Sens at Land’s End

Happy Jason Spezza Wedding Day, now with 100% less Heatley!

Alas, the Senators still have the same amount of Heatley. Will anyone ever take this guy off our hands? I’m starting to think the answer is no. Let’s all give a big thanks to Heatley for being such a ginormous douchebag that no one will now touch him.

There’s nothing I can do about this in the real world, unless I somehow brainwash an NHL GM, or take over one’s life. I actually have done this to Bryan Murray in the virtual world, where I am playing the role of GM for your Ottawa Senators in the Re-Draft the League project over at Cycle Like the Sedins. My task is to build a new Sens team using current NHL players, within the constraints of the NHL salary cap. I have been given the 24th overall pick to work with, which unfortunately means that a lot of the really super high class talent in the league will be gone by the time I get up to the (metaphorical) podium with my jersey and hat for my pick to proudly put on before he poses for a photo op with me and my staff.

Here’s how the picking has gone so far:

1. Calgary Flames – Alexander Ovechkin
2. Vancouver Canucks – Sidney Crosby
3. Tampa Bay Lightning – Henrik Lundqvist
4. Dallas Stars – Evgeni Malkin
5. Chicago Blackhawks – Jonathan Toews
6. New York Islanders – Nicklas Lidstrom
7. Philadelphia Flyers – Pavel Datsyuk
8. Edmonton Oilers – Zach Parise
9. Nashville Predators – Ryan Getzlaf
10. Atlanta Thrashers – Vincent Lecavalier
11. St. Louis Blues – Roberto Luongo
12. Phoenix Coyotes – Mike Green
13. Pittsburgh Penguins – Ilya Kovalchuk

Still to pick before me: the Caps, Blue Jackets, Red Wings, Kings, Wild, Hurricanes, Rangers, Devils, Leafs and Sharks.

So what do you think, Sens fans? What direction should I take in re-building our team? Build from the goal crease out? Pick a franchise forward? A superstar defenceman? It’s a lot to consider.

Much will depend, of course, on who’s left by the time I pick. The only thing I can confirm at this point is that the Ottawa Senators will not be taking Dany Heatley with their first round pick.