Sens at Land’s End

After much blood and sweat and many tears from many players followed by more blood from Ryan Malone’s nose, Stanley has been awarded once again. Congratulations to the Detroit Red Wings on winning the 2008 Stanley Cup! Those guys are so good they make everyone else look kinda incompetent, and I think they’re truly deserving champions (unlike those goons who won it last year).

Now that the season is all over, including the crying (I hope), that time we all look forward to all year long has finally arrived: the off-season!! We can stop watching those annoying hockey games and get down to the real meat of things in the NHL. Trades. Free agency. The draft. The annual festival of hiring and firing coaches and general managers. This, people, is what it’s all about, if your team blows.

There are some interesting tidbits floating around regarding a few of the big decisions which must now be made by our most glorious leader, Bryan Murray. The team’s epic failure in 2007-2008 has left plenty of work for Murray to do this summer. At least he won’t have to worry about getting bored.

But there is one thing Murray can cross off his lengthy to-do list. The Ottawa Sun reports today that Wade Redden will not be back in Ottawa next season. I don’t think this can be surprising to anyone. The team had apparently asked Redden to take a Phillichenkov-esque salary, which for him would have meant a pay cut of nearly 50%, and I can’t imagine that was ever going to happen. While I am sad to see Redden go after such a long and (mostly) productive career with the Sens, I think a fresh start is the best thing for all concerned in this case.

With Redden done, I would hope that leaves dealing with the Ray Emery situation somewhere near the top of Murray’s list. The same Sun piece contains an update on Emery:

The Senators will have to wait to buy out G Ray Emery. According to the CBA, with the Stanley Cup final ending Wednesday, the Senators must wait until the buyout period of June 15-30 to get rid of Emery. The 48-hour waiting period rule only applies if the final ends after June 15.

Ah, the intricacies of the CBA. Well, that just means Murray has nine days to think about the best cutting remark to make when he calls Emery’s agent to inform him of the buyout. I hear he’s spending his evenings watching James Bond movies and episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to try to sharpen his rapier wit as much as possible.

Other free agent news from the Sun: apparently, Andrej Meszaros received an offer from a Russian team, but hopes to stay in Ottawa. The article also states that the Flyers are interested in trading for Meszaros’ rights, and might offer R.J. Umberger or Scottie Upshall in return. I’d love to see Umberger in a Sens uniform; problem is, he’s an RFA on July 1 and who knows what it’d cost to re-sign him? Plus, trading Meszaros leaves Ottawa’s defence after the big two looking pretty … um … non-existent.

The Sun is also reporting that Chris Kelly, who is a UFA, might be headed elsewhere. I like Kelly and would be sorry to see him go, but if it’s true as has been rumoured that the clique of players who came up through Binghamton together is causing the Sens’ locker room issues, then I suppose this is a loss that could benefit the team. (I must say, though, that I have a very hard time imagining Chris Kelly, the coach’s dream, causing problems.)

So that’s four players who will or might be leaving Ottawa. It’s almost enough to make you wonder if we need to work more on our personal hygiene. But wait, it’s not all people stomping on each other in a mad rush to get to the exit! Murray has at least been able to get a couple of people under contract: the Sens have welcomed two new(ish) players recently, signing undrafted US college player Jesse Winchester to a two-year deal (you might remember that Winchester made his debut with the Sens late this season if you haven’t had a chance to repress it all yet) and Danish prospect Peter Regin, who was the team’s third-round pick in the 2004 draft, to a “multi-year” deal. That’s good, because it sure looks as though we’ll have some holes to fill.

Oh well, at least we’ll still have our #1 centre, because I just know those crazy Spezza trade rumours can’t be true. I read somewhere that I should not expect to see Spezza traded for Roberto Luongo so I’m not. Since Luongo is just about the only player I’d see as a good return for Spezza, my lack of expectation has resulted in a complete refusal to acknowledge the idea of a Spezza trade. Murray has shared my attitude consistently, in public anyway.

Aside from all these player movement issues, Murray also still has to hire a new coach. He said he wants to have the new guy in place before the draft — that’s June 20-21, giving him two weeks to get it done. Various news outlets have reported that Craig Hartsburg, Peter DeBoer, Kevin Dineen, and Bob Hartley have all interviewed for the job. John Tortorella, just fired by the Tampa Bay Lightning, is also seen as a possible candidate. But it’s been reported in a couple of places (I read it here) that Hartley is the front runner. Well, the Sens have often been criticized for their lack of heart. Ha! Ha ha ha!

… Okay, maybe I should join Murray in his Bond and Buffy viewing festival.

Though this has nothing to do with Murray’s off-season plans, I will end this post with one final news item related the Sens: the Globe and Mail reports that CBC’s ratings for this year’s Cup final between Detroit and Pittsburgh were down 8% compared to last year’s Ottawa-Anaheim series. Oh that’s right: the Sens are officially bigger than Crosby.