Travis Yost: Guessing the Goalies

Lehner takes the reigns by the end of the season?

I'd try to split the time evenly in the beginning of the season. See who's performing the best and give them the edge the second half of the season.

At some point Anderson will be the backup, whether it be this season or next, and you have to prepare Lehner for the starting role by giving him more games each year.

win and you're in...just like the sens coach did a few years back..worked great

win and you're in...just like the sens coach did a few years back..worked great
- senstroll

Could be worse, our coach could publically be blaming our goalie for losses

Dont see the big deal in keeping Andy for this season.Even if he walks for nothing at the end of the year ,we got him for next to nothing, and he has been a good goalie during his time here .

I think this will be a 2-1 scenario - Andy gets the first 2 games and Lehner gets the next one - come playoff time it's anyone's guess.

Andy - 52 games
Lenher - 30 games

Andy does have a habit of being hurt or knifing himself - but I think in the playoffs they give the net to Lehner and start the future now

I think this will be a 2-1 scenario - Andy gets the first 2 games and Lehner gets the next one - come playoff time it's anyone's guess.

Andy - 52 games
Lenher - 30 games

Andy does have a habit of being hurt or knifing himself - but I think in the playoffs they give the net to Lehner and start the future now
- tuna99

If they make the playoffs

Could be worse, our coach could publically be blaming our goalie for losses
- forbetterorWORSE

it could be worse..you could have Carlyle as coach I agree

If they make the playoffs
- ClarksonDavid

They will. There's a player everyone is forgetting about called Erik Karlsson, EK is going to win the Hart, Norris and Lindsay award this season.

They will. There's a player everyone is forgetting about called Erik Karlsson, EK is going to win the Hart, Norris and Lindsay award this season.
- tuna99

Really? I didn't know that

I think both Anderson and Lehner will bounce back in a big way. Anderson will post a 0.925 SV% and Lehner will post a 0.930 SV%

Lehner will start 38-42 games and Anderson will start 40-44 games

I can see a fairly even split. It would make sense to get Lehner into as many games as practical. Not really sure what happens if they both suck, but we should see some sort of regression this year in goals against. Last year was the perfect storm. Defense got rattled, Andy and Lehner both looked weak in the mind. Robin was caught cheating, pulling away from the post way too early and got burned, repeatedly.

I think there might be two other factors at play here too. This year, with all four centres playing the same style of defensive game, the defenders should see more consistency from line to line, always getting the support they need from the forwards. Also, coaching. The Defense was so bad last year, I wonder if coaching should carry some of the blame. Were the D systems not working, or were the players simply that bad by themselves?

On the Karlsson article: EK's ability to carry the puck into the OZ may be interfering with the forwards' ability to create scoring chances of their own. You see in that video sequence that the Fwds have to wait at the blue line so long, that they have no momentum to carry into the zone. If EK passes off a little earlier, in the NZ, it may let the forwards maintain the speed to get behind the defenders.

Last point. EK nearly got killed a couple times in that video, but his little deke faked out the checker. One of these days he's gonna get smoked doing that.

I think both Anderson and Lehner will bounce back in a big way. Anderson will post a 0.925 SV% and Lehner will post a 0.930 SV%

Lehner will start 38-42 games and Anderson will start 40-44 games
- riceroni

So you expect them both to have top 5 SV% in the league next year? Must be nice

They will. There's a player everyone is forgetting about called Erik Karlsson, EK is going to win the Hart, Norris and Lindsay award this season.
- tuna99

Tad lofty.

They will. There's a player everyone is forgetting about called Erik Karlsson, EK is going to win the Hart, Norris and Lindsay award this season.
- tuna99

Not ready to go that far but I agree entirely with the substance of your sentiment. The team needs to be shaped around Karlsson's game. Turris is the model in terms of how you want Ottawa centers to play a 200' game. If the second line (either Legwand or Zibanejad) ends the season with an even count on goal differential this team easily makes the playoffs.

Tad lofty.
- TommyDeVito

He's already won the Norris - he would of won the Hart and Lindsay that season if Cooke didn't cheap shot him.

The guy's a stud, best Dman and maybe best player in the Olympics - his stats are off the charts.

I still think he's the best player in the league - I think next year he comes in and reminds everyone of why they love hockey - he's the best player to watch in the NHL

So you expect them both to have top 5 SV% in the league next year? Must be nice
- ClarksonDavid

Don't sh1t on my dreams!!!!

Well, we will need top 5 goaltending to make the playoffs next season...

He's already won the Norris - he would of won the Hart and Lindsay that season if Cooke didn't cheap shot him.

The guy's a stud, best Dman and maybe best player in the Olympics - his stats are off the charts.

I still think he's the best player in the league - I think next year he comes in and reminds everyone of why they love hockey - he's the best player to watch in the NHL
- tuna99

Do you think you might be a bit biased? Same guy that says Ryan's better then Kessel. Stop being a homer and be realistic. He's not the best player in the NHL, but him winning the Norris isn't out of the question.

Strongly recommend everyone read Travis' article in The Sporting News. Concludes that maybe Ottawa will need to add offensive drivers to take some of the puck handling and shooting pressures on Karlsson. Makes a lot of sense.

As Karlsson becomes an even larger portion of the Ottawa offence, perhaps it becomes easier for other teams to slow Ottawa down by having a defense concentrate on taking Karlsson off his game.

Do you think you might be a bit biased? Same guy that says Ryan's better then Kessel. Stop being a homer and be realistic. He's not the best player in the NHL, but him winning the Norris isn't out of the question.
- ClarksonDavid

Ottawa thread allows Ottawa bias. For most part guys here are pretty realistic, but there are strong differences of opinion. Generally, we don't do direct comparisons with Leaf players as it usually causes the thread to go downhill pretty fast.

Ottawa thread allows Ottawa bias. For most part guys here are pretty realistic, but there are strong differences of opinion. Generally, we don't do direct comparisons with Leaf players as it usually causes the thread to go downhill pretty fast.
- spatso

There's always going to be bias people but some posters are a little overboard sometimes, or all the time I find. There's nothing wrong with being a little realistic now and then...

He's already won the Norris - he would of won the Hart and Lindsay that season if Cooke didn't cheap shot him.

The guy's a stud, best Dman and maybe best player in the Olympics - his stats are off the charts.

I still think he's the best player in the league - I think next year he comes in and reminds everyone of why they love hockey - he's the best player to watch in the NHL
- tuna99

He's going to have to crack more than a point a game to get considered to win all 3. He's always going to be considered for the Norris, but will only win if the Sens make the playoffs. I love Karlsson too, but this is a tad overboard.

I do think Karlsson is a top 10 player in the NHL right now. I don't think that is a league-wide consensus, but with a full season of no lingering affects of his injury may change peoples mind in a hurry.

So you expect them both to have top 5 SV% in the league next year? Must be nice
- ClarksonDavid

Yes, and with not even an attempt at explaining how or why this is likely to happen... you've just got to 'feel it'.

Personally, I think the the team has to take a long look at last year's shots/game numbers, and reconsider their strategy - because as much as they were 4th best in shots for, they were also 2nd worst in shots against, and Spezza/Hemsky just become Legwand/Chiasson. Hopefully the addition of a couple of forwards with '200-foot games' will help things out, but they're likely going to be a lower scoring team, and can't just pretend they're not.

Also, I don't agree with people's dismissal of the leadership issue. Last year showed exactly what having inadequate leadership can do, and what I find surprising is that they not only failed to address the loss of Alfredsson, but also the loss of Gonchar. Nobody seems to talk about that, but they went from being the 2nd best defensive team in the lockout-shortened 2012/13 season, to being in utter disarray defensively in 2013/14. I'm not saying that was all because of Gonchar, but they certainly made no attempt to replace the value he brought as not only a quality 2nd puck-mover, but a much-needed veteran presence - and I think that continues to be a bigger issue than anything to do with the forwards and goaltending on this team.

There's always going to be bias people but some posters are a little overboard sometimes, or all the time I find. There's nothing wrong with being a little realistic now and then...
- ClarksonDavid

i actually think tuna undersold karlsson......i think he's also gonna win the selke, adams, and vezina.....to go along with his hart, norris, and lindsay. and that doesn't even include the stanley cup and conn smythe that he's obviously gonna win too.