Photo by Dan 4th James Gordon had a great piece on the Ottawa Senators’ rebuilding options. Senators owner Eugene Melnyk and GM Bryan Murray are finally admitting the Senators are in trouble. Melnyk said he won’t fire Murray or coach Cory Clouston before the end of the season, but beyond that, what can the Senators [...]

It looks like Alex Kovalev is returning to the Ottawa Senators fourth line. This would be his second rotation there, having spent a few shifts there earlier this month. After complaining about the demotion, he was returned to the top line. Kovalev has just seven goals and 16 points on the season. It’s not surprising, [...]

One good thing about last night’s Ottawa loss to the Thrashers? Danny Alfredsson scored, breaking up a 10-game goalless slump. Ottawa Coach Cory Clouston was never able to diagnose the reason for the slump, but in general, seemed fine with Alfredsson’s opportunities and effort. I don’t think effort or opportunities are the issue, though. I [...]

Mike Heika makes the interesting case that the NHL has pretty much attained parity. Maybe not true parity, but less and less difference in the talent level of teams. To the extent that Heika says coaching and team effort is what wins games for a lot of NHL teams. James Gordon has a similar thought, [...]

Jim Kelley has an interesting column about teams embracing the shakeup trade. Or at least teams talking about embracing the shakeup trade. Ottawa GM Bryan Murray isn’t happy with the play of the Senators (specifically his defense, and more specifically, Erik Karlsson and Brian Lee), so he’s talking about making an early trade to shake [...]

Despite the fact the Stanley Cup finals were played by two teams basically working the whole goalie-by-committee angle, I think there’s still something to a good, old-fashioned number one goalie. The Avalanche have one in Craig Anderson, the first time since Patrick Roy left that the position doesn’t seem to be a day-to-day audition. Anderson [...]

It’s tough being an older guy in the NHL. Or not in the NHL. Owen Nolan, 38, is still waiting for a team to make him an offer. Bill Guerin, almost 40, is skating with the Flyers, although the Flyers aren’t interested in him. Jonathan Cheechoo, only 30, will report to Stars’ training camp on [...]

You know a player is taking a beating when the anger floating around him actually creates a positive backlash. Jason Spezza is now in the middle of a positive backlash. James Gordon has a nice post defending Spezza. This comes on the heels of an Ian Mendes defense of Spezza. Gordon argues Spezza has strong [...]

Do you know how you know the NHL season is winding down? Sure, you have the final round of the playoffs about to start. But you also have Ottawa stuck with a player they maybe/possibly don’t want. This year, it’s Jason Spezza, whose contract and one-way offensive style make him pretty much unmoveable. Apparently, many [...]

Ottawa’s Brian Elliott had his second shutout in a row last night, with a considerable assist given to Anton Volchenkov’s shot-blocking. It’s still a little early, but this is the time of year when you look for a goalie to get hot. Because a lot of times a hot goalie becomes a huge factor in [...]