Jared Crozier: Senators On The Chase - Drake and Bruce Edition

To quote the great Bob Mackenzie

"there's a reason these players aren't drafted"

no more college "flyers" please....it only costs us this or hardly costs us that?

It still costs.

No thanks.

.@TSNBobMcKenzie tells @TSN1260 Edmonton that Canucks are viewed as front-runners for North Dakota's Drake Caggiula


As mentioned, these kids rarely make even a minimal impact at the NHL level, some do however. (Chris Tanev)

To quote the great Bob Mackenzie

"there's a reason these players aren't drafted"

no more college "flyers" please....it only costs us this or hardly costs us that?

It still costs.

No thanks.
- Octavarium

from a Sportsnet article some notable names who were never drafted:

Danny Dekeyser
Torey Krug
Tyler Bozak
Matt Read
J.T. Brown
Justin Fontaine
Teddy Purcell
Ben Scrivens
Matt Irwin
Mark Letestu

and don't forget Martin St. Louis Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour
certainly no guarantees but sometimes it is worth a shot. Some guys are late bloomers.

If the Sens get Caggiulla, it isn't exactly a problem if he never becomes an NHL guy, he is very likely AT LEAST a quality AHL guy that will help create a positive winning environment in Bingo for the other prospects. I think he will have a bit of an NHL career. I'm not suggesting he is a star but he is an asset.

Twitter today is FULL of tweets saying Boudreau coming to Ottawa is looking very likely. Apparently Boudreau wants to be in Ottawa ( probably for family reasons ) and the Sens are big on him as well.

Not going to bother posting links...there are a lot, and they aren't hard to find.

Extremely limited interest league wide, yet Sens, or at least this author, believe could fill a top-6 role on this team. So either the Sens know something the rest of the league doesn't or the Sens current top 6 is pretty dismal.

That said, Caligula is a cool name, so I hope he signs

Do you think Boudreau can teach Bobby Ryan to spell intense?

from a Sportsnet article some notable names who were never drafted:

Danny Dekeyser
Torey Krug
Tyler Bozak
Matt Read
J.T. Brown
Justin Fontaine
Teddy Purcell
Ben Scrivens
Matt Irwin
Mark Letestu

and don't forget Martin St. Louis Curtis Joseph and Ed Belfour
certainly no guarantees but sometimes it is worth a shot. Some guys are late bloomers.
- JaredCrozier

Thanks for providing names. There are more out there as well. College signings are certainly hit and miss, but I don't see how you can go wrong with adding a young prospect for free. Guys like Bobby Butler and Stephan Da Costa didn't pan out, but they came closer than a lot of prospects we have drafted.

I agree that there is some weight to the "theres a reason he wasn't drafted" point, but even guys who have been drafted amount to even less. Some guys progress a little later that others. Would be nice to get another prospect. In my mind, we have Paul, White, and Chabot who have a reasonable ceiling. The rest are not much to hope for.

As for the coaching. I'm not as high on Bredreau as some here are, but I don't think he'd be a terrible choice. I certainly don't think he's the answer we've been looking for. We need a better roster for whoever comes in and coaches this team. I would say hiring Bruce would be a signal that Eugene is willing to shell out a little more cash to get this team better. That would be a positive. Just hope it doesn't stop there.

Extremely limited interest league wide, yet Sens, or at least this author, believe could fill a top-6 role on this team. So either the Sens know something the rest of the league doesn't or the Sens current top 6 is pretty dismal.

That said, Caligula is a cool name, so I hope he signs
- grim

He visited almost 1/3 of the league, and those were just the teams he was interested in, I am sure there were teams that were interested but not on his radar. I wouldn't call that limited interest.

Do you think Boudreau can teach Bobby Ryan to spell intense?
- yzermaneely

The ducks helped him learn how to spell CHOKE so odds are his skills are improving

Thanks for providing names. There are more out there as well. College signings are certainly hit and miss, but I don't see how you can go wrong with adding a young prospect for free. Guys like Bobby Butler and Stephan Da Costa didn't pan out, but they came closer than a lot of prospects we have drafted.

I agree that there is some weight to the "theres a reason he wasn't drafted" point, but even guys who have been drafted amount to even less. Some guys progress a little later that others. Would be nice to get another prospect. In my mind, we have Paul, White, and Chabot who have a reasonable ceiling. The rest are not much to hope for.

As for the coaching. I'm not as high on Bredreau as some here are, but I don't think he'd be a terrible choice. I certainly don't think he's the answer we've been looking for. We need a better roster for whoever comes in and coaches this team. I would say hiring Bruce would be a signal that Eugene is willing to shell out a little more cash to get this team better. That would be a positive. Just hope it doesn't stop there.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

Perron and Gagne are two other prospects that look strong. Will be fun to see how they do (or stand out) at the development camp this summer

Difficult to handicap Caggiula sweepstakes, but sense is it's down to VAN or EDM. Believe PHI, CHI, PIT, NYR and OTT are all out. We'll see.
- Frank Seravalli ‏@frank_seravalli 6m6 minutes ago

Perron and Gagne are two other prospects that look strong. Will be fun to see how they do (or stand out) at the development camp this summer
- SENS 613

True. They are having a good playoffs in junior. Don't see either being ready for the show for at least 2-3 years. Paul, White, and Chabot appear to be more NHL ready. Prospects are funny. There was a time where we didn't give a second thought to Mark Stone or Mike Hoffman. Now, both are vital components to this team.

I agree... there is too much hype on these NCAA guys coming in.... just with Ottawa alone, there has been the 'he's a T6 potential guy' only to have them not work out. If nothing else, he cld have a solid AHL career and fill in as a call up.

My expectations are really low for these guys. The list provided in another post indicated a dozen guys, who are average NHLers.... not counting the goalies

True. They are having a good playoffs in junior. Don't see either being ready for the show for at least 2-3 years. Paul, White, and Chabot appear to be more NHL ready. Prospects are funny. There was a time where we didn't give a second thought to Mark Stone or Mike Hoffman. Now, both are vital components to this team.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

From watching a bunch of these guys, I'd say Perron is closer. At the start of the year, I would have agreed, but he is dominating the league this year, and despite being on a very strong team, he is far and away their best player.

I very much agree about Gagne. He's not really close yet. He looks good, but he needs time to grow into his body. In the end, he may translate even better the NHL game because of how well rounded he is, but he needs time.

The ducks helped him learn how to spell CHOKE so odds are his skills are improving
- SENS 613

Lol I think Anaheim is the one team in the league we can't sh!t talk... (2007)
And Bobby Ryan, as talented as he is.... Needs more intensity
I actually agreed with that

I agree that White, Chabot, and Paul look like they're among the more NHL-ready prospects, but I'd definitely include Andreas Englund as well - who not only wore the 'C' at the WJC for Sweden, but wore an 'A' for his SEL team at age 19. He seems to play exactly the kind of game they prayed Cowen would figure out, and for my money he's the prospect with the best chance of taking over for Methot as the top-4-D stalwart.

Beyond that, Chlapik, Gagne, and Perron are definitely leading the way in terms of the next wave of forwards. Also, I have to say that I'm unusually bullish about Christian Jaros, who's already a 6'3-200lbs RH-shot defenceman playing in the SEL and on Slovakia's World Championship team. Hopefully having 4 picks in the top-90 of this year's draft will yield ever more promising depth.

As for the NCAA signings... I think people just need to moderate their expectations. For every Matt Read there are about 3 dozen of Bobby Butler, Stephane DaCosta, Cole Schneider, Buddy Robinson, or Pat Cannone.

From watching a bunch of these guys, I'd say Perron is closer. At the start of the year, I would have agreed, but he is dominating the league this year, and despite being on a very strong team, he is far and away their best player.

I very much agree about Gagne. He's not really close yet. He looks good, but he needs time to grow into his body. In the end, he may translate even better the NHL game because of how well rounded he is, but he needs time.
- MaxTLimit

You could very well be right about Perron. I think he will have to work on his strength for the NHL, but that is a kind of thing that can happen over a summer of training. While I don't think there is a huge difference between the CHL leagues in terms of prospect talent, I'm always a little weary of huge numbers put up in the Q. It's a hugely offensive league. He looks good though.

Gagne will be an interesting project. Seems to have a Mark Stone style report on him. As in if he improves in certain areas, he can be a game changing player in the NHL. But of course, that's an if.

The ducks helped him learn how to spell CHOKE so odds are his skills are improving
- SENS 613

Aren't most fans wanting their former coach to coach the Sens?
And 2007 Stanley Cup final.

I agree that White, Chabot, and Paul look like they're among the more NHL-ready prospects, but I'd definitely include Andreas Englund as well - who not only wore the 'C' at the WJC for Sweden, but wore an 'A' for his SEL team at age 19. He seems to play exactly the kind of game they prayed Cowen would figure out, and for my money he's the prospect with the best chance of taking over for Methot as the top-4-D stalwart.

Beyond that, Chlapik, Gagne, and Perron are definitely leading the way in terms of the next wave of forwards. Also, I have to say that I'm unusually bullish about Christian Jaros, who's already a 6'3-200lbs RH-shot defenceman playing in the SEL and on Slovakia's World Championship team. Hopefully having 4 picks in the top-90 of this year's draft will yield ever more promising depth.
- khawk

What picks do Sens all have? They have someone else's 2nd or something?

What picks do Sens all have? They have someone else's 2nd or something?
- ClarksonDavid

I originally saw this on a mock draft site, but I may be wrong about the 4th pick in the top-90. They appear to have their 1st and 2nd round picks, plus the 3rd round pick they got from the Islanders... but in looking closer at their 2nd round trade from last year it looks like the Devils had the option to take their 3rd round pick this year instead of their 4th round pick last year.

If that's right, they'll be drafting 12th, 42nd, and 86th overall in the first 3 rounds... then the 102nd, 132nd, and 162nd picks in the later rounds.

Re: Boudreau:

Source - "it's now about the numbers" #Boudreau #sens
- SensInsider ‏@SensInsider 5m5 minutes ago

What picks do Sens all have? They have someone else's 2nd or something?
- ClarksonDavid

Sens have their 1st and 2nd rounders. Isles 3rd rounder. Their own 4th 5th and 6th.

Sorry to triple post but edit button isn't working:

One of the U.S.-based NHL teams interested in college UFA Drake Caggiula (UND) has been informed the player is going to a team in CAN.
- Bob McKenzie ‏@TSNBobMcKenzie 2m2 minutes ago

Van Oil or Sens? Interesting.

Van Oil or Sens? Interesting.
- MaxTLimit

The Canucks drafted Brock Boeser who played with him at UND, but then again maybe he and Christian Wolanin are good friends also. Regardless, Ottawa has as excellent track record of giving undrafted NCAA players a legitimate shot, which is probably what he should be more concerned with.