GDT: GAME 1 | PANTHERS VS SENATORS | THE ULLMARK ERA BEGINS | Thu Oct 10, 2024, 7PM

[SpezDispenser]

Hot (and unpopular) take: I hope they don't bring back Giroux. Nothing against him, but I think Father Time has come for the Claudefather. He has disappeared since the second half of last year, so my opinion is not just based on this first game.

Halliday working out as a top 6 for us next year would be a very pleasant miracle.

No sir. He's still got the wheels to keep up imo and his hockey iq is off the charts, as is his skill as a passer.

Father time will get him eventually, but it won't be for a few years.

Plus, he's in astounding shape (it appears). Looks like he models his workouts after alfie. Really strong core, almost never falls, can fend off players and maintain puck control.

An off the chart hockey iq mixed with a rigorous workout regime can have any player going into their late 30s. But very few have the combination...

 

[Silky Johnson]

I'll be watching more Sens games now.

As a Bruins fan, I've never hated you guys. I hope this season goes well. It's been awhile for you all. Wishing y'all success in the upcoming season.

Nice! Back at ya.

And the great things is we can all hate the Habs together!

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

First time since prime Anderson I’ve felt confident in a goalie.

What a difference that makes.

Same way they used to have Phillips-Volchenkov and you could feel extremely confident. Sens are getting that mojo back with Sanderson and Ullmark, it’s extremely, extremely exciting and promising.

And Ullmark unlike prime Anderson is also a great puckmover.

 

[Micklebot]

And Ullmark unlike prime Anderson is also a great puckmover.

And presumably can stop a wrap around.

 

[JD1]

Hot (and unpopular) take: I hope they don't bring back Giroux. Nothing against him, but I think Father Time has come for the Claudefather. He has disappeared since the second half of last year, so my opinion is not just based on this first game.

Halliday working out as a top 6 for us next year would be a very pleasant miracle.

Claude isn't a particularly fast skater. Hasn't been for years. It's why he doesn't play center which used to be his position before hip surgery

The good news with Claude is
High end faceoff guy
Excellent PP player
Excellent hockey IQ

I suspect we'll see him drop into the high 50s point wise. But they can keep him at a lower price. He clearly intends to live here post hockey. I could very much see a year to year thing after this season. Google says he's made 92.5 M in his career so he should be good. Would be awesome to see him do a 2M one year type deal to leave cap space on the table

 

[GCK]

Claude isn't a particularly fast skater. Hasn't been for years. It's why he doesn't play center which used to be his position before hip surgery

The good news with Claude is
High end faceoff guy
Excellent PP player
Excellent hockey IQ

I suspect we'll see him drop into the high 50s point wise. But they can keep him at a lower price. He clearly intends to live here post hockey. I could very much see a year to year thing after this season. Google says he's made 92.5 M in his career so he should be good. Would be awesome to see him do a 2M one year type deal to leave cap space on the table

2M for Giroux is insulting. 4-5M.

 

[Golden_Jet]

It's a reference to Jimmy Stewart who acted in that and many other excellent films.

Ya that’s what I was saying, by mentioning that movie in particular, as I don’t see him watching any of his other movies.

 

[Agent Zuuuub]

2M for Giroux is insulting. 4-5M.

Maybe a cup is more important to him than an extra 2 m though.

 

[JD1]

2M for Giroux is insulting. 4-5M.

I wasn't meaning to insult the man nor imply that was his worth

The opposite really

He's going to be 37 this year. This is his hometown. It's where he'll live post career. I can really see him being one of those guys that leaves a lot on the table in order to help the team.

 

[GCK]

Maybe a cup is more important to him than an extra 2 m though.

If he says give me 2M then sure.

 

[Cosmix]

Spezza's last contract with TML was for $0.7M.

I am not saying that is what Giroux should sign for if he wants to continue playing hockey for Ottawa.

Let's see what Giroux can contribute this season b4 discussing the amount he should be paid .

 

[bicboi64]

Claude isn't a particularly fast skater. Hasn't been for years. It's why he doesn't play center which used to be his position before hip surgery

The good news with Claude is
High end faceoff guy
Excellent PP player
Excellent hockey IQ

I suspect we'll see him drop into the high 50s point wise. But they can keep him at a lower price. He clearly intends to live here post hockey. I could very much see a year to year thing after this season. Google says he's made 92.5 M in his career so he should be good. Would be awesome to see him do a 2M one year type deal to leave cap space on the table

He's a beast on the PK too because of his IQ and FO! If he does any one year type deals around $2 million, we'll have a bargain

 

[Cosmix]

He's a beast on the PK too because of his IQ and FO! If he does any one year type deals around $2 million, we'll have a bargain

Claude is a little slow to be on the PK where quick acceleration is an important asset to defend against the other team's top offensive players. I like his IQ and his FO skills but not his speed.

 

[JackieDaytona]

Brady came up with it. I am just guessing but Jimmy rhymes with Timmy. My older brother used to do that with me all the time when we were kids. I don't think there is much more to it than that.

If I recall correctly, this all took place during a shortened Covid season that started immediately after the World Juniors where Stu made quite a name for himself, the buzz of the hockey world.

The joke was that Brady got his name wrong, like he had never heard of him before, when in fact a starved hockey media (that was only covering that tourney and really not much else due to Covid stoppage) was pumping Timmy up.

At least that was my interpretation.

 

[Burrowsaurus]

No sir. He's still got the wheels to keep up imo and his hockey iq is off the charts, as is his skill as a passer.

Father time will get him eventually, but it won't be for a few years.

Plus, he's in astounding shape (it appears). Looks like he models his workouts after alfie. Really strong core, almost never falls, can fend off players and maintain puck control.

An off the chart hockey iq mixed with a rigorous workout regime can have any player going into their late 30s. But very few have the combination...

I would definitely keep him. But if he’s look at after same type of money no that can’t be done. Max I would go is 5 million

 

[SpezDispenser]

I would definitely keep him. But if he’s look at after same type of money no that can’t be done. Max I would go is 5 million

Agreed

 

[coladin]

Lyndon's timing is a little off compared to the backing track. Shaking off some rust too, no doubt.

Actually the music was nowhere loud enough for him

 

[LiseL]

Florida fan here: You looked good this game. Ullmark takes this team to another level, so it should be fun ride for you all this year!

Thank you. Your team is a forechecking beast, very hard to play against. I was also glad to hear that the injury to Barkov wasn't as serious as was first thought. He's a great player. I was proud of our boys being able to come out of it with 2 pts.

Yes, Ullmark is a difference maker, very happy to have him for the next 5 years.

 

[LiseL]

I wasn't meaning to insult the man nor imply that was his worth

The opposite really

He's going to be 37 this year. This is his hometown. It's where he'll live post career. I can really see him being one of those guys that leaves a lot on the table in order to help the team.

The way Spezza did with the Leafs. Didn't he take less $1M?

 

[NyQuil]

Ottawa came out to Hell’s Bells and Montreal is still using Coldplay.

 

[SensFanInMTL]

Alright. I still have no idea what you were trying to do. You wanted to stream the game to yourself?

Na brother. I wanted to find out how to record the games and post it like the other dude on YouTube due to not being able to PVR to PC transfer. So I worked on it yesterday. Go some work to put in but it may work out. For starters, I signed in on TSN's site through my cable provider and am able to watch all 5 TSN's. Just need to know how to extract it now.

 

[SensFanInMTL]

Where is tonight's game thread? I found a thread on a Habs' page which I refuse to discuss with the Hab homers. Scrolling through a little and it was more than enough that I wanted to read for at least a decade.

 

[NyQuil]

Where is tonight's game thread? I found a thread on a Habs' page which I refuse to discuss with the Hab homers. Scrolling through a little and it was more than enough that I wanted to read for at least a decade.

Like two posts below.

 

[Frank8]

Winning is what counts, especially when it's against the defending Stanley Cup champions. At the end of the season, it's not about the method, but the number of victories that matter. Hockey is about the wins, not the aesthetics; it's not a beauty contest. The important thing is the win, no matter how it's achieved.

Thank you for explaining what hockey is about. Now zoom out - this team has been weak defensively for a long time and despite the recent wins, it's clear they still have trouble defending. That will need to change if they want to keep winning.

 

[Micklebot]

Thank you for explaining what hockey is about. Now zoom out - this team has been weak defensively for a long time and despite the recent wins, it's clear they still have trouble defending. That will need to change if they want to keep winning.

Oddly, we're 10th in the league in SA/60 at 5v5, and 9th in xGA/60. Even HDCA/60 is middle of the pack at 15th. Last year we were around the bottom 3rd of the league in all three of those stats. Granted, it's a small sample.

There have been breakdowns, every team has them, and there have been times when it's seemed like we were under assault, but the team has done a pretty good job of getting in the lanes and reducing the quality of chances against. Where they have struggled imo is bearing down and getting the clear when they do get in trouble, which means they defend more often than they should.

I've liked both new guys on the D, Kleven and Jensen have been good, and Kleven seems to be getting more and more comfortable. Sanderson is Sanderson, and while Chabot still has his bad habits, I think he's going to fit well with Jensen.

Hamonic has been uneven, I'd like to get a look at JBD there, but with Zub potentially out, we'll have to wait for that.

Up front, I'd like to see us be a bit more consistent on the forecheck. Tkachuk had a slow start so far, he can be better, but Pinto looks great, Norris seems to be closer to his old form after shaking off some early rust, though I haven't seen that one timer. I really don't like Gaudette on the 4th line, I think we need more size/grit, and defensive awareness for that role, he would be a good callup for the 3rd line perhaps. .