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Hockey's Back, Are the Sens in Trouble?!? |
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Hello Hockeybuzz! I'm glad to be back at it again this season after taking a brief hiatus to finish my communications degree and to enjoy the little bit of nice weather Ottawa had to offer this summer :)
Some of you may remember me from the past two seasons and again, I will be writing my blog from a fan's perspective and sharing my passion for the game with all of you. I am by no means a hockey expert, but I'm definitely a fan of the game and I cannot wait for the 2008-2009 season to begin. I thought I would start this season out with a run-down of the Ottawa Senators Squad and what I think needs to happen in order to make this a successful season. Here goes nothing!!!
Change seems to be the word this year in Ottawa. First with the hiring of the new head coach Craig Hartsburg, the loss of some key players like Wade Redden and Andrej Mezsaros as well as the cleansing of the dressing room by getting rid of Ray Emery and Brian McGrattan, this season should be a good one. Over the off season, the Senators, made several trasactions and here we are with a Sens squad in Sweden, comprised of 24 players- 14 forwards, 7 defensemen and 3 goaltenders. Sorry kids, not everyone can make the team this year and with the recent naming of Christoph Shubert as a forward, Hartsburg has shown that nobody is safe.
First off, let's talk forwards. You can't even mention the word Senators without the notorious top line of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley. For the past couple years, this has been the top line in the entire league and this year should be no different. Alfie needs to stay healthy, those pesky groin/knee/hip injuries will only get worse if he is expected to play 82 complete games this season. I say give the superstar a break! Heatley and Spezza will be fine on their own if they can stay focused, are defensively responsible and find each other on the ice- I swear, its magical!!
Now I don't want to go speculate on possible line combinations because obviously they are not set in stone. Hartsburg had 24 year old Canadian boy Jesse Winchester up with the big guns in a couple pre-season games, but with 13-now 14 forwards, where exactly does he fit in? Would he replace Mr. Concussion Dean McAmmond? Will they put McAmmond on waivers? What about Shean Donovan? If you ask me, they latter two are expendable in order to make way for the tough kids this season. What do you think?
Next up are the wallflowers-- Antoine Vermette who had a brutal pre-season and tended to dissapear for months at a time, (aside from his power trip last March) needs to be grittier and more confident. Where is his passion?! Vermette seems to have matured a bit, gained some muscle and is looking less like a 13 year old boy and more like a talented NHLer. Speaking of boys, Nick Foligno has definitely grown out of his boyish charm and was looking bigger, faster and meaner during the pre-season. One of these two will more than likely be paired with the likes of Chris Kelly who, while strong on the penalty kill has a key role as a checking-line centerman and needs to give his team more than 11 goals this season. Mike Fisher has been hiding out in his 6 million dollar lair this pre-season but is confident that his will play in the season opener against the Pittsburg Penguins next weekend in Stockholm, Sweden. Is his groin going to get the best of him this season? Is his 6 million dollar salary too much pressure for good ol' mikey? Only time will tell....
And last but not least, and maybe one of the toughest lines in the league this pre-season, is the pairing of Chris Neil, Cody Bass, Jarkko Ruutu. Eeeek, these are some tough guys who will no doubt be the blood and sweat of a rather gritty Sens squad this year. Neil, with 3 goals pre-season and a couple fights, needs to keep up his intensity throughout the season. Bass, who proved even a follow-through to the face won't stop him, could be the answer for all those people who might miss McGrattan's fights this season. And guess what!? Bass can actually skate!!!
The Senators forwards have speed, skill and grit...now let's put it all together and see if it works! If not, Brian Murray still has a couple millon in cap space to go out and get that power forward they could possibly need.
With guy's like Spezza on the ice, it's a good thing the Sens have a solid defensive unit! The top pairing of Chris Philips (can you say Norris Trophy?) and Anton Volchenkov are the shut-down pairing and go to guys for a secure defensive zone. I think Volchenkov (aka A-train) had more pucks hit him then actually touched his stick last season and aside from a broken hand/face, it was a walk in the park.
Brenden Bell is playing in Binghampton--BIG mistake, and Luke Richardson was signed to a one year deal--even BIGGER mistake! This leaves Alexandre Picard, Filip Kuba and Brian Lee to prove themselves on the blue line. Jason Smith should prove to be the leader and veteran to the team as he was in Edmonton and Philidelphia. Even without a letter on his chest, his voice will be heard loud and clear in Ottawa.
And now on to the missing peice of this Sens puzzle, the goaltenders. Brian Elliot is on the Sweden trip but will be in a limo back to Bingo when he lands in Ottawa. This leaves Alex Auld, a good ol' northern boy from Thunder Bay, who will be a solid back-up and will see atleast 20 games this season. Between the pipes is Martin Gerber, aka Darth Gerber with his new intimidating mask. This is his year to shine, without the distractions of Emery to get in his way, Gerber will have a couple months to prove he can control his rebounds, steal some games for his team and come out as the number one goaltender for this club. Like I said before, nobody's safe from the wrath of Hartsburg!
If you are as pumped as I am about this upcoming season, then I suggest you stay tuned to my blogs, post your own opinions in the threads (y'all play nice now!) and make it out to atleast one Sens game this season. Who knows, it could all be over again in April? I kid!!!
A la prochaine!
--Katie V.
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