Confirmed with Link: Zibanejad, 2nd to NYR for Brassard, 7th

[Do Make Say Think]

Well 2nd round picks are good assets to have come trade deadline/draft/offseason.

If Mac's concussion issues don't improve and/or Methot is picked up by Vegas, we'll probably need to make a few moves.

For sure but let's say that, due to circumstances that cannot be changed, it was give up the 2nd to save money and retain Hoffman because if we don't save that money Hoffman goes to arbitration.

Is that a good use of an asset? I'd say it absolutely is.

 

[Pinto Bean]

Mika interview on TSN1200 notes:

- no indications, came as a shock, feels very weird not being a sen.

- thanked pierre for the time he spent in ottawa

- happy to go to the rangers, happy to go to team that wants him

- spoke to NYR gm, welcomes him to team, very excited to have Mika, introductory phone call.

- sad to leave ottawa, very familiar with everyone and everything, excited for new chapter, new city.

- characterized his last two seasons with a lot of up's and down's. Not super happy with how his own performance has been going but noted that's hes been satisfied with the points he's put up although they've been inconsistent.

- hoping to have a breakout year this coming season with the Rangers. Doing everything he can to give himself an honest chance to be the best player that he can be.

- Going to focus on limiting the downtime and elongating the successful runs in the future. Believes this will come with experience

- Bobby and Mika really wanted to make things work. Noted that it was a lot of fun when it did work out but they really had a hard time to keep things rolling consistently. Seemed genuinely disappointed that it didn't work out as well as previously hoped.

- Asked about the carousel of coaches and line-mates and immediately said those are not excuses but did mention that consistency is key. He doesn't think all the coaching changes helped his situation but also doesn't really think it hurt his progress.

- Upcoming year is extremely important to establish himself in this league. Doesn't want to stress too much about the upcoming contract situations and wants to focus on playing hockey and finding the right chemistry and teammates to play with on the Rangers.

- Favourite moments of him time with the Sens included the unbelievable run that allowed them to get into the playoffs, all the time that he spent with the guys and all of the friendships that he built with the guys on the team.

- Mika is also going to miss how nice everyone is in Ottawa. States that city was extremely passionate and supportive of the team and that it will always have a special place in his heart.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

For sure but let's say that, due to circumstances that cannot be changed, it was give up the 2nd to save money and retain Hoffman because if we don't save that money Hoffman goes to arbitration.

Is that a good use of an asset? I'd say it absolutely is.

Yeah, I understand why it had to be done on our part, but I also understand the frustration from fans. Giving up a 2nd rounder to save a couple million is not a good sign about the current state of ownership.

 

[FlyingJ]

Breaking Story: GMs often say things fans want to hear, regardless of truth, to sell the team to the fans.

We'll have this story, and more, at 11.

Yep. The same can just as easily be said of Dorion talking up what a great move getting Brassard is, and denying that the $2million signing bonus paid by the Rangers on July 15th was a reason for the deal being made now instead of earlier.

 

[Do Make Say Think]

Yeah, I understand why it had to be done on our part, but I also understand the frustration from fans. Giving up a 2nd rounder to save a couple million is not a good sign about the current state of ownership.

I'd rather focus on the positive

Dorion making that trade means he thinks the savings were worth giving up a 2nd round pick so I think it's far more productive to think the asset wasn't wasted.

And that's how you succeed: you make the most of the situation you are in rather than bemoan the lack of funds.

Dorion is quickly making a very good impression as a visionary which was something a bit lacking from Murray; Bryan had a plan but it felt dreamless.

 

[BonkTastic]

Yep. The same can just as easily be said of Dorion talking up what a great move getting Brassard is, and denying that the $2million signing bonus paid by the Rangers on July 15th was a reason for the deal being made now instead of earlier.

Agreed.

Take anything an NHL GM says with a grain of salt. Always.

 

[aragorn]

- Brassard has more drive & determination & plays with the kind of intensity this team has needed for quite a while & could use more of.
- even though Brassard is a smaller player than Zibanejad, he plays a more physical game & plays a much more consistent game throughout the yr & playoffs.
- Ottawa needed another playmaker on the top 6 & Brassard is exactly the kind of playmaker they needed & should help both Ryan & Hoffman offensively & defensively.
- Zibanejad's salary will be increasing in future while Brassard's salary will be going down & this is probably the main reason this deal was made IMO. It usually comes down to money with this team & the lack of it or better put to stay within budget moving forward & this deal will cost Ottawa less.
- this deal should give Ottawa enough cap space too to sign both Hoffman & Ceci long term now & give them lots of space moving into future yrs.
- this should also make Ottawa a playoff team & a couple more moves could make them a cup contender although they may need to improve in net for that to happen.

 

[Pinto Bean]

shane that we had to give up on him.. Mika's gonna end up robin us.. no pun intended

 

[Six Assets]

we need a poll

 

[Do Make Say Think]

shane that we had to give up on him.. Mika's gonna end up robin us.. no pun intended

Far from a sure thing and, it needs to be repeated ad nauseam: we have White and Brown coming up, both look like they will be better fits for us than Zibanejad.

Having both Brassard and Turris with three years left makes is going to make for the perfect transition. This cannot be understated.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

I'd rather focus on the positive

Dorion making that trade means he thinks the savings were worth giving up a 2nd round pick so I think it's far more productive to think the asset wasn't wasted.

And that's how you succeed: you make the most of the situation you are in rather than bemoan the lack of funds.

Dorion is quickly making a very good impression as a visionary which was something a bit lacking from Murray; Bryan had a plan but it felt dreamless.

I am speechless

I agree with the move completely. Smart move and the right move at the right time for the Sens.

 

[BK201]

I hate that I know I'm wrong here :/

 

[Flamingo]

Have you watched Brassard at all? How do they trade away their leading scorer over the last two years regular season and playoffs yet they didnt give up much. Please.

Playing with speed isnt just a players legs his brain is the most important piece.

Agree 100%. Playing fast is more than just skating fast, and you don't have to be the fastest skater on the team to "play fast." Fast decisions, fast hands, agility, fast reaction all leverage physical quickness to produce a hard-to-contain offensive game.

 

[Flamingo]

I hate that I know I'm wrong here :/

that feeling you have... that part of your brain that's activated right now... not everyone has that.

 

[Icelevel]

bit awkward, bit sad of an interview. good luck mr. dj zib

 

[DrEasy]

Sheesh the ONE day I don't follow sports news this happens??? Just a few reactions:

- I will miss Ziba, I will my wear my Ziba Sens t-shirt (my only Sens shirt with a player name on it) in his honor tomorrow. Other than Karlsson, nobody "exotic" left on our team.

- Having said that, I welcome bringing in a playmaking type of player. We've usually been trading those types *away* most of the time, so maybe that's something different with Dorion. Brassard definitely fits our needs like a glove.

- I don't think Ziba is going to suddenly discover some hidden skills, but he still can definitely get even bigger and stronger. He could become quite the physical monster, which, if he can eventually put these tools to good use, could turn him into a fearsome winger. Or in Centre, he could give the Rangers fans a Bobby Holik flashback.

- Basically, I think we raised the floor and lowered the ceiling. It's getting cramped, I feel like I'm living in that half floor in Being John Malkovitch.

- So the value of a 2nd rounder is basically $2M. Interesting to get a handle on these sort of things. It's nice being the Rangers, having an unlimited budget and finding these creative ways of spending it despite being in a salary cap league.

- I do understand and like the Sens' strategy of going for local players, as they give us an increased chance of re-signing them.

- We can now have one playmaker per line over 3 lines. I'd love to see us rolling three good lines with similar ice time as so:

Mac - Brassard - Ryan
Hoff - Turris - Lazar <- on Lazar. Ideally could get a better RW.
Smith - Pageau - Stone <- going with the chemistry found on this line to give us an effective third line

Later in the game, if we're leading we can keep rolling them like that, but if we're behind we can shorten the bench and consolidate into two very potent offensive lines:

Mac - Brassard - Ryan
Hoff - Turris - Stone <- HST line reunited

 

[Knave]

bit awkward, bit sad of an interview. good luck mr. dj zib

Some people disliked what they saw as his compete level - but I don't really have an issue with it.

It's clear he needed to have more discipline in the offseason so he could show up to camp and start the season strong but other than that... I think he's just one of those guys who lacks a bit of hockey IQ to be elite.

And when I say hockey IQ - I don't mean Zibanejad is dumb or anything. There are certain athletes who have this natural instinct, ability and vision when they step on the ice. Zibanejad doesn't have as much as other guys - including someone like Kyle Turris.

In a way he reminds me of a cross between Fisher and Vermette with maybe a little more offensive upside. The North-South of Fisher but less physicality, defensive ability and the awkwardness of Vermette. I think he is better offensively than Fisher/Vermette but he's hardly an elite talent like Spezza was.

 

[Hutz]

I'd be more confident in the team adopting a win-now position if we weren't also hearing that we delayed the trade and threw in a pick to avoid paying our new talent a 2 million dollar bonus.

I think you're right about the pick. It's definitely the downside of the trade.

I think our team got a very big upgrade though. I just feel like everytime you map out a top 6 combination it looks signficantly better with Brassard in it.

The 2nd round pick really hurts though. It's bad asset management.

If Zibby never becomes more than he is right now than we have a player who is better by 10 points. a 2nd rounder is way too much for that difference.

But that's from an asset management POV. I think from a hockey skill POV Brassard fits this team better and is going to make them a better team.

If it really is a very big upgrade as you say, then a 2nd round pick is not very much to pay, it's fine asset management. I'm not convinced it is such a big upgrade, that's my issue, but I'm going to reserve my final judgment for the season when I can actually see Brassard looks with the team and vice versa.

 

[Brannstorm]

http://www.tsn.ca/senators-believe-time-is-now-1.529085

The senators organization believe the time for winning the cup is now?

We didn't even make the playoffs last year, we were almost dead last in penalty killing, shots against AND powerplay percentage. Our defence is bad, our offence is ok with no real game breakers!

Brassard will make us better next season no doubt. But to say our time is now is to make sure that our time never comes.

Toronto thought their time was NOW every year for 10 years and finally decided to rebuild properly.

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." (Tolstoy). And ask every person who has won the cup the playoffs are a battle!

 

[MarkStone]

http://www.tsn.ca/senators-believe-time-is-now-1.529085

The senators organization believe the time for winning the cup is now?

We didn't even make the playoffs last year, we were almost dead last in penalty killing, shots against AND powerplay percentage. Our defence is bad, our offence is ok with no real game breakers!

Brassard will make us better next season no doubt. But to say our time is now is to make sure that our time never comes.

Toronto thought their time was NOW every year for 10 years and finally decided to rebuild properly.

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time." (Tolstoy). And ask every person who has won the cup the playoffs are a battle!

It's almost like we made moves to try to address these problems...

 

[VermetteFan]

shane that we had to give up on him.. Mika's gonna end up robin us.. no pun intended

he paid the prince its too zbad he didnt lehner

 

[The Expert]

Not a fan of Spezzas number being taken so quick, but whatevs.

Over two years later is so quick?

If he can't do it over two year later, when can he? Unless you think his number should be retired I don't know what more can be done. I don't even really get how people can call it 'ballsy', it's not like we were going to retire 19.

 

[Tundraman]

Papa Eugene needs a new pair of shoes.

So now all the teams know they can buy our picks for cash and possibly a late round pick.

1st = $5M cash and a 6th
2nd = $2M cash and a 7th (only available 2019 and later)
3rd = $1M
4th = $500k
5th = $250k
6th and 7th are not for sale they are too valuable.

 

[Brannstorm]

It's almost like we made moves to try to address these problems...

Ya, true.

We make the same moves EVERY year.

We fire the coaches, we assign blame, we hire a new coach who we believe is going to lead us to the cup only to be fired the next year.

We went from one GM who felt our time to win is now, trading away prospects and picks, to his second in command who also believes we will win now.

Hey, they may be right, but history has proven differently (for all 7 Canadian teams). Don't look at making the playoffs as the goal, look at winning the cup as the goal! Don't look to next year, look 5 years down the road.

Remember there are 30 teams in this league, it takes miracle to win, but you need a very strong roster to contend.

 

[Sens]

I like this move a lot more after reading Dorions comments... He's going for a cup run.

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