Senators top prospects as ranked by TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button.HL) B

Its been so far, so good in this playoff season for me as I have gone perfect with my picks through the semis and the finals. Yet now its time for the most important pick of them all; the Grey Cup. The thought of going 5-0 with the correct choice is quite intoxicating, I dont think I have ever gone perfect in my CFL futuristic playoff speculations and would take great pride in guessing - I mean analyzing - correctly. I noticed early in the week that logic rules this matchup. Calgary is the better team with a more explosive offence and running game. On defence, coordinator Rich Stubler has 27 years of CFL experience, so going with the logic he will have a great feel for what Hamilton does on offence and game plan accordingly. On special teams, Sederrick Cunningham is good but cant compare to Brandon Banks after Bankss two touchdown performance in the Eastern Final against Montreal. Hamilton lacks the deep ball ability and the game-changing players that Calgary has, therefore they will need to be more methodical in their approach to this game. A key statistic of success will for the Tiger-Cats will be first downs accumulated. If Hamilton wins that stat, it should result in a time of possession advantage and maybe even one or two less possessions for Bo Levi Mitchell and the Calgary offence. I remember so clearly last years Grey Cup, when Saskatchewan had home field advantage over Hamilton and Kory Sheets had a huge day running the ball. Calgary doesnt have Kory Sheets, but they do have John Cornish, who is possibly a better running back than Sheets. In order to win, Hamilton will have to have a great day tackling Cornish in congested areas and knocking him back from the line of scrimmage. Most importantly, they will have tackle Cornish once he gets in to open space. Tiger-Cats linebackers Taylor Reed, Simoni Lawrence and Erik Harris will be looked upon to limit the damage from Cornish. However, the Stampeders arent the only team that can the run ball. Expect Nic Grigsby and Mosis Madu to do some damage for the Tiger-Cats and challenge Stampeders linebackers Deron Mayo, Juwan Simpson and Keon Raymond. The late season signing of Grigsby turned out to be a brilliant move for Hamilton. I dont know if he was a malcontent in Winnipeg, but I do know that in every game with Hamilton he has assimilated to the play book better and found more on field effectiveness as a result. Seven other teams could have signed Grigsby, but hes in Hamilton now and is making a difference while also bringing stability to their backfield. Both teams were competitive in the two games this year, with Calgary winning by three at home and by a lot more than that at McMaster. But both games could have gone either way. What happened months ago has little meaning come Sunday, but it does show that Hamilton is more equal than inferior to a Stampeder team that won 15 regular season games. A lot was made this year of Montreal (1-7) and Hamilton (1-6) having slow starts this season before reaching the playoffs in the East. But to respond and work through that adversity says a lot about a team. I am sure Winnipeg, BC, Saskatchewan and Ottawa all look on with envy. Hamilton started to win the close games down the stretch and that, in association with the return game, is a Ticat strength. Stampeders kicker Rene Paredes has not had a good year, unlike the Tiger-Cats Justin Medlock. Yet, in the climate controlled, smooth surface of BC place, both kickers should excel. Decision time. Everything says to pick the Stampeders. They are an eight-point favourite and have been the best team in the CFL all year, week after week and game after game. If Mitchell had not been injured, he probably would have been the Wests MOP instead of Cornish. Hamilton has a legitimate shot at being a Grey Cup champion and if I could be influenced by underdog emotion over logic I would take them. But I am not, and I cant. Calgary wins the 102nd Grey Cup. Marc-Andre Ter Stegen Jersey .ca NHL Power Rankings, finally overtaking the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks, who rank second and third this week. Sokratis Papastathopoulos Jersey . - The situation looked bleak at best for the coach Doc Rivers Clippers — down by four points with 18 seconds left in the fourth quarter. http://www.arsenalsoccerproshop.com/Authentic-Henrikh-Mkhitaryan-Arsenal-Jersey/ . Mladenovics quick hands at the net made the difference while Bencics inexperience in doubles showed. "We took a lot of pleasure," Mladenovic told Sport Plus television. "Its extremely difficult to play in such conditions, but our doubles team showed a lot of quality. Aaron Ramsey Jersey . A strong fastball. A big, bending curveball that can buckle hitters at the knees. Against the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, Elias put the entire package together against one of the leagues strongest lineups. Alex Iwobi Arsenal Jersey . The team announced the defensive coordinator will not be offered a contract extension.With the NHL regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each team leading up to puck drop. Next up is the Ottawa Senators - who look to return to the post-season after parting ways with their captain for the second straight summer. Catch up on their off-season moves and the issues they face this season, as well as their analytical breakdown by TSNs Scott Cullen. Division: Atlantic GM: Bryan Murray Head Coach: Paul MacLean 2013-14: 37-31-14 (5th in Atlantic) Playoffs: Did not qualify Goals For: 229 (5th) Goals Against: 258 (27th) PP: 18.4% (14th) PK: 80.9% (22th) That Was Then: October was unkind to the Senators, who opened the season on a six-game road trip that provided just one regulation win. Matters were not much better at home as the Sens dropped five straight contests at Canadian Tire Centre after dropping New Jersey in their home opener midway through the month. Craig Andersons head injury opened the door for Robin Lehner in November, with the young Swedish netminder posting a 3-0-2 record in his teammates absence. His success resulted in a time-share that lasted until the early part of the new year. The team hovered around .500 mark for much of the season, keeping them from the bottom of the Atlantic, but also keeping them from challenging division rivals Boston, Montreal, Tampa and Detroit. The Sens stormed back from an 0-2 deficit to win the Heritage Classic in front of 54,000-plus at GM Place in Vancouver and despite being on the outside of the playoff bubble, they went out and added help at the trade deadline acquiring winger Ales Hemsky from Edmonton for a pair of draft picks. The immediate result was both positive and negative. The upside was that Hemsky and Jason Spezza clicked offensively and the Czech winger put up 17 points in 20 games with the Sens. The downside was that the team dropped eight of nine on the heels of the Heritage Classic, officially killing their playoff dreams. The free-falling Leafs, Canucks and Jets helped bolster the Senators final finish of 21st in the overall standings, but it was difficult to find a lot of positives having spent so long on the outside looking in. Erik Karlsson posted another outstanding season in his first year back from 2013s Achilles injury, posting a team-leading 74 points in a full 82 games. Scott Cullens Analytics Senators 2013-14 Stats by Quarter Games GPG GAA SH% SV% SAF% PTS% 1-20 2.90 2.80 8.9 .929 46.9% .500 21-41 2.67 3.33 5.7 .916 52.6% .463 42-62 2.81 3.24 8.0 .916 49.8% .619 63-82 2.80 3.10 7.0 .924 51.5% .575 NHL AVG 2.67 2.67 7.8 .922 50.0% .562 Key: GPG= goals per game, GAA= goals-against per game, SH%= even-strength shooting percentage, SV%= even-strength save percentage, SAF%= score-adjusted Fenwick percentage (differential of shot attempts faced vs. shot attempts, excluding blocked shots, adjusted for game score),PTS%= percentage of available points. Analysis: Games 1-20: Even with really strong percentages, couldnt gain ground because of poor posession results, with Spezza and Michalek off to particularly poor starts. Games 21-41: Such is the nature of percentages -- they tend to fluctuate -- and Sens were suddenly below average in both in the second quarter. Games 42-62: Goaltending still an issue, but serviceable possession and favourable shooting improved the Senators record. Games 63-82: Addition of Hemsky helped possession, but percentages going in opposite directions offset each other. Key 2014 Additions: RW Alex Chiasson, D Aaron Johnson, C David Legwand Key 2014 Subtractions: C Stephane Da Costa, RW Ales Hemsky, C Jason Spezza This Is Now: After a few months of trade speculation, Spezza was finally shipped out of the nations capital to the Dallas Stars in a deal that brought in forward Alex Chiasson. To top it off, the Stars then went out and signed Hemsky as a free agent - taking two of Ottawas top six forwards from last season. Spezza lasted just one season as team captain and the team once again starts the search at training camp. Karlsson is definitely a candidate, as well as veteran Chris Phillips as he closes out his career with the only team hes ever played for. The 36-year-old starts the year 35 games shy of Alfredssons all-time club record of games played. The team did well to get some help up front in landing centre David Legwand. Hes not a replacement for the numbers Spezza put up, but he provides leadership and is a two-way centre who should definitely flourish under MacLean. For the remainder of the roster, its all a question of progression.dddddddddddd If Kyle Turris can put up first-line numbers, then the Spezza void may not be that large, especially if the team continues to get elite production out of Karlsson. Both Anderson and Lehner have the talent to backstop the team to numbers above expectation, but for that to happen the team needs to first get its leadership - and subsequently, its young core - settled. TSN Ottawa reporter Brent Wallaces Five Key Storylines heading into training camp: 1. Life after Spezza How will the Sens fill the offensive void left by their No. 1 centres departure and can Kyle Turris be a top line centre? Mika Zibanejad, David Legwand and Zack Smith are behind him and it will be difficult to match that production they once had with Spezza down the middle. 2. Who will take charge? Who will be selected as the next leader after the captain has left town for the second straight year? Defenceman Chris Phillips and forwards Clarke MacArthur and Chris Neil are candidates, but Karlsson is the present and future and could be looked upon to lead this retooling club. 3. Which Paul MacLean will be behind the bench? Bryan Murray issued a warning to his head coach in the off-season to return to the way he coached in 2012 season. Two years ago, he was more of a players coach and it wasnt the same case last season. 4. Battle In Goal Both Lehner and Anderson signed new deals in the off-season - who will emerge as the No. 1? Lehner has youth and potential on his side, but Anderson recently signed a contract extension that keeps him in the nations capital for a few more years. 5. Will a long off-season be enough time to help Erik Karlsson return to his Norris-winning ways? Karlsson said last year he still hadnt recovered from the Achilles injury. But he still put up 74 points. It will be interesting to see how hell fare this year at 100 per cent. DEPTH CHART Forwards Left Wing Centre Right Wing Milan Michalek Kyle Turris Bobby Ryan Clarke MacArthur David Legwand Alex Chiasson Colin Greening Mika Zibanejad Erik Condra Mike Hoffman Zack Smith Chris Neil Matt Puempel Jean-Gabriel Pageau Mark Stone Shane Prince Derek Grant Curtis Lazar Defence Left Right Marc Methot Erik Karlsson Jared Cowen Eric Gryba Chris Phillips Patrick Wiercioch Mark Borowiecki Cody Ceci Fredrik Claesson Mikael Wikstrand Chris Wideman Alex Grant Goaltenders Craig Anderson Robin Lehner Andrew Hammond Craigs List A list of the Senators top prospects as ranked by TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button. A-Level Prospects No. Name Pos. 2013-14 Club 1 Curtis Lazar C Edmonton (WHL) 2 Matt Puempel LW Binghamton (AHL) 3 Fredrik Claesson D Binghamton (AHL) B-Level Prospects No. Name Pos. 2013-14 Club 4 Mark Stone RW Binghamton (AHL) 5 Alex Guptill LW Michigan (NCAA) 6 Nick Paul LW North Bay (OHL) 7 Shane Prince LW Binghamton (AHL) 8 Andreas Englund D Djurgardens (SWE) 9 Ryan Dzingel C Ohio State (NCAA) 10 Cole Schneider LW BInghamton (AHL) Fantasy - Cullens Player to Watch - Mika Zibanejad A 21-year-old centre who was the sixth overall pick in 2011, Zibanejad has been a really good two-way player through his first 120 NHL games, with excellent possession stats, despite finishing with a minus-15 rating last season. With Jason Spezza and Ales Hemsky leaving, there are opportunities in Ottawa for young forwards to play a more significant role, and none are better prepared than Zibanejad, who has averaged under 14 minutes per game to this point in his career. He will theoretically have to compete with veteran centre David Legwand for quality ice time, but if Zibanejad plays 17-18 minutes per game and stays healthy, a 50-point season is possible. ' ' '