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SENShobo

Sens’ Line Shake-Up Renews Hope, Focus

by SENShobo on 10/21/08 at 08:55 AM ET
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Today’s Ottawa Senators stories:

• Major line changes for the Sens.
• Kuba takes a MSM beating.
• New tv show connects fans with the Sens.

• The line changes may be drastic, but they don’t come as a shock to the receptive players (Ottawa Sun posted earlier by Paul, Ottawa Senators’ web, Ottawa Citizen).

When it was suggested the new look might be short-term, Spezza clear his goals are strictly team-oriented.

“Hopefully not,” he said. “If it works out real well and it’s best for the team ...

“Doesn’t matter if me and Heater are best friends, if we’re not playing together, you feel a lot better after a win and we enjoy the win a lot more than if we scored a couple of goals (and lost) along the way.”

Fisher isn’t surprised at the lack of patience from the coach.

“He’s not going to sit around and watch that,” Fisher said. “No one should. Especially last game. It was embarrassing. We’ve got to find a way to fix it and we will.”

I spoke of the line changes yesterday when they were announced. Not entirely that much of a difference for a couple of the lines, but separating Heatley and Spezza is something so rare that you have to be curious and excited to see what happens.

Now that we start seeing some of the positive reception to the changes from the players, I think we can rest even a little easier with this new kick at the can. Weren’t we all getting a little worried when balanced scoring still saw a top line heavy focus? It will be interesting to see both how long it takes the new lines to start clicking, and whether Hartsburg likes what he sees or decides to go for further tinkering.

• Kuba may be many things, but to some he still doesn’t measure up it seems (Ottawa Sun).

Through five games, Kuba has made an impact. He has no goals, but at least one assist in every game. His seven in total had him tied for second in scoring among all NHL defencemen heading into last night’s action.

He’s also the Senators’ top workhorse, by a lot. Kuba has averaged 25:05. Second on the team in ice time is Anton Volchenkov at 21:40.

But where the 6-foot-5, 225-lb. Kuba comes up glaringly short is in the hits department.

After more than 250 minutes of ice time, he has recorded just one.

Yes, one.

It’s true, I checked the stats myself. But there are two interesting and separate things going on in this article. The first, yes, in 5GP, Kuba has 1 hit. If you want to go by stats, there are a few other considerations you should make.

He is set to record a miniscule 16 hits if he plays in all 82 games. Is there any other player on the ice who would wind up in a similar situation? Last year, in 79GP, Spezza recorded 18 official hits, but it’s probably the points he put up that are most important.

So what’s important about Kuba, when you compare him to not only Meszaros, but Redden as well? Neither Redden nor Meszaros managed to notch a point every other game, coming in at .475 and .439P/G, respectively. So far, Kuba has put up 7 points in 5GP, for 1.4P/G. Even if that production drops by a third, he’ll still outproduce BOTH Redden and Meszaros.

What else did Redden and Meszaros contribute? Well, some time on the penalty kill, with Redden notching 1:45 per game and Meszaros 2:09 per game for a combined 3:54 of shorthanded coverage per game. By himself, Kuba has pulled out 3:24 per game, far outpacing either departed defenceman, and needing only an extra 0:30 of shorthanded coverage (maybe that Jason Smith guy is good in shorthanded situations?). Yes, you’ve lost Redden’s 3:48 and Meszaros’ 2:44 per game on the powerplay, but I have a feeling Kuba’s whopping 5:28 might help with that (maybe one of those young guys, Lee or Picard, wants some powerplay time too?).

I’m starting to think this Kuba guy might be good, but wait, what about blocked shots? Meszaros and Redden each blocked over a whole shot per game (not sure how much those fractional shots hurt though), that has to be hard to cover, right? Kuba’s currently clocking in at 1.8 per game, and maybe that Smith guy might be good at this defensive aspect too? After all, he was third in the League last season. I’m beginning to think that maybe there’s a lot this Kuba guy can do, and anything he can’t, there’s a fresh new or old face around to pick up any ‘slack’ for the team, but that would suggest players can’t improve, to think that Kuba can’t change either. I think I’ll continue to feel quite happy that he’s a part of the team.

The other interesting and unrelated point of this article is the tone. Maybe it’s subtler, but it almost starts to remind me of the kind of work the League and its teams suggest that they don’t like, the kind of work they accuse all bloggers/ASM of putting out, and use as a reason to suggest we aren’t fit for any access or privileges granted to MSM. Hmmm…

• Rogers TV will be starting a new program this season, giving fans a chance to speak not only about the game they love, but directly to the players and coaches (Ottawa Start).

Ottawa Senators fans are arguably some of the most dedicated in the National Hockey League. Now, thanks to Rogers TV Cable 22, fans can now call-in and talk to the players directly. Watch Overtime Live weekly on Mondays at 7:00pm.
....
“The new show will not only entertain hockey fans of all ages, it will give people the unique opportunity to connect with players and coaches, and a chance to get in on the action,” says Ray Skaff, Station Manager, Rogers TV.

Overtime Live will be hosted by two high-caliber hockey insiders. Former Ottawa Senators defenceman Jason York played over 800 career NHL games, including five full seasons with his hometown team. Veteran sports reporter Patricia Boal, who most recently served as the Ottawa Bureau Reporter for the The Score, will bring her talents for sports journalism and a decade of experience on the Ottawa sports scene.

I hear that the players and coaching staff of Canadian NHL teams are particularly busy, so taking further time out to connect with the fans should indeed be appreciated. Kudos to Rogers TV and the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club.

Filed in: NHL Teams, Ottawa Senators | SENShobo | Permalink
 

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