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Sens Desktop Calendar March 2010

With just 30 minutes to go before the end of February, here’s the March 2010 Ottawa Senators desktop wallpaper calendar!

Note: If you’re unsure what your screen resolution is, follow these steps to ensure you’re downloading the correct background:

  • Windows: Right click any blank area of your desktop and click on Properties. Go to the Settings tab. Screen Resolution is listed at the lower left.
  • Mac OSX: Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your menu bar and select “System Preferences”, and then select “Displays”
  • Linux w/ Gnome: Click on System, Preferences and select Display
Screen Resolution Wallpaper size
1024 x 768 1280 x 960
1280 x 960 1280 x 960
1440 x 900 1680 x 1050
1680 x 1050 1680 x 1050
1360 x 768 1600 x 900
1366 x 768 1600 x 900
1600 x 900 1600 x 900
1920 x 1080 1600 x 900
Luc "Sandman" G.
Graphics and Wallpapers Hockey

Sens Desktop Calendar: February 2010

Since there’s a shortened calendar this month due to the Winter Olympic games, it was suggested to me that I include some of the Olympic hockey schedule. I’ve included the 3 known games for the Canadian hockey team, as well as the following rounds.

Note: If you’re unsure what your screen resolution is, follow these steps to ensure you’re downloading the correct background:

  • Windows: Right click any blank area of your desktop and click on Properties. Go to the Settings tab. Screen Resolution is listed at the lower left.
  • Mac OSX: Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your menu bar and select “System Preferences”, and then select “Displays”
  • Linux w/ Gnome: Click on System, Preferences and select Display
Screen Resolution Wallpaper size
1024 x 768 1280 x 960
1280 x 960 1280 x 960
1440 x 900 1680 x 1050
1680 x 1050 1680 x 1050
1360 x 768 1600 x 900
1366 x 768 1600 x 900
1600 x 900 1600 x 900
1920 x 1080 1600 x 900
Luc "Sandman" G.
Hockey

I’m A Hockey Diva, Get Me Out Of Here!

heatley-gone Has Dany Heatley played his last game as an Ottawa Senator? I sure hope he has. It was leaked this week that Dany has asked to be traded, and that came as a big slap in the face to Sens fans everywhere.  He was once considered a star within the Senators organization. A player that many fans, young and old, looked up to. For 4 years we Sens fans cheered him on, and in one fell swoop he destroyed all respect that he had gained. From what one can gather by reading newspaper articles, blogs and social media sites, Dany Heatley has quickly become one of the most reviled players to wear a Sens uniform. How did it all go so wrong?

What we can gather from little information that’s been made available, Dany does not like playing for Clouston or his system. A system that preaches accountability, hard work and a team first mentality. By asking for this trade, Heatley has shown that he only cares about himself and padding his goal total. Its not about the team winning, its not about working hard, its about Dany and Dany alone. Over the last couple of years we’ve noticed that Dany’s style of play was to hang around the goal, wait for a pass and shoot the one timer. Not creating plays, not going into the corners, not backchecking, but we mostly looked the other way because he was putting the puck in the net.

We thought that Dany requesting and getting the A meant that he was not only a team player, but a team leader. Were we fooled! That A should have been a T for traitor.  We welcomed you with open arms when you requested to be traded from your other team due to some horrific events that happened there. Even though it meant losing one of the biggest team favorites at the time, we took you in and welcomed you to our team and our city. The team showed its dedication to you by not only giving you a 5 year, 37.5 million dollar contract extension, but also by giving you a no trade clause. The team gets into a little trouble for a couple of seasons, trouble that seems to have been surmounted with Clouston’s arrival, and you want to jump ship?

You’ve lost the respect of an entire fanbase. The Sens Army does not want to ever see you in a Sens uniform again. You’ve disgraced yourself and you’ve spat on the organization and fans that supported you, all because you’re nothing but a talented yet lazy bum.  Good riddance.

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Luc "Sandman" G.
Hockey

Bouwmeester to Ottawa? Not Gonna Happen!

bouwmeester For the last few months, the Ottawa Senators message boards, call-in shows and fan chatter have been buzzing with the sound of ‘fans’ saying that we have to get Jay Bouwmeester. As the most sought puck moving defenceman in the league, Bouwmeester is going to be a free agent this summer, but I can guarantee you that he will not be wearing a Sens jersey come October, and it all has to do with finance and the cap.

If we were somehow able to dump some significant salary, we’d only have  enough cap room to have Bouwmeester for 1 year. At the end of the 2009-2010 season, assuming the cap doesn’t go down (which it will), the Ottawa Senators will have less than 14 million to re-sign 12 players. Murray currently has about 14 million at his disposal but has a few players to re-sign or replace this summer, both of which will take away from that 14M.

And lets look at who we have to re-sign this summer:

  • Comrie: UFA
  • Neil: UFA
  • Shannon: RFA
  • Bell: RFA
  • Elliot: RFA

I would expect at minimum 3 out of those 5 players to be re-signed this summer.

Here’s who’s contracts run out at the end of next season:

  • Schubert: UFA
  • Foligno: RFA
  • Donovan: UFA
  • Winchester: RFA
  • Bass: RFA
  • Smith: UFA
  • Volchenkov: UFA
  • Picard: RFA
  • Lee: RFA
  • Campoli: RFA
  • Auld: UFA

And from the Baby Sens (and our future):

  • Zubov: RFA
  • Regin: RFA
  • Hennessy: RFA
  • Carkner: UFA

Come the summer of 2010, we’ll have approximately 9 million to re-sign all those players. Even if we replace some or most with junior players, which is likely to happen, that is still a salary that counts against the cap. Volchenkov, if we can manage to keep him, will be in for a raise (I’d expect 3.5-4.5M). Schubert and Auld are almost guaranteed to not be re-signed if they are still around. Smith is unlikely to be re-signed. Foligno and maybe Campoli are almost sure bets be to re-signed, and its up in the air for the rest.

There’s also the matter of our current highly paid players. We have 3 players making more than 7 million next year. Add Bouwmeester and that would be 4 players that would eat up more than 55% of your cap space (assuming a cap of 52M). Add Fisher’s 4M and that’s 5 players taking up 62% of your salary. Alfie, Spezza and Heatley are not going anywhere. I very much doubt any team would take on Fisher’s salary, so even if we wanted to trade him we wouldn’t be able to find a willing dance partner (that’s assuming Fisher would waive his no trade clause). No well rounded, cup  contending team can afford to have 4 players making more than 7 million in this cap era.

If by some miracle the cap space magically goes up to 65-70 million next year and is guaranteed to stay at those levels for 3-4 years and Melnyk allows Murray to spend the full 65-70M, we could afford to go after Bouwmeester. But that’s not going to happen.  If it were to somehow magically happen, I think the Sens would benefit more by getting a guy like Cammalleri, as the Sens are in need of bonafide 2nd line scorer.

Luc "Sandman" G.
Hockey

Sens Active At 2009 Trade Deadline

vermette The Ottawa Senators were first out of the gate today, the last day of trading for the 2008-2009 NHL season. Our hometown Sens sent the much beloved Vermette to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for goaltender Pascal Leclaire and a 2nd round draft pick.

I am sad to see Vermette go. He was a gentleman on and off the ice. I met him and a sign and greet last year and he was polite, gracious and was really nice to my young nieces. Professionally, I believe that he will be hitting his prime in the next season or 2. Watch for him, as he’ll explode to be a 30-35 goal scorer. Its just to bad that it won’t be with the Senators. At least he’s going to a good organization that still is in a position to make the playoffs (currently seeded 6th in the tightly contested Western conference). I wish Antoine all the luck with his new team.

Coming our way is Pascal Leclaire, the 26 year old goaltender who was drafted 8th overall in theleclaire 2001 draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has been a very good goaltender for that team but unfortunately got hurt earlier this year and is out for the rest of this season.  In almost 7000 minutes of play, Leclaire has a very respectable .907 save percentage and 2.82 goals against average. Assuming he comes back 100% from his ankle surgery, Leclaire could end up being the best goaltender we Ottawa fans have seen between our pipes (Hasek notwithstanding).  With him comes a 2nd round pick in what experts are calling the best draft in many years. All in all, I think that Murray did a very good trade and that Ottawa came out the winner. Unfortunately we don’t get to see until next season if it is truly so.

gerber That wasn’t the only change to the Sens lineup. Even though he has been playing down in Binghamton for the farm team, Gerber was finally picked up off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Their #1 goaltender, Toskola, requires hip and groin surgery and will be out of the lineup for the rest of the season. The Leafs, not wanting to put the pressure on the again Curtis Joseph, picked up Gerber for the remainder of the season. Since he was picked up on waivers, the Leafs will only have to pay 1/2 of his remaining 800k salary. Not a bad deal for a team that absolutely required a goaltender. Gerber is a class act and I’m glad that he gets the chance to play in the NHL again, even if it is for the greatly hated Leafs.

Before the trade deadline, Murray managed to sign Filip Kuba to a contract extension that will keep him in a Sens jersey for the next 3 years, at a very reasonable 3.7M per season. Kuba was expected to be able to fetch 4.5-5M on the open market this summer. I believe that giving the team such a significant homtown discount speaks volumes regarding Kuba’s character and his belief in this team. It shows that he believes this team can and will be a contender in the short term.

What came as a surprise to the majority of NHL fans, Chris Neil was not traded. Murray stated that he received a couple of phone calls the day before the trade deadline regarding Neil, but come the day of the deadline no team showed any interest. A contract couldn’t be reached between the Sens and Neil before the deadline. The team was offering Neil 1.8M a year, whereas Neil was looking for 2.5M. I strongly believe that for what Neil brings to the table, 1.8M is a very generous offer (I’d peg it more at 1.3-1.4M). Hopefully Neil and his agent will see this lack of interest for what it is, and accept the 1.8M deal.

All in all, I think that Murray has done great things for this team over the last couple of weeks. We acquired Campoli and Comrie for McAmmond and San Jose’s draft pick, giving us the puck moving defenseman we’ve been searching for, and a possible 2nd line scorer. Today Murray brought in a goaltender who was regarded as being the best goaltender available on the market, and one who has the potential to be a difference-making #1 goaltender. Our playoff hopes for this year may be gone, but things are shaping up to turning this team into a real contender again in the 2009-2010 season.

Go Sens Go!

Luc "Sandman" G.

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