Personally I think we are in need of a #1C and I think we should replace Mac and maybe do some small trades. But with some chemistry as is we are a middle of the road team in the east. If we get a #1C I think we could be a top 3 in the east

I don't see why this team can't finish second in the Atlantic behind Tampa.
- TheCalSen

A couple of quick points:

1. Turris and Brassard are not #1 centres, BUT the Sens top 6 match up well with most teams. If they employ the right system, I can see the Sens making strides this year.

2. Stone is awesome. Really. Really. Awesome.

3. Any team with Karlsson should have a shot at the playoffs each and every year.

4. Goaltending is an issue. Anderson is not good enough. Hammond is not a legit backup G.

Chemistry is our biggest concern. Can we play 2 way hockey, will guys play 82 games, high paid players actually sacrifice part of their game or body this season for the team to win??

Boucher will make them try, but team chemistry comes from believing and Ottawa hasn't believed in years. Big concerns our 22 player roster isnt hard enough, they aren't right now. Can they be??? That's the million dollar question.

Dorion said it himself 'to many players that Thoguht in 2-3 years we would get better'

We have floaters no doubt, will these floaters play hard hockey? And I wonder if this team thinks they can win it all. EK and Stone do, but do the other main players????

Alfie didn't think we could win and he took this teams confidence away. They have never gotten it back. That's our #1 concern.

A couple of quick points:

1. Turris and Brassard are not #1 centres, BUT the Sens top 6 match up well with most teams. If they employ the right system, I can see the Sens making strides this year.

2. Stone is awesome. Really. Really. Awesome.

3. Any team with Karlsson should have a shot at the playoffs each and every year.

4. Goaltending is an issue. Anderson is not good enough. Hammond is not a legit backup G.
- Dollars2Donuts

1. Every person should understand this - for a long I said the Sens either need a legit #1 or atleast 2 centers like Turris and a strong #3. The Sens have the latter. Brassard and Turris CAN be as good as Krecji and Bergeron were when the Bruins won the cup in 2011. Both centers combined for 119 points in the regular season (no players in the top 41 in NHL scoring). Marchand was there but wasn't as much of an impact player. The wingers were solid.

2. Stone is a solid NHL winger; but not at the level of a star yet. I think this year he will be very good. His sophomore slump was apparent in the first half especially.

3. Absolutely Karlsson is the straw that stirs the drink, but Ceci and Phanuef need to step up and get that puck up to a strong 2nd line.

4. Andy's age concerns me. Injuries possible too. Just got to make sure he hires a chef to make sandwiches.

Chemistry is our biggest concern. Can we play 2 way hockey, will guys play 82 games, high paid players actually sacrifice part of their game or body this season for the team to win??

Boucher will make them try, but team chemistry comes from believing and Ottawa hasn't believed in years. Big concerns our 22 player roster isnt hard enough, they aren't right now. Can they be??? That's the million dollar question.

Dorion said it himself 'to many players that Thoguht in 2-3 years we would get better'

We have floaters no doubt, will these floaters play hard hockey? And I wonder if this team thinks they can win it all. EK and Stone do, but do the other main players????

Alfie didn't think we could win and he took this teams confidence away. They have never gotten it back. That's our #1 concern.
- tuna99

very good points.

These players from 26-32 are the ones that will make or break. The rest just need to play their roles

Before injury, turris was on a torrid pace. If HST is reunited and healthy, teams will focus on them. Turris may not be elite, but that line was approaching it. We can win with this roster. God damn were missing michalek for that third line though. We need a replacement for him.

The schmucks are out.

First of all comparing Karlsson's ability to drive play and create offense to defenseman like Hedman and Carlson is disgusting. Letang is a pretty solid comparison, but newsflash his team won the Stanley Cup last season.

Also, Turris is most definitely a 1C. He was on pace for 70+ points last season before the injury, that's a 1C in my books in today's NHL.

Apart from a very solid top-6, Ottawa has a very underrated 3rd line. A center core of Turris-Brassard-Pageau-Lazar can compete with any team regardless to the fact that they lack an elite center (Crosby, Kopitar, Toews)

I think Florida will regress a bit, it will be a tight race between Montreal and Ottawa to grab that 2nd standing in the Atlantic.

Personally I think we are in need of a #1C and I think we would replace Mac and maybe do some small trades. But with some chemistry as is we are a middle of the road team in the east. If we get a #1C I think we could be a top 3 in the east
- Maverick1818

You cant get a 1C via trade, you need to bottom out like a flake to get one of those.
I'd rather have two very solid centers, than one elite center.

You cant get a 1C via trade, you need to bottom out like a flake to get one of those.
I'd rather have two very solid centers, than one elite center.
- TheCalSen

Absolutely brilliant point. How many star centers in the past 10 seasons WEREN'T drafted in the 1st round. Bergeron comes to my mind..... the others I can't think of this late.

There's NO way the Sens are getting a #1 center unless a team is willing to move one and that will cost A LOT OR some miracle Colin White or Logan Brown turn into one; which is atleast 4-5 years away.

When looking at G's, here's the high just within the past 3 seasons:

Hoffman (27) Brassard (27) Ryan (23)
MacArthur (24) Turris (26) Stone (26)
Smith (25) Pageau (19) Lazar (6)
Paul (2) Kelly (9) Neil (8)

Karlsson* (21)

Obviously if Neil and MacArthur combine for 32 goals then they should have their urine checked but overall the Sens have tons of goal scorers; not to mention Puempel, Ceci, or Phanuef can add goals as well.

4 goals in his 34 games.
2 goals in his last 25 games ! (that's almost 1 third of the season)
0 goalsin the last 16 games.

Bobby Ryan had a horrible 2nd half to the season. It's pretty simple; he needs to get back to scoring.

I would suggest that Boucher/Crawford are the real X-factors. They both have a lot to prove. I hope they have support to allow players like Ryan and possibly MacArthur to be moved if they are not able to perform. Don't get me wrong, I think both are great talents but Ryan is rarely as interested as his salary would dictate and Mac is one decent hit from retirement. Coaching will be better and special teams will benefit from that and the addition of Chris Kelly if healthy.
By the way, leave Smith on the wing and see if last season was a fluke,if it pans out,depth improved.

You cant get a 1C via trade, you need to bottom out like a flake to get one of those.
I'd rather have two very solid centers, than one elite center.


Also, Turris is most definitely a 1C. He was on pace for 70+ points last season before the injury, that's a 1C in my books in today's NHL.
- TheCalSen

You do realize Sens traded for Turris right

The schmucks are out.

First of all comparing Karlsson's ability to drive play and create offense to defenseman like Hedman and Carlson is disgusting. Letang is a pretty solid comparison, but newsflash his team won the Stanley Cup last season.

Also, Turris is most definitely a 1C. He was on pace for 70+ points last season before the injury, that's a 1C in my books in today's NHL.

Apart from a very solid top-6, Ottawa has a very underrated 3rd line. A center core of Turris-Brassard-Pageau-Lazar can compete with any team regardless to the fact that they lack an elite center (Crosby, Kopitar, Toews)

I think Florida will regress a bit, it will be a tight race between Montreal and Ottawa to grab that 2nd standing in the Atlantic.
- TheCalSen

- poopstash

When looking at G's, here's the high just within the past 3 seasons:

Hoffman (27) Brassard (27) Ryan (23)
MacArthur (24) Turris (26) Stone (26)
Smith (25) Pageau (19) Lazar (6)
Paul (2) Kelly (9) Neil (8)

Karlsson* (21)

Obviously if Neil and MacArthur combine for 32 goals then they should have their urine checked but overall the Sens have tons of goal scorers; not to mention Puempel, Ceci, or Phanuef can add goals as well.
- AlfieisKing

Pretty sure Hoff scored 29 last season.

I can see Hoff, Turris, Brass, Stone and Ryan potting at least 20. I don't think anyone else will. Maybe Karlsson.

- poopstash

The schmucks are out.

First of all comparing Karlsson's ability to drive play and create offense to defenseman like Hedman and Carlson is disgusting. Letang is a pretty solid comparison, but newsflash his team won the Stanley Cup last season.

Also, Turris is most definitely a 1C. He was on pace for 70+ points last season before the injury, that's a 1C in my books in today's NHL.

Apart from a very solid top-6, Ottawa has a very underrated 3rd line. A center core of Turris-Brassard-Pageau-Lazar can compete with any team regardless to the fact that they lack an elite center (Crosby, Kopitar, Toews)

I think Florida will regress a bit, it will be a tight race between Montreal and Ottawa to grab that 2nd standing in the Atlantic.
- TheCalSen

The goggles are thick on this one. I don't think anyone compared offensive play drive with Hedman and Carlsson to Karlsson. They pointed out that other teams have top tier defensemen too. Karlsson is the most gifted defencman in the East. That doesn't mean the other guys are chop liver. Patrick Kane is the best winger in the game, but that doesn't mean Jamie Benn is worthless in comparison. like how you say Letang is a solid comparison, but kind of ignore why they won. What does Pittsburgh have that Ottawa doesn't have? Hmmmm.

The Turris on pace garbage is funny. Bill Muckult was on pace for 60 goals and 82 points in Minny before injuries derailed his career. The day Turris gets 70 points in one season, I'll by every Sens poster here a beer. He's a solid player, but he's at his peak. The insurance of Brassard should help create two solid lines.

I have trouble thinking that we can compete with teams like Pittsburgh, Chicago, LA, Washington, Dallas, San Jose, etc. In the regular season, there may be a win here and there, but when you match up for a playoff series, it's not even close.

The biggest concern has to be that they are the Sens. Forever irrelevant but I'm not complaining. I hop on the bus, pay $18 and I'm watching Nashville at Ottawa. Cheaper than OHL games. Love it. But I don't even bother paying $100 when the Leafs come to town. I'll watch the random Western non Canadian teams for dirt cheap.

The biggest concern has to be that they are the Sens. Forever irrelevant but I'm not complaining. I hop on the bus, pay $18 and I'm watching Nashville at Ottawa. Cheaper than OHL games. Love it. But I don't even bother paying $100 when the Leafs come to town. I'll watch the random Western non Canadian teams for dirt cheap.
- Njuice

We're happy you're happy being cheap, you're non-existent girlfriend wouldn't have it any other way.

I've lived in OTT for 2 years. I'm a Leaf fan. Most of what I say could be argued as "well yeah your team finally rebuilt, and that's fair" But. here we go.

The Sens have some great young talent. Hoffman is legit. Mark Stone... when you actually watch the games and not just stats(he has those too) you know that he is a sniper. He is a talent. I haven't seen enough to talk about guys like Methot or Ceci but still...

I do feel like Ottawa will perpetually be a 7th-10th place team in the East. They have good young talent. Like that Zibane...nevermind. But they do have young talent.

Unfortunately right now they don't have contender talent. And if you are looking at the future - despite Ott's young talent - they will be playing in a division with teams who rebuilt. Buffalo and Toronto could be ahead of Ottawa this year(unlikely...too much youth) but they will both be real contenders long before Ottawa.

And Ottawa is not a contender now.(TB, FLA, WAS, PIT) and you might even throw in NYI, NYR and PHI who are in another division, but are probably better than Ottawa.

Ottawa is treading water. I live in Ottawa. I enjoy watching a Sens game vs. Predators for $18 instead of watching an OHL 67's game for $22.

The Sens have some great young talent. Stone is my fav. But the Sens look like they are destined form 6th-10th - forever.(see my leaf fan disclaimer above)

And... as Leaf fan, I would like to pretend Montreal is total garbage, nothing would make me more happier...but who knows...really who knows.

Sens are F'ed. The owner says...we need to make round 1 of the playoffs. Man. I live in walking distance of Lebreton Flats(the new proposed arena location) and I believe it would make a huge difference.

Before I lived here, and worked in suburbs I though..."You idiots have an NHL team. COMMUTE!" Then I worked in an East end suburb.(Sens play in a west end suburb). These weirdo's I worked with have children and stuff... they won't travel from 30km east of the city to 30km west of the city for a hockey game. THey get home at midnight.(in my mind who cares, but that's reality. Normal ppl have children and sleep at normal times).

Summary:
Ottawa is toiling.
Ottawa in Lebreton Flats(close enough to downtown) would be HUGE.
Also Ottawa will soon be launching a Subway system. That won't reach Kanata until the Sens are in downtown, but it would help the suburban pop come downtown to watch games.

As a Leaf Fan:
Ottawa Sucks. Leafs suck. I want both to be good so we can our rivalry back.
- Njuice

The NHL is WAY to close to comment on potential cup contenders coming into the next season. For one, I don't see Panthers being as good and lucky this next season, perhaps they might not even make playoffs. Maybe, probably; who knows? The thing that plague the sens was mainly poor coaching and on ice management. The last 3 coaches have all failed miserably in coaching defense and also have failed at special teams. They've all had terrible track records at making bad lines decisions at the end of games that cost the team a few points in the standings. They also were not able to prepare the team for the start of games. I think they are missing an elite centre, but I do not think an elite center is necessary to make the playoffs. On top of the bad coaching, the sens had terrible luck last season and underperformed vastly. If the tide slightly changes for the better this team will be battling for a playoff position IMO. Good coaching makes a big difference, and you can't evaluate a team based on player evaluation. Sens were 7th in scoring last season, they have the offensive weapons to be great. They need consistency, depth and they need to clean their defense.

As for assuming toronto or Buffalo would be contenders before the sens, sounds a bit ignorant, your team was one of the worste. If Karlsson is one of the greatest players in the league right now and the sens still struggled, I doubt Marner and Matthews will bring Toronto to the cup, and might not even take them to playoffs for a few years. As for buffalo, they keep getting good players, but none of which are elite talent, they are kind of in the same boat as the sens, but they acquired players and did not develop them.

Pretty sure Hoff scored 29 last season.

I can see Hoff, Turris, Brass, Stone and Ryan potting at least 20. I don't think anyone else will. Maybe Karlsson.
- Erik6Karlsson5

oops thats right.

I think someone else will

The goggles are thick on this one. I don't think anyone compared offensive play drive with Hedman and Carlsson to Karlsson. They pointed out that other teams have top tier defensemen too. Karlsson is the most gifted defencman in the East. That doesn't mean the other guys are chop liver. Patrick Kane is the best winger in the game, but that doesn't mean Jamie Benn is worthless in comparison. like how you say Letang is a solid comparison, but kind of ignore why they won. What does Pittsburgh have that Ottawa doesn't have? Hmmmm.

The Turris on pace garbage is funny. Bill Muckult was on pace for 60 goals and 82 points in Minny before injuries derailed his career. The day Turris gets 70 points in one season, I'll by every Sens poster here a beer. He's a solid player, but he's at his peak. The insurance of Brassard should help create two solid lines.

I have trouble thinking that we can compete with teams like Pittsburgh, Chicago, LA, Washington, Dallas, San Jose, etc. In the regular season, there may be a win here and there, but when you match up for a playoff series, it's not even close.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

First of all let's begin by stating your cowardly cop out in front of these schmucks.
Now let's get to your very weak counterarguments. Hedman and Carlson lack Karlsson's ability to drive and create play for their respective teams. That's what is being argued. Comparing those two to Karlsson, is like comparing Bergeron and Spezza to Crosby. The significance of having a franchise player usurps the immediate need to accomodate an equal talent up front in Ottawa's case. Also, it is foolish to think a team can support having two franchise players in today's capped NHL. Letand and Crosby are a close exception so are Thornton and Burns.

Your Turris remarks are quite disgraceful. Ask any other poster here and they will tell you how good that HST line was playing. Complete domination. I hope you watched, but I doubt it since you compared it Muckult's legacy...

Your last point is arguing something I did not even bring into light. I said Ottawa has a good chance of finishing 2nd in the Atlantic. I did not name drop any Western Conference team, nor do I, personally, think they can match up with them either. However, if the West is going to stop us, we'll see them in the Finals...

When you having nothing to say so you use an emoticon to cover your ignorance.