Silver Nuggets: Senators start pre-season; Melnyk says Sens the most skilled club

by Adnan on Sep 19, 2011 1:01 PM EDT in Silver Nuggets

Tonight, the Ottawa Senators visit the centre of the universe and start their pre-season schedule at the Air Canada Centre. They will play their first home game on Wednesday against the Boston Bruins, which will be on TSN.

Here are today's links:

The Senators are taking a strong group of forwards (in the top six anyway). The lines will be 1) Nikita Filatov - Peter Regin - Bobby Butler, 2) Milan Michalek - Mika Zibanejad - Mark Stone, 3) Colin Greening - Zack Smith - Chris Neil, 4) Mike Hoffman - Zenon Konpka - Francis Lessard. Poor Mike Hoffman. (Brent Wallace)
On defence, the pairings are 1) Erik Karlsson and Filip Kuba, 2) David Rundblad and Jared Cowen, 3) Patrick Wiercioch and Tim Conboy. (Brent Wallace)
Robin Lehner and Alex Auld will be the two goalies tonight. Auld will play the first 30 minutes and Lehner the last 30. (Ottawa Senators)
Paul MacLean started his tenure with the club by making the club skate, and skate some more. The Citizen reports he is also more willing to involve his assistant coaches. (Ottawa Citizen)
Nikita Filatov is going to get the chance to be an important player for Ottawa. Jason Spezza believes it is good that Filatov doesn't know anyone in Ottawa and no one in Ottawa knows Filatov, allowing for a completely fresh start. (Ottawa Sun)
Jesse Winchester will miss the rest of camp after he injured his shoulder. (Ottawa Sun)
Daniel Alfredsson feels good so far after his return from offseason surgery. He also doesn't like the fact that pre-season games are starting so soon after the start of camp. (Ottawa Citizen)
Craig Anderson is saying all the right things, noting that he will play as many games as he earns. He also said the pressure shouldn't be a problem, because he likes the media so much. Ha! Funny Craig! (Ottawa Sun)
Filip Kuba had a better start to camp than last year, where he broke his leg on the first day. I think Kuba is going to have a decent season, I am saying 30 points! (Ottawa Sun)
The CBC notes that after last year's season, there is no where to go but up for Ottawa. Not everyone agrees, with many 15th place predictions. (CBC)
No matter how much of a steal Mark Stone ends up being, he is unlikely to ever become the best sixth round pick the club has made. (Ottawa Sun)
There are three former 30-goal scorers at training camp. Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson... and Mark Parrish. (Ottawa Citizen)
Eugene Melnyk had another interview and the highlight of this one was "What people have to realize is the level of skill that we have is second to none in the NHL". Maybe he was talking about the prospects, but you never know with him. (Ottawa Sun)

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I'm getting good vibes from Kuba

I’mma be honest, I think he might be the second-best defenceman on the team this season, after Karlsson. I could be wrong, but I seriously think he’s going to have a hell of a bounce-back year.

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by Peter Raaymakers on Sep 19, 2011 1:09 PM EDT reply actions

Does he have any choice?

by west-sider on Sep 19, 2011 1:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Ask Wade Redden that

by B_T on Sep 19, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Hope u r right

I hope you are right. If Kubes has a great year, that’ll be so great. Way too much negative stuff has been said about him, and it’s unfair for a guy who’s been injured.

Let’s see who the real man is now that he is supposedly healed.

by Marvellous on Sep 19, 2011 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions

Kubes is a pretty terrible nickname for anyone.

by The Tif on Sep 19, 2011 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

That's really true

I now officially nickname you “Kubes”

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Sep 19, 2011 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I hate you.

by The Tif on Sep 20, 2011 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions

I love you, though

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Sep 20, 2011 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t understand where these vibes are coming from.

Co-manager, Silver Seven

by DarrenM on Sep 19, 2011 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Mostly from 2008-09

His last contract year, in which he was (arguably) the team’s best defender and scored 40 points.

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by Peter Raaymakers on Sep 19, 2011 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions

They're from his aura, man

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Sep 19, 2011 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Are you basing this on in the flesh observations yet, or just on logic? I’ve been going on logic, which has to lean towards giving him the benefit of the doubt, but it would be nice to hear that he’s actually looking strong and confident.

by Be_rad on Sep 19, 2011 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, he survived the first weekend… that’s a good sign!

by Sports Fan! on Sep 19, 2011 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions

sure beats last year.

by Be_rad on Sep 19, 2011 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel like that's expecting too much of him

I definitely think he’s going to have a bounce-back year, but he wasn’t exactly a defensive stalwart two years ago.

Silver Seven - The Daniel Alfredsson of Ottawa Senators Blogs

by Mark Parisi on Sep 19, 2011 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions

Hoffman head-scratcher

did he go out and take some boxing lessons in the off-season? If there is one role I never imagined in his future is being on a wing with Konopka and Lessard…

Pretty psyched to see Filatov and Butler have a go at the Leafs. Watched the MacLean interview on the Ottawa Senators site and he noted that they were both stand-outs in Day 2 of camp.

by west-sider on Sep 19, 2011 1:10 PM EDT reply actions

Wierd

Yeah, that is kind of strange. Maybe they want to see if his play without the puck has progressed at all in the off-season?

by DW19 on Sep 19, 2011 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Is this gonna be streamed or will I need to find a less ... savoury ... way to watch the game?

by The Tif on Sep 19, 2011 1:28 PM EDT reply actions

Sources (ahem – SensChrip – ahem) tell me that it will be streamed via Leafs TV Interactive. Probably on the 30 min delay like the rookie game in which case you’ll read what happened here then wait patiently for a half-hour to watch it in stop-motion animation on your computer. It’ll be great.

by west-sider on Sep 19, 2011 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I think it is live but only in the Leafs broadcast area

So not for you Ottawa people.

An Ottawa Senators supporter in Toronto, Ontario. I am cool like that.

by Adnan on Sep 19, 2011 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm in Kingston ... which I think falls under Ottawa.

I think Napanee is Leafs territory.

by The Tif on Sep 19, 2011 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I think Ontario minus Ottawa is Leafs territory

Plus maybe some of the rural towns outside Ottawa.

An Ottawa Senators supporter in Toronto, Ontario. I am cool like that.

by Adnan on Sep 19, 2011 3:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Sportsnet actually has a map showing how the territory is divvied up:

http://www2.sportsnet.ca/Regional_Map.pdf

It’s part of their FAQs about regional NHL coverage, which are here.

Note that Sportsnet’s territory restrictions are not the same as CBC’s. Since CBC’s contract with the NHL is as a “national” broadcaster, they are allowed to divide up the territory however they like, and usually they cut the territory a lot closer to Ottawa than is shown on that Sportsnet map.

by dzuunmod on Sep 19, 2011 5:15 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh, and...

…this part I’m not 100% sure about, but I believe that the only places where you can’t get Leafs TV are those places on the Sportsnet map marked as “Ottawa” in blue – the territory extending as far as Pembroke, Madawaska, Frontenac and the Thousand Islands.

I believe that in shared territory, you can get Leafs TV, depending on your TV package and provider.

by dzuunmod on Sep 19, 2011 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions

I believe that the referenced map is a year or two old

I used to live just outside of Belleville, and fortunately for me I was on the East side of Hwy 37, which put me in the ‘Ottawa’ territory.
My understanding was as of last year, my Toronto ‘buddies’ that live on the West side of Hwy 37 are now in Ottawa territory. Apparently Ottawa territory now extends to Peterborough.
If I remember correctly, the territory shift is due to population imbalance between the two markets. While territory population is still heavily weighted to Toronto, I don’t think that line will move any farther West than it already has.
I think the North market is still shared Toronto/Ottawa territory.

by havey03 on Sep 20, 2011 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Sportsnet just tweeted that their FAQ about blackouts has been updated:

http://twitter.com/#!/RogersSportsnet/status/116219754951360512

And the regional map they have is exactly the same one that I posted yesterday. So, either they’re tweeting incorrect information, or the map is still right.

by dzuunmod on Sep 20, 2011 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Stone signed to an entry-level contract

http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=376173

by Sports Fan! on Sep 19, 2011 2:12 PM EDT reply actions

YAY for Stoney

I guess this means he’s Bingo-bound, doesn’t it?

by Marvellous on Sep 19, 2011 2:14 PM EDT reply actions

In one of the articles MacLean refers to him as “Stoner”. That might not be the nickname that you necessarily want to have….

by DW19 on Sep 19, 2011 2:17 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think he's eligible for Binghamton

I could be wrong, but I thought if you were drafted out of CHL, you had to play 4 years in the CHL before being AHL eligible.

The contract might just be so he could play in pre-season.

An Ottawa Senators supporter in Toronto, Ontario. I am cool like that.

by Adnan on Sep 19, 2011 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm not sure about the 4 years

But I believe that if you are Junior eligible and don’t make the NHL club than the NHL club gives up their rights for the season & the player is returned to their junior club from which they are not eligible to be called up.

by havey03 on Sep 19, 2011 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Reserved

“Stoner” is reserved for the next player we acquire from Lalaland.

by Marvellous on Sep 19, 2011 2:23 PM EDT reply actions

Also, we will have shallow nets tonight

From Bruce Garrioch

Coach Paul MacLean says they will use “shallower” nets tonight at the ACC to create more room behind the net.

An Ottawa Senators supporter in Toronto, Ontario. I am cool like that.

by Adnan on Sep 19, 2011 2:56 PM EDT reply actions

the Senators have never had a problem with shallow depth in net before.

Co-manager, Silver Seven

by DarrenM on Sep 19, 2011 3:53 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs

Zing!

I was trying to figure out how to make that joke, but couldn’t get the wording right. You figured it out.

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by Peter Raaymakers on Sep 19, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh snap!

An Ottawa Senators supporter in Toronto, Ontario. I am cool like that.

by Adnan on Sep 19, 2011 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Melnyk

I think we have to take his comments with a grain of salt. Our prospects are exciting to contemplate, but they do’t have the same pedigree as those in Edmonton’s farm system.

That being said, we have the Persian Prince and a number of prospects who look to overshoot their initial selection level. But that is with the rose coloured glasses of a rabid fan. We have to see how they stack up against adults before really knowing what we have.

by Be_rad on Sep 19, 2011 3:11 PM EDT reply actions

Did he even mean prospects though?

From the wording, he might have meant our current NHL roster…not sure.

An Ottawa Senators supporter in Toronto, Ontario. I am cool like that.

by Adnan on Sep 19, 2011 3:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, we’ve got old talent and young talent, but not much prime talent. That’s how we’re talented, but not a top team.

by Sports Fan! on Sep 19, 2011 3:45 PM EDT up reply actions

It is Euge,

As much as I respect the man for purchasing this club, keeping it in Ottawa and soaking in a $14mil loss last year, he also told us last november that last years team was going all the way to the stanley cup.
If anyone looks at this club through rose coloured glasses, it is the owner himself.
lol

by havey03 on Sep 19, 2011 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions

If you add the word 'potential'

in his sentence before ‘level of talent’ than it would be easier to agree with him…

by havey03 on Sep 19, 2011 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions

The guy is a salesman

Melnyk can’t seem to help himself. He has hyperbole in his blood.

I love his enthusiasm and commitment to the team. I sometimes cringe when I hear his public pronouncements. Oh well, on balance he is a very good owner.

by DW19 on Sep 19, 2011 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions