Blame Gerber: Sens lost money this season

Sorry to distract you from the Conference Finals, but there's a bit of bad news for the Sens. In addition to not winning the Stanley Cup, the Ottawa Senators actually lost money this season. The reason? Martin Gerber.

But Ben, you say, he hasn't played for the Senators for more than a year. Apparently we fans lost a lot of faith in the boys during that far-from-fateful 2008-09 season, and the ticket sales have yet to recover. The article goes on to state that the Senators would have had to make the second round of these playoffs in order to break even.

That just makes me wonder how much that overtime goal by Matt Carkner in Game 5--which sent the series back to Ottawa for a sold out Game 6--was worth to the bottom line...  And why isn't that amount added to his measly $900,000 annual contract? The man played a lot of minutes!

Edit: Got my game #s mixed up there. Game 6 was played in Ottawa.

Tip of the Hat / Wag of the Finger

I think I could drink a whole pit of coffee and not think of a single especially interesting storyline for tonight's game against the Boston Bruins, when compared to the Ottawa Senators' last game against the Nashville Predators. That game is still stuck in my mind. Too bad they lost.

And it's hard to say that results are not mixed when your team climbs back into a game that they were down 3-0, and manage to lose 6-5.

Tip of the Hat:

Philchenkov:
Each of them scores about three goals a year, and it's safe to say that Chris Phillips and Anton Volchenkov have never scored a goal in the same period. They were +4 and +3 respectively on the game as a whole. That's to say nothing of their defensive contribution so far this year, which has been outstanding.

Jason Spezza:
With three assists against the Predators, Spezza effectively shut up Nick Kypreos and everyone else that was questioning his offensive contribution. (C'mon people, he always has twice as many assists as goals by the end of the season.) The media hoard has moved onto Jonathan Cheechoo now--I'm sure they're just checking names off the roster.

Nick Foligno:
He certainly had his most visible game of the season against the Predators, being both offensive threat and effective pugilist. His penalty trouble came at the worst time in the game, but that can be forgiven if he maintains this pace.

Wag of the Finger:

Matt Carkner:
He made Bryan Murray look like an ass by coming up with his worst performance of the year immediately after signing that nice new contract. He was ineffective as an aggressive hockey player and slow on defence. Sorry Matt - better is expected of full-time NHL defencemen. PS: He was a game-worst -4 vs the Preds (Hat Tip to Anonymous commentor in last blog).

Pascal Leclaire:
I'm as big a PL fan as anyone on earth (planned tattoo: "PL 4 Life or 'till 2012! woo!") but allowing three goals in the first period is unacceptable. I know, I know: the Sens were playing like total crap, but that doesn't excuse a goalie letting six goals get past him. I fully expect him to be back on track tonight against the Bruins (edit: Apparently Elliott gets the start in net tonight. Thanks commentor!), but if he lets in three during the first period, no amount of magic-goal-light-on-ice will save the Sens.

Jonathan Cheechoo:
Just score one goal. Please.

If you're a Twitterer, send me your thoughts during tonight's game @sensarmyblog

Carkner only athlete who deserves to make $1-million: poll

A strange combination of factors has led to an absolutely dead Senators new cycle for the past few days.

A) No games being played;
B) No disgruntled Senators players at the moment;
C) No goaltending controversy;
D) No one cares about Ilya Zubov (Didn't he demand to be traded anyway?).
E) No one dislikes Matt Carkner (He's the only player ever that deserves to make more than $1-million in a career, says Sun readers)

So here's my pick for the game versus the Smashville (that's their campaign, I swear) Predators. Apparently, they make time around their shifts serving food / greeting guests at McDonald's to play hockey (low blow!).

Senators 5 - 1 Predators

The Sens will spank the Predators. Nashville has only scored 10 goals in their seven games so far, and though they've put up a good fight against solid teams like Buffalo and Washington, their last few losses have been tough and disappointing. It doesn't hurt the Sens' chances that they're well rested and coming off an inspired win, while the Preds were being beaten up by the Boston Bruins on Wednesday night.

(Check out the Hockey Capital blog before the game for more picks. I'm rising up through the ranks after a couple off-games.)

Carkner most impressive newbie

Looks like the young, hungry guys are the ones really stepping up their game so far. The big-money new guns, like Michalek and Kovalev, are the absent ones so far. Of course, we're only three games in, and one good game from any of them could turn this table on its head.

Despite my initial criticism, I must admit Matt Carkner has been a shining light for the Senators of late. He's a big body that can hit, fight, play defence and generate some offence as well. Of the newbies, he's been the most impressive.

I also want to praise Jason Spezza too, though he's not new. He's been creating offence, limiting his turnovers (I can't real cursing him during a game lately), and even killing penalties. He's only got one point in these first three games, but if he keeps up his play, and can figure out a way to exploit his new triggerman, Michalek, the points should start flooding in.

...and regarding the prediction I submitted to the Hockey Capital blog before tonight's 3-2 overtime win over the Islanders...

Senators 4, Isles 2

The Senators' last win should give them some confidence. A couple of new additions to the Sens' roster, namely Alex Kovalev and Jonathan Cheechoo, are yet to have a big game. The Islanders, despite the addition of John Tavares and a couple new goalies, are the same team that won 26 games last season. I expect AK27 to finally show off his talent, and the Senators will prevail.

Record: 0-1

I was close, and right regarding who would win, but for the wrong reasons. Bah!

Post-pre-season pre-season post (ha!)

...man that headline's way too clever.

The Senators have to cut about three players before the regular season begins, and made a tough decision today by putting Germany's least-known export Christoph Schubert on waivers. With his relatively cheap contract, NHL experience, big body, and versatility, I believe that someone will pick him up.

That just leaves two or three cuts to make. The only people remaining on the roster with two-way contracts are Peter Regin, Erik Karlsson, Brian Lee, and Matt Carkner. So... that seems like an easy choice. The only other people who might be expendable are Shean Donovan (yeah, my hate for him continues for some reason...) and Jesse Winchester.

One is led to believe that the biggest competition right now is between Lee and Karlsson for the puck-moving-up-and-comer-on-the-blueline spot. It would be a serious career setback for Lee if Special K (ha!) were to beat him for that place on the roster.

It's going to be a tough choice since it turns out that NHL GMs don't want to trade for the guys you're considering putting on waivers anyway.

Opening Night Blog update!

Momentum is building for the largest online meeting of Sens fans ever (I hope). I recently got confirmation from Five For Smiting and Silver Seven Sens are in (yaaaaaaaay!). And as an added bonus, you can sign up on the left side of the page for an email reminder for the big night. We'll be blogging during the game on Oct. 3 - the game's on CBC, so watch it and send us your comments!

I hope to see you then!

Is that a mini-stick in your pocket or are you just happy to see us?

You've let your imagination run amok again Ottawa. Depth has not been one of the Senators' strong points for the past couple of season, but moderately talented, inexperienced players do not take the place of experienced NHL regulars. (I think I said as much in the last post.)

So while you're drooling that Matt Carkner (why did I not hear of this amazing talent before this season?!) may take the place of Chris "heart and soul" Kelly and his $2.1 million contract, try to remember why he was offered that contract. Kelly is an excellent penalty killer, an occasional scorer, and a solid defensive forward.

I'm not sure exactly what kind of return you're expecting to get for the likes of Christoph Schubert and Chris Kelly, but it's a fact that 4th round picks can't kill penalties or score goals. Hell, even Carkner probably won't.

So before you go throwing the baby out with the bathwater, try to remember that baby is pretty good at hockey. And your bathwater is inexperienced at penalty killing at an NHL level.

....so there!

Nice

Sure it's only the preseason, and the record's still 1-3-0, but tonight's pasting of Montreal at SBP was sweet.

1. Hat-trick and a 4-pt night for Mike Fisher
2. 4-pt night from Nick Foligno who is trying to make his case as the #2 cente
3. 3-pt night for Kovalev
4. 3-pt night for Regin
5. Over 21 minutes played and a +3 night for Erik Karlsson
6. Solid performance from Pascal Leclaire, stopping 22 of 23 shots.

The 0-3 start was not a great way to start the preseason, but after the saga of the departed whining player who shall remain nameless, it's understandable.

Tonight the team showed some spark. And can that Carkner kid fight or what? Here's hoping this trend continues into the games that count.

Ruutu gets two for teething, Carkner recalled

Sens' superpest Jarkko Ruutu was suspended two games by the NHL for biting the finger of Sabres enforcer Andrew Peters on Tuesday night. Apparently if someone sticks a finger in your mouth, you've just got to take it? I don't really see why people are so outraged about this thing. Sure, it's a weird-ass thing to do, but let's get serious here: Far worse infractions have gone unpunished.

Anyway, as a result, the Sens have recalled Matt Carkner from Binghamton. Although Carkner has been playing defence for the B-Sens, I'd guess that he'll be playing wing on the fourth line when he's in Ottawa. He played forward in training camp, serving as an enforcer. On the plus side, Carkner is a point-per-game player in the NHL (one regular season game, one assist).

Hamel captain on Binghamton (of course)

As reported by Michael Sharp on his blog, Denis Hamel will once again be the captain of the Binghamton Senators. The 'A' will rotate between five players: Brendan Bell, Ryan Shannon, Danny Bois, Matt Carkner, and Jeremy Yablonski.

Good on Bell and Shannon, two newcomers who must be making good impressions. And Yabo? I guess he's expected to lead the charge in pugilism.

Five more sent to Binghamton

The Senators announced today that five more players are heading to Binghamton's training camp: forwards Brad Isbister, Greg Mauldin, and Peter Regin, and defencemen Brendan Bell and Matt Carkner. Mostly vets on two-way deals, but the Bell demotion clears up a bit of the log-jam on defence. The battle for the final two spots is now between Alex Picard, Brian Lee, and Christoph Schubert.

After losing their pre-season opener 2-1 to Wilkes Barre/Scranton, these guys will surely help the B-Sens out. The Sens, meanwhile, will get to play an actual game with a probably almost-normal roster tonight, and will bring all 25 players they have--three goalies, eight defence, and 14 forwards--to Sweden. Afterwards, there will likely be more roster movement.

Sens down Flyers 3-1

That is the kind of player the Ottawa Senators need Chris Neil to be every night. Sure, it's nice that he scored two goals, but that's not the only reason. Neil hit players, wrought havoc in front of the net, forechecked hard, fought well, and--most importantly--didn't take penalties. No stupid penalties, anyway, because he did get a five-minute fighting major. If there is going to be room for Neil on the team, this season or in the future, he'll have to keep going that way. Any goals he scores are a bonus.

Speaking of goals Neil scores, the first was off a scrum in front of the net, and the second was a very skillful tip on a Filip Kuba shot. The final score was 3-1 in favour of the Senators, which made the Flyers look good after they were outshot 34-11 by Ottawa. Although Martin Gerber's mask looked really good, he didn't get tested very much at all, only surrendering one goal off a pretty good shot from Philly's Darroll Powe.

Getting back to Kuba, both he and Jason Smith played well tonight, assisting on the Sens' second and third goals. Both were also +2, each took a two-minute minor penalty, but Kuba had about 5 minutes more in ice time (largely due to powerplay time). I didn't like Kuba in his first game, but he looked pretty good tonight, so I'll sleep easy.

The big guns came to play tonight, too, although they didn't make a dent on the score sheet. Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, and Daniel Alfredsson all played well defensively; with the emphasis on playing a rounded game, we might see more games without one of those three on the scoresheet. Jesse Winchester, who once again played on the top line with Spezza and Heatley, did manage to pot a goal--albeit a flukey one of a Philadelphia defender's skate. He once again fit in well with the other two, and threw three hits while notching two takeaways.

If Winchester played well, Nick Foligno played outstanding. He once again (somewhat) subtly ran the opposing goaltender, generating some drama in front of the net. His forecheck was tremendous, and he kept plays alive on several occasions--including Winchester's goal. Cody Bass looked solid, as well, and made sure the Flyers weren't taking any liberties with anyone.

On defence, Brendan Bell looked a little nervous tonight. His game was passable, but not great. If he's going to make the Sens, he's going to have to work on his defensive game. Brian Lee had a pretty good game, though, and made up for a lacklustre effort in his first matchup. Anton Volchenkov was as you'd expect, and Luke Richardson played his typical, barely-noticeable (in a good way) game.

Neil and Matt Carkner both dropped the gloves in this game. I didn't see the Carkner bout (which was against Powe), but Neil was pretty even in his bout with Aaron Asham (I'd give the decision to Asham, though, who got a few more good shots in). If Carkner is to make the Sens it will be as an enforcer, so he had to prove he could toss them tonight, and he did.

So the Sens have Thursday off, and then begin a home-and-home series in Montreal on Friday. They come back to Ottawa on Saturday, and these should be some good games between two teams who should be battling for the Northeast Division all season.

Tryout updates on peripheral players

Michael Sharp of the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin has been blogging throughout the Sens' training camp, focussing largely on players trying to make an impression, or ones expected to play for the Binghamton Senators. They're good reading, so check them out, but here are a few excerpts:

Luke Richardson: "If he can stay healthy, Richardson believes his experience should give him an edge in training camp. Yes, he acknowledged, the idea of a back-up plan has come up -- (and, down the road, he is interested in coaching) -- but he said Hartsburg's message was: "We'd love to have you at camp, but ... if you're coming to camp, I want you to be 100 percent as a player. And we'll go from there. And if you make the team, you make the team. And if not, we'll discuss that after.""

Matt Carkner (on playing right wing): ""I think it's all new for him," Hartsburg said. "He's played a little bit maybe in the past, but he's trying to do the right things. And again, for him in a game, he'll bring an element (fighting-wise) that we don't really want to see in practice. But that's his opportunity, again when we play exhibition games, if that becomes part of the game.""

Alexander Nikulin (through translator Kaspars Daugavins): ""He's thinking about the first thing right now ... make Ottawa," said Daugavins, translating for Nikulin. "He's thinking about making Ottawa. His point is to stay here and work hard, because he thinks he ... learned North American hockey. But if something happens and they send him down, he will be going there and (working hard). And he will work on his bad things, like whatever they will say, to get here.""

Interesting stuff. Sharp will likely be posting more, so check this one or his own for updates.

Could Carkner crack the lineup as a winger?

According to a story by Binghamton Senators beat writer Michael Sharp of the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, Matt Carkner is going to be working his way in training camp as a right winger. After playing defence on teh B-Sens last year, Carkner wanted Sens brass to know that he was more than willing to switch to the wing if it meant an opportunity to play in the NHL. Here's a portion of the story:

Apparently, the Senators are receptive to the idea, and so beginning next week, the 6-foot-4, 229-pound Carkner will get a look at right wing during training camp. He's been told Ottawa officials would like him to be versatile -- be it up as a forward or back on the blue line -- and if he's returned to Binghamton, he'll remain a defenseman.

"We've come to an agreement that his best chance to make the NHL team is as a forward -- a right winger," Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray said. "Bring some toughness, and character, and a great influence in the dressing room. And he is still a defenseman at the (American Hockey League) level, so he's going to have to make that adjustment when he gets called up."

Considering the current overflow of third- and fourth-line forwards the Senators are currently sporting, this is an interesting decision. Carkner, however, may be the best heavyweight in the Senators' system now that Brian McGrattan has been traded, so he might be viewed as a possible recall if the Sens run into some fight-filled rivalries. Or maybe that trade that Bryan Murray is inevitably choreographing to move some of our one-way NHL contracts will clear some room for Carkner. Time will tell.

More reinforcements from Bingo

According to Michael Sharp, blogger on the Binghamton Senators, the Ottawa Senators are going to receive three more reserve players from the B-Sens after they finished their season Sunday night.

Two days after Alexander Nikulin was recalled, Sharp quoted B-Sens coach Cory Clouston that goalie Jeff Glass as well as defencemen Larry Nycholat and Matt Carkner were also on their way up. Including all of our Black Aces and injured players, the Sens roster now has 29 bodies. That's a lot of spares, but I guess we've got a lot of injuries.