Amongst a very bust couple days around the NHL, SenShot presents the third but shortened rendition of honourable and dishonourable mentions. It was quite the week for Ottawa, as Andrew Hammond stole the show.
Jack Leiper:
Honourable Mention – Andrew Hammond
Andrew Hammond was having a terrible year in Binghamton, now he’s won 5 NHL games, including 2 shutouts. Good on him.
The Senators continue to have a nice little run, and although the Playoffs still seem unrealistic, the Senators have shown some improvement. We’re not going to be going 22-0 in our last games, but if the team can become more consistent in winning towards the end, the Senators can head into the off-season with more positivity.
Dishonourable Mention – The Teams of California
The Ottawa Senators swept California. With Andrew Hammond in net. Los Angeles, San Jose and Anaheim, three strong western conference teams… swept by the Ottawa Senators.
I was shocked, as I woke up to notices of Sens victories after those late night games. My dishonourable mention goes to those 3 teams, as not one of them found a way to beat the Ottawa Senators. The Ottawa Senators.
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Trevor Shackles:
Honourable Mention – Erik Condra
It’s too easy to put Hammond as the honourable mention, but I thought I should move away from predictability. It’s pretty amazing that Condra has gone from a sure thing to be traded before the deadline, to a must-have on the third/fourth line for next year. All along Senators fans have wanted to keep him, as he’s very underrated. But luckily Dave Cameron likes what he sees, and perhaps his fantastic play with JG Pageau and Curtis Lazar can convince Bryan Murray to re-sign him.
He also even had two goals and four assists in a five game stretch that ended while playing in Los Angeles. So far it looks like he could possibly return next year, which is great news.
Dishonourable Mention – Jared Cowen
He missed the last three games with a suspension and what happened? The Senators played their three best games in a row, and swept the California road trip. I hope that Dave Cameron realizes that Cowen isn’t an essential part to this team. The problem is there are four defenseman that you could legitimately say are worthy of being scratched.
If he comes back to the lineup, I would think and hope he plays fewer minutes on the third pairing. People are losing faith in him, and I would try to move him in the summer.
Has Cameron realized Phillips simply isn’t good enough and is using this to save some face for a beloved veteran?
Zachary Prenner:
Honourable Mention – Mark Stone
15-24-39, +11: this is Stone’s stat line in 58 games played this season. If you asked me at the beginning of the season I would’ve guessed Stone to max out at around 30-35 points for the entire season. Add in the fact that he’s third in the entire league in takeaways and you can colour me surprised. I’ve just been really loving his game lately as this team starts to show signs of really gelling. If he isn’t resigned for whatever he wants in the offseason, I’ll be set to riot.
Dishonourable Mention – Chris Phillips‘ “Wear and tear”
I’ll be honest, I’m happy that Phillips has been sitting lately, as he’s certainly lost a step and has lately done a bit more to hurt our d-core than help it. But that being said, I’m not sure I’m onboard with whatever being out with “wear and tear” means.
Has Cameron realized Phillips simply isn’t good enough and is using this to save some face for a beloved veteran? Or is Phillips the one holding himself out after seeing how he struggled through just 36 games of this season so far? When it comes down to it, I don’t want to see Philly moved, but I wouldn’t be against him calling it a career and maybe shifting his focus to the Big Rig Brewery.
That’s it from all of us, keep reading every Monday! Today is a busy day around the league and on SenShot.