Ottawa at the trade deadline

The Ottawa Senators have made quite a few trades at trade deadlines in the past, and few have had any affect on the playoff run for that year. Here's a run-down of the trade-deadline acquisitions (or just about trade deadline) since 1998 for the Senators:

2007: Won CQF over Pittsburgh, Won CSF over New Jersey, Won CF over Buffalo, Lost SCF to Anaheim

• Oleg Saprykin (02/27/2007): Cost us a second-rounder, and was a decent contributor. He scored one clutch goal in the playoff run, which is all you can really ask of a fourth-liner.
• Mike Comrie (01/03/2007): This was a steal of a deal for Alexei Kaigorodov, although his playoff production dipped. He would be fun to see again, on a line with the much-improved Mike Fisher and Daniel Alfredsson.
• Lawrence Nycholat (02/26/2007): Was scratched throughout the playoffs, this was a depth move. Nycholat could still be an NHL defenceman in 2008-09, though, and has a one-way contract that says he will be. Cost Andy Hedlund and a pick.

2006: Won CQF over Tampa Bay, Lost CSF to Buffalo

• Tyler Arnason (03/09/2006): Bomb! Virtually nothing in the regular season, scratched in the playoffs, and left the next year. Brandon Bochenski and that second-round pick this deal cost us would have scored more points.
• Mike Morrison (03/09/2006): Claimed off waivers, Mikey Mo was an insurance plan. He's got a wickedly nicknameable name, though, so this acquisition was a success.

2004: Lost CQF to Toronto

• Peter Bondra (02/18/2004): As much as Marian Hossa loved his childhood hero coming to town, Bondra did nothing in the playoffs. The players lost in this deal (Brooks Laich and a pick) aren't significant, though, so it's not so bad.\
• Greg de Vries (03/09/2004): Looking to boost the veteran presence and defensive awareness, this trade was ugly. It cost us Karel Rachunek, who I maintain is an NHL defenceman, and Alexandre Giroux, who isn't an NHLer. De Vries wsa gone the next September.
• Todd Simpson (02/04/2004): Scratched throughout the playoffs, Simpson was a depth player for whom the Sens got rid of perennial disappointment Petr Schastlivy.

2003: Won CQF over New York Islanders, Won CSF over Philadelphia, Lost CF to New Jersey

• Bryan Smolinski (03/11/2003): Smokes came over for Tim Gleason, stuck around for a few seasons (102P in 171GP) and helped a bit in the 2003 playoff drive (9 points). He was one of Muckler's decent deals, but was shipped away for cap reasons.
  
• Vaclav Varada (02/05/2003): A Muckler love-in brought in VV for Jakub Klepis (who hasn't blossomed into the player he was thought to be, anyway). Varada played a few more seasons, 117 games in total, but he wasn't tremendous. I can remember one goal of his, in game 7 of the 2004 playoffs against Toronto.
  
• Rob Ray (03/10/2003): "Future Considerations" brought him in, and he did nothing. He played six games the following year, and scored a goal. He was a backup to give Ottawa some toughness.

2002: Won CQF over Philadelphia, Lost CSF to Toronto

• Juha Ylonen (03/15/2002): One of the strangest deals John Muckler pulled off. Ylonen scored five points in seven games over the run, but he didn't make a difference when it mattered. Against the Leafs, Andre Roy (who the Sens traded for Ylonen) might have made a difference physically, but hindsight is 20/20 (plus there were rumours of off-ice controversy surrounding Roy). More importantly, the sixth-round throw-in pick was used for Paul Ranger, who wouldn't be too bad right now.
  
• Benoit Brunet (03/16/2002): Cost next to nothing, and got some playing time in his one season. Nothing wrong with that.

2001: Lost CQF to Toronto

• Curtis Leschyshyn (03/13/2001): Didn't matter in the playoff loss, but was a valuable veteran in future seasons with the Sens. Played 200 solid games over four seasons for the Sens, plus he only cost a third-round pick.
• Mike Sillinger (03/01/2001): Might have been good for the dressing room, but he didn't do anything in the playoffs and moved onto Columbus the following July.

2000: Lost CQF to Toronto

• Tom Barasso (03/14/2000): Cost us Janne Laukkanen and Ron Tugnutt, but wasn't able to cure the Sens of their Leafs woes. A risk was taken, and it was a terrible failure.

1999: Lost CQF to Buffalo

• Ted Donato (03/20/1999): Did nothing in the playoffs, but cost nothing, and was turned around to bring in Patrick Lalime the following June.
• Nelson Emerson (03/23/1999): Scored four points in the four-game series loss to Buffalo, so he wasn't a bad pickup.
• Bill Berg (11/27/1998): Not really a deadline-deal, he was traded for Stan Neckar and scored 4 points in 44 regular-season games. The epitome of a disappointment.
  

1998: Won CQF over New Jersey, Lost CSF to Buffalo.

• Vaclav Prospal (01/17/1998): Acquired for Alex Daigle in a pretty good deal for the Sens. He didn't do anything in the playoffs that year (and very little in future years), but he played a few more years and scored 111 points in 213 games for the Sens.
  
• Pat Falloon (01/17/1998): Also brought over in the Daigle trade, Falloon did nothing and was gone at the end of the season.
  
• Per Gustafsson (03/17/1998): Cost an eighth-round pick, played nine games, then was gone. Inconsequential.

That's all I can think of. Let me know if I forgot any, and I'll update. The bottom line is this: Ottawa has rarely, if ever, made a trade at the trade deadline that has made a difference in the upcoming playoff run. If Bryan Murray can do so this year, awesome. I have a feeling some move has to be made, though, because this Senators team is similar to (or slightly worse) than last year's on paper, while chief opponents such as the Anaheim Ducks and Detroit Red Wings appear to have gotten better.

Murray's Doghouse is more of a deep, dark pit

There is no escaping the doghouse of Brian Murray - and no one is safe. It's sometime like a black hole. Think of the players have had to deal with the malice of Murray:

Tyler Arnason - Playing 19 games for the sens last year, Arnason had 4 points. Murray scratched him for the entire playoffs.

Oleg Saprykin - correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this player was brought in TO PLAY. If Muckler thought the sens needed an asset that would have no effect on their game, then they would have kept the 2nd round pick! In 6 games with the sens this season, "Freakin" Saprykin has 2 points - what did the coach expect? He's not a point-per-game player, Oleg a third-liner.

Mike Comrie - One player now dragging himself out of Murray's doghouse is Mike Comrie, who has 4 points in the sens' last 3 games. He was getting used to being benched in the 3rd period, but recently has been playing 10+ minutes per game. Good on ya Mikey - just ask Martin Gerber how hard it is to get a second chance with this coach.

I think all this points to a philosophical disconnect between Muckler as GM and Murray as coach. Muckler brings in players that don't fit with Murray's style - with what Murray believes this team needs. All this should fuel speculation that one of these men won't return to the team next year - Murray has yet to receive an extension on his contract for next year.

Is this the end of the Murray/Muckler tandem? I suppose it depends on how far the sens go in the playoffs - and I would not bet my job on that factor. Let me hear what you think.

Blogosphere:

And a big THANK YOU to Sens Underground for the shout out! I practically fell out of my chair when I was listening to the podcast at work today. I gotta add them to the side bar - and send them an email - and give them a call - and listen to their show live... they just kick ass.