NHL

Sens Goaltender Controversy? Bah Humbug!

With only 4 games into the regular season, some Ottawa Senators fans are already whining about fixing the ‘goaltender situation’. To the fair weathered fans, take a deep breath, relax and stop panicking. You’re making all Sens fans look like morons.

Gerber isn’t going anywhere. He’ll either be hot like he showed he can be in the first 3 months last season and will continue to play. Or he’ll be cold and won’t be tradeable as no other team will want him at his current salary. At least he won’t be tradeable for anything better, we’d probably get someone of the same caliber in return (this includes Khabibulin. We wouldn’t be getting an upgrade in goal if he were to come here. I strongly believe that Khabibulin would not be an answer for Ottawa). That being said, Gerber is most probably going to be a Senator until his contract runs out.

Goaltending has always been an issue with Ottawa. The only time we had some stability is when we had Hasek between the pipes. Other than that, we often had goaltenders that showed random signs of being great but were too inconsistent (Gerber, Emery, Lalime, Rhodes, Tugnutt, Prusek). Elliot in Binghamton shows some promise but won’t be ready for another year or two, but I still don’t see him being an elite goalie. Unless we make a huge trade (not saying this year, but in the next 2-3 years and losing important parts of our O and/or D corps due to the cap), we won’t be seeing a goaltender of Luongo or Kiprusoff caliber between our pipes.

Lets face it, there’s no great goaltenders currently available on the market, and the Sens can’t afford to get a ‘great’ one with this year’s cap situation. So no matter how much we fans cry and whine, we have Gerber and Auld as our goaltenders for the foreseable future.

Ottawa Senators Sign Jason Smith

The Ottawa Senators have added to their blueline by signing Jason Smith to a 2 year, 5.2 million dollar deal. The former captain of both the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers led the Flyers last year with 204 blocked shots and and 142 hits. He brings some much needed grit to the Sens’ defence and leadership in the dressing room.Its not the puck moving defenceman that Murray was looking for, but I believe he will be a good asset for the team.

Sens Watch, July 1st

As July 1st comes around and NHL teams can sign RFAs (Restricted Free Agents) and UFAs (Unrestricted Free Agents), listed below is the activity as it relates to my home team, the Ottawa Senators. There’s a lot of activity happening this afternoon and over the next few days, with every team trying to land players that will make an immediate difference, or to create some breathing room in this cap restricted era. Listed below are the players we have added to our roster as well as those who have moved on to other teams. Once the dust has settled, I’ll analyze the new team from an armchair quarterback’s perspective.

3:40pm: Stillman signs with the Florida Panthers for $10.6 million 3 year contract.

4:27pm: Goaltender Alex Auld signs a 2 year, 2 million dollar deal with Ottawa.

6:00pm: Mike Commodore signs with the Blue Jackets for a 5 year 18.75 million dollar deal

7:37pm: Wade Redden moves to the New York Rangers with a 6 year, $39 million contract.

More to come as news comes in.

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