(Press Conference opens when Ottawa Senators GM Neil Burkholder heads and stands in front of the podium. )
Neil Burkholder (NB): I want to say thanks to our fans who have stuck with this team over the past few seasons, this year was rough, but at end of the season you can see what our team can do. We finished very strong eight-one-and one in our last ten games, and we were the hottest team in the league, we just missed out of the playoffs by only five points, and if we had a couple more games I believe we would of got there and be in the tournament, and could have had a strong run. Really not trying to use an excuse but let’s face it injuries mounted up and we saw once Milan Hejduk got back in the lineup we were very strong. Were only a player or two away from going far into a playoffs, and we will be aggressive in the free agency market, and the trade front too. Our future for this franchise is very bright we have a lot of assets in our prospect pool at least four to six top end prospects and we could see some of them being joining our team this season to fill out our roster. Some of our guys like Jaden Schwartz and Chris Krieder you can tell they are ready to make the next step, and at some point the question needs to be asked what their college programs can do for them, or is time to get them in our program for more development. I’ve always been a person who believes to let them mature and enjoy and get the most out of their college and junior years before bringing them up to the best hockey league in the world in OTHL. Let’s get to the questions I know you guys have some questions for me, feel free and ask.
Reporter 1: How do you feel about Tuukka Rask development, and do you think he will be your starter next season?
NB: Well a lot of people forget but Tuukka was a first round pick seven years ago out of Finland when he came over to North America he had to use to the game like most European players, he is now finally getting use to what our game is like and when we gave him the reigns after the deadline we seen how good this kid can be. His Win and Loss record doesn’t show how good he played but he did a helluva a job and he will be our starter next season, we’ll look at the market and get a backup if it is either trying to get Rick Dipietro signed, or look at other goalies on the market via trade or free agency.
Reporter 2: You said your going to be aggressive this year, what type of splashes can we expect?
NB: Well we will be aggressive we have a lot of assets to go out and bring in a couple top players in the league via trade, and we’ll have a lot of money to go out and spend on a impact player or two. This is the first time as a general manager I’ve had close to thirty million dollars to spend. This will make us a major player out in the free agent market, and expect us to pursue some top end talent to add to this team. This is the first time in my career I haven’t made the playoffs, and this isn’t a fun experience, and this will not be a common theme, the ship will be righted.
Reporter 3: The future does look good, and you currently have three first round picks what is going to be your plan with them?
NB: We have our amateur scouts compiling reports, and I have my sights set on a few guys, but we still have a long ways to go with that. We still need to wrap up our season and have our season ending team meetings which we’ll go through with the guys sit down and find out their ideas about their futures. In a month or so once the junior playoffs wrap up and tournaments finish up we’ll have a better idea where guys will be slotted. Players are still fluid with their stocks and so are our picks right now we have 9th, 17th, and 27th overall picks in the draft. Ours can move up a few spots if we win the lottery, and the other two picks will end up getting slotted when teams start getting bounced out of the playoffs. Were open to all possibilities though we are willing to trade up, or trade down. That has always been my philosophy you have to look at the draft and see where the value is at, and try to make the moves that makes the most sense.
Reporter 4: Is there a concern that a player is going to leave or retire?
NB: We’ll we did go and reach out to Rick DiPietro’s agent and said he wanted to test the market which is fine he has that right, but we would love to bring him back, but we’ll keep our options open. One player did talk to us about retiring and that’s Mike Comrie. We will give him a couple days or weeks till he makes his decision. Then the other two players that are unrestricted is Jeff Finger and Eric Goddard. Those twos fates hasn’t been decided yet. Our restrictive free agents we will go through and try to seal those deals before free agency opens up.
Reporter 5: This year the Senators goals were to make the playoffs, has that goal changed for the 2012-13 campaign?
NB: Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup, period. Making the playoffs isn’t good enough sixteen teams can do that each year, only one wins the Stanley Cup and I want us to be hoisting the cup in June 2013. That just isn’t my goal, but it should be every other twenty nine franchises goal to win the cup.
(PA Annoucer: That’s all the questions for the day)
NB: Thanks everyone for coming down, and too the fans I promise that this offseason expect some major moves coming with our club, and we will be better.
Going into the offseason if the Sens didn’t make any moves this would be their roster on opening day
Bobby Ryan – Tim Connolly – Milan Hejduk
Vladamir Sobotka – Sam Gagner – Marc-Andre Pouliot
Andre Deveraux – Marcus Johannsson – Brian McGratten
Bobby Ryan – Jay Beagle – Colton Sceviour
Robyn Regher – Joni Pitkanen
Alex Goligoski – Radek Martinek
Stefan Elliot – Matt Smaby
Tuukka Rask
Dan LaCosta
Guys in the system that can be making their way up to the Senators next season
C/W Jaden Schwartz
LW Chris Kreider
RW Evgeni Dadonov
D Carl Sneep
G Linden Rowat
Neil Burkholder (NB): I want to say thanks to our fans who have stuck with this team over the past few seasons, this year was rough, but at end of the season you can see what our team can do. We finished very strong eight-one-and one in our last ten games, and we were the hottest team in the league, we just missed out of the playoffs by only five points, and if we had a couple more games I believe we would of got there and be in the tournament, and could have had a strong run. Really not trying to use an excuse but let’s face it injuries mounted up and we saw once Milan Hejduk got back in the lineup we were very strong. Were only a player or two away from going far into a playoffs, and we will be aggressive in the free agency market, and the trade front too. Our future for this franchise is very bright we have a lot of assets in our prospect pool at least four to six top end prospects and we could see some of them being joining our team this season to fill out our roster. Some of our guys like Jaden Schwartz and Chris Krieder you can tell they are ready to make the next step, and at some point the question needs to be asked what their college programs can do for them, or is time to get them in our program for more development. I’ve always been a person who believes to let them mature and enjoy and get the most out of their college and junior years before bringing them up to the best hockey league in the world in OTHL. Let’s get to the questions I know you guys have some questions for me, feel free and ask.
Reporter 1: How do you feel about Tuukka Rask development, and do you think he will be your starter next season?
NB: Well a lot of people forget but Tuukka was a first round pick seven years ago out of Finland when he came over to North America he had to use to the game like most European players, he is now finally getting use to what our game is like and when we gave him the reigns after the deadline we seen how good this kid can be. His Win and Loss record doesn’t show how good he played but he did a helluva a job and he will be our starter next season, we’ll look at the market and get a backup if it is either trying to get Rick Dipietro signed, or look at other goalies on the market via trade or free agency.
Reporter 2: You said your going to be aggressive this year, what type of splashes can we expect?
NB: Well we will be aggressive we have a lot of assets to go out and bring in a couple top players in the league via trade, and we’ll have a lot of money to go out and spend on a impact player or two. This is the first time as a general manager I’ve had close to thirty million dollars to spend. This will make us a major player out in the free agent market, and expect us to pursue some top end talent to add to this team. This is the first time in my career I haven’t made the playoffs, and this isn’t a fun experience, and this will not be a common theme, the ship will be righted.
Reporter 3: The future does look good, and you currently have three first round picks what is going to be your plan with them?
NB: We have our amateur scouts compiling reports, and I have my sights set on a few guys, but we still have a long ways to go with that. We still need to wrap up our season and have our season ending team meetings which we’ll go through with the guys sit down and find out their ideas about their futures. In a month or so once the junior playoffs wrap up and tournaments finish up we’ll have a better idea where guys will be slotted. Players are still fluid with their stocks and so are our picks right now we have 9th, 17th, and 27th overall picks in the draft. Ours can move up a few spots if we win the lottery, and the other two picks will end up getting slotted when teams start getting bounced out of the playoffs. Were open to all possibilities though we are willing to trade up, or trade down. That has always been my philosophy you have to look at the draft and see where the value is at, and try to make the moves that makes the most sense.
Reporter 4: Is there a concern that a player is going to leave or retire?
NB: We’ll we did go and reach out to Rick DiPietro’s agent and said he wanted to test the market which is fine he has that right, but we would love to bring him back, but we’ll keep our options open. One player did talk to us about retiring and that’s Mike Comrie. We will give him a couple days or weeks till he makes his decision. Then the other two players that are unrestricted is Jeff Finger and Eric Goddard. Those twos fates hasn’t been decided yet. Our restrictive free agents we will go through and try to seal those deals before free agency opens up.
Reporter 5: This year the Senators goals were to make the playoffs, has that goal changed for the 2012-13 campaign?
NB: Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup, period. Making the playoffs isn’t good enough sixteen teams can do that each year, only one wins the Stanley Cup and I want us to be hoisting the cup in June 2013. That just isn’t my goal, but it should be every other twenty nine franchises goal to win the cup.
(PA Annoucer: That’s all the questions for the day)
NB: Thanks everyone for coming down, and too the fans I promise that this offseason expect some major moves coming with our club, and we will be better.
Going into the offseason if the Sens didn’t make any moves this would be their roster on opening day
Bobby Ryan – Tim Connolly – Milan Hejduk
Vladamir Sobotka – Sam Gagner – Marc-Andre Pouliot
Andre Deveraux – Marcus Johannsson – Brian McGratten
Bobby Ryan – Jay Beagle – Colton Sceviour
Robyn Regher – Joni Pitkanen
Alex Goligoski – Radek Martinek
Stefan Elliot – Matt Smaby
Tuukka Rask
Dan LaCosta
Guys in the system that can be making their way up to the Senators next season
C/W Jaden Schwartz
LW Chris Kreider
RW Evgeni Dadonov
D Carl Sneep
G Linden Rowat
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