Playoffs? Don’t Talk About Playoffs, Notes On Defence, Trade Deadline
By Jack Leiper
As it is Super Bowl weekend, let’s try to inject a little football into this post.
It’s that famous quote from a football coach who I grew up watching every time he was featured on a “sportscentre” top 10 (seems like every other week)
"“Playoffs, don’t talk about playoffs” “I just hope we can win a game”"
That’s it. And as the Senators playoff hopes are falling, Bryan Murray is still holding on to the little hope that the Sens can make it. While it may seem far-fetched, here’s our writer’s takes on pieces from Around the Web.
6th Sens, “The Need For A More Balanced Defence” – Nichols
Submission: Josh Chenoweth
Nichols over at 6th Sens has a great piece looking at the how the Senators use their defencemen, and how they could deploy more balanced pairings. Given the blueline is Ottawa’s weakest link, it’s definitely worth looking at.
Silver Seven Sens “In the System: Right Handed Defensemen” – Ary M.
Submission: Trevor Shackles
Ary at Silver Seven Sens is looking in depth at the prospects in the Senators system, focusing on 3 right handed defensemen this time. One of them mentioned is Chris Wideman, who I think may be able to become a solid player, but overall there aren’t many good defensive prospects in the system right now.
I hope that the team focuses on defensemen in the draft because that area is sorely lacking. There may be some under the radar players, but as of now it doesn’t look too great.
Ottawa Citizen “Murray still holding out slim hope Senators can make playoffs. – Ken Warren
Submission: Travis Valois
“He’s not quite sure where he stands on the trade front. He’s not firmly leaning toward being a buyer or seller before or at the trade deadline.
The Senators are eleven points out of a playoff spot. I believe the Senators should be selling assets that do not help the team years down the road. It is time to get value out of Chris Neil, Chris Phillips and David Legwand.
More from SenShot
- Crunch. Crush. Grind. Mash. The Tyler Kleven Story
- Belleville Senators: What To Expect In 2023-24
- Daniel Alfredsson and Marian Hossa Hit The Ice One Final Time
- Ottawa Senators: Something’s Got to Give
- Hot Pierre Summer 2.0? Let’s Talk About The Ottawa Senators Offseason So Far!
Where will these players be in three years? Not on the Senators. The Senators will end up being a seller at the trade deadline. It would be great if they could go on a miracle run and prove me wrong! Unfortunately I don’t see that happening.
Puck Daddy “NHL.com adding Corsi, Fenwick, Enhanced stats next month” – Greg Wyshynski
Submission: Eldrinson Vado
The day has finally come! The National Hockey League has announced that they will be adding “advanced stats” such as Corsi, Fenwick and PDO to their main site. It’s a huge step forward for advanced stats fans like myself. To have these stats welcomed “officially” to the NHL is great for everyone.
Greg Wyshynski from Puck Daddy (Yahoo.com) gives us the 411.
Silver Seven Sens “Five Thoughts For Friday’ – NKB
Submission: Zachary Prenner
NKB of Silver Seven Sens has their weekly Five Thoughts for Friday this time around, and in it he discusses among many things the legacy of Jason Spezza as he returned to the CTC this Thursday.
Like NKB, I’ve always been a Spezza supporter, and while I wasn’t overly sad to see him go, I did always think he got way more flack than he ever deserved. He’s around a point per game player for his entire career, and centers like that aren’t a dime a dozen, so I was always frustrated when I’d hear some of my friends chant to trade him just because he made a costly defensive play (which is always going to happen if you’re trying to create offence).
He’s one of the best all-time Senators, and I for one was glad he got the standing O the other night.
Senshot Links:
Mark Stone is a first line player. Trevor talks about that and a new tool developed by @MimicoHero. It’s super neat as it allows fans to view at what pace a player is generating in terms of line calibre. Mark Stone happens to be a first liner in this case. Trevor – Mark Stone.
Jason Spezza deserves a standing ovation. And he got it, that’s what Josh discusses in his piece looking at Jason Spezza and why he means so much to the Ottawa Senators. Josh – Jason Spezza
THE TRADE DEADLINE IS COMING! That’s right folks, skip school, call-in sick to work, etc. Zachary looks at Ottawa’s position at the trade deadline and previews as to whether or not Ottawa should become buyers or sellers. Zachary – Trade Deadline.
Should the Ottawa Senators Tank? Is the question Travis asks as he examines the positive and negative in doing so. Travis #TeamTank or #TeamAntiTank
This one is a week old or so, but after being a healthy scratch, I think we should re-examine it. Should the Ottawa Senators Trade David Legwand? Travis dives into #FancyStats as he asks the question. Travis – David Legwand Trade.
Trevor has a piece he titles “Being Realistic For The Ottawa Senators” It’s a nice little piece, and I recommend the read. Trevor – Being Realistic.