Syndication20 Aug 2008 - 12:10:49 pm
Analyzing the Ottawa Senators - Part 2: Defense
The Ottawa Senators had a very hard time on defense last year. Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov, Andrej Meszaros and especially Wade Redden all looked absolutely bewildered from time to time. A lot of us cursed John Paddock for not continuing with Brian Murray's tight defensive structure last year - and the damage done by Paddock's lackadaisical approach will take time to be righted.
This is an area where new coach Craig Hartsburg will have a lot of input. Gone should/will be the moments of indecision, that split second along the boards where there's no Senator player to receive an outlet pass and get out of our zone. This will have to be a 5 man unit at all times.
Why? Because we don't really have any puck movers, to be frank. We have guys who are capable and competent in moving the puck, but none that excel at it. Brian Lee will have a little extra pressure riding on his shoulders this year, but from all accounts, this is a character that loves the pressure.
In fact, does he not remind you of a pre-13 million dollar contract Wade Redden? He does to me. And that's a good thing too, because Brian Murray couldn't replace Wade. I know what you're thinking...you're thinking that Redden was such a detriment to the team at times - who needs to replace him? Okay, I can agree with that, but what we do need is to replace the idea of Wade Redden. He was one of the better puck moving defensemen in the entire NHL for the better part of a decade. Smart, crisp passes through the defensive zone and onto the tape of forwards breaking through the neutral zone.
This is where the Senators get a failing grade. They don't have the weapons to have a fast transition game - or simply to get the puck from their defensive zone to the neutral zone with speed. This will result in a lot of turnovers until the problem is remedied. Teams will jut sit in the neutral zone waiting for our forwards to try to dance through.
When Brian Murray was trying to land Brian Campbell, I was so nervous I could no longer wait for updates. I left and went to play ball hockey. This was the replacement for Wade Redden. Except better. He's fast, he's got moves and he won't wet the bed in the defensive zone. In the grand scheme of things, 7.1 million would've been just fine. We would've had to let Mez walk - and probably a couple of other things we didn't really want to do, but what a lethal PP that would be. Plus...imagine Campbell and Lee or Campbell and Karlsson. Wow...enough to make a Sens fan cry.
That's the negative, this is the postitive: when you cross the blueline into the Ottawa Senator's zone this year - for goodness sake keep your head up. Between Phillips, Volchenkov, Jason Smith, Schubert, Mez and even Lee - you're liable to be hurt badly if you're not paying attention. As a matter of fact, for nasty, angry defense, I think the Sens rank right up there. We will grind you, wear you down until you're spent - and we'll try not to let you score umpteen times in the process. Smith's leadership and shot-blocking are both priceless intangibles and shows exactly what Murray was going for in the off-season. A vocal, smart supporting cast that will not be afraid to let you know if you're not giving it your all.
Brian Lee enters his first official NHL season - but last year we got a glimpse of how smart a hockey player this kid is. One moment in particular I remember was Lee positioning himself perfectly between a forward and a puck, riding him off the puck, retreiving the puck, then racing down the ice for a 2 on 1 with Spezza. While it didn't pay off in a goal, it might as well have, because it served notice that while Wade Redden might be all used up, Brian Lee is just getting started. He will man the PP this year and will contribute in both offensive and defensive situations.
Jason Smith. What can you say about a guy who does it all? He blocks shots at a Volchenkov-esque level, he is a nasty D-man who won't be afraid to clear the crease and he's a born leader. When we were knocked out of the playoffs last year, I watched as Smith made opponent's top players pay a heavy price. Especially Sidney Crosby. Crosby would be staring at a puck in Biron's pads and Smith would knock him in the face for being too close to the blue paint. Again and again and again until, even though Crosby was very successful, the pact was: each point, each sniff around the goal was gonna result in a moutful of pine. I love that. We needed that. Phillips isn't nasty enough and Volchenkov will destroy you coming into the zone, not necessarily when you're in front of the net. Jason Smith's stick has claimed a lot of teeth in his time - I expect more to fall this year.
Meszaros is a young defender who's capable of blocking shots, hitting guys and scoring 35+ points. But for this to work, he needs to make smarter decisions with the puck in his own zone. Being paired with Smith - if that's what happens - will benefit him greatly. He will be able to learn from Smith's defensive abilities, while not being afraid to make the rush up the zone, knowing that a pillar will always be back there to help him if he loses the puck. If 'Mez' can put it all together this year, then all of a sudden the Sens will look like their old selves. Skill to burn up front and a powerful backend.
Schubert. I hope that this 6'3", 240lb monster will stay on D once and for all. He's huge, he's nasty and he has all the tools to be a top 4 D-man. What he needs is time to iron out mistakes and judgement errors in his game - and the only way to do that is to play. He's actually got a nice outlet pass and we all know he's got one of the hardest shots on the Sens. He'll join Brian Lee on the point of the PP from time to time - and watch out if he can harness the power of that shot. Accuracy is all that's missing now.
In terms of extra guys that may be used, there is Lawrence Nycholat, Matt Carkner and Brendan Bell. Thomas Kudelka hasn't put it together yet unfortunately, so there's really no chance he'll see NHL duty this year. Of these three, I maintain that Nycholat is Tom Preissing to a T. He's built the same, he weighs the same - the only difference here is that Tom Preissing made the jump to the NHL and stuck there. Nycholat by my estimation was never given a chance to stick. If he was to play an average of 15 minutes a night - for 82 games - I think we'd be pleasantly surprised to the tune of 25 points. That's a nice contribution from a number 6 man. I hope Murray and Hartsburg give this guy a chance - however, if they don't, how can any of us second guess them? They would know something we don't, not big enough, not strong enough...something.
In all, Brian Murray has made this defense very, very nasty and gritty, but he hasn't really done anything to replace Wade Redden - and to a degree Joe Corvo. Will this defense score? Not much. Do defenses that don't score win championships? No. Starting a season with Brian Lee, Andrej Meszaros and Lawrence Nycholat as your primary puck movers doesn't instill loads of confidence. But we will make it extrememly difficult for teams to waltz on into our zone at will - and extremely painful as well.
B-
504Heater
This is an area where new coach Craig Hartsburg will have a lot of input. Gone should/will be the moments of indecision, that split second along the boards where there's no Senator player to receive an outlet pass and get out of our zone. This will have to be a 5 man unit at all times.
Why? Because we don't really have any puck movers, to be frank. We have guys who are capable and competent in moving the puck, but none that excel at it. Brian Lee will have a little extra pressure riding on his shoulders this year, but from all accounts, this is a character that loves the pressure.
In fact, does he not remind you of a pre-13 million dollar contract Wade Redden? He does to me. And that's a good thing too, because Brian Murray couldn't replace Wade. I know what you're thinking...you're thinking that Redden was such a detriment to the team at times - who needs to replace him? Okay, I can agree with that, but what we do need is to replace the idea of Wade Redden. He was one of the better puck moving defensemen in the entire NHL for the better part of a decade. Smart, crisp passes through the defensive zone and onto the tape of forwards breaking through the neutral zone.
This is where the Senators get a failing grade. They don't have the weapons to have a fast transition game - or simply to get the puck from their defensive zone to the neutral zone with speed. This will result in a lot of turnovers until the problem is remedied. Teams will jut sit in the neutral zone waiting for our forwards to try to dance through.
When Brian Murray was trying to land Brian Campbell, I was so nervous I could no longer wait for updates. I left and went to play ball hockey. This was the replacement for Wade Redden. Except better. He's fast, he's got moves and he won't wet the bed in the defensive zone. In the grand scheme of things, 7.1 million would've been just fine. We would've had to let Mez walk - and probably a couple of other things we didn't really want to do, but what a lethal PP that would be. Plus...imagine Campbell and Lee or Campbell and Karlsson. Wow...enough to make a Sens fan cry.
That's the negative, this is the postitive: when you cross the blueline into the Ottawa Senator's zone this year - for goodness sake keep your head up. Between Phillips, Volchenkov, Jason Smith, Schubert, Mez and even Lee - you're liable to be hurt badly if you're not paying attention. As a matter of fact, for nasty, angry defense, I think the Sens rank right up there. We will grind you, wear you down until you're spent - and we'll try not to let you score umpteen times in the process. Smith's leadership and shot-blocking are both priceless intangibles and shows exactly what Murray was going for in the off-season. A vocal, smart supporting cast that will not be afraid to let you know if you're not giving it your all.
Brian Lee enters his first official NHL season - but last year we got a glimpse of how smart a hockey player this kid is. One moment in particular I remember was Lee positioning himself perfectly between a forward and a puck, riding him off the puck, retreiving the puck, then racing down the ice for a 2 on 1 with Spezza. While it didn't pay off in a goal, it might as well have, because it served notice that while Wade Redden might be all used up, Brian Lee is just getting started. He will man the PP this year and will contribute in both offensive and defensive situations.
Jason Smith. What can you say about a guy who does it all? He blocks shots at a Volchenkov-esque level, he is a nasty D-man who won't be afraid to clear the crease and he's a born leader. When we were knocked out of the playoffs last year, I watched as Smith made opponent's top players pay a heavy price. Especially Sidney Crosby. Crosby would be staring at a puck in Biron's pads and Smith would knock him in the face for being too close to the blue paint. Again and again and again until, even though Crosby was very successful, the pact was: each point, each sniff around the goal was gonna result in a moutful of pine. I love that. We needed that. Phillips isn't nasty enough and Volchenkov will destroy you coming into the zone, not necessarily when you're in front of the net. Jason Smith's stick has claimed a lot of teeth in his time - I expect more to fall this year.
Meszaros is a young defender who's capable of blocking shots, hitting guys and scoring 35+ points. But for this to work, he needs to make smarter decisions with the puck in his own zone. Being paired with Smith - if that's what happens - will benefit him greatly. He will be able to learn from Smith's defensive abilities, while not being afraid to make the rush up the zone, knowing that a pillar will always be back there to help him if he loses the puck. If 'Mez' can put it all together this year, then all of a sudden the Sens will look like their old selves. Skill to burn up front and a powerful backend.
Schubert. I hope that this 6'3", 240lb monster will stay on D once and for all. He's huge, he's nasty and he has all the tools to be a top 4 D-man. What he needs is time to iron out mistakes and judgement errors in his game - and the only way to do that is to play. He's actually got a nice outlet pass and we all know he's got one of the hardest shots on the Sens. He'll join Brian Lee on the point of the PP from time to time - and watch out if he can harness the power of that shot. Accuracy is all that's missing now.
In terms of extra guys that may be used, there is Lawrence Nycholat, Matt Carkner and Brendan Bell. Thomas Kudelka hasn't put it together yet unfortunately, so there's really no chance he'll see NHL duty this year. Of these three, I maintain that Nycholat is Tom Preissing to a T. He's built the same, he weighs the same - the only difference here is that Tom Preissing made the jump to the NHL and stuck there. Nycholat by my estimation was never given a chance to stick. If he was to play an average of 15 minutes a night - for 82 games - I think we'd be pleasantly surprised to the tune of 25 points. That's a nice contribution from a number 6 man. I hope Murray and Hartsburg give this guy a chance - however, if they don't, how can any of us second guess them? They would know something we don't, not big enough, not strong enough...something.
In all, Brian Murray has made this defense very, very nasty and gritty, but he hasn't really done anything to replace Wade Redden - and to a degree Joe Corvo. Will this defense score? Not much. Do defenses that don't score win championships? No. Starting a season with Brian Lee, Andrej Meszaros and Lawrence Nycholat as your primary puck movers doesn't instill loads of confidence. But we will make it extrememly difficult for teams to waltz on into our zone at will - and extremely painful as well.
B-
504Heater