A little perspective on Patrick Lalime

First off. Congrats to Patrick Lalime on a fine career and on his new job with RDS.

Unfortunately for Lalime, hockey fans and experts alike judge his time in Ottawa on what happened in game 7 against the Leafs in 2004. Understandable, because it was horrific. But over the years it seems people are too quick to use that period in that game to judge his body of playoff work over 4 seasons in Ottawa. It's uniformed and it's not right.

A little perspective:

-Patrick Lalime played 41 post season games with the Sens over the course of 4 years (2001-2004)
-The Sens bowed out in the 1st round in 2001, the 2nd in 2002, the 3rd in 2003 and the 1st in 2004
-Lalime's post season stats are: 21-20, 1.77 GAA, .926 SV%. Some of the best numbers of all time
-In those 41 games, the Sens averaged just 2.09 goals per game. They were shutout 9 times, and scored just one goal on 4 other occasions
-In each of those 4 regular seasons the supposedly always defense first Sens averaged 3.17 goals per game. The team was 3rd, 5th, 3rd and 1st in goals for during those regular seasons.

Anyone who puts the Sens playoff shortcomings on Patrick Lalime should take a look at the numbers and give their head a shake. How does a team expect to have playoff success if it's goals for drops by over a goal a game in the playoffs? It's a miracle they won 3 series in Lalime's time.

Sens need to clear the deck...again

OK. The title is a little misleading, but the Sens have been so busy signing and re-signing players the past couple of the weeks, they are in danger of not having a truly competitive training camp. By that I mean, they have too many one way contracts for a team that's supposed to be re-tooling.

As it stands now there are 12 one way deals at forward and another 5 on the blue-line(When you include Erik Karlsson, you can essentially make that 6). Meanwhile, Anderson and Auld are on one ways in goal. That's 20 right there. You can carry 23, but the Sens never have done that in the salary cap or the "budget" era. They historically have carried 21.

Here is your opening night line-up based on contract situations.

Michalek Spezza Alfredsson
Foligno Regin Butler
Greening Smith Condra
Winchester Konopka Neil

Kuba Karlsson
Gonchar Phillips
Lee Carkner

Anderson
Auld

Here are some of the players that have serious to fair shots at making the team, but as it stands now, there's just no room.

F - Filatov, Da Costa, Zibanejad, O'Brien, Silfverberg(if he changes his mind and comes to camp)

D - Rundblad, Cowen, Borowiecki, Gryba, Wiercioch

G - Lehner (Barring injury to Anderson he'll be in Bingo, but I had to include the AHL playoff MVP)

Some of those players on 2 ways will definitely be on the team. Even though the Sens will not be spending to the cap, I can't see Eugene Melnyk being happy with burying one way money in the AHL. The point being, it's a pretty good bet Bryan Murray will be looking to shed at least a couple of one way contracts through trade prior to training camp, or at the latest, prior to the start of the season.