Where will Volchenkov end up?

[MM213]

IMHO, he should give Ottawa a discount and stay put.
I've seen too many players going after money just to get their careers ruined.
Ottawa seems to be his team, why mess up a good thing

 

[TOX1]

I wouldn't mind seeing him "ruin" the rest of his career here in Philly. lol

 

[Larry N]

Agreed. I'd take him in Philly in a heart beat. Pronger/Carle as a first pairing and Timmonen/Volchenkov as a second? Me like!

 

[loki604]

Not in the Atlantic please, unless he's coming to the Pens.

 

[evolver115]

That man must have titanium in his bone marrow. A-train is something else to watch. In game five he stopped 11 shots, with one of them being a slapshot square off his chest. That takes balls to do that more than 4-5 times a game, let alone almost a dozen times.

I'd be shocked if he's not paid to stay in ottawa.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

If I were to believe that the arms race is continuing to heat up on the ride down 76 to 70 to 270, my guess is Washington makes a run at him.

 

[forty_three]

The thing that worries me is he is not immortal and knows it. He needs to jump at any money he can right now because I don't think he realistically has more than 4 years left.

And if he's looking to make money as a defenseman, Ottawa is not the place to do that. They hand out 11 year NTC contracts to any forward who asks, but they seem to enjoy giving the finger to D-men.

I've heard that the other AV (Antoine Vermette) has put in a good word for him and Columbus is interested. Of course, any team with a GM that has an IQ above 40 should want him. So that leaves out the Leafs and Flames.

 

[Larry N]

Anyone have a reasonable guess/estimate on what AV should be able to command on the market?

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

The thing that worries me is he is not immortal and knows it. He needs to jump at any money he can right now because I don't think he realistically has more than 4 years left.

And if he's looking to make money as a defenseman, Ottawa is not the place to do that. They hand out 11 year NTC contracts to any forward who asks, but they seem to enjoy giving the finger to D-men.

I've heard that the other AV (Antoine Vermette) has put in a good word for him and Columbus is interested. Of course, any team with a GM that has an IQ above 40 should want him. So that leaves out the Leafs and Flames.

I agree with all of this 100% The other thing that concerns me is that I do not know how much his excellence is based on his pairing with Chris Phillips. I do not see a lot of Ottawa games, so maybe you can help me out. A lot of defensemen whither or at least go back to being average when they lose a long time partner. How does he play when he is not paired with Phillips. Has he ever had to play an extended amount of games without him?? I played D, with the same guy for like 8 years and when I moved on, to another league there was a HUGE adjustment period.

 

[forty_three]

I agree with all of this 100% The other thing that concerns me is that I do not know how much his excellence is based on his pairing with Chris Phillips. I do not see a lot of Ottawa games, so maybe you can help me out. A lot of defensemen whither or at least go back to being average when they lose a long time partner. How does he play when he is not paired with Phillips. Has he ever had to play an extended amount of games without him?? I played D, with the same guy for like 8 years and when I moved on, to another league there was a HUGE adjustment period.

A-train can hold his own, but Phillips is stellar. No matter who he is paired with there will be a drop off for sure. Probably not as big as you'd imagine.

He played some time with Commodore when they were both in Ottawa, and I would LOVE to see that again.

Putting him with (God Forbid) Pronger or Phaneuf... He would be a monster. Paired with a Jay McKee? Holy cow. That goalie would see maybe 6 shots a game.

Chara? OMFG....

 

[dash]

Of course, any team with a GM that has an IQ above 40 should want him. So that leaves out the Leafs and Flames.

Hey now, I object. An IQ of 40 is being way too generous for Sutter...

 

[Urkie]

The thing that worries me is he is not immortal and knows it. He needs to jump at any money he can right now because I don't think he realistically has more than 4 years left.

And if he's looking to make money as a defenseman, Ottawa is not the place to do that. They hand out 11 year NTC contracts to any forward who asks, but they seem to enjoy giving the finger to D-men.

I've heard that the other AV (Antoine Vermette) has put in a good word for him and Columbus is interested. Of course, any team with a GM that has an IQ above 40 should want him. So that leaves out the Leafs and Flames.

There are 2 things that worry me about Volchenkov.

1) How many more years is he going to be able to keep doing this?

2) His mobility seems to have gotten worse the last couple of years. Likely because of his style and he has very limited offensive upside due to that.

I've thought about this over the last few days. Is it really worth it to give him a 4.5-5 million dollar contract when all he's going to do is block a **** ton of shots and not bring anything else to the table really? In this series he looked a little slow at times. Yes, he blocked a lot of shots as always but he got beat a lot more then I've ever seen him get beat. And this is different then Chara. Volchenkov is a one dimensional guy, lets face it.

Or even worse, what if he gets severely injured and can't do much of anything anymore? I think I've made it clear about the whole mobility thing and I don't know if A-Train is the solution. He might become a bit of a liability the next few years with the toll his body has taken.

I would rather bring in a more mobile guy who makes the Sens a faster team, a more dynamic team that is less prone to getting hemmed in their own zone.

 

[Urkie]

I agree with all of this 100% The other thing that concerns me is that I do not know how much his excellence is based on his pairing with Chris Phillips. I do not see a lot of Ottawa games, so maybe you can help me out. A lot of defensemen whither or at least go back to being average when they lose a long time partner. How does he play when he is not paired with Phillips. Has he ever had to play an extended amount of games without him?? I played D, with the same guy for like 8 years and when I moved on, to another league there was a HUGE adjustment period.

Phillips is the ****. If you asked Chara who his best partner was he'd say Chris Phillips.

He also took Volchenkov under his wing after Chara left and helped him become what he is today. I can't really explain it but Phillips has the magical ability to help younger players learn fast and get better. Chara and then Volchenkov are prime examples.

But I think there would be a huge adjustment period for Volchenkov without Phillips. Probably a month or 2 minimum.

 

[DChero]

Agreed. I'd take him in Philly in a heart beat. Pronger/Carle as a first pairing and Timmonen/Volchenkov as a second? Me like!

That's downright scary. Could that be the answer to Crosby and Malkin's one-two punch?

 

[forty_three]

But I think there would be a huge adjustment period for Volchenkov without Phillips. Probably a month or 2 minimum.

Not to mention the adjustment for Phillips. He trusted Volchenkov, always knew where he'd be. Not sure how long it'd take for him to get used to someone else.

Especially a youngin like Lee...

 

[Larry N]

That's downright scary. Could that be the answer to Crosby and Malkin's one-two punch?

Not sure. I figure Volchenkov is an upgrade over anyone on the Flyers back line other than the three I mentioned. I like the classic Russian model of defense pairings of skill in one guy and force in another. That's why I'd put AV with Timmonen instead of Pronger.

 

[DChero]

Not sure. I figure Volchenkov is an upgrade over anyone on the Flyers back line other than the three I mentioned. I like the classic Russian model of defense pairings of skill in one guy and force in another. That's why I'd put AV with Timmonen instead of Pronger.

I agree with that. It's the same philosophy as putting your star forwards on different lines. There's more of a threat when your team has a steady attack.

I think Volchenkov does stay, if not in Ottawa, in the Eastern Conference. There's seems to be a bigger panic there to shutdown the premiere forwards in the league.

 

[jstducky09]

Lots of talk that the Ducks want to go after Volchenkov...

 

[DChero]

The Sens will need some help on the back end if he does leave. Any other premiere d-men expected to be available?

 

[Urkie]

Not to mention the adjustment for Phillips. He trusted Volchenkov, always knew where he'd be. Not sure how long it'd take for him to get used to someone else.

Especially a youngin like Lee...

I think Karlsson will play with Phillips next year if Volchenkov signs elsewhere and I don't think it will be too big of an adjusment for Phillips. He played with Karlsson earlier this year and did just fine. Might actually help Phillips, being able to play with d partner that can skate like that plus it would help Karlsson as well.

Then I think Kuba will play on the 2nd pairing with Lee or an UFA signing (Sutton, Hamhuis, Kubina, Mitchell, Z. Michalek, etc.).

Then any combination or Campoli, Carkner and Lee potentially play on the 3rd pairing. Cowen may challenge for a spot but he'll have to improve significantly between now and training camp.