There seems to be a consensus among hockey people that Chabot needs a solid, stay at home defensive partner to play the right side. So what a good idea it would be to go out and spend valuable assets on a left shot LD offensive defenseman who is weak defensively to partner with Chabot.

Who cares about these silly details? If Chychrun doesn't pan out with Chabot then just play Chychrun with Sanderson like that will work out well. Or just bump Sanderson to the 3rd pairing and play Chychrun as your number 2 LD. This would be an immediate short term improvement at LD but it makes Sanderson your 3rd pairing LD for 3 years unless he's good enough to play the right side as a number 1 or 2 RD and turns into a solid, stay at home defenseman.

Then a solid, stay at home RD like JBD just becomes a trading chip after drafting and developing him for years. Thomson becomes a trading chip after drafting and developing him for years. No no no! Chychrun is better right now and if we don't get Chychrun the world will end. The famous window will close. Ever since people learned the word "WINDOW" there's been no end to it.

And all of this passes for a winning strategy for some people! Un friggin believable.

Play your young D for god's sake. Even with Chychrun the Sens are not making the playoffs. DeBrincat is not leading them to the promised land. Giroux was a good signing. All this other stuff is just pissing away assets and hurting the team's chances in the future. I don't care if they get Chychrun. Get the friggin guy so I don't have to listen to that nonsense anymore. Two firsts with the 2023 top ten protected is way more than enough but they better be unloading Zaitsev into the bargain.

Play those young D.
- Whatisavailable

A+ for content.
B for tone.

Generally I believe most folks here agree with what you are saying. But I do disagree on your playoff perspective. I insist on believing the Sens will fight for a playoff berth.

Think most folks commenting on this thread see the strong probability that any or all of Brannstrom, Zaitsev, Hamonic and Holden not having a roster spot by this time next summer.

What remains long term is Chabot, Zub and a bunch of unproven but talented kids.

There is lots of ice time for a great skater like Chychrun who has both size and a huge shot.

I'm just asking questions, here. Asking questions with implied answers by you (in order of your lines of inquiry: No, Likely not fully healed, Badder than we are assuming, contracts terminated, top 4 minutes, No, and not up to my expectations) is leading and just as speculative as anyone else's half butted guesses on this forum for how things will go. Maybe they also start the season 10-1. Maybe Chabot gets Norris consideration, maybe Brannstrom turns out to be a 55 pt defenceman finally. Maybe Sanderson is a Calder finalist. Maybe Stutzle playing with actually talented wingers makes him an Art Ross candidate. Maybe Pinto gets nominated for Selke and Forsberg the Vezina. Maybe we eliminate the Maple Leafs from playoff contention in the last game of the regular season blowing 7 goals past Murray and Marner throwing a temper tamtrum as he quits on the team. Maybe Norris scores 50. Maybe we convince CGY to give us Rasmus Andersson to get back under the cap. Maybe we also sign PK Subban and go in with one of the better D corps in the Eastern conference. See???? positive thinking can be just as interesting too!

Dorion better be scoping out the D prices in CGY right now, then need to move more and only risk is Treliving is now gained yardage on the GM of the year discussion. Right now it would have to be (top 5):

1. Trellving
2. Dorion
3. Yzerman
4. Waddell
5. Kekelainen
- Zuuuuuuuuuuuuuub

Great post!

I think you are right on Treliving. Most fans of all teams (except for Edmonton) probably feel good for what he did for the fans of Calgary.

Doomsday prophesizing before you see the on-ice product is speculative and myopic. There is zero doubt that this team is better on paper now then it was at the end of last season. Holding pattern until we see how it works out.

And all of this passes for a winning strategy for some people! Un friggin believable.
- Whatisavailable

Doomsday prophesizing before you see the on-ice product is speculative and myopic. There is zero doubt that this team is better on paper now then it was at the end of last season. Holding pattern until we see how it works out.
- Bartacus

Every sports analyst I've listened to has said that, considering the division they're playing in and the fact that they are a young team, although they are definitely better than they were at the end of last season it is still improbable that they make it into the playoffs this year even with a top 4D add. I've read similar analyses on this very site and yet I am somehow the doomsday prophet.

I'm a Sens fan and want them to win multiple Cups in the next ten years and I think they will be able to but not if they piss everything away for a quick short term fix that gets them a quick first round exit now and again. This team has exactly 2 high end prospects in Greig and Pinto. You don't give them away. People want them to give away two more firsts plus one of their two high end prospects and another pick for a second pairing LD. You don't have to be a genius to see that this kind of asset management will spell disaster down the road.

A lot of Sens fans think that if they get Chychrun they will be a playoff team and so are willing to pay any price to get Chychrun. Arizona is loving it because that makes the safe thing for Dorion to do is bend over and say f__k me hard, Armstrong.

Personally I think with Smith as coach, with Talbot who I remember well from Edmonton expected to carry a good chunk of the load, with Hamonic and Brannstrom and at this point Zaitsev on the blue line, with uncertainty surrounding Formenton and maybe Batherson, with the introduction of two new guys into the top six, and with them playing in the Eastern Conference I can understand why so many hockey pundits have them ending up in the middle of the pack. That's why you top ten protect your 2023 pick if you're intent on giving it away which I would not.

If a perennial 20g scorer and good hockey player on a bad contract costs you a 1st rd pick to get rid of to make space, what does the human yard sale that is NZ cost you to get rid of?

You know.....

mark stone's brother might be worth a look on a short cheap deal.

He's solid. Generally a plus player. Sittin there UFA too.
Just a thought.

If a perennial 20g scorer and good hockey player on a bad contract costs you a 1st rd pick to get rid of to make space, what does the human yard sale that is NZ cost you to get rid of?
- GrimmdaGoalie

You ask a really important question.

Values change. Over the last few years we have seen a dramatic shift.

It started with McDavid, Matthews and more recently for the Sens we have seen Chabot, Tkachuk, Norris sign long term deals coming off of their entry level contracts.

This is the reason Kadri and Klingburg struggled to find the mega deals they wanted. It is only going to become more lopsided in favour of the younger skaters.

Nobody really knows how to calculate value on a top 6 or top 4 player. Few teams have cap space to sign UFAs. So it becomes even more complex.

Matthews gets a new deal next summer and it will be +$15m. This will only reenforce the model of teams paying their top 6 players 60% or more of the cap. It should mean that the value of a journeyman 20 goal scorer older than 28 should continue to go down.

It should also mean that the cost of moving a struggling Dman on a $4.5m deal with 2 years left will also go up.

Zaitsev is still a serviceable third pairing Dman that costs you 2.5 this year and 4.5 next year. Bonus already paid. Gets you to the floor. Good for a team like Arizona. Shouldn't cost you anything.

Zaitsev is still a serviceable third pairing Dman that costs you 2.5 this year and 4.5 next year. Bonus already paid. Gets you to the floor. Good for a team like Arizona. Shouldn't cost you anything.
- Whatisavailable

Is he? Because if that was the case Ottawa could flip him pretty easily if htey just retained some salary.

The fact it hasnt happened should indicate the price to take him is rather high.

Is he? Because if that was the case Ottawa could flip him pretty easily if htey just retained some salary.

The fact it hasnt happened should indicate the price to take him is rather high.
- david22

Dorion doesn't benefit from the fact that everybody knows he wants to offload Zaitsev. Because this is so transparent, even if the player did hold some value to a team (EG helping AZ or CHI lose games for the next two seasons, which arguably is what both are trying to do), GMs know they can push for a bigger package. I don't see why you don't just bury Zaitsev in the minors if a reasonable trade doesn't emerge. I'd still take Dorion's approach over Lamoriello, who appears poised to do nothing this off-season while the rumour mill churns. At least we have a decent idea of what's happening.

Zaitsev is still a serviceable third pairing Dman that costs you 2.5 this year and 4.5 next year. Bonus already paid. Gets you to the floor. Good for a team like Arizona. Shouldn't cost you anything.
- Whatisavailable

The market is just too tight for this kind of contract. Most teams care about the AAV and term, not the $$$ remaining. The exception is ARI, but they're the exact same team that's holding OTT over the barrel right now. With time running out in the off-season, it's time to tweak the variables and shift the process more in their favour. If Dorion would do a 50% retention, it would put Zaitsev at $2.25M AAV, with a $1.25M/$2.25M salary structure, and significantly open up the potential trade market. That marginal cost would also save them from having to kick in a 1st/2nd round pick, and effectively give them back a chance to make a trade deadline splash, or add a decent young player to help sustain their prospect system. Not at all the worst use of that $$$, in terms of compound benefit.

Another solid game for Canada against the Czechs. Too bad Greig wasn't dressed. I think he would have rated as one of Canada's three best players in the tournament but nothing wrong with Stankoven, Zellweger and McTavish. Johnson could have easily been picked as well.

How close can it get? What an unbelievable save by McTavish! Good tournament by a good team. Go Canada Go!

You on vacation like the rest of us Kevin? Updates? New blog? Other RD options?

Give me something! Awesome WJC got me jonesing for hockey season!

How close can it get? What an unbelievable save by McTavish! Good tournament by a good team. Go Canada Go!
- Whatisavailable

Ya, that was a pretty sick save, doesn't get any closer than that, especially for overtime. I wish McTavish has slipped in the draft so Ottawa could have picked him up.

Ya, that was a pretty sick save, doesn't get any closer than that, especially for overtime. I wish McTavish has slipped in the draft so Ottawa could have picked him up.
- Ronninn

Or Smith could have played Chabot just 24 minutes a game that last couple of months.

Greig of course got the most praise as an Ottawa prospect, but Jarventie was getting his fair share too, particularly his offense.

Greig, of course, out 2 to 4 weeks. Hope this doesn't stunt his push for a starting spot. I also worry this adds the whole narrative that the Sens can't have nice things (ie Pinto) without them getting dinged up at some point.

I'm more excited about Jarventie than, say, Sokolov at this point.

I get the sense that getting JC from AZ won't be happening before training camp.

I also get the sense there is a lot happening behind the scenes in the NHL right now....there are a LOT of non cap compliant teams out there.

Greig, of course, out 2 to 4 weeks. Hope this doesn't stunt his push for a starting spot. I also worry this adds the whole narrative that the Sens can't have nice things (ie Pinto) without them getting dinged up at some point.

I'm more excited about Jarventie than, say, Sokolov at this point.

I get the sense that getting JC from AZ won't be happening before training camp.

I also get the sense there is a lot happening behind the scenes in the NHL right now....there are a LOT of non cap compliant teams out there.
- GrimmdaGoalie

Agreed re: Jarventie vs. Sokolov, but there's no reason to rush Greig. They have more than enough bottom-6 forwards to at least start the NHL season, and Greig would have a very good chance at playing a 2C/3C role in Belleville. That's a far more important role, where he'll get to play significantly more minutes, and get a lot more faceoff opportunities. And sure, call him up if they wind up having major injury problems, but there's no particular value in just rushing him into the NHL so he can fight for 10min/GP.

How do Sens fan like this idea:

Sign Zdeno Chara!

Obviously your not getting the legs and agility he had but your getting the leadership, wisdom, HOCKEY IQ, and just going to see Big Z in a Sens jersey would get me to go to the game, thoughts?

He was a +8 with NYI last year and I believe he still can play a serviceable role with well managed ice time + GP. Also don't see the harm in doing so

Geeze, Sens blog isn't even on the page anymore.......

Guys on the radio mentioned Severson this morning from new Jersey. The more I look at him, the more I like it. He stepped into an offensive role when Hamilton was injured, but played on the shutdown pair for a while before. Once Hamilton came back, he played with him alot.

With the devils getting Marino and his contract up, he might be on the way out soon. I think this would be a great pairing with Chabot and Dorion wouldn't have to sell the farm like Chycrn. Let him walk at UFA and Thompson or JBD step in. Sanderson gets Zub to help his transition. Seems like a perfect fit to me.

DeBrincat would be an excellent trade chip for a guy like Severson or maybe some other good RD that might be available.

Silversevensens is doing their annual top-25 under age 25 list, and are now at #19...

19 - F Mark Kastelic
20 - G Leevi Merilainen
21 - F Phillipe Daoust
22 - F Viktor Lodin
23 - D Maxence Guenette
24 - F Tyler Boucher
25 - D Tomas Hamara

Chabot & Joseph are now 25, so I'm assuming the top-10 will include Tkachuk, Stutzle, DeBrincat, Norris, Batherson, Pinto, Formenton, Thomson, Brannstrom, and Sanderson.

Then 11-18 would most likely include Greig, Bernard-Docker, Kleven, Sogaard, Ostapchuk, Roger, Crookshank, and Nordberg.

DeBrincat would be an excellent trade chip for a guy like Severson or maybe some other good RD that might be available.
- Whatisavailable

Sorry man, he's a little over the hill to trade a guy like DeBrincat. I like you exploring ideas and another RD would be a good option!