does this guy hold any respect with players anymore? wouldn't any young player look at him and just think he's '"that guy"? he can't actually be a mentor to anyone, can he?
Bingo isn't playing good hockey right now, and is over all a young team. I think Bertuzzi can at least add something down there.
I think this more a bone that Murray is throwing to Newport Sports for the amicably negotiated and team friendly contracts for Ryan, MacArthur, Lehner, and Karlsson.
Also sets the table for resigning potential trade targets like Oduya (Methot replacement - UFA '15) or O'Reilly (UFA '16).
I think there is at least a grain if truth to your idea AO. GMBM has done well with Newport, and adding a
PTO in Bingo costs nothing in terms of total contract number or cap hit.
does this guy hold any respect with players anymore? wouldn't any young player look at him and just think he's '"that guy"? he can't actually be a mentor to anyone, can he?
Bingo isn't playing good hockey right now, and is over all a young team. I think Bertuzzi can at least add something down there.
I think this more a bone that Murray is throwing to Newport Sports for the amicably negotiated and team friendly contracts for Ryan, MacArthur, Lehner, and Karlsson.
Also sets the table for resigning potential trade targets like Oduya (Methot replacement - UFA '15) or O'Reilly (UFA '16).
They are sitting pretty much where I expected them to be. It's been a frustrating season, and I hate to think what could happen if Andy decides to cook dinner, but I wasn't expecting playoffs this year (although we always hope, don't we?), and my only real frustration has been Karlsson's play.
As for the Bertuzzi thing... I would have been a much happier fan if they had declined to sign him, even in Bingo.
Good question. I think this might be more of a "give a vet a chance" type of thing, to show he can still play in case a team wants him for a stretch near the end of the season, and with Bingo riddled with injuries right now a spare body won't come amiss. I don't know if players would really see him as a mentor though; that would be like looking to Heatley for advice, only worse.
does this guy hold any respect with players anymore? wouldn't any young player look at him and just think he's '"that guy"? he can't actually be a mentor to anyone, can he?
yep, a little worse than I'd hope they'd be. Very surprised that Stache didn't learn from his mistakes and go back to "the good stache". I'd thought he would have and that would have led to a higher spot in the standings. Now, I don't see the play-offs happening this year. But, there are some nice pieces in place........going forward. Cameron does have them playing a little better, they seem to be headed in the right direction, baby steps, and all. the second half is about developing the young talent for next year and beating the mistakes out of them.
The Senators are a bit behind where I expected them to be, but not by much. I thought they'd be fighting for a wildcard rather than fighting to be close to fighting for one, but I'm not surprised by how things are sitting. We have, overall, a very young (in terms of number of games played) team and while some players are playing above expectations (Hoffman), there are a lot of players that are either at or below expectations in terms of what they can offer the team. It happens.
Where to go from there? Stay the course. I'm not interested in 'TRADE ANDERSON WHILE HIS STOCK IS HIGH' right now, as he's the reason that the team is had the (limited) success it has had. I don't think Anderson will give enough return to warrant trading him at the moment, and I certainly do NOT think that Lehner is ready to be a #1 goalie in the NHL.
Under Cameron, the shots against are down, the shots for are up, and until the last game the PP has gone into the septic tank (ie/ lower than the toilet). We'll see how things go from here.
