Dorion's biggest mistake in 2022...

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Technically I suppose we've added two of our top 4 D through UFA and trade with Zub and Hamonic,
 
NJD have 5 D all getting 17+ mins at 5v5 per game (partially because Marino was out for 17 games but still), that kind of depth is nuts.

The other big thing is they went from bottom of the league goaltending with a carousel of 7 goalies getting starts (thx to lots of injuries if I recall) to very stable goaltending with vanacek as the clear cut starter ahead of Blackwood.
all moves made by their management.

Vanacek was a trade. Balckwood was The Sens F-up.
The D were all trades or signings.

July 2020 Tom Fitzgerlad is GM.. 3 years later, a laughing stock is a contender.
 
all moves made by their management.

Vanacek was a trade. Balckwood was The Sens F-up.
The D were all trades or signings.

July 2020 Tom Fitzgerlad is GM.. 3 years later, a laughing stock is a contender.
Well part of that is having an owner that will ok adding a 9 mil UFA, I'm not sure that was ever going to happen under Melnyk

That said, Dorion wasn't focused on D, which he tried to fill via the draft with JBD, Thomson, and Sanderson. We did trade for Brannstrom and Zub was a good find, but our big fish recently were Dadonov who did not work out, Murray, who did not work out, and DeBrincat, yet to be determined. I guess you could add Talbot...
 
do a simple transaction search for D men. from Jan 2021 until today. A f***ing joke when it comes to the Sens. The same 2 years that Tom Fitzgerlad was building a rock solid D core.

As for the: They/US/them..It drives me nuts when fans speak in the possessive. It is not our team. It is theirs. We do not do anything. They do...

I wish fans would stop using the us/we/I and so forth. If the team felt this way "Your Ottawa Senators!!!". They would not shit on fans at every occasion. If fans realized that they are nothing more than a life support system for a wallet, they would be better off.

Anyway, hire a Tom Fitzgerlad and turn your team around. Keep a Pierre Dorion and stagnate. Their #1 goalie is 27 years old and cost nothing..
 
Well part of that is having an owner that will ok adding a 9 mil UFA, I'm not sure that was ever going to happen under Melnyk

That said, Dorion wasn't focused on D, which he tried to fill via the draft with JBD, Thomson, and Sanderson. We did trade for Brannstrom and Zub was a good find, but our big fish recently were Dadonov who did not work out, Murray, who did not work out, and DeBrincat, yet to be determined. I guess you could add Talbot...
go through Spotrac... your sides will ache from the pain of watching the Dmen transactions the last 4-5 years. Now, go through goalies. Go through forwards.

One questionable move after another.

Mid summer, the Devils trade with Washington for Vanecek.. he is 27, cost nothing to get. Signs a reasonable extension.
The Sens, trade a 24 year old for a 35 year old.. making 3.7 Million. Is playing so-so and will be gone by trade deadline or mid summer. So we are back at square one next summer.

Tom Fitzgerlad versus Pierre Dorion!!! NJ sensing shit, good bye Ray Sherio...hello Tom...Hello turnaround
NYR sensing shit, good bye Jeff Gorton..hello turn around
Detroit sensing shit, good bye Ken Hollan, hello Stevie Y..hello turnaround
Buffalo..Boteril to Adams..hello turn around

The Sens, a pile of shit from 17-23... no changes. At some point a more "cut throat approach is needed". There is zero evidence to back the "Be patient approach".
 
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go through Spotrac... your sides will ache from the pain of watching the Dmen transactions the last 4-5 years. Now, go through goalies. Go through forwards.

One questionable move after another.

Mid summer, the Devils trade with Washington for Vanecek.. he is 27, cost nothing to get. Signs a reasonable extension.
The Sens, trade a 24 year old for a 35 year old.. making 3.7 Million. Is playing so-so and will be gone by trade deadline or mid summer. So we are back at square one next summer.

Tom Fitzgerlad versus Pierre Dorion!!! NJ sensing shit, good bye Ray Sherio...hello Tom...Hello turnaround
NYR sensing shit, good bye Jeff Gorton..hello turn around
Detroit sensing shit, good bye Ken Hollan, hello Stevie Y..hello turnaround
Buffalo..Boteril to Adams..hello turn around

The Sens, a pile of shit from 17-23... no changes. At some point a more "cut throat approach is needed". There is zero evidence to back the "Be patient approach".
You seem to be missing the point, or just wilfully ignoring it, most of Dorion's moves came during an extremely budget conscious period. He clearly didn't do much better when the budget opened up a bit (Murray and Dadonov) but the DeBrincat acquisition is probably the first and only one where the reins were mostly off and could be reasonably compared to the situation in NJ.

We were never, until this summer, in a position where giving Hamilton 9 mil a year was an option, and certainly not with 30+ mil in signing bonuses.

It's just not an apples to apples comparison, and I say this fully wanting Dorion gone. In no fan of his, but I'm willing to acknowledge that he was operating under very difficult circumstances, hardly fair for a rookie GM learning on the job.
 
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July 2020 Tom Fitzgerlad is GM.. 3 years later, a laughing stock is a contender.
You really think the NJD is a contender??? I predict that they get bounced in the 1st round and that next season they missed the playoffs!!!
 
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You seem to be missing the point, or just wilfully ignoring it, most of Dorion's moves came during an extremely budget conscious period. He clearly didn't do much better when the budget opened up a bit (Murray and Dadonov) but the DeBrincat acquisition is probably the first and only one where the reins were mostly off and could be reasonably compared to the situation in NJ.

We were never, until this summer, in a position where giving Hamilton 9 mil a year was an option, and certainly not with 30+ mil in signing bonuses.

It's just not an apples to apples comparison, and I say this fully wanting Dorion gone. In no fan of his, but I'm willing to acknowledge that he was operating under very difficult circumstances, hardly fair for a rookie GM learning on the job.
one move. The Hamilton move!!!

Look at around it... the other Dmen, combine for ~ 10 million. 3 guys. While the Sens paid Hamonic his 3 M. Wise moves could have meant a further 7 million to the salary structure. But it would have added 2 Dmen. So Brannstrom, Holden, and others that the club signed would be gone.

Leave Hamilton out. The Sens did not need him. They needed the 3 others the Devils signed or traded for around him.

in 3 years now, the Sens have failed to make a dent in their goaltending wows. Making one bad move after another.
in the same 3 years, their D core has improved by one signing; Zub..Sanderson is a draft pick.

The bulk of the forward group improvement has been thanks to high #1 draft picks. Little or no significant additions. Give Giroux all the credit you want..35 years old and counting. The CAT is; we have debated that you and I enough.

The reality is; less some good fortune (thanks San Jose) and thanks to a number of years of fairly high picks, this has been poor.
 
You really think the NJD are a contender??? I predict that they get bounced in the 1st round and that next season they missed the playoffs!!!
NJD 52 games, 73 points, 3rd in league
Ottawa 51 games, 51 points, 24 in the league

at this moment, when I see the above. I am not sure how to answer you. Say it was the Sens at 73 points and 3rd in the league. What would we be saying? Most people in Ottawa would be planning a parade.
 
Well part of that is having an owner that will ok adding a 9 mil UFA, I'm not sure that was ever going to happen under Melnyk

That said, Dorion wasn't focused on D, which he tried to fill via the draft with JBD, Thomson, and Sanderson. We did trade for Brannstrom and Zub was a good find, but our big fish recently were Dadonov who did not work out, Murray, who did not work out, and DeBrincat, yet to be determined. I guess you could add Talbot...
Uhhh, Claude Giroux? Literally the biggest fish we've ever caught (besides maybe Hasek).
 
Uhhh, Claude Giroux? Literally the biggest fish we've ever caught (besides maybe Hasek).
Yep, Giroux, for some reason I stopped after DeBrincat but my point was more about in the past, Giroux is the perfect add imo, probably my favourite non-sens player since the sens joined the league, an now I don't need to say non-sens.
 
Uhhh, Claude Giroux? Literally the biggest fish we've ever caught (besides maybe Hasek).
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the 2013-2014 season. Philie was pushing him as a Hart winner. He was a nominee.

size... all were big and nasty. And they replaced his previous line mates, who were more or less similar.

The Sens have him with the Cat, all 5' 7" of him and name your center..Pionto..big, but not skilled. Brassard, not big, no longer skilled. When they played him at center, he had Stuzle. Skilled, not big, soft. Now with Greig 5' 11"...

Get him and you needed a big centreman or right winger and a big left winger. With one being a scorer.

So play him with Brady and Batherson. Let him do the zig zagging, the skill play and dish it off to big guys who can finish.

Stop playing him with a 5' 7" 165 lb guy and a 5' 11" 163 lb guy.

The price this team is paying for some failed picks from 15-19..
 
are you sure this was all Ottawa received in return for EK65?????

When Dorion made the trade I'm sure he had no realistic thought that he would be picking 3rd overall. Did he give up Byram in the Duchene trade? We don't think of it like that. In the Yashin trade, they traded the 2nd overall pick knowing it was the 2nd overall pick, so that's different.

But ultimately yes, the return was Norris, Tierney, Demelo, Stutzle, and Ostapchuk.
 
When Dorion made the trade I'm sure he had no realistic thought that he would be picking 3rd overall. Did he give up Byram in the Duchene trade? We don't think of it like that. In the Yashin trade, they traded the 2nd overall pick knowing it was the 2nd overall pick, so that's different.

But ultimately yes, the return was Norris, Tierney, Demelo, Stutzle, and Ostapchuk.
Hahahahaha, you must be new around here.
 
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all moves made by their management.

Vanacek was a trade. Balckwood was The Sens F-up.
The D were all trades or signings.

July 2020 Tom Fitzgerlad is GM.. 3 years later, a laughing stock is a contender.
Things were bound to turn around. Since that totally random cup final and decent finish in 2018 i think it was, the Devils have been near the bottom in the East until now. In the last decade they picked in the top 5 five times and out of those 5 times twice 1st and once 2nd. On top of that they have been drafting pretty well. Whats scary is that their top picks from the last two drafts 2nd and 4 th overall are only on their way. Nemec and Hughes will be a nightmare to defend against.
 
When Dorion made the trade I'm sure he had no realistic thought that he would be picking 3rd overall. Did he give up Byram in the Duchene trade? We don't think of it like that. In the Yashin trade, they traded the 2nd overall pick knowing it was the 2nd overall pick, so that's different.

But ultimately yes, the return was Norris, Tierney, Demelo, Stutzle, and Ostapchuk.
Rudolf Balcers fan here bring triggered
 
do a simple transaction search for D men. from Jan 2021 until today. A f***ing joke when it comes to the Sens. The same 2 years that Tom Fitzgerlad was building a rock solid D core.

As for the: They/US/them..It drives me nuts when fans speak in the possessive. It is not our team. It is theirs. We do not do anything. They do...

I wish fans would stop using the us/we/I and so forth. If the team felt this way "Your Ottawa Senators!!!". They would not shit on fans at every occasion. If fans realized that they are nothing more than a life support system for a wallet, they would be better off.

Anyway, hire a Tom Fitzgerlad and turn your team around. Keep a Pierre Dorion and stagnate. Their #1 goalie is 27 years old and cost nothing..
NJ was awful last year, how about we wait and see what that team does in the playoff and maybe see if they keep this up next season ...everything does suggest they will but you never know...if the Sens break out next year will Dorion all of the sudden be a pure hockey genius ?

Its a lot easier for a GM to make moves when he has a foundation made up of two 1st overll picks both of which are 1st line centers. Not saying he doesn't deserve any credit but thats like getting a 10 minute head start in a race the normally lasts 30 minutes.

View attachment 649910

the 2013-2014 season. Philie was pushing him as a Hart winner. He was a nominee.

size... all were big and nasty. And they replaced his previous line mates, who were more or less similar.

The Sens have him with the Cat, all 5' 7" of him and name your center..Pionto..big, but not skilled. Brassard, not big, no longer skilled. When they played him at center, he had Stuzle. Skilled, not big, soft. Now with Greig 5' 11"...

Get him and you needed a big centreman or right winger and a big left winger. With one being a scorer.

So play him with Brady and Batherson. Let him do the zig zagging, the skill play and dish it off to big guys who can finish.

Stop playing him with a 5' 7" 165 lb guy and a 5' 11" 163 lb guy.

The price this team is paying for some failed picks from 15-19..
2013-2014 he was like a decade younger and well in his prime
 
NJ was awful last year, how about we wait and see what that team does in the playoff and maybe see if they keep this up next season ...everything does suggest they will but you never know...if the Sens break out next year will Dorion all of the sudden be a pure hockey genius ?

Its a lot easier for a GM to make moves when he has a foundation made up of two 1st overll picks both of which are 1st line centers. Not saying he doesn't deserve any credit but thats like getting a 10 minute head start in a race the normally lasts 30 minutes.


2013-2014 he was like a decade younger and well in his prime

Dorion has built one of the worst 5 on 5 teams in hockey - the game is played 5 on 5 and it’s the starting point for the sport of hockey.

no excuses, the team isn’t built right. Whatever luck NJ has, good for them, but they are better then us because they made better moves decided by hockey executives not because they had luck in the draft
 
Dorion has built one of the worst 5 on 5 teams in hockey - the game is played 5 on 5 and it’s the starting point for the sport of hockey.

no excuses, the team isn’t built right. Whatever luck NJ has, good for them, but they are better then us because they made better moves decided by hockey executives not because they had luck in the draft
People need to relax with the idea that this team is somehow awful 5 on 5 because they aren't. They simply aren't converting their chances; Ottawa ranks in the top 10 when it comes to high scoring chance oppertunities per game. They are also a team that ranks near the top in the league when it comes to time spent playing on special teams. On average they spent over 20 minutes a game on special teams. We are in the top 5 in the league for time spent on the power play and have the 2nd best power play in the league. So for the Sens the PP is their primary offensive weapon. They must be doing something right 5 on 5 if they draw all those penalties. And yeah the team is also missing its first line center, who was 2nd on the team with 19 es goals last year and led the team in goals. They Hughes out of the NJ line up for the whole season and it becomes a totally different team.
 
People need to relax with the idea that this team is somehow awful 5 on 5 because they aren't. They simply aren't converting their chances; Ottawa ranks in the top 10 when it comes to high scoring chance oppertunities per game. They are also a team that ranks near the top in the league when it comes to time spent playing on special teams. On average they spent over 20 minutes a game on special teams. We are in the top 5 in the league for time spent on the power play and have the 2nd best power play in the league. So for the Sens the PP is their primary offensive weapon. They must be doing something right 5 on 5 if they draw all those penalties. And yeah the team is also missing its first line center, who was 2nd on the team with 19 es goals last year and led the team in goals. They Hughes out of the NJ line up for the whole season and it becomes a totally different team.

If you want to win and make the playoffs in the NHL you need good 5 on 5 play and the ability to win on the road - Ottawa cannot do these 2 things and that’s why they are a bottom 10 NHL team.

The injury thing is an excuse. It’s not that the Norris injury cost us a playoff spot, Ottawa has looked terrible in their zone and showing up for games on time even when Norris was in the lineup.
 
If you want to win and make the playoffs in the NHL you need good 5 on 5 play and the ability to win on the road - Ottawa cannot do these 2 things and that’s why they are a bottom 10 NHL team.

The injury thing is an excuse. It’s not that the Norris injury cost us a playoff spot, Ottawa has looked terrible in their zone and showing up for games on time even when Norris was in the lineup.
The injury thing is a fact not an excuse, you don't sing a guy to his contract and operate like its no big deal when you lose him for the season and don't fill the void. Hes a core player and integral to this teams success. We don't have the same center depth as NJ either. More or less Norris would have about 15 to 20 goals by now, 10-15 es goals give or take...a decent number or primary assists, now add those theoretically to the teams total and we are never having a discussion about this 5 on 5 non sense.

To win in the playoffs you need to have good special teams. My personal opinion is that its the goaltending that is hurting our play 5 on 5 the most. For all the blame the defense gets on here one would assume they are constantly giving up the pucks and leaving goalies out to dry yet weirdly the Sens are in the top 10 for fewest dangerous scoring chances given up but bottom 5 worst in the amount of those chances ending in goals in their net. They also dont give up a lot of shots so its hard to imagine putting up those type of stats and saying the defense is to blame when your goalies for a good portion of the season were near the bottom of the league in average save percentages.
 

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