B-Sens 2024/25 Belleville Senators

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Am I the only one who thinks putting Halliday on the 4th line is a recipe for a let down? He isn't fast and isn't particularly hard on the forecheck or intense which is the identity of our 4th line. On top of that he does not generate offence on his own. If Cousins was in I might feel different because Cousins is surprisingly effective at driving possession and creating space but otherwise I just don't see a fit.

He is a playmaker and needs fast skilled players to play with otherwise I'm afraid he won't impress. 3rd line W him for a stint and set him up for success.

Greig Pinto Halliday
 
Am I the only one who thinks putting Halliday on the 4th line is a recipe for a let down? He isn't fast and isn't particularly hard on the forecheck or intense which is the identity of our 4th line. On top of that he does not generate offence on his own. If Cousins was in I might feel different because Cousins is surprisingly effective at driving possession and creating space but otherwise I just don't see a fit.

He is a playmaker and needs fast skilled players to play with otherwise I'm afraid he won't impress. 3rd line W him for a stint and set him up for success.

Greig Pinto Halliday
Agreed. Until he’s here and we can see for real I’d bet on the third line being the ideal spot for him.
 
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Am I the only one who thinks putting Halliday on the 4th line is a recipe for a let down? He isn't fast and isn't particularly hard on the forecheck or intense which is the identity of our 4th line. On top of that he does not generate offence on his own. If Cousins was in I might feel different because Cousins is surprisingly effective at driving possession and creating space but otherwise I just don't see a fit.

He is a playmaker and needs fast skilled players to play with otherwise I'm afraid he won't impress. 3rd line W him for a stint and set him up for success.

Greig Pinto Halliday

Put him in a position to succeed. He's not the type that will have to work from the 4th line to success, he doesn't have these bruising, defensive and quickness attributes. Playing him with Norris and Batherson gives him a chance to produce offense, the reason why he'd be here in the first place. If it works out, this lineup below also help the 3rd and 4th lines IMO.

Tkachuk - Stutzle - Giroux
Halliday - Norris - Batherson
Greig - Pinto - Perron
Cousins - Ostapchuk - Amadio
Gaudette/Gregor
 
Ostapchuk is quite fast & quickly becoming a very good forechecker, Halliday is a big body who can make plays from turnovers quite quickly. If MacEwan were healthy or available, he is a fast 4th line RW who has some tools & would help create a solid 4th line. If we lose a centre in a game Halliday moves up the way we have seen Ostapchuk move up when needed. It's difficult to put a prospect in a position to succeed if those positions are already occupied by players who are ahead of them & playing well.

Players don't appreciate being replaced by prospects when they are playing well nor do his teammates, that's a recipe for a problem in the room. Some teams have 4th lines that also contribute offensively & Ostapchuk & MacEwan are both good at playing this attacking style they play. And let's not forget Belleville plays this same style too, so it wouldn't be foreign to him & he's a decent player, he can figure it out. I don't think it is that big a deal to insert Halliday onto this roster rather than Highmore, Gregor or Cousins who I like, but I doubt is re-signed.
 
Ostapchuk is quite fast & quickly becoming a very good forechecker, Halliday is a big body who can make plays from turnovers quite quickly. If MacEwan were healthy or available, he is a fast 4th line RW who has some tools & would help create a solid 4th line. If we lose a centre in a game Halliday moves up the way we have seen Ostapchuk move up when needed. It's difficult to put a prospect in a position to succeed if those positions are already occupied by players who are ahead of them & playing well.

Players don't appreciate being replaced by prospects when they are playing well nor do his teammates, that's a recipe for a problem in the room. Some teams have 4th lines that also contribute offensively & Ostapchuk & MacEwan are both good at playing this attacking style they play. And let's not forget Belleville plays this same style too, so it wouldn't be foreign to him & he's a decent player, he can figure it out. I don't think it is that big a deal to insert Halliday onto this roster rather than Highmore, Gregor or Cousins who I like, but I doubt is re-signed.
Crookshank comes up if we need a 4th liner. Halliday comes up if we need someone higher in the lineup.
 
The 2019-2020 B Sens team was so stacked. Just checked it out again on hockeydb, and wow.

Based on the players who played at least a game in Belleville that season :


Formenton - Norris - Batherson
N. Paul - L. Brown - C. White
Balcers - Chlapik - Abramov
Klimchuk - P. Kelly - Carcone
LaBate - Swarz - Archibald

Brannstrom - Jaros
Wolanin - Lajoie
Englund - Corrado
Murray - Dougherty
Aspirot

Gustavsson
Daccord
Högberg



Absolutely ridiculous
 
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If Halliday can't get a call up with both Norris and Pinto out with injury, we might as well trade the guy because clearly the coaching staff and/or management aren't believers that he can translate his game to the NHL.
Seems a bit drastic. I'd like to see him up, too, but he's only played 54 games in the pros and is being asked to learn a lot on the fly.
 
Seems a bit drastic. I'd like to see him up, too, but he's only played 54 games in the pros and is being asked to learn a lot on the fly.

He's 22 years old. Same age as Greig and Kleven. This is not an underdeveloped prospect.

No one is saying he needs to be graduated from the AHL permanently, but we're two centers down and one of the top scorers in the AHL since December is available.

If he can't get a callup in this situation, don't know how much of a future he has with the team.
 
They still have enough players to dress the guys who are in Ottawa without calling someone up. Stutzle, Greig, Ostapchuk & Amadio, Gaudette & Gregor could all play centre should they want. Given where they are in the standings this may not be the time to bring in a rookie who has yet to play a single game in the NHL & they have a couple of guys who have played well when called up like Reinhardt. And then wait for the Four Nations break to see what happens & where their injured players are at.
 
Halliday is a rookie, doesn’t matter how old he is. He isn’t next up at this point.

Of all the dumb arguments for why one of the best centers in the AHL the last 3 months shouldn't be called up when two of our centers are injured, this has to be the dumbest.

Who cares that he's a rookie? You think older players should be entitled to a callup before Halliday just because they have more AHL experience?

Using that ridiculous logic Sam Gagner is obviously the guy who's next up. He's the most experienced after all.
 
Of all the dumb arguments for why one of the best centers in the AHL the last 3 months shouldn't be called up when two of our centers are injured, this has to be the dumbest.

Who cares that he's a rookie? You think older players should be entitled to a callup before Halliday just because they have more AHL experience?

Using that ridiculous logic Sam Gagner is obviously the guy who's next up. He's the most experienced after all.
Calm down, you’re embarrassing yourself.

He has holes in his game that will make it tough for him to play in the NHL right now, and we need wins.

He is just fine leading the team in the AHL. We have other guys more suited to a temporary bottom 6 roll on the team.

Relying on a rookie to fill in and not be a liability during a critical part of our season isn’t a bright strategy in my opinion.
 
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Of all the dumb arguments for why one of the best centers in the AHL the last 3 months shouldn't be called up when two of our centers are injured, this has to be the dumbest.

Who cares that he's a rookie? You think older players should be entitled to a callup before Halliday just because they have more AHL experience?

Using that ridiculous logic Sam Gagner is obviously the guy who's next up. He's the most experienced after all.
As long as he is playing well, I would actually be surprised if Gagner wasn't called up at some point before the end of the season.

Checks a lot of boxes & lots of connections:

- Versatile veteran player with over 1000 games played in the NHL.
- Played for T Green in Vancouver.
- Teammates with Staois in Edmonton.
- Teammates with Giroux in Philly.
 
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Roster Notes:

There are four roster moves to report with players coming and going from Belleville over the all-star break. Forward Cole Reinhardt was recalled to Ottawa again, after playing his franchise-leading 241st game for Belleville last weekend, while at the same time, goaltender Leevi Merilainen was returned from the National Hockey League. The young, Finnish, netminder has turned heads during his 12 appearances with Ottawa, collecting eight wins and three shutouts, with a 1.99 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. With Merilainen returning, goaltender Mark Sinclair was released from his professional tryout, and forward Jake Chiasson was returned to the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL). There have been no updates to the Senators’ injured list as of this morning, but updates will be provided on tonight’s Belleville Sens Entertainment Network broadcast. You can click here for a full list of up-to-date transactions, with lineup details available via the B-Sens social channels (@bellevillesens), ahead of game time.

Who to Watch:

Senators’ rookie forward Stephen Halliday carries an eight-point (three goals, five assists) five-game point streak into tonight’s contest. He extended that streak by picking up three assists in the last game before the break, including a helper on Wyatt Bongiovanni’s overtime winning goal. That game-winner for Bongiovanni was his fifth of the season, putting him among the league leaders in that category. Captain Garrett Pilon had two goals last weekend against the Comets, while defender Jeremy Davies had a goal and an assist, before heading to California to represent Belleville at the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic. Fans will likely be keeping an eye on Leevi Merilainen tonight as well, should he start in goal, to see how he responds to being returned to the AHL after an impressive NHL stint.

Due to NHL recalls, the Amerks will be without a couple of key pieces tonight. Both forward Isak Rosen, and goaltender Felix Sandstrom were recalled to their NHL parent club in Buffalo. Rosen was on a four-game point streak (seven goals, one assist) and has six points (three goals, three assists) against Belleville this season. That said, the Senators will need to watch out for all-star forward Brett Murray, who has points in back-to-back games (one goal, two assists) and four goals in three contests against Belleville this season. Rookie forward Noah Ostlund also has points in back-to-back games (one goal, two assists).

Follow the Action:

Puck drop today is set for 7:05 p.m. ET from Blue Cross Arena in Roches
 
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