Great win last night against a team that was playing for something still. The point about the players regressing if Smith is gone.....is a fair one. They do seem to like him alot. I like Chris Kelly. His price goes way up if and when the Bruins win the stanely cup. We won't be the only ones after him.

I don't think the Formenton situation had anything to do with media ranting and court of public opinion either. Much of what I read was the opposite. They didn't even want to type his name. It seemed to be a story the media, besides that bozo that broke it, wanted to avoid. Rick Westhead was the main one lighting torches but only because it served his greater purpose of making himself a relevant reporter again. The Sens did what any prudent business would do with a potentially tainted asset. They shelved it. Can't really shelve a big contract goalie without getting into a bunch of NHLPA vs. NHL questions so that player kept on playing. But the Sens asset was without a contract, and without options to play elsewhere in the NHL.

To play devil's advocate though and see it a little bit from Whatsavailable's point of view. Jake Virtanen never had a chance. Even found not-guilty by our judicial system the court of public opinion still thinks he's guilty of something and that's the end of that career.

Back to the on-ice product.
I didn't know that Freddy Andersen was a ufa. Imagine having two Danes? That know and like each other in nets? I like that combo.
I like keeping deBrincat at a fair price point.
I like getting ahead of Jake Sanderson contract.
I think now is the best time to trade Brannstrom.
Keep Hamonic on a team friendly deal, but give him term if he's willing to be cheap.
Gambrell, Watson, Brown, Kelly, can go seek life elsewhere. I'd keep Gauthier.

Great win last night against a team that was playing for something still. The point about the players regressing if Smith is gone.....is a fair one. They do seem to like him alot. I like Chris Kelly. His price goes way up if and when the Bruins win the stanely cup. We won't be the only ones after him.

I don't think the Formenton situation had anything to do with media ranting and court of public opinion either. Much of what I read was the opposite. They didn't even want to type his name. It seemed to be a story the media, besides that bozo that broke it, wanted to avoid. Rick Westhead was the main one lighting torches but only because it served his greater purpose of making himself a relevant reporter again. The Sens did what any prudent business would do with a potentially tainted asset. They shelved it. Can't really shelve a big contract goalie without getting into a bunch of NHLPA vs. NHL questions so that player kept on playing. But the Sens asset was without a contract, and without options to play elsewhere in the NHL.

To play devil's advocate though and see it a little bit from Whatsavailable's point of view. Jake Virtanen never had a chance. Even found not-guilty by our judicial system the court of public opinion still thinks he's guilty of something and that's the end of that career.

Back to the on-ice product.
I didn't know that Freddy Andersen was a ufa. Imagine having two Danes? That know and like each other in nets? I like that combo.
I like keeping deBrincat at a fair price point.
I like getting ahead of Jake Sanderson contract.
I think now is the best time to trade Brannstrom.
Keep Hamonic on a team friendly deal, but give him term if he's willing to be cheap.
Gambrell, Watson, Brown, Kelly, can go seek life elsewhere. I'd keep Gauthier.
- Octavarium

A+

Agree on every point.

Especially yes to Hamonic if they can get to the right numbers on a deal.

I would be okay if they found the right package for Watson to stay.

Gauthier looks like he has the speed, shot and size to play top 9.

DeBrincat is an easy yes. He is an asset. Staying with the one year option might be best for everyone.

The contract situation had everything to do with the Formenton situation. It’s a bit unfair but it is what it is. Members of the 2018 Junior team will not be considered for any future international events until the investigation is complete. So even guys with contracts are not out of the woods yet.

Zero issues with Debrincat being qualified. It’s manageable.

Nice game last night. Was a good effort. Was nice to see the Giroux moment. Very good signing. I can only imagine how motivated he will be next season with a healthy roster. He still has game left for a couple more years.

First of all was great to see the team all come together for Giroux 1000 points 😁

Read PD gonna Qualify Debrincat even without long term commitments for 9m he better pot 50goals 😬
Signing Debrincat means they have confidence that Sogaard will be the backup
(Cause they won’t have money to fetch goalie)

I would let go all UFAs
Tkachuk Stutzle Giroux
Debrincat Norris Batherson
Grieg Pinto Joseph
Sokolov Kastelic Guthier (like this line)

Sanderson Zub
Chabot Brannstrom
Kleven Chychrun
JBD

Forsberg
Sogard

Weird thought on deBrincat's season. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but, scoring was up. WAY UP. Everyone and there uncle seemed to have increased season over season goal totals by ten. 20 goal guys were 30....30 goal guys 40 etc etc. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but....why, if that was the trend, did DeBrincat seem to buck that trend? I'm not 100% it had anything to do with Patrick Kane either.

Weird thought on deBrincat's season. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but, scoring was up. WAY UP. Everyone and there uncle seemed to have increased season over season goal totals by ten. 20 goal guys were 30....30 goal guys 40 etc etc. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but....why, if that was the trend, did DeBrincat seem to buck that trend? I'm not 100% it had anything to do with Patrick Kane either.
- Octavarium

Who's scoring was up by that much? The average goals/GP is 3.18 this year vs. 3.14 from last year. The team's goals for is 256 vs. 224 last year, so that's likely ~40G different by year's end. Not surprising, given that all of Giroux, DeBrincat, and Pinto contributed 20G+ seasons, and their PP finally established itself as one of the league's best. You have to wonder how close to 1,000 pts Giroux would have gotten playing with Pinto/Batherson instead of Stutzle/Tkachuk. DeBrincat takes a lot of crap, yet both of his most frequent linemates hit 20G, he nearly hit 30G/40A himself, and he led the team in PP points. Meanwhile, Kane's had a career-worst season with CHI/NYR.

I'm not 100% sold on DeBrincat being re-signed, but I don't think all of the criticism and knocks on him are fair, given that he's played with secondary ES talent for most of the season.

Like I said, just the allegations are more than enough for the pure and self righteous. Proof! We don't need no stinkin' proof!
- Whatisavailable

I am curious as to how you know what proof does or does not exist. Do you have an inside track to the same information the Senators have?

Weird thought on deBrincat's season. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but, scoring was up. WAY UP. Everyone and there uncle seemed to have increased season over season goal totals by ten. 20 goal guys were 30....30 goal guys 40 etc etc. I'm not sure where I'm going with this but....why, if that was the trend, did DeBrincat seem to buck that trend? I'm not 100% it had anything to do with Patrick Kane either.
- Octavarium

Debrincat didn’t score 40 goals. It’s a fact.

However, no one talks about his assists being a career high this season at 39 so far and his “down year” so far is only 12 points lower than his career best year last year of 78.

He does have a brutal plus minus but only a handful of players for the Sens were plus players. Mathieu Joseph and Erik Branstrom lead the way a +5. That will happen with mediocre 5 on 5 play. This is more of a coaching issue than a player issue.

There is still much to consider inserting him into the lineup going forth cap wise but the knocks on his game a really tiring. He did have a cold stretch around January/February but has been a solid contributor all year and of late, has shown some tenacity that fits in well with this current group.

I don’t mind qualifying him.

Impressive stat. Maybe there is a lot more to come!

Big Head Hockey
@BigHeadHcky
·
19h
Every U21 player since the lockout to hit 87 points

Connor McDavid
Sidney Crosby
Alex Ovechkin
Steven Stamkos

Tim Stutzle

First of all was great to see the team all come together for Giroux 1000 points 😁

Read PD gonna Qualify Debrincat even without long term commitments for 9m he better pot 50goals 😬
Signing Debrincat means they have confidence that Sogaard will be the backup
(Cause they won’t have money to fetch goalie)

I would let go all UFAs
Tkachuk Stutzle Giroux
Debrincat Norris Batherson
Grieg Pinto Joseph
Sokolov Kastelic Guthier (like this line)

Sanderson Zub
Chabot Brannstrom
Kleven Chychrun
JBD

Forsberg
Sogard
- sens4life1971

I would do:

Tkachuk Norris Batherson (Worked really well before)

DeBrincat Stutzle Giroux (Giroux might be able to fix this. Nobody plays well with DeBrincat but maybe Giroux and Stutzle will be enough)

Greig Pinto Gauthier (I liked how Gauthier played with Pinto and Pinto doesn't need to be saddled with Joseph)

Sokolov Kastelic Joseph (I don't see Sokolov as an NHL player; maybe a call up when necessary because of injuries but who else you going to play. Kelly? I like Kastelec and the only other guy I like there is Watson. Joseph can skate around really fast and do nothing. Try and move this guy if you can although I doubt it)

Sanderson Zub
Chabot Brannstrom
Kleven Chychrun
JBD

I'd resign Hamonic for less just for the depth which is always good.

Here's the killer. Everything up till here says playoffs but this goaltending tandem doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me. Who knows with friggin goalies? Sogaard looked fine against the Canes but couldn't stop a beachball in a light breeze on Saturday and that kind of goaltending doesn't get you far. Forsberg is not all of a sudden going to be a number 1. No money for a true number 1 so I predict at some point next season Pierre "Proudest Day Of My Life" Dorion will dazzle us all by giving up picks and/or assets like Batherson or Pinto along with JBD to bring in another Talbot and will justify moving those guys out in order to free up some cap space.

Forsberg
Sogaard

Hey but we will all be able to cheer on the highest paid player on the team for the next 8 years as he breaks the 30 goal 80 point barrier.

I would do:

Tkachuk Norris Batherson (Worked really well before)

DeBrincat Stutzle Giroux (Giroux might be able to fix this. Nobody plays well with DeBrincat but maybe Giroux and Stutzle will be enough)

Greig Pinto Gauthier (I liked how Gauthier played with Pinto and Pinto doesn't need to be saddled with Joseph)

Sokolov Kastelic Joseph (I don't see Sokolov as an NHL player; maybe a call up when necessary because of injuries but who else you going to play. Kelly? I like Kastelec and the only other guy I like there is Watson. Joseph can skate around really fast and do nothing. Try and move this guy if you can although I doubt it)

Sanderson Zub
Chabot Brannstrom
Kleven Chychrun
JBD

I'd resign Hamonic for less just for the depth which is always good.

Here's the killer. Everything up till here says playoffs but this goaltending tandem doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me. Who knows with friggin goalies? Sogaard looked fine against the Canes but couldn't stop a beachball in a light breeze on Saturday and that kind of goaltending doesn't get you far. Forsberg is not all of a sudden going to be a number 1. No money for a true number 1 so I predict at some point next season Pierre "Proudest Day Of My Life" Dorion will dazzle us all by giving up picks and/or assets like Batherson or Pinto along with JBD to bring in another Talbot and will justify moving those guys out in order to free up some cap space.

Forsberg
Sogaard

Hey but we will all be able to cheer on the highest paid player on the team for the next 8 years as he breaks the 30 goal 80 point barrier.
- Whatisavailable

Sometimes we compromise our capacity for common sense when we become desperate in wanting to prove that we were right. I was not a fan of Dorion signing Giroux, same for DeBrincat. But, they both have had good years. Not sure what is causing you such extreme agitation. You are entitled to your strong opinion. Time will prove you right or wrong. But excessive focus of your dislike of the DeBrincat trade takes away from some really good points that you make on other players.

I would do:

Tkachuk Norris Batherson (Worked really well before)

DeBrincat Stutzle Giroux (Giroux might be able to fix this. Nobody plays well with DeBrincat but maybe Giroux and Stutzle will be enough)

Greig Pinto Gauthier (I liked how Gauthier played with Pinto and Pinto doesn't need to be saddled with Joseph)

Sokolov Kastelic Joseph (I don't see Sokolov as an NHL player; maybe a call up when necessary because of injuries but who else you going to play. Kelly? I like Kastelec and the only other guy I like there is Watson. Joseph can skate around really fast and do nothing. Try and move this guy if you can although I doubt it)

Sanderson Zub
Chabot Brannstrom
Kleven Chychrun
JBD

I'd resign Hamonic for less just for the depth which is always good.

Here's the killer. Everything up till here says playoffs but this goaltending tandem doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in me. Who knows with friggin goalies? Sogaard looked fine against the Canes but couldn't stop a beachball in a light breeze on Saturday and that kind of goaltending doesn't get you far. Forsberg is not all of a sudden going to be a number 1. No money for a true number 1 so I predict at some point next season Pierre "Proudest Day Of My Life" Dorion will dazzle us all by giving up picks and/or assets like Batherson or Pinto along with JBD to bring in another Talbot and will justify moving those guys out in order to free up some cap space.

Forsberg
Sogaard

Hey but we will all be able to cheer on the highest paid player on the team for the next 8 years as he breaks the 30 goal 80 point barrier.
- Whatisavailable

Regarding goaltending, I hear ya. I am not sold Forsberg will even be effective after 2 knee injuries. I am not sure throwing money at goalies will work though. The UFA list stinks. Some intriguing RFA's but that can be tricky and only a few trade possibilities, which might be tricky.

We will have to see.

Sometimes we compromise our capacity for common sense when we become desperate in wanting to prove that we were right. I was not a fan of Dorion signing Giroux, same for DeBrincat. But, they both have had good years. Not sure what is causing you such extreme agitation. You are entitled to your strong opinion. Time will prove you right or wrong. But excessive focus of your dislike of the DeBrincat trade takes away from some really good points that you make on other players.
- spatso

I liked the Giroux signing. I said the Talbot trade was bad. I said the Paul trade was bad. I said the Brown trade was bad. I said the DeBrincat trade was bad. I said no need to trade for a number 1 C because Stutzle might be the guy. I liked the Stutzle signing. I liked the Batherson signing. I was on the fence about the Norris signing. There are other examples of me being reasonably accurate in my assessments but you get the picture.

I now think they should get out in front of the Sanderson and Pinto contracts and lock both of them up long term. I think they need a reliable starter in net or there may be a lot of disappointment next year. They really need to fill in their middle six with quality players or they won't go far if they do make it into the post season. These things will cost money.

Remove DeBrincat and his 9 million dollars and you have the money. DeBrincat over the coarse of his NHL career is a 34 goal .8 ppg player. He is not just small. He is tiny. He has a tendency to float and plays a poor game defensively. This year he is a minus 31. Do I want to give up on all the things I have said are necessary if this team is to be successful and by that I mean winning the Cup to give this guy 9 million dollars or 8 million dollars? Absolutely not! Unfortunately that clown of a GM just wants to hold onto his job and can't afford to look stupid so he will give this way over rated second line LW big money for term. Why shouldn't this agitate me?

I liked the Giroux signing. I said the Talbot trade was bad. I said the Paul trade was bad. I said the Brown trade was bad. I said the DeBrincat trade was bad. I said no need to trade for a number 1 C because Stutzle might be the guy. I liked the Stutzle signing. I liked the Batherson signing. I was on the fence about the Norris signing.

I now think they should get out in front of the Sanderson and Pinto contracts and lock both of them up long term. I think they need a reliable starter in net or there may be a lot of disappointment next year. They really need to fill in their middle six with quality players or they won't go far if they do make it into the post season. These things will cost money.

Remove DeBrincat and his 9 million dollars and you have the money. DeBrincat over the coarse of his NHL career is a 34 goal .8 ppg player. He is not just small. He is tiny. He has a tendency to float and plays a poor game defensively. This year he is a minus 31. Do I want to give up on all the things I have said are necessary if this team is to be successful and by that I mean winning the Cup to give this guy 9 million dollars or 8 million dollars? Absolutely not! Unfortunately that clown of a GM just wants to hold onto his job and can't afford to look stupid so he will give this way over rated second line LW big money for term. Why shouldn't this agitate me?
- Whatisavailable

I agree with almost everything you say. My point remains the same. I pretty much agree with everything you wrote. And, I don't totally disagree with what you worry about in regard to DeBrincat. But, because you put so much emphasis and emotion into DeBrincat it overwhelmed all your other good thoughts.

The Sens have multiple options for DeBrincat. The only option that is really bad is just letting him walk away without qualifying him. He is an asset and needs to be treated as something of value. Qualifying him is simply maintaining control of your asset. Be irresponsible to do anything else.

I agree with almost everything you say. My point remains the same. I pretty much agree with everything you wrote. And, I don't totally disagree with what you worry about in regard to DeBrincat. But, because you put so much emphasis and emotion into DeBrincat it overwhelmed all your other good thoughts.

The Sens have multiple options for DeBrincat. The only option that is really bad is just letting him walk away without qualifying him. He is an asset and needs to be treated as something of value. Qualifying him is simply maintaining control of your asset. Be irresponsible to do anything else.
- spatso

Put yourself in the shoes of any GM in the league. What would you be willing to give up in exchange for a 9 million dollar, 34 goal scorer, .8 ppg, 5'8", minus 31 LW?

Once Dorion qualifies this guy things get more difficult. Let's say he's having a 40 goal season and you're fighting for a wild card spot. Do you move him at the deadline and, if so, to who and for what? If you don't move him you either need to extend him or let him walk. You're back where you started from except you went through another year without a number 1 net minder and any effective depth scoring.

I, unlike you, don't think there are any good options. The least bad option is to just let him walk. I can't help but think that DeBrincat and his agent both knew very well what they were doing when they set up his last contract. So did Chicago and that's why they looked for and found a sucker to take him off their hands. Dorion would be crucified by the fan base and almost certainly be fired if he just let him walk so for self preservation sake he needs to give DeBrincat his money and term. The last thing Dorion will be thinking about is what's best for the franchise.

Not too far down the road Dorion or his replacement will need to find money. If it's Dorion then trading Batherson for a 2027 fifth round pick would be a possibility. Then there's always Chabot's 8 million dollars. The boys at TSN are already laying the groundwork by planting the idea in the public mind of the necessity of ridding the team of the Chabot boat anchor, or as they put it every hour every day - "I really like the player but but but but."

I remember when Edmonton won the McDavid lottery. I was loving it because I knew the Cup was on its way back to Canada. Three days later Bobby Burger announced the hiring of Peter "Bold Moves" Chiarelli as their new GM and my heart sank like a stone. I went on their forum and commented that I thought Chiarelli would do serious damage to that franchise's Cup aspirations. All they needed to do was draft a couple of D and find a goalie. That draft Chiarelli traded their 15th and 32nd picks for Griffin Reinhardt. I had been saying they should use those picks for Thomas Chabot and Brandon Carlo. The next year when they fell to the number 4 pick I was saying trade down and then take Chychrun. They still haven't fixed the goalie part and that's going to do them in.

Put yourself in the shoes of any GM in the league. What would you be willing to give up in exchange for a 9 million dollar, 34 goal scorer, .8 ppg, 5'8", minus 31 LW?

Once Dorion qualifies this guy things get more difficult. Let's say he's having a 40 goal season and you're fighting for a wild card spot. Do you move him at the deadline and, if so, to who and for what? If you don't move him you either need to extend him or let him walk. You're back where you started from except you went through another year without a number 1 net minder and any effective depth scoring.

I, unlike you, don't think there are any good options. The least bad option is to just let him walk. I can't help but think that DeBrincat and his agent both knew very well what they were doing when they set up his last contract. So did Chicago and that's why they looked for and found a sucker to take him off their hands. Dorion would be crucified by the fan base and almost certainly be fired if he just let him walk so for self preservation sake he needs to give DeBrincat his money and term. The last thing Dorion will be thinking about is what's best for the franchise.

Not too far down the road Dorion or his replacement will need to find money. If it's Dorion then trading Batherson for a 2027 fifth round pick would be a possibility. Then there's always Chabot's 8 million dollars. The boys at TSN are already laying the groundwork by planting the idea in the public mind of the necessity of ridding the team of the Chabot boat anchor, or as they put it every hour every day - "I really like the player but but but but."

I remember when Edmonton won the McDavid lottery. I was loving it because I knew the Cup was on its way back to Canada. Three days later Bobby Burger announced the hiring of Peter "Bold Moves" Chiarelli as their new GM and my heart sank like a stone. I went on their forum and commented that I thought Chiarelli would do serious damage to that franchise's Cup aspirations. All they needed to do was draft a couple of D and find a goalie. That draft Chiarelli traded their 15th and 32nd picks for Griffin Reinhardt. I had been saying they should use those picks for Thomas Chabot and Brandon Carlo. The next year when they fell to the number 4 pick I was saying trade down and then take Chychrun. They still haven't fixed the goalie part and that's going to do them in.
- Whatisavailable

I am not sure what GM shoes you're in where Batherson only fetches a 5th-round pick and Debrincat scoring 40 goals is a bad thing.

I am not sure what GM shoes you're in where Batherson only fetches a 5th-round pick and Debrincat scoring 40 goals is a bad thing.
- Gord_Wilson_2.0

I keep forgetting that some of you need me to sound the sarcasm alert so you don't get all confused. It's like trying to be sarcastic with a two year old. As far as explaining how a projected 40 goal season at the deadline might pose a bit of a dilemma - well I won't even try.

I keep forgetting that some of you need me to sound the sarcasm alert so you don't get all confused. It's like trying to be sarcastic with a two year old. As far as explaining how a projected 40 goal season at the deadline might pose a bit of a dilemma - well I won't even try.
- Whatisavailable

Have you been sarcastic about Debrincat this whole time?

I keep forgetting that some of you need me to sound the sarcasm alert so you don't get all confused. It's like trying to be sarcastic with a two year old. As far as explaining how a projected 40 goal season at the deadline might pose a bit of a dilemma - well I won't even try.
- Whatisavailable

So, I don't think anybody wants to fight with you or dissuade you of your views. We are headed into a truly exciting time for all Sens fans as we begin the era of new ownership, perhaps the building of a new arena and, most important, putting the finishing touches on a young roster that will contend.

How about the Sens 2020 draft? 6 of them (aged 21 and under) dressed for the Sens coming down the stretch. So many good things to focus on heading into the off season.

You have to qualify Debrincat or you lose the asset and all the assets you traded for him. Those weren't thrown into a vacuum - the player is good. If he gets qualified, you spend the season trying to determine if he wants to stay here. If we are contending and he's killing it, then you have a difficult decision to make. 9M is extremely easy to move with retention and salary flips, the demand will be high. It really only makes sense to get all twisted and conflicted about things when they become twisted and conflicted.

So, I don't think anybody wants to fight with you or dissuade you of your views. We are headed into a truly exciting time for all Sens fans as we begin the era of new ownership, perhaps the building of a new arena and, most important, putting the finishing touches on a young roster that will contend.

How about the Sens 2020 draft? 6 of them (aged 21 and under) dressed for the Sens coming down the stretch. So many good things to focus on heading into the off season.
- spatso

As I've been saying for these past couple of years I think the Sens have within their grasp the opportunity not just to contend but to actually bring the Cup back to Canada several times in the next decade. However the difference between winning it all on the one hand or just ending up like another Toronto or Edmonton is sometimes just a case of bad luck as in the case of TO (covid salary cap issues) or an idiot of a GM as in the case of Edmonton. In the case of Ottawa it would be both. Bad luck in the timing of the new ownership taking too long so that Dorion continues to make decisions up to and after the draft in which case new ownership might not see much point in moving him out for another year. Idiot of a GM not wanting to look stupid doubling down on DeBrincat and hoping the Forsberg/Sogaard tandem will do the trick and that secondary scoring will somehow magically not matter anymore to a winning team.

Let me explain something here. Brannstrom has been looking much better of late. That's because his skill set is not suited to being a third pairing Dman where the other team's fourth line is dumping the puck in and playing a hard, physical forecheck. There are a lot of teams where he could be a very effective and well paid top 4 Dman. Holding onto him in Ottawa doesn't make any sense when you've got the kind of left side Ottawa has. It's also not fair to the player. If I'm Brannstrom I want out of Ottawa the sooner the better.

DeBrincat is a good player and probably sees himself as a top line LW scoring 40+ goals and making big bucks. He's never going to be the number 1 LW in Ottawa and when Norris gets back next year there are going to be issues around PP time. We didn't see that this year because Norris just wasn't here. It would be difficult to score 40+ goals playing on the second line and not seeing a minute 45 seconds of ice time on the top PP unit for every PP. It wouldn't surprise me at all if DeBrincat decided he rather play somewhere he could be one of the top dogs making 9 or 10 million a year.

What do you do if you are Dorion? Well you give DeBrincat money and term because you want everybody to know you made a fantastic genius trade to get him. You resign Btannstrom because you know you might need him and because you want to show that was another brilliant and far sighted trade. You test the Forsberg/Sogaard tandem out because you don't have the money not to. If the net becomes a problem, and it will, you make another genius move. You trade Chabot for a goalie. All the Ottawa Sens broadcast brown nosers will be on board saying you've got to give to get, right? The fans will follow wherever they are led. Batherson and Pinto and JBD are other assets it will be easy to move. You've got to give to get, right? I hope I'm completely wrong.

Anyway as for the new ownership angle goes I'm hoping it will be a group that at least cares about the hockey aspect of things enough to bring in a competent management team that will understand that declaring that you're going to be a cap team next year as if that's some kind of achievement when you don't have a goalie or any effective depth scoring is the mark of an idiot used car salesman GM. Dorion actually said it in his last interview like he thought it was a massive victory. What bad luck that this is the GM!

Lastly, if they build this new arena at Lebreton I'll be able to just walk over from home to see a game. I'm hoping I'll be cheering on a Stanley Cup winner when that time comes.

I keep forgetting that some of you need me to sound the sarcasm alert so you don't get all confused. It's like trying to be sarcastic with a two year old. As far as explaining how a projected 40 goal season at the deadline might pose a bit of a dilemma - well I won't even try.
- Whatisavailable

I understand your point re: the 1yr deal... personally, I would either sign DeBrincat long-term or trade him, because a short-term $9M AAV deal couldn't come at a worst time than next season. However, you can't just dismiss the idea of trading Chabot out of hand without due consideration. I like Chabot, but objectively he's a $8M/yr player who is neither an elite-level defender or an elite-level offensive producer. In fact, he's now probably the least reliable D-man among the top-4 in terms of actual defense. And despite major upgrades to the team's scoring lines and PP, it's only had a minimal effect on Chabot's production.

Now factor in that Chabot's contract is set to start paying him $8M-$10M in real dollars for each of the next 5 seasons, and a modified NTC will take effect after the 2023/24 season. This is not a minor consideration, given that Chabot has failed to show anything close to the same growth that Stutzle/Tkachuk have since signing their major long-term extensions. Case in point, his one stand-out offensive season was back in 2018/19, and this year he was a team-worst -11 among D-men and led the team in giveaways. His possession metrics are still decent, but are no longer particularly different from multiple other D-men on the team.

Plus, the blue line situation has changed considerably over the past season. Starting the year, Chabot was the only prominent D-man who was signed beyond 2022/23. They now have Chychrun for the next 2yrs, Zub on a 4yr extension, Sanderson playing a major role, and Kleven signed from the NCAA. It's also quite possible that a Chabot trade could yield a major asset like a high-quality G, top-4 RHD, or other significant return. I'm not saying its a good idea per se, because Chabot is obviously a very popular player and is a big part of the team. But it's not like there aren't legitimate reasons to consider a trade if the right deal were on the table.

Exciting times on the rise can’t wait to see what happens by time hockey starts back up 🫣

I understand your point re: the 1yr deal... personally, I would either sign DeBrincat long-term or trade him, because a short-term $9M AAV deal couldn't come at a worst time than next season. However, you can't just dismiss the idea of trading Chabot out of hand without due consideration. I like Chabot, but objectively he's a $8M/yr player who is neither an elite-level defender or an elite-level offensive producer. In fact, he's now probably the least reliable D-man among the top-4 in terms of actual defense. And despite major upgrades to the team's scoring lines and PP, it's only had a minimal effect on Chabot's production.

Now factor in that Chabot's contract is set to start paying him $8M-$10M in real dollars for each of the next 5 seasons, and a modified NTC will take effect after the 2023/24 season. This is not a minor consideration, given that Chabot has failed to show anything close to the same growth that Stutzle/Tkachuk have since signing their major long-term extensions. Case in point, his one stand-out offensive season was back in 2018/19, and this year he was a team-worst -11 among D-men and led the team in giveaways. His possession metrics are still decent, but are no longer particularly different from multiple other D-men on the team.

Plus, the blue line situation has changed considerably over the past season. Starting the year, Chabot was the only prominent D-man who was signed beyond 2022/23. They now have Chychrun for the next 2yrs, Zub on a 4yr extension, Sanderson playing a major role, and Kleven signed from the NCAA. It's also quite possible that a Chabot trade could yield a major asset like a high-quality G, top-4 RHD, or other significant return. I'm not saying its a good idea per se, because Chabot is obviously a very popular player and is a big part of the team. But it's not like there aren't legitimate reasons to consider a trade if the right deal were on the table.
- khawk

Like I said. Dorion is an idiot and if he's still here and the Forsberg/Sogaard tandem is not working then my bet is that he will trade Chabot for a G. Every GM in the league would love to have Chabot and I would be happy for Chabot to get away from this Ottawa popsicle stand joke of a franchise which is what it would be if this would be allowed to happen. Plus we've seen the genius vision of Dorion and the gang when it comes to evaluating G talent.

Next Dorion would move out Batherson to any number of eager NHL GMs who would send back some deadwood in return, maybe some magical guy that will help the 9 million dollar DeBrincat actualize, and I'd be happy for Batherson as well.

If I were Sanderson I would insist on a bridge deal so I could find out if this moron of a GM gets to wreck the franchise before I commit to anything long term. It's a win win for Sanderson because he'll command a lot more money 2 or 3 years from now.

If I'm Pinto I'm thinking the same.

Most folks outside the Ottawa market believe Dorion has done a pretty solid job.

I thought Tkachuk, Stutzle and Sanderson were all bad picks. I am embarressed to even say the unmemorable plugs that I favoured. Dorion has got lots of stuff right.

The team will be a serious player next year.