Senators 4, Canadiens 2
The Ottawa Senators played another solid game, this time beating one of the best goalies in the league 3 times en route to consecutive night wins over the Habs in their home and home preseason swan songs. Here are My 10 Random Thoughts from the game:
1. Mike Hoffman was a standout for the second straight night, making a strong case for himself when the final opening night roster is named. Also, if anyone around the league was watching, and I am sure they were, he at least made a case for himself to get picked up should he land on waivers this week.
2. Erik Karlsson will never be a great defensive defenseman, but over the last two nights he certainly proved that his "give a damn" is back in his own end. His active stick and body positioning that helped him win a Norris three seasons ago was evident against Montreal, most notably while killing a lengthy Habs 5-on-3 power play.
3. Two minor penalties were called last night simply because the Senators were making hits with both hands on their sticks. The Maple Leafs used to have a rule that defensemen needed to always have two hands on their lumber, and it made them look silly. Hopefully this was just a coincidence and the Senators haven't instituted a similar policy. Mark Borowiecki and Mark Stone both made hits that would not have been called cross-checking if they had only one hand on their stick.
4. Maybe its just me, but the Habs seemed "floppy". Alex Galchenyuk, David Desharnais and Mike Weaver all went down just a little too easily in drawing penalty calls.
5. Craig Anderson played a very solid game. I have been critical of the way he played last season and was not sure he could rebound this year, but last night was a good start. He was square to the puck and looked cool and confident, which is a good sign.
6. David Legwand is better than I thought. One of the things my hockey-following friends always tease me about was the 1998 draft when I said I would have taken Legwand over Vincent Lecavalier. It turns out that in the long run I was wrong on that one, but watching Legwand even in just the pre-season, he does a lot of little things that would often go unnoticed that make a difference.
7. I don't want to sound like a broken record, and I said it after Friday's game, but Curtis Lazar is good, and good now. It wouldn't surprise me if he was in the Calder conversation in March/April if he can get past October.
8. I had to remind myself last night that Marc Methot is injured and not in a holdout. There has been so much talk about the need to get a deal done before the season starts, but at this point it might be a risk, given the apparent injury trouble and the uncertainty of when he will return. Methot's strategy might backfire if he is on the shelf for very long and the blue line rounds into shape and is more than adequate.
9. With #8 being said, it could come down to finances and the willingness of Eugene Melnyk to eat some salary and pay an NHL ticket to a player or two in the AHL, if it makes the team better.
10. I am not nearly as worried about the state of the Senators blue line with the way Jared Cowen has played the last two games beside Erik Karlsson. Every move he makes will be under the magnifying glass until he proves he has bounced back, but aside from the fist 10 seconds on Friday night, he has been very good.
DECISIONS, DECISIONS
Now that the pre-season games are finished, the Senators have a couple of days to digest the information and determine which players have played their way on (or off) the team.
Without taking any contract status or complicatons into account, the 13 forwards I would have on my team are:
Clarke MacArthur - Kyle Turris - Mark Stone Bobby Ryan - Mika Zibanejad - Alex Chiasson Curtis Lazar - David Legwand - Mike Hoffman Milan Michalek - Zack Smith - Chris Neil Colin Greening
and the 8 defensemen:
Erik Karlsson - Jared Cowen Cody Ceci - Marc Methot Chris Phillips - Mark Borowiecki Eric Gryba - Patrick Wiercioch
This means Erik Condra, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Aaron Johnson and Alex Grant would be out of luck, with Condra and Johnson requiring waivers. On the blue line, Phillips, Gryba and Wiercioch would rotate as the #6 d-man with the other 5 being everyday players.
Ideally, Wiercioch could be convinced to go to Binghamton on a couple of consecutive "contitioning stints" for a month and basically press reset. He has the talent but just doesn't appear to have the confidence at this level. If he would accept a couple of conditioning stints and have Luke Richardson rebuild him back up, I think it would go a long way to resurrecting a stagnant career.
That is what I would do, but what will the Senators do?
The first question is with Cody Ceci. He struggled the last couple of games, but was also playing with Phillips and Wiercioch. Were they dragging him down or has he taken a slight step back and has he put himself in a position where, because of his contract status, his contribution isn't so much more than the next best guy that they risk losing Condra (or Hoffman, if that is the way they decide to go) on waivers. They could send Ceci down at any time this season without exposing him to waivers.
If Methot starts the season on the DL, they can delay the decision, keep Condra & Hoffman and see how Ceci performs with different partners. I think the Senators need his puck-moving ability but he didn't look good in either game against Montreal. If Cowen-Karlsson works, then Methot-Ceci would be a nice second pair when Methot returns.
I know the Senators like Condra, but I don't really see him re-signing with the team after this season and it wouldn't be the end of the world if he got picked up on waivers. There are guys in the system that can fill that spot, with more upside. Hoffman has shown enough to warrant a roster spot, and Lazar will get his nine games and probably more if his compete level is any indication he will not allow himself to become expendable.
I have rambled on enough for a Sunday morning! Enjoy your day.