120, 150, 180, 210) only have four draft choices. Pittsburgh won't pick until the fourth round.
• Like Pittsburgh, San Jose won't pick until the fourth round, but after that they've got seven picks to go (117, 146, 147, 177, 186, 194, and 207). They'll probably try and package some up to move higher in the draft.
  
• Phoenix has four picks in round two (35, 38, 39, and 49), the most of any team in one round.

Speaking of the draft, Sens Army Blog would like to invite all friends and fellow bloggers to SensBlogCon '08, at MacLaren's (on Elgin at MacLaren) in Ottawa on June 21, the second night of the draft. Come by for drinks, discussion, and rumours. Check out the event on Facebook.

Lineup changes for game two

One thing I bet Martin Lapointe wasn't expecting when he was traded from Chicago was a spot on the top line with two of the most dynamic players in the league. Must be a nice change when you're a healthy scratch on a poor team to a top-liner alongside Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. I guess Bryan Murray didn't like Randy Robitaille's play in game one, or simply wanted to add some grit and forechecking to the top line, so he threw Lapointe in Robitaille's place.

Robitaille drops down to the fourth line, and he'll be playing with Christoph Schubert and Cody Bass. If this line gets in a line brawl, it'll be tough; I'd still like to see Brian McGrattan slotted in on that line. Robitaille just can't play the kind of physical style that a fourth line needs to, especially as this series no doubt picks up intensity.

Nick Foligno's also getting a promotion, moving from fourth to second line alongside Cory Stillman and Antoine Vermette. I assume he'll be asked to park his keister (sp?) in front of the net, and make life unpleasant for Marc-Andre Fleury.

Finally, Shean Donovan moved up from fourth to third line, reuniting with Dean McAmmond and Chris Neil. This line has to do something, even if it's just forecheck hard and apply some pressure. If Neiler can't or doesn't start muscling guys off the puck, it's going to be hard to justify paying him $1.2M for next season, especially since we can probably sign both Cody Bass and Donovan for that much combined.

As Ben mentioned, Anton Volchenkov should be ready to go for game two, so no changes to the d-corps.

Take the good, learn from the bad

While a 4-0 loss is not the ideal way to start a series, I do think that there is some good stuff this team can build on, and some bad stuff this team can learn from. There's still a chance of earning a split on the road, as long as the Sens pick it up--big time--for game two.

First off, Martin Gerber is not the reason for the loss. Quite the opposite, in fact, as Gerber kept the Sens in this one through the second period. He made some solid saves, and can't really be faulted on any of the four goals:

1. Wade Redden got brutally muscled off the puck (and it probably should have been a penalty) twice, and the puck squirted to Gary Roberts in front of the Sens net; Gerber had two guys lying in the crease and a third standing there.
2. Mike Commodore made a terrible pinch, and Chris Phillips didn't play the 2-on-1 well at all. Gerber was set up perfectly for the shooter (Evgeni Malkin), while Phillips left the pass receiver (Petr Sykora) wide open. You learn it in Atom, Phillips; take the pass, let the goalie take the shot.
3. This was just the case of a young rookie, Nick Foligno, makign a rookie mistake and losing his check, Malkin. When you let him get in the open, he'll make you pay.
   
4. Write-off. Powerplay goal that went in off a foot, this was a fluke that any goalie could have surrendered.

If Gerber and the rest of the team can build off his play, then that's one question mark we can check off going into it.

After Gerber, there was some good work from the grinders. Role players like Dean McAmmond, Martin Lapointe, Cody Bass, and Christoph Schubert were all very physical, and they'll need to keep that up. Ottawa's fourth line was tremendously outplayed by Pittsburgh's, and George Laraque was able to make too much room for himself. Although Randy Robitaille had his moments, he fizzled when the game got more physical; I suggest throwing Lapointe on the top line in game two, and bringing in Brian McGrattan to try and contain Laraque. Even if they just fight and McGrattan brings him back to the box every five minutes, I'm fine with that.

Bad points were common. Obviously, Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza need to develop more of an interest in the outcome of the game. Heatley looked particularly out of whack, even though his chirping was in fine form. They threw 12 shots towards the net, but they're going to need to get better shots if they think they're going to score some goals. This team is only going as far as those two take it, no matter how well the grinders play.

The play of the big two was part of a bigger problem: the Sens' powerplay. When you're given almost two full minutes of 5-on-3 time, you need to take advantage. Especially in such an urgent situation, because the Sens were down 2-0 at the time, and this game would have been very different had the Sens cut that lead in half on one of those powerplays. As it was, the team went 0-for-7 on the powerplay, which is unacceptable in the post-season. Things need to get dirty. And shots need to get smarter. Andrej Meszaros can't try and shoot through people; he fired two one-timers that were right into shinpads, both of which would have given the Pens breakaways had Meszaros not gotten back quickly enough. And the team can't fire 21 shots wide of the net. When you're winding up, make sure yo know where you're shooting. It's simple.

I still think the Sens have a shot to split this series in game two. The score made this game look a lot worse than it actually was, the Sens allowed a couple of bad goals early and a couple of bad goals late; between those, there was som great play. Keep playign hard on Sidney Crosby; he was limited in his ability, and good on Redden and Chris Neil for riding him around the net. Most of all, get right up in Marc-Andre Fleury's business. Make it hell for him to try and stop pucks, throw yourselves towards the net, and let your stick fly around him (without taking penalties, of course). He's rattle-able, so shake it up. Hopefully Anton Volchenkov is back for game two, and he makes some opponents feel his pain. And maybe Antoine Vermette will pull something out of his bag of tricks.

Why I'm confident the Sens can beat Pittsburgh

1. The lame effort the Pens put in against Philadelphia on Sunday; it means that when they don't feel inspired, Pittsburgh sucks. Chris Neil, get out there and cross-check Sidney Crosby all night long. He'll start bitching, there goes their confidence.
   
2. We beat them last year; all they've got now is Marian Hossa - and we know how well he does in the playoffs.
3. The Sens are tougher than last year; our team has gotten bigger and more capable to deal with a grueling series. Look at Martin Lapointe, Mike Commodore, and Shean Donovan - Ottawa sure could have used them last year.
   
4. Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza; when those two heat up, it doesn't matter who they're playing with - even if Daniel Alfredsson doesn't return in round 1 - which, as I've previously stated, he will.
5. Ray Emery - He'll be fired up when he starts game 3. Trust me.
   

A crushing defeat: Habs 7 Sens 5

I love how well this photo illustrates the crushingness of tonight's loss...

Wow. Just... wow. I can't believe how ugly those first two periods were. And more frustrating was how well the team played in the third period. Why not just play that way all game long? I have to admit, I was watching the game with some friends, and I stopped watching once it was 6-1 and watched a few episodes of The Office. The American edition. Steve Carell is hilarious. We checked back with 10 minutes gone in the third, and it was 7-4. So we watched the rest of the game, which ended 7-5. A lot better than the 7-1 score going into the third.

I'm pretty sure this loss wasn't because Chris Kelly and Dean McAmmond were out, even if those two are valuable contributors. If it was, we're in trouble for a while. I hope Cody Bass plays tomorrow, because he's a Kelly-esque hard worker.

Is it wrong that I laughed when Wade Redden trip himself and smashed into the boards behind the net? He's a great person in the community. He gives a lot back to the city. He might be a good leader. But he's been terrible for most of the last two seasons. His tripping and smashing into the back boards, turning the puck over to the Habs for an easy goal, is a microcosm of the season we've seen from him: a complete disaster. At this point, I don't think Bryan Murray would want him back even if Reds agrees to sign for $1.5M or something ridiculous.

Where the hell did Randy Robitaille learn to play that hard? Maybe we should scratch him every other game, so he always feels he's got something to prove. NHL.com only gave him one hit, but I saw one shift where he had at least two, and he finished with two assists and was +2 on the night.

The Sens' powerplay was terrible. Eight powerplays, including a 5-3 in the third that could have made it a tie game, but they bombed. I'm not sure what the problem is. Certainly frustrating is seeing Jason Spezza or Dany Heatley trying to stickhandle through the neutral zone, have the puck knocked back, and havign to regroup and try again. Although dump-and-chase on the powerplay is ugly, it might be necessary. Puck movement in the offensive zone--when it is eventually gained--is usually fine, but shots don't get through. The powerplay's been clicking the last few games, but not tonight.

The floodgates have opened offensively for Mike Commodore! The man has two assists in the last two games. Outstanding. Also of note: Martin Lapointe got a goal and an assist and now has five points in 12 games with the Sens. Andrej Meszaros shot 13 towards the net, even though 5 got blocked on the way. He's continuing to improve, despite his -2 rating tonight, and he might be priority number one this off-season.

The goaltending situation got a little cloudier. When Martin Gerber allowed three goals in the first period, including some poor ones, and Ray Emery came in for the second, I thought there was some drama. Then Emery allowed four goals in the second, including some poor ones, and it addressed no concerns. Then Murray announced that Gerber would start again tomorrow in Buffalo, and it might be his last chance to prove he can be the starter. Although Emery will be tagged with this loss, Gerber has played poorly in three of the last four.

I don't know what else to say. The CASH line combined for 6 points, with Daniel Alfredsson getting three assists. Although Heater's Drive for Fifty campaign is getting less likely, his two goals tonight brough the season total to 39, so six games to score eleven more goals.

Tomorrow's game against the Sabres can go a long way in helping me forget tonight's. But right now, the assignment I have to write--which is due tomorrow--will be extremely difficult due to all these distracting questions about my team's playoff hopes. Do the Sens have no consideration for the lives of their fans? So selfish.

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.

A WIN! Sens 5 Pens 4

Daniel Alfredsson, make sure you always wear that slick fedora when you're heading to the game. Because it worked. The Sens won, and you made it look damn easy to beat Ty Conklin twice in the game.

On a goal by Antoine Vermette, two by Alfie, a clutch goal by Martin Lapointe, and a howitzer from Dany Heatley, the Sens beat the Penguins 5-4 in a crazy game. Crazy because Vermette came eerily close to a Gordie Howe Hat Trick after scoring his goal and then fighting (or at least dropping the gloves with) Maxim Talbot.

Other crazy things that happened... Dean McAmmond lost it on the refs after being called for hooking, following one of them around the ice for a few seconds. Chris Phillips almost fought with Evgeni Malkin. Sergei Gonchar absolutely lost it because the Sens kept hammering him on the forecheck, cross-checked Alfredsson repeatedly and got a double-minor for his troubles, and the Sens scored on both of the penalties. Wade Redden looked downright Joe Corvo-esque when he led the rush for the Lapointe goal.

This game probably won't be friendly to Martin Gerber's stats, but he still won the game. He made 25 saves on 29 shots, and some of the goals he allowed were very stoppable. In an interview on CBC, though, Bryan Murray announced that The Gerber was going to start again against Anaheim on Monday, which is a hell of a reward. I guess he thinks The Gerber deserves another chance for being all-team, and I'm inclined to agree with him.

If fate was fair, Mike Fisher would have an offensive outburst and score nine goals next game. He has had so many chances, especially in the game against Pittsburgh, but still hasn't scored a goal in 14 or 15 games. Fisher had a team-high four shots (tied with Cory Stillman) and a game-high nine (!) hits, but he still didn't get one. If he throws nine hits, though, he doesn't need to score.

One big difference I think we'll see more of between John Paddock and Murray is how they respond when players make mistakes. While Paddock would often have a guy ride the pine if he screwed up, Murray seems ready and willing to let the player make up for it on the next shift. Like Lapointe, for instance, who took three consecutive stupid penalties, but was given some powerplay time and thanked Murray for the opportunity by scoring his first as a Senator. Sure, it was lucky, but a goal is a goal.

Another difference, that was pointed out by many even in the last game, is the equalization of ice time. The Sens' lowest ice-time total was 7:20 for Shean Donovan, which was probably that low because he doesn't get any special teams ice time. Alfredsson still had 23:37, though... I don't get how it's that high. I guess he likes playing that much, though, because he scored three points.

So... wow. This is what a win is like. I hope the rest of the season is like this. To go back to our checklist, we're now 75 per cent there (although Gerber didn't look great on the whole):

1. Regain emotion: check
2. Get a goaltender to play well: check
3. Rebuild some semblance of defensive commitment: ___
4. Win: check

Defensive commitment, here we come!

The dust settles on the trade deadline

The feeding frenzy that was the 2008 trade deadline has passed; 25 trades, 45 players, 23 draft picks. Although it was probably very busy in terms of telephone calls for GM Bryan Murray, he didn't actually do much of consequence. The one and only acquisition, as mentioned earlier on this blog, was that of right-winger Martin Lapointe.

The pick-up of Lapointe was obviously a move to add a veteran who, according to pundits, is not afraid to speak with teammates in a respectful manner to try and get the best out of them; in other words, a player-coach. He will see limited ice time, likely on the fourth or possibly third line.

There were a lot of players rumoured to be in the Senators' sights over the course of the days and hours leading up to the trade deadline. Goaltending was a position a lot of fans wanted to see addressed, but Murray must have decided that going with Ray Emery and Martin Gerber was as likely to succeed as picking up a rental like Olaf Kolzig or Nikolai Khabibulin.

On defence, the acquisition of Brian Campbell was probably not meant to be. Even if the Sens were willing to match the price of a key offensive prospect and a first-round pick, Buffalo was probably hesitant to trade their best defenceman to a divisional opponent. It was likely impossible to get Adam Foote, because he said he'd only go to Colorado, but a powerplay specialist like Marc-Andre Bergeron--who went to Anaheim for a third-rounder--would have been a boost to the struggling powerplay.

Offence was a gong show. It would have been nice to have picked up Tuomo Ruutu, but Lapointe was a solid gritty pickup. I'm not convinced that Sergei Fedorov would have done anything for the Sens. And with the price that Pittsburgh paid for Marian Hossa, the Sens were likely out of the running once the Penguins stepped in. Marcel Hossa might have been a nice addition to the Mike Fisher line, but he was likely only traded to Phoenix as a part of that blockbuster.

In the day, the Eastern Conference got much weaker. Stars including Brad Richards and Brian Campbell went west, with no one of that calibre returning to the east. The team that loaded up the most was probably Pittsburgh, but that team was never lacking in goal scoring. The bigger problems were defence and--although Ty Conklin has done well so far--goaltending, and adding Marian Hossa didn't help those problems. His ability to step up in the playoffs is also unproven, so the pickup might not even help them in the playoffs. And they lost a popular player in Colby Armstrong who got under opponents' skin as well as an up-and-coming centremen in Erik Christensen.

The biggest change may still be to come, however. As stated over on Black Aces, Murray hasn't given a vote of confidence to head coach John Paddock. Although it's impossible to know how he will do in the playoffs, he has given me very little reason to believe that his tactics are good enough to get this team through the playoffs. So maybe the change behind the bench will be the most effective at getting the Sens winning regularly again.

Sens get Lapointe

According to TSN the Sens have acquired Martin Lapointe from the Blackhawks for a sixth-round draft pick.

It seems they're really going for an older, more gritty, version of the team this season. Bryan Murray helped build the Ducks, so I'm going to give him so credit. The Sens didn't give up any roster player to get Lapointe, who is unrestricted at the end of the season. Let's hope this doesn't make the team too Leafs-ish, with older, gritty, slow players. Lapointe has only 7 points in 51 games this year.

More from TSN:

Matt Barnaby: "Marty Lapointe is going to go into that dressing room to a team that needs him desperately..He's not the Marty Lapointe of old, but he's a winner and a leader. That's why they got him..He's not going to play 20 minutes a night for Ottawa, but he's going to help in that locker room."

...isn't that why the Sens got Richardson and Donovan?