Quote (Senators @ Jan 16 2013 06:58pm)

can't go wrong with alfie
or you could be a hipster and get a cowen or something

Quote (BB_MelloYello @ 16 Jan 2013 19:13)

hipster doesn't go well for me

vermette, fisher, foligno all hanging in my closet

well i guess fisher isn't hipster lol

Quote (MeatStick101 @ Jan 16 2013 07:21pm)

Latendresse is exactly your style

Quote (LuLer @ Jan 16 2013 03:18am)

Good enough Thanks.

If you wanna spend the time you could give an in-depth report on the entire roster I would read it

Quote

My scouting reports from the last five seasons seemed to be pretty well received. It's just a quick reference guide of the players on the team for those not as familar with the team as the hardcore fans, as well as a good resource in case we trade away some players at the trade deadline, so that the scouting reports fans of other teams ask for aren't colored by bad feelings or rosecolored glasses.

Here's a general outline of the players on your 2012-2013 Ottawa Senators hockey team, or at least the ones that are starting the season on the roster.

Feel free to make comments, point out errors, and help make this list as comprehensive a guide as possible. Feel free to give your own comments and opinions.

Forwards
Jason Spezza

Strengths

• Great at faceoffs
  
• Unmatched vision in the offensive zone
  
• Unbelievable hands
  
• Underrated shot
  

Weaknesses

• Still has troubles in defensive zone at times
  
• Can sometimes force plays that aren't there, which leads to turnovers in high risk areas
  
• Injury Prone
  

General Comments: The guy is a top 10(5? 7?) center in the league. Everything you want in a franchise center. In fact, the Senators don't win very often with him out of the lineup. The success of the Senators this season will depend highly on the number of games Jason Spezza plays.

Daniel Alfredsson

Strengths

• Great Hockey Sense
  
• Great puck-handling skills
  
• Great defensive awareness
  

Weaknesses

• Getting up there in age.
  
• Unlikely to play a full season.
  

General Comments: The captain, Mr. Everything on the Senators. That being said, he is starting to slow down, and can't be relied upon to be the best player on the ice every game like you could when he was younger. That being said, when the team is struggling, Alfie is often the player that steps up with a big play to turn the game around.

Milan Michalek

Strengths

• Speed to burn. One of the fastest players in the league
  
• Good two-way player.
  
• Big body with the ability to play physical
  

Weaknesses

• Has limited puck possession ability for top-line player. Relys on his linemates to keep possession while he gets into scoring areas
  
• Inconsistent production
  
• Injury-prone. Unlikely to play a full season
  

General Comments: A player that always leaves you wanting more. Has all the ability in the world, he often leaves the impression that he could produce more than he does. Still a top-6 player, but maybe not the star that he was drafted with the potential to be.

Kyle Turris

Strengths

• Top-tier wrist shot
  
• Good offensive vision
  
• Underrated defensive awareness and decision making
  

Weaknesses

• Struggles in the faceoff circle
  
• Not overly physical, can be pushed off the puck too easily by the opposition
  

General Comments: One of the best wrist shots in the league. It remains to be seen how his off-season training has improved on his major weakness last season (his lack of upper body strength). If he was able to strengthen that area, then both the weaknesses listed above could become non-factors.

Jakob Silfverberg

Strengths

• Great shot
  
• Plays on both ends of the ice
  
• Has shown the ability to raise his game in important situations
  
• Underrated playmaking abilities
  
• Already has a great cheer for fans to chant
  

Weaknesses

• Remains to be seen how he adapts to NHL quality opposition and style of play
  
• Not overly physical
  

General Comments: Has all the tools to be a top-line sniper for many years in the NHL, complete with the unreal snap/wrist shot that is in the net before the goalie reacts. Has succeeded in every level he's been in, including MVP and playoff MVP honours in the SEL. However, is unproven at the NHL level and will need to show he can adapt to the fast paced style of the NHL complete with players that will go out of their way to challenge him physically.

Guillaume Latendresse

Strengths

• Big body that is not afraid to use his size to go to the front of the net
  
• Good around the net, finding rebounds and finishing them off
  
• Knows his role, does not try to do too much
  

Weaknesses

• Injury Prone. Needs to prove he can stay healthy
  
• Not a particularly good skater
  
• Inconsistent offensive production
  

General Comments: Has never been able to put everything together to become the top-line power forward he was drafted to be. Part of the reason has been his poor conditioning levels early in his career, which lead to the injury issues he has struggled with. However, when he has been healthy and on the ice in the past couple of years, he has shown flashes of his great potential. With how long it usually takes power-forwards to develop, maybe this is the year he finally puts it all together.

Peter Regin

Strengths

• Good offensive instincts
  
• Good defensive positioning
  
• Smooth Skater
  
• Good shot
  

Weaknesses

• Inconsistent
  
• Needs to be stronger on his skates, knocked on the ice a little too easily.
  
• Wonky shoulder
  

General Comments: When healthy, a very useful player with untapped offensive potential. However, has dealt with shoulder problems and it remains to be seen if this latest surgery will be successful enough to keep it intact. If so, he will be a very useful third line player that is capable of filling in a top-six spot in case of injury or poor production.

Zack Smith

Strengths

• Good defensively
  
• Physical
  
• Good shot
  
• Decent mid-weight fighter
  
• Great Hockey Hair
  

Weaknesses

• Not great offensively
  
• Below average at faceoffs
  
• Wearing Heatley's old number
  

General Comments: Probably tops out as a checking line center, has shown flashes of offensive potential, but has never proven to be a top point getter any time in his career at any level. Has had problems taking bad penalties in the past. Hit a wall around the All-Star break last year and his play dropped off significantly. Will need to prove that it was just fatigue from a long season the year before (Calder Cup run), instead of his play falling back down to earth.

Colin Greening

Strengths

• Fast Skater
  
• Good Defensively
  
• Good along the boards
  
• Versatile (Any forward position, any line)
  
• Hard Shot
  

Weaknesses

• Not much of a point producer
  

General Comments: A coach's dream, big-bodied with the enough talent and hockey sense to not look out of place on the wing of any line (1st to 4th); Can play on both wings, and does a admirable job at the center position. Unfortunately, has never produced points at any level in his career, and thus would would be more useful in a bottom-six role, with the occasional stint on a top line to do the dirty work for more skilled offensive players on the team.

Chris Neil

Strengths

• Great at hitting without crossing the line and getting a penalty
  
• Good at getting underneath opponent's skin
  
• Can hold his own in fights, even against players bigger than him
  
• Protects teammates
  
• Makes fans from other teams angry*
  

Weaknesses

• Below average hands
  
• Below average offensive hockey sense
  
• Can get "reputation calls" even when he didn't commit a penalty
  

General Comments: A player that entered the NHL as an enforcer, and reinvented himself to be a player that can play a regular shift on a checking line without looking out of place. The Senators' best player at turning momentum when the team is playing poorly, be it with a big hit, fight, or even the occassional goal.

Erik Condra

Strengths

• Great Hockey Sense
  
• Has no major weaknesses
  

Weaknesses

• Has no major strengths
  
• Isn't a particularly good finisher
  

General Comments: The type of player you love on your bottom-six set of forwards as he always is in the right positions doing the right things. However, he doesn't have any special skillsets that his superior hockey sense can exploit to become a star in the league. Good at everything, great at nothing. (Also might be interesting to note: Condra has ridiciously good Corsi stats)

Jim O'Brien

Strengths

• Good defensively
  
• Good slapshot
  
• Able to play physical
  

Weaknesses

• Limited offensive awareness
  
• Below average at faceoffs
  

General Comments: Has come a long way from the player many people were calling a first-round bust before last season. While he will probably never live up to the lofty power-forward projections he was given when he was drafted, he could become a very useful bottom-six player that can play any of the forward postions if he continues to improve the way he did last season. That being said, if he wants to stay at the center position, he'll have to improve on his faceoff percentage.

Kaspars Daugavins

Strengths

• Great penalty killer
  
• Great teammate, loved in the locker room
  

Weaknesses

• Questionable offensive ability at the NHL level
  
• Not the greatest skater
  

General Comments: Has unfortunately never been able to translate the offensive production he's had at other levels of hockey to the NHL level. Good 13th forward, but unlikely to be anything else.

Defensemen
Erik Karlsson

Strengths

• Elite ability to get point shot on net through shot blockers and create scoring chances
  
• Great passer, both with breakout passes from his own zone, and cross ice passes in the offensive zone
  
• Very good offensive instincts
  
• Great at using his stick defensively
  
• Won the Norris
  
• Extremely quick, but in acceleration and top end speed
  

Weaknesses

• Sometimes too casual with the puck
  
• Sometimes too risky in his decision making
  
• Undersized, can get outmuscled in front of own net
  
• Struggles pivoting to the right, when going backwards
  

General Comments: Erik Karlsson doesn't play the defensive position like anyone in the league. Instead of standing opposition forwards up at the blueline, he turns and angles them down the boards with his speed and stick position, then steals the puck. Instead of staying in the shooting lane and blocking the shot, he picks off the pass and goes the other way. Creates offense from the blueline better than anybody in the league.

Marc Methot

Strengths

• A good defensive defenseman
  
• Great lateral ability
  
• Knows his role, does not try to do too much
  

Weaknesses

• Inaccurate point shot
  
• Hasn't been a great point producer throughout NHL career
  

General Comments: Doesn't exactly produce the type of offensive numbers that you would expect out of a guy that is expected to play on the top-pairing, but fortunately for him, he won't need to do too much when playing with Erik Karlsson. He'll be expected to do three things this season, clear the front of the net in the defensive zone, so Karlsson won't have to, to protect Karlsson when the other team tries to run him, and pass Karlsson the puck when the guy wants the puck. I expect that all three things are well within Methot's skillset.

Chris Phillips

Strengths

• Physical
  
• Ups his game in playoffs
  
• Good defensive defensemen
  
• Smooth skater
  

Weaknesses

• Will not produce a large amount of points
  

General Comments: Solid defensive defenseman. While Phillips isn't the first option shutdown defenseman anymore at this stage in his career, he's still a solid defenseman capable of playing regular minutes .

Sergei Gonchar

Strengths

• Great offensive instincts
  
• Capable PP Quarterback
  
• Underrated defensive ability
  

Weaknesses

• Has lost a step
  
• Getting up there in age
  

General Comments: One of the best offensive defenseman in the NHL over the past decade, but has declined mightly from that high point as he has grown older. Was arguably better in the defensive zone than the offensive zone last season. May have been a fluke season, but showed a distressing inability to get his points shots past the first shot blocker last season.

Jared Cowen

Strengths

• Great in the defensive zone, using his big body and long stick to eliminate both forwards and their passing lanes
  
• Good skater for his size
  
• Hard Slapshot
  

Weaknesses

• Sometimes handles the puck like a handgrenade
  
• Will probably never be a huge point producer from the backend.
  

General Comments: Injured. Out for the season. Has the potential to be a great top-pairing defenseman if he continues to develop.

Mike Lundin

Strengths

• Positionally sound
  
• Solid breakout pass
  

Weaknesses

• Limited offensive point production
  

General Comments: I'll be the first to admit that I don't know much about this player, but looking at his possession stats, the guys seems like the blueline version of Erik Condra (relatively good Corsi stats even while playing against pretty good quality of competition even with low zone-starts).

Patrick Wiercioch

Strengths

• Good point shot
  
• Good positionally
  
• Good offensive skills
  
• Good skater for his size
  

Weaknesses

• Not overly physical
  

General Comments: While his potential to be a top-4 offensive defenseman has never been in doubt, he has struggled to put the total package together since he turned pro before this season. If he continues to develop, he will be a very useful top-4 offensive defenseman that can QB a powerplay.

Andre Benoit

Strengths

• Good offensively
  
• Solid positionally in the defensive zone
  

Weaknesses

• Undersized
  
• Not the greatest skater, can get caught flat-flooted by fowards on the rush in transition
  
• Not great at adjusting to poor passes when attempting a one-timer
  

General Comments: Could definitely be a solid depth defenseman, but owing to his size and skating ability that cannot compensate for that lack of size, it's unlikely he'll be anything more than that.

Mark Borowiecki

Strengths

• Physical
  
• Willing to drop the gloves, and able to hold his own with non-heavyweights
  
• Very hard worker
  
• Pretty good shot blocker
  

Weaknesses

• Sometimes takes too many dumb penalties
  
• Limited offensive potential
  

General Comments: Has the potential to be a solid bottom-pairing defensive defenseman. However, needs to continue to develop.

Goaltenders
Craig Anderson

Strengths

• Has shown the ability to steal games.
  
• Able to make saves on pucks he has no business getting to
  
• Good with the puck on his stick, making breakout passes from behind the net
  

Weaknesses

• Can sometimes overcommit leaving himself open to pass
  
• Can be guilty of flopping in his crease at times after the first save
  

General Comments: Has all the tools and ability to be a top goaltender in the league, has shown he can win games by himself. However, he has also shown at stages in his career of not being quite as good as he could be. Has never proven in his career that he is capable of taking a team to a championship.

Ben Bishop

Strengths

• Is a very big guy, fills up a lot of the net
  
• Very good positionally
  
• Good puckhandler
  

Weaknesses

• Sometimes tends to block pucks instead of making saves, leaving rebounds in dangerous areas
  

General Comments: A very good goaltender, just needs a chance to prove it at the NHL level over a full season.

Robin Lehner

Strengths

• Is a very big guy, fills up a lot of the net
  
• All world potential both physically and mentally
  
• Big-Game Goaltender - ups his game in big games
  

Weaknesses

• Needs to work on his rebound control
  
• Can be taken off his game by people crashing his crease. Sometimes needs to work on his temper
  

General Comments: Has all the tools and the mental strength to be a franchise goaltender. Still needs to work on his consistency and the few rough edges in his game to fulfill that potential.

--
* - Very good at making borderline hits by keeping them legal, and thus has never been suspended by the NHL. This makes fans of the players that Neil destroys cry sweet delicious tears

Quote (Senators @ Jan 19 2013 08:46pm)

karlsson on pace for 144pts!
neil on pace for 48 goals!

GO SENS!
http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lx1x9n1RMF1qc23u6o1_400.gif