Confirmed with Link: Sens sign free agent Jiri Smejkal 1 year ELC

[Burrowsaurus]

Every pre season games i watched he looked good. Didnt expect him to be sent down.

Pretty much it’s a money thing.

We went from not being allowed to spend money to have no cap restrictions but the cap being so poorly mismanaged that we have to send down guys on ELCs that should be on the team

 

[Billy Bridges]

Good idea to send him to Bellville. If you look at some of the cities he's played for in Europe, spending some time in Bellville will be like an episode of Beyond Scared Straight where they send teens to jail for a few days to convince them to get their life together.

 

[barriers]

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Sorry Jiri, play more like Parker Kelly or Zack MacEwen next time.

 

[Bileur]

Mixed feelings about this one.

Quitting after a few weeks is weak sauce.

At the same time he clearly earned a spot in camp so I’m not surprised he was frustrated.

 

[Senator Stanley]

I think he's better than Parker Kelly and earned the 4th line LW job in camp.

But he was a victim of circumstances, here. They couldn't afford his NHL salary over Kelly's, the coaches love Kelly, and Kelly found his game just in time and for just long enough to allow the coaches/management to keep him.

People will blame the player for giving up, and that part of it sucks. But the organization is worse off because of this.

 

[TheNewEra]

I get that he was a victim of dollars at camp but he should have been called up now if we are going to play our call ups 5 minutes anyways. Especially since he was getting scratched in Belleville

 

[DJB]

Guy should have been in the lineup or at least NHL roster game 1

Dorion and DJ are dumb

 

[Senator Stanley]

I get that he was a victim of dollars at camp but he should have been called up now if we are going to play our call ups 5 minutes anyways. Especially since he was getting scratched in Belleville

Apparently training camp doesn't matter at all. Outplay an incumbent and you still get sent down. Then when the team needs a call up, they bring up somebody else.

Look at Guenette. He won the 7th defenceman spot in camp, but got sent down because of the cap crunch. Two weeks later, when the team needs to call up RHDs, both JBD and Matinpolo get the call over him. What kind of message does that send?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Guy should have been in the lineup or at least NHL roster game 1

Dorion and DJ are dumb

Did they have the cap space?

 

[Senator Stanley]

Did they have the cap space?

They didn't then (Dorion is dumb), but they did more recently and I can see MacEwen getting the call-up this weekend being the last straw for a guy like Smejkal.

 

[Liver King]

what a scew up, like we are last in the conference we cant give a guy who should have made the team a game?

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

They didn't then (Dorion is dumb), but they did more recently and I can see MacEwen getting the call-up this weekend being the last straw for a guy like Smejkal.

@Alf Silfversson (Not Alf) @PlayersLtd said they pulled Smejkal out due to pro experience / AHL development rule. I assume that coincided with MacEwen going down but have not verified.

In the AHL, player development is a top priority. The American Hockey League and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association have the following development rule in place:

Of the eighteen (18) skaters (not counting two goaltenders) that teams may dress for a game, at least thirteen (13) must be qualified as “development players.” Of those 13, twelve (12) must have played in 260 or fewer professional games (including AHL, NHL and European elite leagues), and one must have played in 320 or fewer professional games. All calculations for development status are based on regular-season totals as of the start of the season.

I have not had a close look to see if that was the issue

When MacEwen was being called up , Smejkal came back in. I think he missed 3 games. Not an ideal time to get called up.

Imama (a useless signing) has been in and out as well.

 

[Micklebot]

what a scew up, like we are last in the conference we cant give a guy who should have made the team a game?

Has he been playing well enough to deserve a callup?

The guy was a healthy scratch for a bit in Belleville from what I understood, not sure calling him up sends the right message.

 

[Senator Stanley]

Has he been playing well enough to deserve a callup?

The guy was a healthy scratch for a bit in Belleville from what I understood, not sure calling him up sends the right message.

What message does it send by gifting Parker Kelly a job or calling up Zack MacEwen so he can lose a fight or passing over Max Guenette twice when he earned the job in camp?

At best, they're sending very mixed messages. Might as well call-up the guy who showed he can actually help the team.

 

[Micklebot]

Look at Guenette. He won the 7th defenceman spot in camp, but got sent down because of the cap crunch. Two weeks later, when the team needs to call up RHDs, both JBD and Matinpolo get the call over him. What kind of message does that send?

Sends the message that the guy playing best right now is the one they call up. No?

 

[Alf Silfversson]

@Alf Silfversson I believe said they pulled Smejkal out due to pro experience / AHL development rule. I assume that coincided with MacEwen going down but have not verified.

I have not had a close look to see if that was the issue

When MacEwen was being called up , Smejkal came back in. I think he missed 3 games. Not an ideal time to get called up.

Imama (a useless signing) has been in and out as well.

That wasn't me but it adds up.

 

[Senator Stanley]

Sends the message that the guy playing best right now is the one they call up. No?

JBD was that much better than Guenette through two AHL games that he deserved the call despite Guenette outplaying him through an entire training camp and preseason?

To me, the "who's playing best" is a bullshit organizational line to justify whatever they want to do.

 

[Micklebot]

What message does it send by gifting Parker Kelly a job or calling up Zack MacEwen so he can lose a fight or passing over Max Guenette twice when he earned the job in camp?

At best, they're sending very mixed messages. Might as well call-up the guy who showed he can actually help the team.

The MacEwan situation is a bit different, he's a vet there for toughness/fighting. Im not a fan but the role matters.

Guénette vs JBD and Mantipalo, they called up the guys who were playing the best. Training camp is great, but if you get outplayed when the AHL season starts, don't expect to get a callup because you had a good camp, evaluation doest stop when the season starts. The team asked David Bell who earned the next callup and it wasn't Guénette.

 

[Senator Stanley]

The MacEwan situation is a bit different, he's a vet there for toughness/fighting. Im not a fan but the role matters.

Guénette vs JBD and Mantipalo, they called up the guys who were playing the best. Training camp is great, but if you get outplayed when the AHL season starts, don't expect to get a callup because you had a good camp, evaluation doest stop when the season starts. The team asked David Bell who earned the next callup and it wasn't Guénette.

As I said above, I think the organization preaches "earning it" when in reality that's utter bullshit.

 

[Micklebot]

JBD was that much better than Guenette through two AHL games that he deserved the call despite Guenette outplaying him through an entire training camp and preseason?

To me, the "who's playing best" is a bullshit organizational line to justify whatever they want to do.

Because the org wants to call up worse players? What's the motivation for the org here? You think they want to make the big club worse?

Just accept that they see things differently than you, David Bell watched every min of these guys and made his recommendation.

 

[Micklebot]

As I said above, I think the organization preaches "earning it" when in reality that's utter bullshit.

Or they actually were watching the guys who they had to determine earned it. Or have you been in the rink for every Belleville game?

 

[Big Muddy]

Well that sucks. In my mind, after the Kastellic and Grieg injury, he was a logical choice to get some games, but its not be .....

 

[Micklebot]

Well that sucks. In my mind, after the Kastellic and Grieg injury, he was a logical choice to get some games, but its not be .....

The timing is odd, you'd think he'd see a real opportunity but maybe things didn't go over well in Belleville behind the scenes? Odd to see a guy cut bait so early, got to be more to the story imo.

 

[Sensinitis]

Completely understandable if you're the player.

He is easily one of our top 12 forwards.

You have to think they told him he won't be called up even after the 2 recent injuries and that was the last straw.