Vermette, Neil, and Meszaros staying with Sens; looking for 2nd line winger
According to thefourthperiod.com, Senators have announced they are looking to keep Chris Neil. Also the club’s main priority is to sign Vermette and Meszaros and not trade them away.
Bryan Murry has made it clear that he wants Meszaros and Vermette back and will do anything he can to keep them with the Senators next season. Murray believes he will have a bit of cap space to trade or sign a decent winger to play on the 2nd or 3rd line for the Senators. Murray said he likes the look of the team and also coach Craig Hartsburg agreed and said this was a good group of guys and they can go all the way as long as they are accountable for themselves and play there roles on the team and play will heart and passion. Hartsburg said he will be stressing this all season starting in training camp.
Chris Neil’s agent Todd Taynolds said, “We haven’t talked to (Murray) this summer, we had talked last season about possibly looking at an extension, but we understand that (Murray) has some other guys without contracts to re-sign.” Murray also added that Chris Neil will start the season with the Senators.
With 9 million of cap space left, it will look like that Vermette will get around 3 Million and Meszaros will get around 3 Million and that will leave around 3 Million for the winger, Murray want to bring in to bring some more offence to the table.
22 Responses to Vermette, Neil, and Meszaros staying with Sens; looking for 2nd line winger
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The only 2nd line winger left is Ladislav Nagy, but he played only 38 games last year due to injuries. But he still managed to get 26 points, and is a potential 20 goals 50 points player. I'm willing to take a chance with him. Is Murray willing to take this chance? We'll see.
If we don't sign Nagy, the only other route for 2nd line player is via trade. But we have no trade bait beside Vermette, Meszaros and Neil. So if Murray wants to keep all 3, we have nothing to trade.
It'll be very interesting to follow, and I wish Murray hears me and take a chance on Nagy. He'll fit perfect with the Sens, a fast team playing in a fast division.
Alex Frolov is the dangerous winger the Sens may be looking for, almost a point a game player with a very respectable +/- and he is the best friend of Anton Volchenkov, and a cap hit of 3 million the Sens could handel, so look for maybe him to be included in a trade for some of our young prospects and maybe Gerber, a deal like
I think Murray needs a puck moving D first. Smith, Phillips and Volchenkov are awesome in their own zone but forwards up front will rarely get the pass on the tape!
By the way, I just love the way you say "we" (as you would be a fan) on every team's posting…
lolll yeah when I'm writing an article or posting a comment, I'm writing *we*. but I don't know why lol.
but my 2 favourite teams are the Calgary Flames and….the Ottawa Senators lol. so in this post I can write *we* 😛
Nick Foligno will not be traded for sure as he is the player looking to fill into Alfredsson's spot for scoring when he retires in about 5 years or so. Foligno is a standout talent and going to make his mark this season.
Schubert will not be traded as he is very valauble to the team. He can play defense and forward. This helps bail the team out when a defenseman goes down, he can switch to defense and do a good job or the other way around(switch to forward).
A trade like that would be good, but it is giving up way too much and that Habby is old and is going to retire probobly after this year. Gerber may sign back for the same amount as if he went back on the UFA, he would only get a back up job, so it makes sense if he stayed in Ottawa. Gerber showed up this year and in the playoff, just the team was distracted from Emery and couldn't pull it through the tough times when they were loosing. This team has a new look and i think it will be better that last years team as we have a lot of grit this year with ruutu, donavan, neil, fisher, kelly. Mcgrattan was a great grit player but sucked as scoring.
Nagy has talked to the sens and said he was interested but is looking at all of his options before he makes a final decision.
without Schubert as the 6th d-man, our d corp sucks badly. Neither Bell or Nycholat are 6h d-men, 7-8 at best. Our defense is already not very talented and deep, so we must keep Schubert.
Frolov is very good indeed, but we wouldn't have to give all these players. Foligno, Gerber and a 2nd round pick should be enough. and with these trades and Vermette/Meszaros still too resign, we will be over the cap no doubt about it. Don't forget Khabibulin has a cap hit of 7 millions.
+ I really don't think the Kings are shopping Frolov, he plays amazing with Kopitar and Brown.
+ without Neil, our 3rd line is not very good. Winchester is good for Bingo.
Winchester is on the team, Murray said so and he has a one-way 2 year contract, so he will be in the top 13 forwards somewhere, and he is a solid good player, so we should be happy we got him.
O.K. to compare Foligno to Alfie is a bit of a stretch, to say Schubert is to valuabloe to trade is a bit of stretch, BUT COME ON Gerber sucks, make all the excuses you want for their explotion last season, but it does not change the fact that Gerber has never shown he is a starting goalie or a goalie that can do anything in the playoffs, his career playoff record is something like 1-8, he sucks. I've watched almost every Sens game he has been in, and he is just not a good goalie, plain and simple, if we want to do anything next season it'll have to be without him as the starter, that and nobody on the team has any confidence in him.
if he let go someone in the bottom 6, it will be Dean McCammond
winchester has not made the team…it was said for what they were paying for him, he should make the roster this year, but it look like he will spend one more year in binghampton and be a call up for the Sens.
The younger guys need to earn their chance in the NHL, the team is not going to give them a chance. A good example is Brian Lee. Lawrance Nycolat was the 7th defensman and was the one that should of been called up, but Lee was playing better and earned the chance to come up.
Players have to earn the chance to come to the NHL they just don't randomly pick player to come and play
I agree, and it should be Dean, he really sucked hard last year, what good is a 4th line center if he can't even clear his own zone with the puck on his stick and facing the blueline. Give that spot to Bass, he'll fight, block shots, grind and just be a general all around Dude.
I don't think it's overrating, but if you want a point a game player who hasn't even reached his prime years for less then 3 million for the next 2 season, the demand out there by teams like Vancouver, Edmonton, Columbus, BUffallo will drive the price up. You won't get him for a couple of mid level players like Darcy Tucker and Matt Stajan.
Exactly, Murray himself said Winchester will be in the NHL next year, because he is NHL ready and that is that. He has a one way contract, so if they want to send him to Bingo he'll go on waivers, the Sens will DEFINETLY lose him, and have to pay half his contract, so he will be there for all 82 games.
dont know why people are so insistent the kings need a goalie. with the way things are going over there, i think they want to finish last and get a tavares or hedman.
i think the kings are happy to see ersberg, labarbera and bernier battle for the job. bernier made the team last year but didnt quite look ready. he's their guy from the looks of it. they mind as well let him see a ton of rubber and gain the experience.
gerber isnt even an upgrade over what they have. so including him is pointless.
havent see a sens team this thin in a while.
they've basically lost over the last few years, chara, redden, schaefer, corvo, eaves, havlat, pothier, priessing, comrie and emery and have next to nothing to show for it.
other than emery, all the others are contributing somewhere.
they are in no position to make a real blockbuster deal. they dont have the assets they can afford to toss away.
but they are a team with multiple holes that could leave them exposed. they need to strengthen their goaltending. their offence from the defence is a bit suspect. they dont really have any secondary scoring. they've again neglected to fill in that major need for an experienced forward who can provide toughness, grit, leadership and the knowledge of how to win.
they have little cap space to really make anything happen.
its not as bad as the lightning when that team tied up all the funds into 3-4 players and had no goaltending. but they're getting close.
hopefully hartsburg turns out to be a decent coach. that really could make all the difference in the world.
some forward options via trade could include:
mark parrish
chris clark
fred modin
michel ouellet
they dont need to throw a top pick, a top prospect or a roster player for any of these players and they could get a decent forward with 20 goal potential. they'd also might fit salary wise.
come on man get off it, you talk about the Sens like they are in a unique position, what contending team doesnt need more scoring or is up against the cap, after signing Vermette and Mesz they will still have abut 2-3 million, and that is actually very good space to add a player like Seabrooke, T. Ruutu, Frolov or Bieksa.
I think maybe the Kings want a goalie to make some saves so their young D-men don't ruin their confidence by getting slaughtered.
i'm just stating facts and i am only speaking about the sens here because its a sens article. if its a pens article i'll explain what i think about them and their needs. if its a habs article i'll do the same. and so on.
yeah they have 3 mil maybe in cap space. but how could they acquire the players you mentioned?
lets not overrate the team like leaf fans do their prospects. they were ranked 22nd in the hockey news future watch and 26th by hockeysfuture.
their top pick in 07 jim obrien. he hasnt wowed anyone and is years away from maybe being an NHLer. he isnt going to bring any established young proven nhl talent in a trade.
nick foligno is ok, but he isnt a top end skilled offensive player. he might be a very good support player, but isnt a big offensive star who could lure a point per game guy like frolov or a good young nhl calibre blueliner like a seabrook or bieska. in fact these two players are not that dissimilar to keith ballard, the centrepiece in the olli jokinen trade.
alexander nikulin and ilya zubov are skilled guys but they didnt put up monster numbers in the AHL. they're middle of the road prospects. their no cherepanov or filatov thats for sure.
undrafted free agents are a crapshoot. winchester could be decent a la chris kunitz. but he could also be an adrian foster and not be good enough for the NHL. hard to say and very much over the top to say he "will" be a "great" two way player.
as for the established guys you mentioned, saying gerber is great trade bait is wrong. gerber is terrible. everyone knows he has been a bust. he was ok last year but still left the seeds of doubt that he cant get it done when it counts. very few teams need a goalie. and considering a guy like bryzgalov had to be waived cause there was no interest, it goes to show that gerber will have no value out on the market.
neil is a 3rd liner at best. he is a role player. at best he brings a 3rd rounder back like what the blues got for mayers. saying he is great trade bait is clearly overrating him.
vermette is the only one with real value. but the thing is, the sens need him as he is the centrepiece of the 2nd line. they already need someone to play with him and thus moving him just creates another hole.
i dont think anyone doubts the team's ability to score. but when they lost alfie and fisher, they had nothing at all there to fill in. thats everyone's point. there's just no depth.
if they get khabibulin, how will they fit that albatross of a cap hit? at best they land him at the deadline, but for now, they'd need to move a player out, especially with meszaros and vermette still needing deals.
alfie is a fine leader, but has everyone else delivered when it matters? thats still left to be proven. i think one day heatley and spezza will " get it " and find the means to do what it takes to win. but they need guidance. alfie cant guide them fully because he hasnt won. they do need another influential leader and one who would ensure the crap that happened last year doesnt happen again.
i think hartsburg will be the biggest influence on the team. he is a great coach and i think the sens got it right this time behind the bench. lets hope murray doesnt meddle too much and backs his coach this time if there are disputes. paddock was left twisting in the wind.
the team took 81 games to secure a playoff spot last year. part of it was the emery thing but they had problems on the ice too. like i said, hartsburg could clean up some of those things, but talent wise they are even worse off than last year with no redden, stillman and emery. with them they got humiliated in the playoffs. now without them, they're going to be in a dogfight. they are the best amongs those teams fighting for the last 3 or 4 playoff berths, but they are also an injury away from becoming desperate.
To be honest if they re-sign Vermette and Meszaros i would be fairly confident with the team.This said here's a suggestion:sign Nagy to a 3 mil contract 2-3 year lenght.Trade McKammond for a pick or prospect.Line up:
Vermette/Spezza/Heatley(Heatley was originaly a right winger)
Nagy/Fisher/Alfredson(remember how Arnott did with Elias and Sykora)
Foligno/Kelly/Neil(grit and determination)
Rutuu/Bass/Donavan(physical and agressive type players,a moderate version of the devils old crash line)
Phillips/Volchenkov(dont fix it if it aint broken)
Meszaros/Smith(who better than Smith to teach Meszaros work ettics + what better partner to let Meszaros be offensive)
Schubert/Brian Lee(physical defensemen with a good offensive defensemen is a good third d pair)
Gerber (decent starter at best but with Phillips,Volchenkov and Smith he should be fine this year)
Auld (decent back up that can do the job as a starter if Gerber got injured for a few games)
I may be overvalueing the prospects, but you are definetly undervalueing them . Obrien has been a great prospect for us, somebody that may end up being a Sean Horcoff type of player skill and grit wise, but in a much larger frame, a true #2 center with speed and the defensive awareness that is going to be a solid contributer. Foligno is a 2-3 line guy with leadership, but it's the other players like Dane Petr Regin who is a draft day steal, Latvian Daugavins who has a bit of a drinking problem but is huge on talent and Bashkirov who is in a Radulov type of stocky great finishing winger with tons of passion.
Hmm. I think Foligno deserves a shot at a top 6 role. He was on pace for 18 goals had he played a full season. If Vermette isn't given top 6 minutes I'll scream. That would leave no room for another forward, as our bottom six is packed already with Kelly, McAmmond, Donovan, Ruutu, Neil, Bass and Winchester.