Had I not paid exorbitant gas prices to fill up my gas tank or spent the better part of last night in the Queensway Carleton ER waiting room, Scott Cullen’s suggestion that Daniel Alfredsson be put on the trade block would otherwise be the craziest thing I’ve seen this week.
While I was waiting at the hospital, some 20-something walked up to the registry and had the following exchange with the nurse behind the desk:
Nurse: Do you need to see a doctor?
Guy: Yeah, I was stabbed.
Nurse: With what?
Guy: I don’t know, some guy did it.
Guy? Judging by where he was wounded – in the area of the leg just below the knee – it looked like he was attacked by a dwarf or a hobbit from the fellowship of the ring.
I digress…
So TSN’s Scott Cullen wrote that Alfie should be on the trade market as part of his off-season game plan for the Ottawa Senators. Under normal circumstances, with Ottawa being a rebuilding team, it would make sense for the organization to listen to any inquiries involving a veteran player who likely won’t be around by the time the team is ready to contend for a Stanley Cup. But, (and this is a big but) this is Daniel Alfredsson that we’re talking about here. The face. The icon. A man who made wearing a JOFA helmet fashionable and has spent his entire career playing for the Senators. With The Euge coming out on the Fan 590 and reiterating that he will never be dealt, there’s not much else that needs to be said.
While I can understand the principle of Cullen’s suggestion, it’s not even like Alfie’s trade value would be that high right now. Having played only 54 games the season before, based off of what I’ve heard from a few sources, there’s absolutely no certainty that the 38-year old captain will even be able to play next season.
Unlike some other Ottawa-centric blogs like Sens Chirp that have focused on Sens specific stuff or whether Carrie Underwood still had her virginity when she married Mike Fisher, it’s not too often that this blog partakes in spreading rumo(u)rs. Besides joking that Sens Chirp is really Glenn Kulka or correctly asserting that Jared Cowen would make his NHL debut against the Tampa Lightning on April 8th, 2010, I’ve shied away from posting them. That’s not to say that we don’t get our share of emails from people claiming to have some inside knowledge of the Senators circle, we do. It’s just that as often is the case, it’s difficult to separate the BS from the stuff that’s worth a damn. (Note: Of course, it doesn’t I mean, if we had to characterize the Murray regime, one of things that you could say is that most of his deals — Mike Fisher, Chris Kelly, etc. — have come out of left field and surprised the hell out of us.)
So take it for what it’s worth but from two completely different sources, I’ve heard that it’s not so much of a bone issue as it is a muscle/nerve problem that causes him significant discomfort. According to one source, Alfie can’t even walk down a flight of stairs without losing feeling in his leg.
Quick Hits:
- Jonathan Huberdeau’s Saint John Sea Dogs won game five of the the QJMHL finals last night taking a 3-1 series lead over the Gatineau Olympiques. According to Wayne Scanlan, Bryan Murray was in attendance and because the game almost went into a third overtime, he definitely had an extended look at Huberdeau – a player who might be available when the Senators make their sixth overall selection.
- One of the interesting statistics that Scott Cullen mentioned his aforementioned piece detailed how Jesse Winchester’s shooting percentage of 2.9% over the last three seasons is third-worst among all NHL forwards to have played at least 100 games (ahead of only the Penguins’ Craig Adams and Rangers’ Derek Boogaard) in that time.
- Sens Chirp and the RSU have collaborated with Ultimate Tours to provide Sens fans with another opportunity to catch the Binghamton Senators play in their Eastern Conference Final against the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, May 21st. If you’re interested, you can reserve your seat by clicking this link.
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