They didn't qualify Duclair.
- Michael_Stuart

Sens swimming in cap space

Sens swimming in cap space
- Trilla

Hopefully he finds a team somewhere. His play deserved it, but if he can't even make it in Ottawa...

Sens swimming in cap space
- Trilla

this was definitely not only about money. i'm sure term had a lot to do with it.

sucks he's gone, but i'm not devastated about this....he would have eventually got pushed out of the top six by prospects coming in, and was probably asking for lots of term....sick of getting 1 year "prove it" contracts.

he had a lot of holes in his game, and painfully inconsistent. would have liked to have him back on a short term deal......but this isn't exactly crippling to the team or anything

Heard he wanted 5+ years at 4-5M

Heard he wanted 5+ years at 4-5M
- Athrin

hard pass on that if it's what he wanted

hard pass on that if it's what he wanted
- sensarmy_11

Agreed, too inconsistent for a contract more than 2 years.

Agreed, too inconsistent for a contract more than 2 years.
- Athrin

He must have realized he had no leverage... right?

was probalby asking for too much, and they were afraid of what an arbitrator would give him.

wonder if him not wanting to sign here had something to do with them not really getting behind him on the HDA/BLM issues
- sensarmy_11

The arbitration walk away threshold is like $4.5M this year. If that's the worst case scenario here, I just don't see the rationale behind not qualifying.

this was definitely not only about money. i'm sure term had a lot to do with it.

sucks he's gone, but i'm not devastated about this....he would have eventually got pushed out of the top six by prospects coming in, and was probably asking for lots of term....sick of getting 1 year "prove it" contracts.

he had a lot of holes in his game, and painfully inconsistent. would have liked to have him back on a short term deal......but this isn't exactly crippling to the team or anything
- sensarmy_11

I believe the qualifying offer needs to include an increase (10%?). It also opens the arbitration process. I believe the Sens can still continue to negotiate with him. There are very few teams able to look at adding a $5m cap hit at this time. My guess is he resigns with Sens for substantially less than what he wanted.

The arbitration walk away threshold is like $4.5M this year. If that's the worst case scenario here, I just don't see the rationale behind not qualifying.
- Michael_Stuart

i don't disagree......walk away now, or walk away later, at least they know....this seems like a case of the player not wanting to be here, the team knowing it, and just ripping the bandaid off now

i don't disagree......walk away now, or walk away later, at least they know....this seems like a case of the player not wanting to be here, the team knowing it, and just ripping the bandaid off now
- sensarmy_11

I don't see it that way. He has very little leverage. There are so few teams that are able to add $5m players. What team comes knocking on his door.

If he wants $5m and Nylander is available at $6.5m. I ask about Nylander.

I'm ignorant in regard to arbitration. Can't they just let the arbitrator say what he should get, sign him and then trade him later in the season? That's got to be better than letting him walk for nothing. How are they going to reach the cap floor? I don't get it.

I don't see it that way. He has very little leverage. There are so few teams that are able to add $5m players. What team comes knocking on his door.

If he wants $5m and Nylander is available at $6.5m. I ask about Nylander.
- spatso

sure, but then it's not just 6.5, it's considerable assets on top of that to acquire him.....not really comparable

I'm ignorant in regard to arbitration. Can't they just let the arbitrator say what he should get, sign him and then trade him later in the season? That's got to be better than letting him walk for nothing. How are they going to reach the cap floor? I don't get it.
- PogBoi

if the arbitrator gives him like 4-4.5 mil though, is he even a tradable asset....nobody will be able to take on that deal, most teams are going to be hard up against the cap.......then ottawa has a player who doesn't want to be there, probably not pleasant in teh lockeroom, and they lose him for nothing next year after giving him 4 mil

i don't necessarily agree with the decision, but i can sort of see the logic from Ottawa's side.

you don't want to sign him for term or big money, and if it goes to arbitration the relationship is likely soured to the point you lose him next year for nothing anyways.

obviously you're a negative person who can't take a win, even when it's staring you right in the face, and every expert and analyst has said that ottawa had a better 2 days than any other team.
- sensarmy_11

I'm still amazed that you can't grasp how predetermined it was that Ottawa was almost certain to have a better 2 days than any other team, simply by virtue of the fact they had the #3/5 overall picks, three 1st round picks in total, four 2nd round picks, and over $40M of cap space to play with. You could have flipped a coin with Byfield/Stutzle, pulled a name out of the hat among the next 6 players at #5, played the Sportsnet home game at #28, and traded all of the other picks for a Dixie cup full of Gary Bettman's ball sweat, and still had a better 2 days than the vast majority of other teams.

Meanwhile, you're going off into hyperbole about Sanderson, using phrases like "can't miss top-pairing guy" to describe a player who very likely won't even play on the top-pairing (i.e. he and Chabot aren't likely to play together), and drawing comparisons with Hedman/Chara before he's even played a game in the NCAA. Meanwhile, according to you Stutzle can be a #1C by force of will, even though it's quite reasonable, and entirely possible that he may actually be a better fit on the wing. So I get that you're obviously happy with the picks, but maybe let them play a game or two before warming up those HHOF ballots? They're not sons of Jor-El.

anything beyond round 2 is a complete crapshoot, so who cares
- sensarmy_11

Well, first off, most of my concern was about the 2nd round picks, which in a deep draft should yield some quality talent. And I'm sorry, but I actually do care about the later-round picks that in the past have landed this team players like Stone, Hoffman, Dzingel, Pageau, Smith, and Borowiecki, and more recently yielded prospects like Hogberg, Batherson, Lajoie, Jaros, Daccord, and Wolanin. Call it a crapshoot if you want, but this team has often been better than most at finding decent talent outside of the first 2 rounds of the draft. But they sure didn't get that level of talent by wasting 2nd/3rd round picks on players who quite honestly may not have otherwise even been drafted today.

side note, i got an autographed duclair hat last year, so the writing was on the wall anyways.

i have 4-5 jersey's/hats signed.....and every player was gone within a year (heatley, alfi, methot, fisher, and now duclair).

if i ever see tkachuk or chabot i'm running the other f-ing way

I'm still amazed that you can't grasp how predetermined it was that Ottawa was almost certain to have a better 2 days than any other team, simply by virtue of the fact they had the #3/5 overall picks, three 1st round picks in total, four 2nd round picks, and over $40M of cap space to play with. You could have flipped a coin with Byfield/Stutzle, pulled a name out of the hat among the next 6 players at #5, and traded all of the other picks for a Dixie cup full of Gary Bettman's ball sweat, and still had a better 2 days than the vast majority of other teams.

Meanwhile, you're going off into hyperbole about Sanderson, using phrases like "can't miss top-pairing guy" to describe a player who very likely won't even play on the top-pairing (i.e. he and Chabot aren't likely to play together), and drawing comparisons with Hedman/Chara before he's even played a game in the NCAA. Meanwhile, according to you Stutzle can be a #1C by force of will, even though it's quite reasonable, and entirely possible that he may actually be a better fit on the wing. So I get that you're obviously happy with the picks, but maybe let them play a game or two before warming up those HHOF ballots? They're not sons of Jor-El.


Well, first off, most of my concern was about the 2nd round picks, which in a deep draft should yield some quality talent. And I'm sorry, but I actually do care about the later-round picks that in the past have landed this team players like Stone, Hoffman, Dzingel, Pageau, Smith, and Borowiecki, and more recently yielded prospects like Hogberg, Batherson, Lajoie, Jaros, Daccord, and Wolanin. Call it a crapshoot if you want, but this team has often been better than most at finding decent talent outside of the first 2 rounds of the draft. But they sure didn't get that level of talent by wasting 2nd/3rd round picks on players who quite honestly may not have otherwise even been drafted today.
- khawk

shouldn't you really take your own advice here?

you're doing the exact opposite....before any of these guys plays a single second of pro hockey, you're claiming that the team made the wrong picks. you have no (frank)ing idea

most of us hated the tkachuk pick
most of us thought lazar was going to be a star
most of us thought that silfverberg was going to be the next alfi
most of us thought the dman who we traded to get turris was a can't miss prospect (can't even remember his name now)
most of us thought cowen and ceci were going to be staples in our top 4
most people despised the karlsson pick when it was made
people laughed when stone was picked

fact is, none of us know.....it's just of you to say that ottawa made the wrong pick as it is of me to say these are can't miss guys.

if the arbitrator gives him like 4-4.5 mil though, is he even a tradable asset....nobody will be able to take on that deal, most teams are going to be hard up against the cap.......then ottawa has a player who doesn't want to be there, probably not pleasant in teh lockeroom, and they lose him for nothing next year after giving him 4 mil

i don't necessarily agree with the decision, but i can sort of see the logic from Ottawa's side.

you don't want to sign him for term or big money, and if it goes to arbitration the relationship is likely soured to the point you lose him next year for nothing anyways.
- sensarmy_11

Unfortunately, decided to engage a fool as his agent.

Duclair represents Duclair.

No agent would have ever allowed him to venture out into free agency in a world where very few teams are shopping for $5m forwards.

Sad choice. I hope it gets fixed for his sake.

side note, i got an autographed duclair hat last year, so the writing was on the wall anyways.

i have 4-5 jersey's/hats signed.....and every player was gone within a year (heatley, alfi, methot, fisher, and now duclair).

if i ever see tkachuk or chabot i'm running the other f-ing way
- sensarmy_11

All of our b!tching aside, that's pretty crazy. I'm really not sure what they're doing with Duclair, but this seems particularly foolish.

Now that the draft is over it's time to prepare for next season. DJ Smith has to mould this young team into a future contender. Is he the man for the job or is he on the hot seat.

shouldn't you really take your own advice here?
- sensarmy_11

When I go around claiming players who have never played a game in the NHL are sure-fire #1C and top-pairing d-men, I'll be sure to listen to myself. Meanwhile, perhaps you can take your rose-colored glasses off for a second, and consider that just maybe it's possible that they've actually not had a very good 2nd day at the draft, instead of just copping out behind dumb-$hit rhetoric like "gee it's hard to tell, who really knows". Most years it might not matter as much, but when you have four 2nd round picks, and two 3rd round picks in play in the midst of a massive rebuild, well that's maybe a bit of a different story.

And for the record, please don't go assuming you know anything about my opinions. I didn't hate the Tkachuk pick, I didn't hate the Karlsson pick, I didn't laugh when Stone was drafted (because I actually watched him play in the WHL), I didn't love or hate the Lazar/Cowen picks, I didn't particularly think much of Rundblad, and I quite frankly don't dislike Stutzle or Sanderson. I'm just not gushing like a little girl on prom night because they didn't manage to overtly f@ck-up picking at #3 and #5 in a very strong draft. For whatever reason, you persist in believing that's some kind of a magnificent achievement. Obviously I hope they can both step right in and thrive, but the team still has major holes they need to address, and personally I think they missed several opportunities to address that over the past 2 days.

shouldn't you really take your own advice here?

you're doing the exact opposite....before any of these guys plays a single second of pro hockey, you're claiming that the team made the wrong picks. you have no (frank)ing idea

most of us hated the tkachuk pick
most of us thought lazar was going to be a star
most of us thought that silfverberg was going to be the next alfi
most of us thought the dman who we traded to get turris was a can't miss prospect (can't even remember his name now)
most of us thought cowen and ceci were going to be staples in our top 4
most people despised the karlsson pick when it was made
people laughed when stone was picked

fact is, none of us know.....it's just of you to say that ottawa made the wrong pick as it is of me to say these are can't miss guys.
- sensarmy_11

You are entirely correct.

Problem is people want to evaluate the particular rather than validate the notion that true Providence can only experienced at the level of the general.

Statistical probability is affected by bias. Bias is always subjective and conditioned by the experience.

Ultimately, the draft for the Sens was shaped by Dorion's bias for physical players and his further bias towards bigger bodies. Debating the individual choices is totally redundant. He either passes or fails on the total body of his work.

I give him a pass.

When I go around claiming players who have never played a game in the NHL are sure-fire #1C and top-pairing d-men, I'll be sure to listen to myself. Meanwhile, perhaps you can take your rose-colored glasses off for a second, and consider that just maybe it's possible that they've actually not had a very good 2nd day at the draft, instead of just copping out behind dumb-$hit rhetoric like "gee it's hard to tell, who really knows". Most years it might not matter as much, but when you have four 2nd round picks, and two 3rd round picks in play in the midst of a massive rebuild, well that's maybe a bit of a different story.

And for the record, please don't go assuming you know anything about my opinions. I didn't hate the Tkachuk pick, I didn't hate the Karlsson pick, I didn't laugh when Stone was drafted (because I actually watched him play in the WHL), I didn't love or hate the Lazar/Cowen picks, I didn't particularly think much of Rundblad, and I quite frankly don't dislike Stutzle or Sanderson. I'm just not gushing like a little girl on prom night because they didn't manage to overtly f@ck-up picking at #3 and #5 in a very strong draft. For whatever reason, you persist in believing that's some kind of a magnificent achievement. Obviously I hope they can both step right in and thrive, but the team still has major holes they need to address, and personally I think they missed several opportunities to address that over the past 2 days.
- khawk

who's gushing.....i'm just choosing to be positive about the last 2 days and take a "wait and see" stance, rather than jumping to conclusions on players i literally know nothing about (and don't pretend you do either), while whining and female doging about every move this team makes, which has become the norm for a lot of sens fans here.

like i told the other guy, if all you're going to do is female dog about and criticize everything they do, then go cheer for another (frank)ing team so we don't have to listen to it.

Sens swimming in cap space
- Trilla

Great year to have it, lots of guys going UFA who probably wouldn't have in any other year. Teams have some serious options to add decent pieces as UFAs.

Surprised about Duclair. Not like cap space is an issue this season. Even if you have a guy who “doesn’t want to be here” (who even knows if that’s true), you have a guy motivated for a contract you can flip at the deadline. I would think that’s better than losing him for nothing.