Gerber to Toronto

...I wish I had a joke for this. You can't make this stuff up: Ottawa is now paying half of a Toronto player's salary.

And when Toronto comes by and beats the Senators on Monday, with Gerber in the Toronto goal... well, it will be a sight to see. I think several brains will explode. I hope that game is on TV.

My comment on one of the live blogs:

re:Gerber to Toronto -- I guess if you are going to tank, you should get a professional tanker. Although since the Toronto defense isn't as awful as Ottawa's play is, we might discover that Gerber isn't as bad as we hope he is.

Wake me up when Deadline Day is done

The Internet serves up some harsh reality for Leaf Nation:

The "Tank for Tavares" dream is over, and the sooner those on board with the campaign realize that, the sooner the Canadian media can go back to focusing on bringing the Phoenix Coyotes back up north.

Meanwhile, the faithful in Toronto are taking a page from the Senators playbook and are blaming the failure of the season on goaltending:

Toskala killed our playoff hopes, now he's killing our draft lottery hopes.

Now that's entertainment

In the circus that is Trade Deadline Day, the NHL is concerned about the lack of action in the center ring.

Fortunately, there are some clowns they can send in to keep the crowd distracted:

CHERRY CALLS OUT SHOWMAN OVECHKIN

Spezza Going Nowhere

The Ottawa Sun reports that Murray is denying any interest in Jason Spezza.

Black Aces has the context, and there's not anything more I can say to it.

He may be a screw-up, but he's our screw-up.

Wanted: One Miracle Fix, Apply Within

The Citizen's Alan Panzeri has already given up on Brian Elliot:

Are there any other goalies out there the Ottawa Senators can take a look at? Is it time to give Martin Gerber a third look? Maybe elevate Jeff Glass from Binghamton?

According to the Senator's website, the object of Mr. Panzeri's derision has a pitiful 7-4-3-0 record. That's right, after just fourteen games, we're done with him and are looking for our next savior.

Kick his ass back to Binghamton.

Right.

I understand the frustration with the team, but to blame the problems on the net minders is incredibly short-sighted. True, the defense is playing better than they were in front of Martin Gerber, but Elliot is still learning his game at this level.

Since this season is pretty much pointless, I'd say the team should give Elliot the starts he needs to see if he can fight back through adversity.

Chris Neil: pay up or go fish?

Black Aces looks at the Chris Neil situation.

I'll be the first to admit that I don't understand this part of the NHL game of hockey -- the "gritty", fighty aspect of it. As I have said before, fighting can be taken out of hockey, but unless it happens with a clean up of the officiating, the attempt will be pointless.

Today there clearly is a fighting aspect to the game, and so the Senators should address the needs that this aspect generates.

As far as Chris Neil is concerned, the questions really come down to:

1. What role does Chris Neil fill?
2. What is the roll that the Senators need filled?
3. What are the Senators willing and able to pay to fill this need?
4. Is someone else willing and able to pay more for Chris Neil?

Note that the answers to all these questions may be totally irrelevant to, and perhaps contradict, each other.

Presuming that the answer to question 2 agrees with the answer to question 1, the answer to the whole Chris Neil situation is governed by question 4. If someone out there is willing to pay more than the Senators are willing to pay (or perhaps more accurately -- if Neil and his agent are willing to take a chance that such an organization is out there), then Neil should decline the Senator's offer.

My concerns revolve around the qualifier to question 3 -- are the Senators in a position to pay Neil what he is asking. Keeping in mind the big money locked up by the big three, plus the (inevitable) coming reduction in the salary cap, plus the other requirements facing the team (defense, goal, secondary scoring...), plus the Senator's reduced income, plus, plus plus...

Keeping in mind all that, can the team afford to pay Neil what he wants?

I don't know.

Creating a hockey team is all about balancing the assets, especially in our current salary cap world. If Murray thinks that money is better spent in other areas, then Neil will either take the offer or not. The fact that he is worth more to other teams doesn't really measure in to the decision from the Senators' point of view.

Based on this, I personally think that unless Neil is willing to take less than the $2 million or more he is asking (something which is generally considered to be unlikely), Murray will deal him this week. If Neil thinks this team is on the upward trail again, he might compromise with a short term deal, but my opinion is that we won't retain his services much longer.

Toronto at Ottawa: Jason Spezza -2

Well wouldn't you know it -- after me writing two posts glowingly defending Jason Spezza from his detractors, he goes and has what can't even charitably be described as a "bad night". Sometimes I wonder about my own sanity here.

The own-goal -- well that's 90% bad luck and 90% bad positional play. But the hooking penalty that the Leafs converted to get back into the game deep in the third -- putting aside the fact that calling that kind of penalty reveals (again) how laughably bad inconsistent the officiating is -- I agree with most observers that Spezza got caught off the hop and made a lazy attempt to try to dig himself out of the situation.

An elite player should do better. Not "should do better when playing cross-provincial rivals" or "should do better when trying to protect a one-goal lead in the third" -- but should do better, period. Spezza is getting elite-player money and ice-time -- we need elite-player play from him on a consistent basis and none of this stupid, lazy-assed hockey.

Not to mention that getting a point from the game is perhaps the worst possible outcome. Beating the Leafs is always a good thing to aim for, if we can do it; failing that though, we shouldn't be trying to collect enough points to pull us out of draft position. Take the win and the opportunity to laugh at Toronto; or take the loss and the improved chances of a draft pick.

I'm still not on the Trade Jason Spezza bandwagon that so many others are on. But his value was definitely... let's say "not helped" by last night's game.