Goalies in Ottawa: A history of mediocrity

James Duthie wrote an interesting piece for the Ottawa Citizen last week about the Sens' historical problems with goaltenders, notably finding someone who can steal games for the team in the playoffs.

In it, Duthie goes over a list of goaltenders that the Sens could have drafted, which is an excercise in futility. If you look at the list of 'could-have-beens', you'll be left with 29 teams that missed a diamond in the rough, and you'll spend days, weeks, or months examining it. The fact of the matter is that judging goaltending talent is not an easy task, especially when the players are at the young age of only 17 or 18.

Examining a list of recent goaltending prospects the Sens have drafted, you can see that the team has not properly assessed, or at least addressed, its most glaring weakness:

1. 2006 (5): Ryan Daniels
2. 2004 (3): Jeff Glass
3. 2003 (9): Brian Elliott
4. 2001 (4): Ray Emery
5. 1999 (2): Simon Lajeunesse
6. 1999 (6): Martin Prusek
7. 1998 (1): Mathieu Chouinard
8. 1997 (2): Jani Hurme
9. 1994 (4): Bryan Masotta
10. 1994 (9): Frederic Cassivi
11. 1993 (3): Patrick Charbonneau
12. 1993 (9): Tony Kvalevog
13. 1992 (11): Petter Ronnquist
    

Maybe Glass or Elliott are going to be great NHL goaltenders. But they certainly aren't there yet. There is a glaring need in the Senators front office, and that is a department to focus on addressing the biggest need for the Senators: goaltending.

Any Goaltending Department the Senators set up should include one or more scouts for the sole purpose of assessing the talent of goaltending prospects, and making judgements on them. Not only undrafted prospects, but also individuals playing on other teams who haven't been given the opportunity to develop properly.

Secondly, there is a need for goaltending coaches. Not only for the NHL squad, but also--and maybe more importantly--for the Binghamton team. Ron Low may have been a good goaltending coach, but he failed to show his abilities. As for Eli Wilson, the gong show surrounding how he was brought in--seemingly on the whim of Emery--really makes me wonder how effective or appropriate it was to have him in the organization. Well-respected former goaltenders who've made a successful transition into coaching are certainly rare, but the Senators need to find a way to have their goaltending prospects developed into true NHL players, and to keep them at the top of their game.

In his search for a head coach, maybe Bryan Murray should look for someone who's friendly with a good goalie coach. And maybe Eugene Melnyk or Roy Mlakar should recruit for the formation of a Goaltending Department.

Paddock gone, and Low goes with him

As you've probably seen all over the place, John Paddock has officially been fired. Something that wasn't predicted was the simultaneous axing of Assistant Coach Ron Low. GM Bryan Murray will take over as interim head coach, and there have been no announcements as to a possible replacement for Low.

This whole thing would have been better if the players would have worked with Paddock's system, because it's obviously nothing personal and I'm sure Murray would have loved to keep it the way it was.

No pundits have speculated future possible head coaches when the hiring begins next year. It will likely be candidates that were discussed before the Paddock hiring, including Kevin Dineen and Randy Cunneyworth. And, although I really don't like him, you have to think Bob Hartley is a possible shit-disturber to come in next season.

In the meantime, though, Murray is jumping back there. A lot of the players are probably happy to have him back, and move back to the style that worked so well last season. One thing that really helps Murray is that he's built this team to his own liking; it may have been a failing of Murray to pick up players suited to his own style instead of ones that would have fit Paddock's style. But now that Murray's back there, nothing matters.

Murray's long-term intention will probably be to reinstate a game plan to use the Sens' skill and speed in a 2-1-2 system, where two forwards forecheck and the third hangs bck to support the defence. It will simultaneously allow defenders to take the chances that they were able to take last season. In the meantime, though, it might not be a bad idea to play a trapping 1-2-2 system to get the Sens out of the funk we're in. I guess we'll find out soon, though.

Note to NHL teams: watch out.

EDIT: Apparently Paddock has also been given the opportunity to remain with the organization, and will take some time (until the season is over) to consider his options. It is uncertain at this time what type of opportunity it would be, whether as an assistant, an AHL coach, a scout, or if it is simply a formality that Paddock will simply not take that opportunity. More will come in the future, I'm sure.