Below are questions that our Twitter followers posed. You can add us to Twitter (@6thSens). Without further ado…
@TheDreves: Something I’ve been thinking about recently is the future of Peter Regin, whats your opinion of what role he’ll have next year?
Assuming that Regin survives the offseason and remains Senators property, I imagine that he’ll be used in a similar capacity to how he was handled just prior to sustaining his season ending shoulder injury. As a cost-effective two-way center, he should get an opportunity to fill the second line center role. But unfortunately, Regin’s not without his shortcomings – offensive inconsistency and a lack of strength – the latter of which probably can’t be addressed too much because of his aforementioned shoulder surgery. Considering the circumstances, he’s a good candidate to be moved in a package deal with prospects/picks to bring in someone better.
@sens_adnan: How many points will Erik Karlsson get and how much will he be ahead of Chris Phillips in +/-?
Perhaps the most startling thing about Erik Karlsson’s numbers the first two seasons is that only 27 of his 71 career points have come on special teams (26 PP points, 1 SH point). Of his 13 G and 32 A this past season, he only had 4 PPG and 17 PPA. Whether you want to blame Greg Carvel’s philosophy, or injuries to some of the skilled forwards, it’s not unreasonable to believe in Karlsson having a 50-55 point season in the near future.
In regards to your other question, I hate the unpredictable nature of the +/- stat and it being used as a definitive barometer of a player’s reliability on the ice. So much of it depends on variables beyond one’s control (ie. the quality of the goaltending, the quality of one’s defensive partner, how much leash the new coach gives Karlsson, and etc.)
Considering Karlsson’s better offensive talents and that he’s rarely used against the opposition’s top lines, he’s better suited to post higher +/- totals than Phillips. More importantly, so long as Craig Anderson provides some much needed stability to the goaltending position, Phillips and Karlsson should have marked improvements on this year’s +/- totals and that’s all that should matter.
@DevinFrency: What free agents do you think Murray will be trying to sign?
Trying to sign? Do you mean pressured by ownership to sign? Holding management to their word (if you choose to believe them), I don’t expect Ottawa to be significant players on the free agent market. Aside from some minor league signings to augment the Binghamton roster, I think most of the offseason activity will involve some significant trades.
Aside from a backup goaltender, I don’t really envision the team making any UFA splurge. Everyone else that should be signed is already within the system. And anything worth signing will be too expensive and will only handcuff the team’s payroll moving forward. It’s not sexy but it’s characteristic of a rebuild movement. As Tim put it in one conversation, “Why have Dom Perignon with your cereal?”
Looking at the UFA goaltending market, two names are intriguing – Josh Harding and Henrik Karlsson. In Harding’s case, he’s young and has posted some solid peripheral numbers in his body of NHL work. Although he’s coming off of injury (ACL-MCL surgery), he has something to prove. If he rebounds properly, he could be a natural candidate for a trade to acquire some future assets. And to make matters better, he sported a breast cancer ribbon on his mask so you just know that he has to be good in the room!
In Karlsson’s case, he’s just a big Swede who probably has some connection to Henrik Lundqvist. (Because they all seemingly do. Am I right?)
@Sens_Army_: What do you think the odds are that Murray moves up in the draft, and if he doesn’t, who do you like at #6?
Prior to the draft lottery, I think the odds of Murray trying to move the Nashville pick were close to 100-percent. And now that Ottawa’s selecting sixth, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the organization try to move both picks up. The problem is that you don’t know how receptive some of the other organizations will be to moving down.
Assuming that Ottawa remains at six, I’ll cop out and say that they should take the best player available. I simply haven’t seen enough of Strome, Huberdeau, Couturier or Tim’s new Swedish flavour Zibanajed to formulate enough of an informed opinion.
The whole phenomenon of reading up on prospects reminds me of the online dating phenomenon. Everyone sounds amazing on paper. And then when you finally meet the person and spend some time with them, you begin to understand why they’ve slid.
@icesjb: Do you think the off-ice changes at the Sens will continue? Do you think Leeder will be push out? Heard he & BM have different view.
It appears as though Ottawa’s really restructuring. Personally speaking, I hope that Leeder isn’t pushed out. He’s one of the few remaining ties that the organization has to its modern re-establishment and he’s one of the few whose public comments don’t make me cringe. In regards to these Leeder vs Murray, I believe these rumours were brought to light by Damien Cox during a PTS appearance. Cox has always relished his role of being an antagonist who likes to stir the pot. If you want more details pertaining to Cox, I’d advise you to check out Tim’s evisceration of his comments.
Even though this season was a rough one for the organization on the ice, the team is fortunate enough to have the 2012 All-Star Game as a carrot that it can dangle in front of its season ticket holders to get them to recommit for next season. It’s going to be really interesting to see how next season’s product will affect ticket sales and will challenge the team’s marketing and PR departments.
@surfaceminerbb: Would you trade Cowen and a late pick for Edmonton’s first this year?
Without knowing whether you’re referring to a low pick (4th, 5th, 6th or 7th rounder?) or meant Ottawa’s lower first rounder from Nashville, I would probably make both deals. Since a prospect at #1 is often better than a player who is only projected to be a potential top-pairing shutdown defenceman. Considering that next year’s draft is supposed to feature a wealth of defencemen, I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger. The enticement of being able to draft two of the top six forwards in this year’s draft is too good to pass up.
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