Silver Nuggets: Karlsson to mentor young Swedes; MacLean hire re-examined

Having survived the great tornado of 2011 that didn't quite happen, I am still alive and kicking for nuggeting purposes. On the other hand, there was lots of awesome lightning lighting up the sky. Before I get to the links, here is a public service announcement.

If you had emailed AlfieGirl about tickets for the home opener, we have had about 50 people pay, but some of you haven't paid/answered her email. This is your last chance to reserve a spot or you will be dropped, so email her now at the address on her profile.

Here are today's links:

• While still only 21 years old himself, Erik Karlsson hopes to mentor the club's Swedish prospects such as David Rundblad, Mika Zibanejad and Andre Petersson. Karlsson mentioned how having Daniel Alfredsson around in his rookie season helped him, and he hopes to help his Swedish compatriots in a similar manner. I think this was great to see from Karlsson and while he has only played two seasons, he is clearly becoming a pillar of the club's core. (Ottawa Senators)
• There is a lot of hope for the club's younger players, but the Senators will need Jason Spezza, Daniel Alfredsson, Milan Michalek and Craig Anderson to do their part as well if they are to have a successful season. (Ottawa Senators)
• Looking back at the Paul MacLean hire, the general consensus has been positive. The average Ottawa Senators coaching tenure has been 173 regular season games, or just over two seasons. Terrance Gavan bets MacLean will last longer than that. The Senators may not be as talented as the Red Wings, but I do hope over time that we start to play positive offensive hockey. (The Hockey Writers)
• Another Senators preview, from a slightly Boston point of view. They wonder if the Senators will intimidate their opponents or simply overwork their own penalty killers? (NESN)
• With the Senators in rebuild mode, should the Senators trade one of Milan Michalek, Peter Regin or Nick Foligno? Various Senators blogs, including our own Peter, take a look. I would vote for trading Foligno. (Senshot)
• Senshot continues comparing the Senators to eastern conference clubs. In this edition, they think the Senators will be below Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, but above Toronto, though the Toronto prediction didn't seem too confident. (Senshot)
• Lastly, a profile of Binghamton forward Kaspars Daugavins. (Eye on the Sens)