Michael Stuart: He's Ruining the Tank

The Leafs are a butt ugly hockey team built on magical numbers. No grit, no character. No heart.

Babcock will get blamed but the problem is Dubas. You still have idiots defending the trade of Kadri on the numbers generated by the magic mushroom crowd.

There is a huge lesson for the Senators. Champions are built on skill and heart. The Sens are fun now because they are playing with so much heart. Good goaltending enforces a team's determination. Sen's fans need to stay patient. We are headed in a right relationship with character.

I don't think Nilsson looked bad in Vancouver at all. He actually imo looked promising. That's why the Canucks moved him out of the West.

I agree with your take Spatso. But Babcock still sucks. He could be more competitive with the team he's been given. They are built for regular season play.

I don't think Nilsson looked bad in Vancouver at all. He actually imo looked promising. That's why the Canucks moved him out of the West.

I agree with your take Spatso. But Babcock still sucks. He could be more competitive with the team he's been given. They are built for regular season play.
- kaptaan

Would love to see the Sens get 1st overall. But more to being a champion than pure skill. A leader (a star) will emerge when there is a synergy that enables a player to be more than we expected. Nilsson may be the kind of guy that needed a moment to show the character of his game. Everyone, for example, knew Ben Bishop was a good goalie with the Sens. We thought we were losing a good player. But, you don’t know if he can be “ the man” until you put him into the role.

Excellent post.

As you point out, there is a lot of benefit to having Nilsson and the team play relatively well. By being competitive, other teams are forced to take the Senators seriously and play hard against the team - very good for player development. There is the added benefit that Tkachuck, Chabot and the other young players aren't caught in a toxic environment of constant losing.

The team as constructed should be good for about 80 points in 82 games. Trading away 3 or 4 players at the deadline - Namestnikov, Hainsey, Demelo, Pageau... should be enough for them to tank in the last 20 games which would leave them around 73 points. That would put them bottom five in the league.
That's how I see the season playing out.

Sens need to read The Tank as authored by the Buffalo Sabres.
It is time to consider trading Nilson if his goaltending is securing too many unwanted points.

Sabres offer Vlad Sobotka in exchange for him. We are here to help.
Also, if the brown kid keeps playing like that, you can throw him into the deal as well...we'll respond with Jimmy Vesy and hold all of his Salary.
You should not f-up a good Tank! Take precautionary measures now!

Would love to see the Sens get 1st overall. But more to being a champion than pure skill. A leader (a star) will emerge when there is a synergy that enables a player to be more than we expected. Nilsson may be the kind of guy that needed a moment to show the character of his game. Everyone, for example, knew Ben Bishop was a good goalie with the Sens. We thought we were losing a good player. But, you don’t know if he can be “ the man” until you put him into the role.
- spatso

Nilsson turns 30 at the end of this season. He is young enough to have 5-6 good seasons left in his career.

The pattern that I have seen with Nilsson this year is that he has 2-3 good games in a row and then a stinker. This year and next will be an excellent opportunity to how he responds having starter level responsibilities in net - playing 60+ games a year.

2019 nhl draft

19. Lassi Thompson
20. Ville Heinola - wonder if Sens should've taken him instead?
21. Samuel Poulin - wonder if you would accept a trade RIGHT now for Pageau+

Okay, the tank really isn't at risk. As advertised, this team has adopted a solid work ethic, and stolen a few points from teams who expected an easy game. However, as teams start to pick up the pace and make playoff runs, those points will be harder and harder to come by. Plus, it's fairly inevitable that they'll start to trade off at least some of their UFA-eligible players (Pageau, Namestnikov, Ennis, Hainsey, DeMelo, Borowiecki, Anderson), which will cost them in the standings.

Having decent goaltending is actually very important during a rebuild, and that's what Nilsson has provided. This will be even more important next year, because Anderson will almost certainly be gone, and Hogberg won't be ready for anything but backup work at the NHL level. Trading Nilsson for some kind of perceived short-term benefit really makes no sense... especially when even finishing dead-last guarantees them nothing more than the 4th overall pick.

Right on. I despise a losing mentality particularly the T word Dont care about #1 pick either. Cursed are the Leafs and Sabres. Anyway There is a #1 pick every year. And the odds of winning a cup while having a #1 pick in your line up are actually quite low.. check the scoreboard the numbers dont lie.

https://www.tsn.ca/tkachu...ional-teammates-1.1399668

I've been saying since early this season that Nilsson had already surpassed Anderson as our #1 net-minder. While statistics don't always tell the whole story, as there are so many variables to consider, the fact that Anders is doing this on a team as defensively poor as The Senators is certainly impressive.

Go Sens Go!

Sens need to read The Tank as authored by the Buffalo Sabres.
It is time to consider trading Nilson if his goaltending is securing too many unwanted points.

Sabres offer Vlad Sobotka in exchange for him. We are here to help.
Also, if the brown kid keeps playing like that, you can throw him into the deal as well...we'll respond with Jimmy Vesy and hold all of his Salary.
You should not f-up a good Tank! Take precautionary measures now!
- IonSabres

Lmao! I love it!