Knightfall
World of Kulan DM
From TSN.ca. Oops, forgot Ottawa.
Ottawa Senators
NEEDS: The Senators likely were cursing the Winter Olympics, which claimed six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek. The Czech netminder suffered what proved to be a season-ending injury in the first period of his country's first game of the tournament, leaving 23-year-old rookie Ray Emery as Ottawa's No. 1 goalie. While Emery was not at fault for the team's Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Buffalo, the lack of an experienced goalie may have kept the Senators from a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals *. Ottawa figures to lose one of its top two defensemen (Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden) via free agency, leaving a gaping hole on the blue line.
RECENT FIRST-ROUND DRAFT PICKS:
2005 - BRIAN LEE, D - The 19-year-old completed his first season at the University of North Dakota, compiling three goals and 22 assists in 43 games. Led the Fighting Sioux in ice time, was the top-scoring defenseman on the club and was named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie Team.
2004 - ANDREJ MESZAROS, D - Had an impressive rookie campaign in 2005-06, collecting 10 goals and 39 points in 82 games while posting a plus-34 rating - one off the league lead shared by teammate Redden and Michal Rozsival of the New York Rangers. The 20-year-old Slovakian must avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.
2003 - PATRICK EAVES, RW - The son of former NHLer Mike Eaves, the 22-year-old was up and down from Binghamton of the American Hockey League to Ottawa all season but managed to score 20 goals as a rookie. The Hockey East Player of the Year and Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2005, he added one tally in 10 postseason contests.
* I don't know if I agree with this statement. Buffalo deserved to beat Ottawa.
Ottawa Senators
NEEDS: The Senators likely were cursing the Winter Olympics, which claimed six-time Vezina Trophy winner Dominik Hasek. The Czech netminder suffered what proved to be a season-ending injury in the first period of his country's first game of the tournament, leaving 23-year-old rookie Ray Emery as Ottawa's No. 1 goalie. While Emery was not at fault for the team's Eastern Conference semifinal loss to Buffalo, the lack of an experienced goalie may have kept the Senators from a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals *. Ottawa figures to lose one of its top two defensemen (Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden) via free agency, leaving a gaping hole on the blue line.
RECENT FIRST-ROUND DRAFT PICKS:
2005 - BRIAN LEE, D - The 19-year-old completed his first season at the University of North Dakota, compiling three goals and 22 assists in 43 games. Led the Fighting Sioux in ice time, was the top-scoring defenseman on the club and was named to the Western Collegiate Hockey Association All-Rookie Team.
2004 - ANDREJ MESZAROS, D - Had an impressive rookie campaign in 2005-06, collecting 10 goals and 39 points in 82 games while posting a plus-34 rating - one off the league lead shared by teammate Redden and Michal Rozsival of the New York Rangers. The 20-year-old Slovakian must avoid the dreaded sophomore slump.
2003 - PATRICK EAVES, RW - The son of former NHLer Mike Eaves, the 22-year-old was up and down from Binghamton of the American Hockey League to Ottawa all season but managed to score 20 goals as a rookie. The Hockey East Player of the Year and Hobey Baker Award finalist in 2005, he added one tally in 10 postseason contests.
* I don't know if I agree with this statement. Buffalo deserved to beat Ottawa.