Episode 4 - A New Hope.
July 8th, 2008 by Gerald NortonOk, I know, I ripped off the title from Star Wars, but come on, you must admit, it fits. UFA day +8, and us Sens fanatics have all but worn off our computers refresh buttons. Every time I checked to see if Murray had made a move, and he hadn’t, that gnawing feeling of doubt grew heavier. Was this it? We’re the Sens really going to dress half a team of rookies? Now, I know this year is a re-load, and our crop of rookies looks to be comprised of some solid NHL contenders, but even I was concerned at the prospect of Mesz and Schubert playing together for 20+ minutes a game. To be fair, the signing of Jason Smith is far from a home run all star signing, but it does provide for some interesting off ice intangibles and predictable on ice play. Through-out his career, Jason has always been known as a blood and guts competitor, the kind of teammate that takes responsibility for his ice time, and expects the same of those sharing his locker room. He has had the opportunity to lead a team of over-achievers to the finals, and helped guide a squad of wet behind the ears hopefuls from the brink of indignity to a very respectable showing in the post season. All of this while playing a very simple, albeit dedicated defensive style. Let’s be clear about this, don’t expect anything more on the ice from Smith then you would from Volchy, with the exception of the occasional fisticuff. He will hit, he will block shots, and he will defend. He will not rush with the puck, and he will not score. In fact, Volchy looks like Coffey when compared to Smiths offensive game. How does this mesh with Murrays clamouring for a puck moving PP quarterback Dman….it doesn’t. But it speaks volumes about his intention to fill the room with character players, who will demand as much from their teammates as they do of themselves. And after last seasons debacle, hells, unmitigated disaster, Mr. Smith represents a lot of something many of us have been looking for….A new hope.
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4 Responses to “Episode 4 - A New Hope.”
By scotty on Jul 8, 2008
He’s a good guy. I’m surprised it’s taken this long for somebody to pick him up.
By thewordbird on Jul 10, 2008
Yup, my team includes him in an instant. Love that the Sens signed him, makes good ‘team’ sense, especially in the Ottawa situation on the blueline.
By Oman on Jul 10, 2008
I agree with all points. None-the-less, they still need some secondary scoring, and hopefully some better puck movement from the blue line. I’m a big Sens fan, but without that extra offensive depth, it’s hard to see them as real contenders
By Gerald Norton on Jul 11, 2008
Agreed, but let’s not forget that scoring was not the on ice issue last season, it was over-all defensive play, from the forwards down. Ideally this is where Hartsburg comes in. The second major issue was the PP, it was absolutely terrible. In this regard, little has been done to improve the situation. If you recall, Redden was actually removed from the #1 PP unit by the end of the season, and replaced with Alfie, then Stillman. I hate Alfie on the point, as it removs so much of his half board puck control, so in this regard I certainly do hope a top six guy with point playing ability is brough on board…Williams maybe?