SENShobo
Sharks The Foe, Trades Still The Focus
by SENShobo on 02/26/09 at 07:52 AM ET
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Almost the end of February now, relaxing still is no easy task. Taking on the San Jose Sharks tonight certainly won’t help the cause. Detroit defeated them last night, but being Detroit is no easy task either.
Really though, all you’re interested in at the moment is trades, isn’t it? The swap with the Isles was as though it all came too soon, and you’re left still wanting more.
Not much to say about San Jose. League’s best record, deadly at every position, and the only advantage the Sens have is that they’ve been at home, playing last on Tuesday, whereas the Sharks were in Detroit last night, losing 4-1. Still, take what you can get against the Sharks, for they won’t give you much. No word on the starter yet, but success of late would argue for Auld, while efforts to see what the team has in Elliott could lead to him making a surprise start.
Where was Bryan Murray and a host of the Senators’ management team last night, you may not have been wondering but may now be slightly curious about? They were in Binghamton, watching the Sens take on the AHL’s Eastern Conference leading Hershey Bears, with good coverage over at pressconnects.com and Sharp on the Sens.
A quick recap of what they saw, courtesy Sharp on the Sens,
1. Go down 3-0. [Including a goal on the first shot]
2. Pull your starting goalie. [Gerber]
3. Go down 4-1.
4. Close to within 4-3 with two goals in 11 seconds at the end of the first.
5. Even the game at 4-4 early in the third.
6. Watch Hershey go back ahead 1:49 later.
7. Force overtime on a late power-play goal.
8. Come oh-so-close on a power-play chance in overtime.
9. Pull it out in a shootout.
Despite being pulled, Gerber may soon be on his way to new digs, from the Ottawa Sun,
GM Bryan Murray told Sun Media yesterday he’ll likely put the veteran goaltender on re-entry waivers in the next 48 hours to see if anybody is willing to take a chance on the 34-year-old Gerber.
....
Before Murray can put Gerber on re-entry waivers, the GM has to clear a roster spot, which means a player on a two-way contract would have to be sent down for a day.
....
“There’s limited interest from a couple of teams I’ve spoken with,” said Murray. “What I’d like to do is put him on re-entry and find out if there’s a market.”Gerber has a 6-6-0 record with a 2.69 goals-against average and .918 save percentage with Binghamton.
The most pressing interest might come from the Sabres. Miller is out, Lalime has the flu, two of their AHL affiliate’s goalies in Portland are out, and they have but one goalie to work up in Buffalo should Lalime be too ill. They could follow the Caps’ lead, where they took their 6’7 web designer Leonhardt and dressed him until a delayed plane carrying the true backup could arrive. But they still need that true backup, period. While not the most stellar of records, with Gerber and Elliott gone, it could be a blow to Binghamton’s playoff hopes and chances.
What could be a boon to their hopes is that trade deadline we’re all so curious about. While not as hyped as Burke has been, it seems as though Murray would be willing to match him move for move, were the right moves to present themselves. At the moment, the team has scratched Bell, Picard, and Schubert for game after game, three extra bodies being a lot to carry around. Murray will have to make a move or send someone to Binghamton, all Senators having to clear waivers I believe, in order to call Gerber up through recall waivers. A trade, permitting him to avoid the risk of losing an asset via waivers, would likely be the first choice.
Of course, there is also Neil and Kuba, both seeking raises, neither all too likely to get the ones that their agents desire, let alone the rumoured desire for no trade clauses that Murray can no longer afford to give out with every deal. I don’t put much stock in Neil winding up in San Jose or Detroit as has been suggested at the Ottawa Sun, with only a little more in the chance of him winding up in Pittsburgh or Edmonton. Neither of the big two likely have roster spots for a man of Neil’s talents, Darren McCarty having trouble holding that spot with the Wings through his trials, and the Oilers and Pens are both more than a ‘Neil’ away from being real contenders, the mid-pack group far more likely to be the potential destination. (Update - George James Malik, a great Detroit digger, seems to echo my opinion)
Murray apparently wants picks and prospects in return, hence the boon for Binghamton, which could soon find itself with a serious talent infusion. Murray and his staff’s presence in Binghamton could well have been to sort out what the farm team’s needs are, what their strengths are, who could be called up for the rest of the season should a series of deals take place in Ottawa, and perhaps who might be included in a deal or two, should the prospect or pick coming back need a little more in return. Considering how easy it is to watch AHL games on a game-by-game basis, it might be those other Senators I find myself watching come April.
One last thought for this morning: when Corvo was in town on Tuesday, the crowd booed him every time he touched the puck, none too happy with his request for a trade last season and negative comments about playing in Ottawa for its media or its fans, and likely holding it against him to some degree that both Stillman and Commodore left. Now consider Comrie, who was here during the team’s deepest playoff run ever, and who seems nothing but glad to be back in the pressure environment, playing for what he’s called a team high in both skill and character, and enjoying the atmosphere that Canadian hockey fans bring. The easiest of contrasts to spot, Comrie might find himself signing his first contract with the Senators not too long from now, and his attitude above all else might be the best reason for fans to be pleased.
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