Good news and what the Sens need

by Sens_4_Life on Dec 23, 2009 1:09 PM EST

Good news for the Senators this week as they have bodies returning from injury after having gone through the last month or so having lost many key players. All in all, the record for the Sens considering how much their depth has been tested is what most people would have expected (18-14-4). Neil, Leclaire, and Donovan are all returning from injury, while Spezza and Foligno are still out. With all the injuries the Sens have had this year to absolutely key players (Spezza, Volchenkov, Kuba, Leclaire, Neil) I think we should be quite happy with the record they have going into the Christmas break. I feel the Sens are a good powerplay away from really competing in the EC. However, let's not fool ourselves, without a good powerplay teams don't tend to go far these days. The chances of Murray trading any prospects away are slim, so we're probably going to have the same roster going into the end of the season.

I am a fan of Murray, and I hope he is able to make some trades/signings during the season or this summer that will put the club in a good position for years to come. I think we can count on Murray to use his draft picks well, but I think it's crucial for the Senators to make a few trades to improve this club. Great drafting on its own does not make a great team (see previous years of Sens teams under Marshall Johnston). It's important that Murray really take a look around the league (and other leagues) for players who could contribute. Murray is going to have to find some diamonds in the rough, as well as some players that other teams might have given up on. Shannon is a good example of this, and while he played well last year, this year is another story.

In this modern NHL it is important to surround your draft picks with quality players. Detroit has done a wonderful job of this throughout the years (of course), as well as New Jersey. These clubs are machines and what a great thing it would be to have a club that is a machine like these clubs. The right mix of veterans, with home-grown draftees, as well as shrewd signings should see this club be atop the EC in two to three years time.

This FanPost was written by a member of the Silver Seven community, and does not necessarily reflect the beliefs or opinions of the site managers, editors, or Sports Blogs Nation, Inc.

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... and then Alfredsson gets injured.

Seriously, though, I do think the Senators should be happy with their record and overall play leading up to the Christmas break, even if December was an awful month. And I think the key to franchise long-term success, like you said, is smart, shrewd drafting—and not letting your assets walk away for nothing, unless you can replace them for nothing.

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by Peter Raaymakers on Dec 27, 2009 1:17 PM EST reply actions

Another one to the pile

Well, add another injury to the pile. Probably the worst year we have had for the team with injuries in a very long time. I wouldn’t expect much more than a .500 record going forward until our players return. Of course, some players need to step up, but let’s not expect Kovalev to be a first-line winger, and Fisher and Michalek to be more than what they have been — solid, highly skilled supporting players. We’ll have to see if the guys can it done without the captain. I remember a time when they could barely buy a win without Alfie in the line-up. Hopefully that trend doesn’t continue.

by Sens_4_Life on Dec 27, 2009 7:50 PM EST up reply actions