Silver Nuggets: A challenge for Cory Clouston; Kovalev is fine

by Peter Raaymakers on Oct 21, 2010 1:01 PM EDT in Silver Nuggets

Don't worry, folks, there is another Ottawa Senators game tomorrow. It's been a long week. Until then, here are some Sens headlines:

Cory Clouston has a challenge in front of him: Instilling structure and discipline into a team without it. On the plus side, that's the same challenge he had two seasons ago, and he's done pretty well since then. (Citizen)
According to Pierre Lebrun, if the Senators make a trade, it will be for a fifth or sixth defender. Because we don't have enough of those. (ESPN)
Don Brennan speculates the Senators will need to go about nine games above .500 the rest of the way to make the playoffs. (Sun)
Apparently Alex Kovalev is fine. So much for those still-recovering-from-surgery excuses. (Citizen)
Ken Campbell makes a good point: For all the regret Sens fans have for letting Andy Sutton and Anton Volchenkov both walk in the off-season, the team has only scored 12 goals in six games so far. Those guys wouldn't have helped that much, at least not directly. (Metro)
Duff is sick of the too-many-men penalties, really hates Jiri Hudler and Peter Schaefer, really loves Daniel Alfredsson, and really doesn't buy the Brian Lee trade talk. And yes, he and Pynch are former co-worker of mine--as are the men behind SENS Town and Sens Army Blog. Kind of a small world. (Another Sens Blog)

Solid graphs on the rise and fall and slight rise again of 50 goal scorers in the NHL. (Jewels from the Crown)
Some opinion on the Rick Rypien incident. So stupid. (From the Rink)
This is an awesome jack-o-lantern, even if it is the Boston Bruins. (Stanley Cup of Chowder)

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Clouston: "You can't let Alfie just (effing) rip it. Talk to each other. Switch (positions)."

That’s gold. :D

Sens fan in Toronto since 2000. (Thank you Martin Havlat).

by Adnan on Oct 21, 2010 1:17 PM EDT reply actions

I like your summary of the Rypien situation

“So stupid” about sums Rypien up.

Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.

by DarrenM on Oct 21, 2010 1:17 PM EDT reply actions

You guys must have wasted so much time at work talking Sens....

So jealous.

http://ottawasconsensus.blogspot.com/

by DaveYoung on Oct 21, 2010 1:51 PM EDT reply actions

Ecklund

Ecklund Has a whole blue sky string going on what Sens would get for Spezza. “So and so really need a #1 Center…” And if we trade Spezza for a broken down d-man and a winger, who do we put at center? What a laugh.

Sens need a decent top six scorer and a serviceable top 4 d-man to right htis ship. Hwo do we get there from here?

by Be_rad on Oct 21, 2010 3:02 PM EDT reply actions

As a general rule, I’ll refuse to link to—and I very rarely discuss—Eklund rumours. I can’t eve stand going to the website. It’s just so obviously such bunk.

www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Oct 21, 2010 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

I make up better rumours than him

Easy Bake Snake - Silver Seven

by Ryan Classic on Oct 21, 2010 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions

So does the Eklund Rumor Generator

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Oct 21, 2010 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

At least write fiction with some basis in reality...

I mean, Sens are in a scoring drought, so they shop one of our few ppg guys right now? A little unlikely.

by Johnny_Spectacular on Oct 21, 2010 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Precisely

The whole string was a laugh a minute. But it highlights our problem: We have an aging miracle, a mid-career star, an end of career enigma, a young streaky banged up decent scorer, a real digger but frustatingly low producer with a starlet wife and some uncertain “prospects” currently in the top 6-ish forwards.

On the back end there’s currently 2.5 top 4s, an ace prospect having trouble and one or two decent bottom 3 d-men. And a general lack of balance.

In the system, it appears we have the future back end covered AND balanced in terms of defencive and offencive d-men. Up front, let’s just say there do not appear to be any bona fide top 3 prospects.

So, how do you parlay what we have into a top 3 forward and a top 4, defensive d-man, without creating new holes and sacrificing the future?

by Be_rad on Oct 21, 2010 7:12 PM EDT up reply actions

I think the obvious answer there is that there's more needs for this team than can be fixed in one year

Unless some of our prospects suddenly explode with talent… which seems unlikely.

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Oct 21, 2010 8:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Jim O'Brien seems to have

Albeit not talent we need. Bottom six talent, at best.

www.silversevensens.com

by Peter Raaymakers on Oct 21, 2010 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Silfverberg and Rundblad are doing extremely well in the SEL this year. Cowen and Stone are also having strong starts in the WHL, and Caporusso is doing well in the NCAA. But yeah, top 6 forwards are lacking.

Silver Seven: the Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators blogs.

by DarrenM on Oct 22, 2010 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions

Bingo

That’s all I was trying to get to: with the poverty in Bing only just starting to turn around and too many holes to fill, it would mean trading in our future strengths for questionable returns now. I Mean, who is going to give up, at this time of year, a quality top 3 for future prospects, anyway? Millbury isn’t a GM anymore.

by Be_rad on Oct 22, 2010 7:32 AM EDT up reply actions

Metro Article

This doesn’t even address the fact that Volchie’s new team has been as bad as Ottawa. Would keeping him really have paid dividends considering the terrible start NJ has had with much better goaltending than Ottawa? Just wondering why everyone still thinks Anton is so great when he got the keys to a top defensive pairing and he’s driven it into the ground.

by ojc on Oct 21, 2010 9:03 PM EDT reply actions