A few quick notes on the Ottawa Senators returning to action in Winnipeg last night for some pre-season hockey:
The only important reason to watch that game through the Jets website feed (with 1972-era AM radio audio quality) was to get an early look at Erik Karlsson. If he had come out of the gates looking slow and awkward, that could have been enough for some Sens fans to call the season off right there and head to the closest Royal Oak for a bender. Thankfully, the franchise kid looked fine. More than fine. He was the best player on the ice and seemed to have a little of that old swagger back too, smiling in between shifts, winking at the ladies in the stands (that’s a lie but it’s a good lie). His skating was noticeably better than it was in the playoffs. You’d even be tempted to say he looked exactly like the pre-Cooke Erik Karlsson but a September evening in Winnipeg isn’t enough to bet the house. But it’s a promising start.... There’s something about seeing the captain’s “C” on a #19 sweater in the NHL that just looks right. We can thank Steve Yzerman and Joe Sakic for that. Jason Spezza wore it for the first time last night and it’ll look pretty good on a hockey card. .... That top line looked really strong and not just because of Bobby Ryan’s snipe goal (which was a beauty). To me it was a healthy looking Milan Michalek who was going “biceps, triceps, arseps hard” everytime he went over the boards. I’ve never been convinced of any real chemistry between Michalek and Spezza, but with Ryan now there to feed off #19’s passes, that frees Michalek to do that straight-line, head-down style and go to the net which just naturally makes more room for his linemates who like to dangle a little bit. Michalek was even diving for pucks in what was a meaningless exhibition game. Maybe this guy is back in business. If he’s going like that all season, it’s almost a bonus scoring winger for the Senators. I’m not too sure many people were banking on him being healthy enough to play that style or stay in the lineup. First impressions are good though....
The player that surprised me most was Stephane Da Costa, who seemed to create something every time he was on the ice. He’s been the forgotten prospect in the organization and I’d almost forgotten how talented he really is. Yet even if he stays on this path through the pre-season, I can’t see him earning a spot on this team. Not only are the Sens over-stocked down the middle, but one more mighty mite may be one too many with Cory Conacher and J.G. Pageau expected to play games this season.... Nice to see Jim O’Brien still exists as a player for this franchise after being buried late last-season due to rumoured ice-time complaints. I was more impressed with college kid Buddy Robinson who ended up with a goal going to the net and generally played like the behemoth he is. He’s probably way too green to start the season here, but sometimes just having size is enough to be effective with limited minutes in the NHL. Just look at Matt Kassian in last year’s playoffs and in Winnipeg last night. As long as Kassian lays the body on every shift and keeps his tree trunks moving, he has an undeniable presence out there. Robinson obviously has way more tools than Kassian does, but if he plays any games this season, it will be his size and strength that keep him around until he develops his offense and gets a feel for the league. I think he’s one of the first call-ups when injuries hit, as they inevitably do....
Joe Corvo was back in a Senators uniform, and despite all the tired “Uh Oh” jokes on Twitter, he looks like he’s going to be a good veteran defenseman for this team. He’s a definite downgrade from Sergei Gonchar, but if you think of his role in terms of what the Sens wanted from Andre Benoit and Matt Gilroy in past years, he’s an upgrade for the second power-play unit. He had one tough giveaway in Winnipeg, but who’s counting in the pre-season? I guess I was..... Cory Conacher stood out and there really is something nasty about Conacher’s game that I love, yet he still feels like an odd fit on this team right now. With Mike Hoffman getting the early chance to show what he can do alongside Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur, Conacher may end up being a part-time player. I did like his approach in Winnipeg and he may make a believer out of me soon.... Something like this had to happen, didn’t it? In Spezza’s presser upon being named captain, his assistants Chris Phillips and Chris Neil had to help him with his collar before the photo-op. Spezza just laughed along with the reporters as he was tended to like a little kid on his first day of school. It wasn’t exactly a Mark Messier captain moment, but then again, Spezza didn’t cry like Messier so he had that going for him. In the end, coach Paul MacLean couldn’t have picked three better guys to get the letters.
2 comments:
Notice carefully: The Michalek goal was less Michalek and more Karlsson using him as a pinball bumper.
Michalek didn't actively touch the puck, it was pure bounce.
Michael, the article doesn't mention Michalek's goal, it mentions his compete level and apparent physical shape. But thanks for pointing out another #bigbootypoppin
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