Ottawa Senators

Some interesting news came out of St. Louis recently, as one of their prospects, center Jori Lehtera, opted to take a two-year deal to play in the KHL. He had spent the past three years there, and at the age of 25, it doesn't look like Lehetra is going to be part of the Blues' future. According to their general manager, Doug Armstrong: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained.He didn’t want to play in the NHL. We offered him a seven-figure, one-way deal but his comfort level is in the KHL. I’m glad that if he doesn’t want to be here, he’s not here. We offered to bring him over here when his KHL season was over. He was coming off a head injury, I understood that. He didn’t think his conditioning was there, I understood that. (But) he had given me every indication that he wanted to play in the NHL. I don’t know what happened. I don’t know if we were just a bargaining chip for him to use with the KHL and he never wanted to come over. But I was under the impression from he and his agent that the NHL is where he wanted to be. Something happened where it’s not where he wanted to be." That's interesting because, according to Armstrong, Lehtera was part of the team's future plans: "Yeah, he was a playmaking centerman that we thought would add to our team. If we could have improved with him, we would have. We can’t, so now we’ve got to find out if there’s a way to improve with a player like that. If not, we’ve got to put the feet to the fire of the guys that are coming back." The Blues also have four very tantalizing players hitting restricted free agency at the same time: Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Chris Stewart and Patrik Berglund. Armstrong has already made it clear that the Blues will match any offer sheets they get for each player. The real question, though, is whether they would be willing to move one of them for the playmaking center they're looking to add. Say, perhaps, Mika Zibanejad? Zibanejad presents an interesting problem for the Senators, as he began to show flashes of the center he could be when an injury to Jason Spezza opened up minutes for Zibanejad on the second line--Kyle Turris moved up to take Spezza's spot. However, when Spezza returned in the playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Turris flourished in the best spot on the team while Zibanejad struggled centering a third line alongside Z. Smith and Chris Neil. Things did not improve when Neil was swapped out for shooter Jakob Silfverberg in game 5, and Zibanejad ultimately finished with no points in five games. Ultimately, despite his size and good defensive awareness, Zibanejad is probably not suited for a checking role--he needs to be playing in the top six. Except this isn't an option in Ottawa right now. Zibanejad is not going to oust Spezza or Turris for one of the top two center positions, and that means if he's going to play those minutes, it's going to be on the wing. This suits the Senators just fine, as Z. Smith has already demonstrated he is a fine bottom-six center, and Jean-Gabriel Pageau appears poised to make the leap to the NHL next year--he already beat out Peter Regin and Jim O`Brien to take the fourth center position after almost starting the year in the ECHL. A good offseason (combined with this year's good audition) should give him inside track on that role next season, and it's not inconceivable that he could supplant Z. Smith on the third line. So, at the moment, it's the wing or nothing for Zibanejad, which means he could be made available to a team looking for a playmaking center. Could he be a good enough chip to get the Blues to move a player? If so, who? Patrik Berglund #21 / Center / St. Louis Blues Height: 6-3 Weight: 217 Born: Jun 02, 1988 SCOUTING REPORT Assets: Has a huge frame, outstanding offensive instincts and game-changing ability. Is a wizard with the puck. His wrister is top-

Apparently this heritage logo tattoo was the result of a lost bet between two friends, but bet or not, this looks pretty badass doesn't it? Especially as far as sports logo tats go. Well executed and now he is Sens Army for life.

It's hard to believe. A goaltender from the Ottawa Senators was mentioned in the same sentence as "Vezina trophy" this season (and was en route to winning it, if it wasn't for an unfortunate injury). As a long time Sens fan who has suffered through the years of searching for a reliable, consistent goaltending, this almost brought a tear to my eye! It's so strange, for the first time ever, to head into the offseason in back to back seasons completely confident in the puck-stopping ability of the team's netminders. There are no "if the #1 goes down, we could be in trouble" or "he played well for stretches- if only he could be more consistent" or "well, he always plays great in the regular season, but he chokes in the playoffs" types of issues or questions to deal with any longer. Thank goodness. I'm curious how many playoff series over the past decade would have had different outcomes if the Sens actually had the kind of goaltending they have now (against one annoying team in particular, who shall remain unnamed), but I digress. It's clear what Ottawa has right now: a legitimate starting goaltender who can bail the team out of tough times, making timely saves and stealing a game or two (or three, or four, or ten) when needed, and an upcoming stud who will soon take the reigns as the team's goalie of the future. This is a situation that the majority of teams in the league envy, as even some teams who do have elite starting goaltenders still have depth issues. How would the Rangers fare if Henrik Lundqvist got injured and wasn't between the pipes? I think we all know the answer to that one! Why then, despite this ideal situation, which I have been craving since what seems like the dawn of time, am I thinking that it might be good to trade one of our goaltenders in the near future? Am I crazy? This upcoming season has no question marks in net whatsoever. Craig Anderson is the starting goaltender, and Robin Lehner is the backup. However, where things get interesting, is next year. Lehner's contract is up and he is set to become a restricted free agent. After forcing his way onto the team this year with his solid play (and in the process, forcing the trade of Ben Bishop), he has shown that he is now ready for the big league and would likely be a better starter than many goalies who played on other teams this year. Due to this, regardless of the pay increase he is due, he is going to want to play as a starter next year, and will likely get that opportunity- if not from the Sens, then from another team who puts in an offer sheet for him. General Managers have shown in recent years that when they are desperate to fill a certain position, they will pull out all the stops and are willing to submit offer sheets worth ridiculous money (*cough* Paul Holmgren *cough*). I'm fairly certain at least a few teams next year will become desperate for a goalie and would love a shot at this promising young goaltender. As Anderson is still under contract the following year, the question for Ottawa then becomes: "Do we risk matching another team's crazy offer sheet, or do we address this on our own terms before it reaches that point?" This predicament makes me think of Boston, who were in an almost identical situation over the past couple of seasons. While Tim Thomas won both the Vezina and the Conn Smythe trophy en route to a Stanley Cup, Boston had a certain young goaltender named Tuuka Rask waiting in the wings, who was fully ready to start for the team and was chomping at the bit to get his shot. Luckily, Thomas made some questionable remarks in the media that were a distraction for the team, making the decision easy for Boston to choose between the two, and Thomas was let go. The result? Rask is now having a Conn Smythe worthy (and possibly cup winning) season of his own. I feel that Ottawa is currently in the same position (minus the Stanley Cup talk obviously, and the fact that neither of our goalies is nuttier than a jar of peanut butter),

Nine members on staff assigned grades for each player on the Ottawa Senators roster, providing us with aggregate final grades. And yes, playoff performances do factor. Up today: defencemen. Coming into this season, Andre Benoit was 28-years old, the captain of an American Hockey League franchise, and had only eight NHL games under his belt. With an injured Jared Cowen, this journeyman defenceman was poised to be this season's Matt Carkner: the overachieving minor league player who finally became an NHL regular. That's exactly what happened. Benoit had a solid season for a guy expected to play third-pairing minutes. Not many defencemen score four goals (only three of which counted) and ten points on the bottom rung of the roster monkey bars. However, Benoit's offensive numbers don't outwrestle his defensive shortcomings. The coach thought he was a liability at times, and that brings his grade down a bit. Overall, Benoit exceeded expectations. Highest grade: BLowest grade: C Let's get this out of the way first: Cowen's return from injury is impressive, and it does factor into his grade. But it doesn't exclude the fact that he was downright awful in the playoffs. Look, I know +/- isn't a thing that's really worth paying attention to, but Cowen was a team-worst -6 in their 10 playoff games. It became painful to watch and increasingly more apparent that maybe Cowen came back a little too early. He only got 17 games out of 58 in this year, so this sophomore season was a bit of a wash for Jared. Next year there will be even greater expectations on him, though, especially without the next guy on the list. Highest grade: C+Lowest grade: C The disparity between Sergei Gonchar's highest and lowest grade highlights the up and down season that he went through. For a brief period in March, Gonchar was an A+ player while posting a ridiculous 15 points in only 10 games. That stretch, which broke a Filip Kuba defensive record for most consecutive games with an assist, also propelled Gonchar to second in team scoring. Excluding those 10 games, Gonchar only had 12 points in 35 games, which puts him only a little bit ahead of Andre Benoit. He's a player who was buoyed by one hot streak and somehow scored $5-million per season for two more years from Dallas. But you can't exclude that hot streak, and so Gonchar falls in the middle Neither a great season nor an awful one. Highest grade: A-Lowest grade: C A worthwhile question: if not for several injuries to other players, would we have seen Eric Gryba play in the NHL this season? Gryba stayed in the lineup for most of the season because he was the only right-handed shot left on the backend. He was given often first-pairing minutes right off the hop. To say that Gryba was thrown into the deep end would be an understatement. He was awful to start. In over his head. It seemed like everything he touched ended up somehow going into his own net. He was a D-level player at best. But then a curious thing happened: Gryba improved. Slowly at first, and then by the end it was significant. And his grade went up. Next year should be interesting. Is there room for him to be a regular? Highest grade: B-Lowest grade: D+ It was very nice of P.K. Subban to hold onto that Norris Trophy for Erik Karlsson while his leg recovered. Very kind. Karlsson's injuries are well-documented, so there's no need to rehash them here. As awful as he was against Pittsburgh, he was excellent in the games prior to that series. Amazingly, his points-per-game were better after his injury (.92) than before (.71). Before getting hurt, Karlsson was also playing better than he had been during his Norris-winning season the year prior. He loses a few marks for his second round, but overall he was unsurprisingly one of the best players on the team. Oh, and he led the Finnish SM-Liiga in scoring amongst defencemen this year. He only played half the season. Highest grade: A+Lowest grade: B If you blinked and mi

In a summer in which naming rights have been hotly contested in the nation's capital, it's no surprise to learn that the Ottawa Senators have gotten in on the act. While the Ottawa Fury, Ottawa RedBlacks and whatever the hell that Ottawa Tomahawks basketball team became revealed their brands for their forthcoming seasons in the NASL and CFL, the Senators have announced that they have reached a new corporate agreement to rename their arena. Although the Senators had signed a 15-year agreement with Scotiabank for the naming rights to the arena, today the organization announced that those rights had been sold to Canadian Tire. There have been conflicting reports that: 1) the Senators had a window of opportunity to find another deal; and 2) that Scotiabank simply chose not to renew their deal; but how or why it happened is immaterial. Regardless of what anyone thinks, as of July 1st, Scotiabank Place will join illustrious namesakes like the Palladium and the Corel Centre in the Ottawa Senators' arena name graveyard and will henceforth be referred to as the Canadian Tire Centre. It will take some time getting used to -- probably less time than it will take some to crack Canadian Tire money jokes -- but it's just an arena name that should never receive the same kind of treatment from those insufferable sports fans who still waste energy ripping the RedBlacks name. All that really matters is what this is going to do for the Ottawa Senators. The monetary value of the contract was not disclosed but the term of the agreement will last for eight seasons; prior to its expiry date in 2021, Canadian Tire will have the right to renew the agreement for a decade. Looking at the contracts historically, one has to imagine that the Senators will benefit financially more than they have in the past. In 1996, Corel agreed to pay $26-million for the naming rights for 20 years. The deal only lasted ten years before Scotiabank scooped up the rights for a 15-year deal worth an alleged $20 million. To put these figures into perspective, CBC ran an article that indicated Bell Canada will pay as much as $64 million over 20 years for the naming rights of the Montreal Canadiens home rink. Air Canada will reportedly spend $30 million for the rights to name the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors for 20 years. GM's deal in Vancouver is worth about $20 million over 20 years. Looking at the figures that Ottawa has received in the past, the difference between the Corel, Scotiabank and the Canadian Tire deals isn't going to be that significant. So for those fans, if there are any, who think this new deal is going to favorably increase the team's budget for players, you're probably going to be disappointed. The biggest changes created by this deal will be the ones outlined within the team's official press release. Major Partnership Components: - Naming rights to Canadian Tire Centre, including building, digital, scoreboard and in-ice signage - Support for community-based programs including: Future Sens Program, I Love to Skate Program, Canadian Forces Appreciation Night, Jumpstart Game Nights and the Bell Capital Cup - An enhanced partnership between Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and the Sens Foundation that will provide families in financial need with support in getting their children enrolled in organized sport and recreation - The installation of Capital Tickets kiosks at select Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Sports Experts and Mark’s stores in the region to provide easy access to all of Senators Sports & Entertainment’s events taking place at Canadian Tire Centre - Canadian Tire becomes the title sponsor of Senators Sportsnet broadcasts, with reach into Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada - Naming rights fo

ShareThis Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray concedes it will be difficult to find an immediate impact player with the club owning the 17th overall pick at the June 30 National Hockey League entry draft in New Jersey. ShareThis

Scotiabank Place is no more, well at least as we know it. Don't worry, the Sens will still have a place to call home next year in Kanata, it will just be getting a name change. The new name of the arena will be the Canadian Tire Centre, as announced this morning.The deal takes effect July 1st and will feature new signage at the rink. The deal also included many other areas involved with the Senators, including renaming Finnigan's, which will now be called Sport Chek Bar & Grill, which I, as well as many others probably aren't thrilled about. It's important to keep some tradition isn't it? To see all of the changes in detail go here.So Sens Army, what do you think of the name change?

ShareThis As the details behind the re-naming of the Ottawa Senators arena to the Canadian Tire Centre from Scotiabank Place were being discussed in a press conference Tuesday, an ice resurfacing machine bearing the Canadian Tire logo owned a prominent spot in the meeting room. ShareThis

ShareThis This release from the Ottawa Senators makes it official. Scotiabank Place becomes the Canadian Tire Centre: Canadian Tire Corporation and Senators Sports & Entertainment announced Tuesday a new strategic partnership that will see Ottawa’s premiere sports and entertainment venue renamed to Canadian Tire Centre. This long-term agreement will cover a broad variety of activations on [...] ShareThis

OTTAWA – Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited (TSX:CTC.A) (TSX:CTC) and Senators Sports & Entertainment announced today a new strategic partnership that will see Ottawa’s premiere sports and entertainment venue renamed to Canadian Tire Centre. This ...