Silver Nuggets: The off-season begins
The Ottawa Senators begin the first week of their off-season today. Here's a quick look at some headlines looking back, and looking forward:
- Seriously, can we pre-tire Daniel Alfredsson's #11 yet? A pulled stomach muscle... I can't imagine. (Citizen)
- Former Senator Jason York looks at the valuable experience Ottawa's young guns will have gained from even their short playoff run. (Sun)
- Of course, with the off-season now officially upon us, eyes turn to the salary cap, and how our free agents might fit under it. Bruce Garrioch looks at some of the inevitable changes that could happen. (Sun)
- Ottawa's going to do everything they can to re-sign Anton Volchenkov, though. (TSN)
- Some of the Senators big-money contracts are definitely going to make free agent signings tough this year. (Gazette)
- And who knows, with some 'next generation' players ready to step up (Erik Karlsson, Peter Regin, Nick Foligno, Zack Smith), perhaps Bryan Murray's going to look to move out some of the old guard (Filip Kuba, Alex Kovalev, Jonathan Cheechoo, even *sniff* Shean Donovan). (Vancouver Sun)
- Roy MacGregor does a review of the season. (The Globe and Mail)
- Four Senators might attract attention for Team Canada at the World Championships, apparently. I understand Jason Spezza, Mike Fisher, and Chris Phillips, but Brian Elliott? Really? (Sun)
- Wayne Scanlan's right: It's going to be a pretty long summer for the Ottawa Senators, considering how close they were to forcing a game seven against the Penguins. (Citizen)
- It was a crushing penalty, to be certain. But Saturday's game six loss will not go down as "the most crushing loss in the modern history of the Ottawa Senators", as Allen Panzeri contends. I chalk that up to game seven back in 2004. (Citizen)
- Tough to see a team like Dynamo Moscow folding, as has been revealed recently. I still remember some old Topps cards I used to have with Arturs Irbe in a Dynamo jersey; don't like to see history end like that. (Slap Shot)
- Well, this is confusing for anyone who had a Google News alert about Chris Phillips of the Ottawa Senators: "Scranton School Director Chris Phillips, 44, is running for Pennsylvania State Senate in the 22nd district." Great. (Scranton Public Policy Examiner)