I agree with you on your grading! I probably graded highly too. But this team, on the whole, has really been impressive, especially those who are younger. People have stepped it up! And it will be a VERY sad sad sad day when Alfie retires. At his age, he's playing phenomenally!!! Amazing!

Ok ok, I'm all done... haha, GO SENS GO!

Everyone is arguing about grades because nobody knows what anybody is basing eachother's on.

I decided I would do my grades based on a player's value in relation to his cap hit.

Spezza: C+
Making 80-90 point dollars and is on pace for 51 points in 62 games. He has improved his defensive game this year though so he has been disappointing but satisfactory.
Kovalev: B-
Making 60-70 point dollars, on pace for 59 points. Not bad, but not enough.
Alfredsson: A
Scoring at the same clip as a lot of guys making almost twice as much, plus his defensive acumen, leadership, grit and intangibles give him better value for the dollar than almost anyone around the league.
Michalek: C+
Started off the season amazingly but has since fallen off substantially. Overall he hasn't replaced Heatley's offense and hasn't earned his 4.3 million dollars for this season.
Fisher: A
Top 5 in the league in hits and blocked shots for forwards and on pace to smash career highs in goals and points. All the people who said he was way overpaid last summer are looking pretty stupid now. I think he could get a Selke nom this year.
Leclaire: C-
He has been awful but barely passes. More like a pity pass based on the fact that he still has 15 games to pull it together for the playoffs.
Kuba: C
Gets a C only because of how useful he is to our powerplay. If it wasn't for that he would be a complete and utter fail. How does this guy make more money than Phillips?
Phillips: B
Excellent shutdown defenseman. Well worth the 3.5 million.
Sutton: N/A
Only 3 games in is too soon for me to say.
Cheechoo: F
He had a decent 4th line season. Would have been a great player if he was making 1-1.5 million. But for 3 million? No way.
Cullen: N/A
Again, 6 games is just not enough to get a good read on him, especially when I've only seen 4 of them.
Volchenkov: A
Amazing shutdown defenseman. For 2.5 million he is a steal. Anything more than 4.25 would be too much though.
Kelly: B+
Having another pretty good offensive season for 2 million dollars to go along with maybe his best season in terms of defense and penalty-killing.
Neil: C+
A bit overpaid, but having a pretty good season so nothing too outrageous.
Ruutu: B
Does everything he is paid to do so well. Knows his role and plays it to a tee. Good value at 1.3 million.
Karlsson: A-
Has been just an amazing rookie for us. His defensive game has rapidly improved over the course of the year and he has been earning more and more PP time just lately. He has been by far our best puck-mover. He has done everything but score a bunch. I think that will start coming next year.
Lee: C+
Finally starting to come into his own as a bottom pairing defenseman. With his signing bonus he was a bit overpaid when called up but with his new contract he should be great value the next 2 years.
Foligno: B+
In the last year of his entry level contract he has obviously had great value but hasn't lived up to expectations a lot of people, including myself, had for him this season. I was also expecting around 20 goals and 40 points but hopefully this will just make sure he gets a reasonable contract and then breaks out next year.
Campoli: B-
Has moved the puck very well for us, struggled quite a bit defensively but overall good value for about 600 000.
Donovan: B-
Does a lot of little things well, nothing great. Makes barely any money. Good value
Regin: B+
Excellent rookie, helps out offensively, forechecks, backchecks and plenty of offensive potential. Great value.
Shannon: C+
Even for his miniscule contract, he hasn't been great. Plays a bit on the powerplay, helps out a bit offensively but has not been good at all defensively.
Carkner: A+
For the league minimum allowable salary, this guy has been great. Not a bad puck-mover, blocks shots, hits, fights. Value doesn't get any better than this.

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Haha, we get it we get it! I think everyone here knows Karlssons exceded anything we all expected.

I actually always laugh when I see him because I feel like he should be a big guy, but then he looks soo little out there!

Thank you and well said

Drew Doughty anyone??

As 19 year old...Last year...First year in the NHL.

80 games played...6 goals..21 assists...27 points...-17 rating.

Karlsson on pace for:

60 games played...2 goals..17 assists...19 points...-3 rating.

Well i think he will finish the season with over 20-25 points and definitely a + rating.

If i am right that next year we will be getting a 60 point defense man! lol

__________________

OTTAWA SENATORS REPORT CARD

Daniel Alfredsson: A-
Alfie is Alfie. One of the NHL finest captain and player. the man can do anything but from what i seen from him so far this year, before and after the injury, i've seen him cough up the puck just as much as Kuba. Very rare to see him do these bone head moves but for some reason he been doing this alot this year. Probably hanging around with Speeza too long. i'm hoping that he doesn't take this new bad habit of his into the playoffs.

Kovalev: D+
The guy can skate, pass, shoot the puck and score. But only when he feels like it? I guess we all saw what he can do when he feels like it is when he got his hat trick wayyy back when. Since then, he comes flying down ice, doing ballerina style moves around the opponents and just when you see he has a clear lane to the net, he passes it. I think him too has been hanging around Speeza too long and it hasn't been a year yet.


Fisher: B+
I have yet to see anyone in the NHL go and successfully get pucks from the corners with anywhere from 1-3 players hanging off of him. And if he not successful, he remembers you and will most likely plaster you into the boards the next time him and you meet in the corners. He can shoot the puck but he shoots the puck in the same dam area of the net most of the time which is around the goalie chest area. His scoring steak earlier in the season were goals scores mostly in corners and i thought he finally found those corners of the net but now he is back to shooting in the chest area. Someone please train this guy to shoot pucks toward the corners of the net. This will definitely help the team go a long way in the playoffs.

Cullen: No score
I don't care if he only played 3 games so far. I personally need to see him play at least 10-15 games before i can grade him. But i like what i see.

Spezza: C-
This guy is driving me nuts. He slowly starting to get rid of his no look behind back passes to other teams or ghosts. So now he trying to set up pretty passes for the highlight reel goals that never happens cause his passes are not connecting at all or are being given away to the opposition. He been told numerous times and even by his own father to shoot the puck and when he does, most times it in the back of the net. But he prefers to passes it off and nevermind the shot on goals. Now i know why Jacques Martin kept him in the minors for as long as he did.

Michalek: B+
Agree with everyone else on this. He is almost like Fisher. Work ethics bring out the best in him. I think he will astonish us all in the playoffs for he does have some experience playing in the playoffs.

Kuba: D+
The only reason he is still with us is what Bryan Murray said in a radio interview bout 3 weeks. Murray said that he and Karlsson were jelling together. Kuba is becoming the setup man for Karlsson. Anything else, its like watching our defenseman play like it was in our 95' opening season.

Kelly: B-
Some say that he is having his best season. I disagree. His best season was when we made it to the finals. I think he is mostly playing to just stay with Ottawa and he doing not too bad at it. He needs to score.

Foligno: B+
He was doing great until he got injured. It will be interesting to see if he can continue it when he comes back since this is his first real bad injury. Lets hopes so. He will be must needed in the playoffs.

Regin: B+
I'm impress with this kid. Strong player and can scores. Still learning the NHL level but he is coming along nicely. Won't be surprise if he out shines Karlsson or Shannon once he get his groove going. We saw a bit of it earlier this year.

Ruutu: B+
He is known as the pest in the NHL and he doing a great job at it on our team. I think Pittsburgh was wrong to get rid of him but it most certainly was our gain. We needed someone like him to mess with the opposition' head and you know what? he messes with our head too. He can score.

Phillips: A-
Yea, he has been doing a little more bone head moves this year but he is still a solid defenceman since day one with the Sens and its looking more and more like he will be that way till the day he retires.

Neil: B-
He is slowly starting to look more like a hands on the play type of player than he was hands on the guy to fight player. I guess he feel he can no longer make a future just being a tough guy in the league. He is getting in there for those rebounds to score the goal. Expect him to make great improvements in this area next year.

Shannon: B+
Like what i see. Wonder how he will do in the playoffs. Hope he doesn't fade away when the playoffs are on.

Campoli: C-
I will admit that i have a hard time reading this player. He show great potential but he can goof up almost as bad as Kuba. I'm almost wondering if he cannot get a gasp on Clouston's system.

Cheechoo: D+
He working his butt off to try and get back into that so call "15 min of fame" from way back when and its like it fell into a dark hole and he can't get it out. I admire him for not giving up and hopefully, if he ever gets it back, he will make Kovalev feel like he back in the minors. It was mention that today's NHL is not for him. I disagree. It should be perfect for him. Remember, it was hack and slash hockey when he had that great season. With most of that gone, he should excel but he just doesn't have his groove yet. Maybe, just maybe, he will find it in the playoffs. If not, then it will be next year. With the Sens or any other team.

Sutton: No Score
need to see 10-15 games.

Sorry to say i ran out of time.
Part 2 will be done soon.