i think jason spezza, in complete contrast to 21pro, is a big part of the problem. he plays with no passion whatsoever, and no accountability. how many times do you see him try that ridiculous blind drop pass to no one. sure, he is a major talent, but he has no heart.
danny heatley is a talent, no doubt, but he is no leader. alfie is ottawa's main cog, but he cannot do it alone. ottawa did not learn from tampa bay's mistakes...you can't allow three guys to basically take up so much cap space.
a few years back, i guy like marty havlat was on ottawa's second line, playing with young up and coming players like fisher and vermette. fast forward to today, they pretty much gave havlat away, ending up with preissing, and then let him go as well. fisher still is decent, but not for his price, and he is having a bad year (who isn't in ottawa?). vermette has not taken the next step in his development.
as for the blueline, they made what turned out to be a collosal mistake letting chara go. you do have to remember though, that chara was coming off of a bad playoff run, and was being exposed by speedy forwards. redden was the darling for all the sens fans, same with the experts. what a mistake it is now, looking back. the corvo deal now looks bad, as they pretty much have nothing to show for it, dealing corvo and eaves, then not resigning commodore or stillman. the deal they made with tamba was pretty decent, getting kuba, picard and a 1st rounder for a guy who is overrated (mezjaros).
the goaltending has been a mess since before emery. lalime? hasek (and his infamous injuries)? gerber? emery? back to gerber? auld? gerber again? elliott? not exactly the kind of goaltending to have when you think you are a contender.
then there is the ever-present stories and rumours of a drug problem within the ottawa dressing room, and lack of solid leadership beyond alfredsson, who is really more of a leader by example on the ice anyways.
what this team needs more than anything, is a take no prisoners kind of coach. no more coddling of spezza, time for him to become a superstar, and start earning his paycheque. bryan murray needs to go as well, time to bring in a new face.
they also need to realize they are not stanley cup contenders anymore. while they do still have some upper echelon talent, they do not have alot of skill in the secondary forward ranks, nor do they possess a real, tough as nails blueliner, what they really need. brian elliott is not the answer in net either. look for the sens to go hard after a goalie in the off-season. they need to unload one of the big three as well, and get a nice youthful package in return, helping them along on their way to returning as a contender.
Plyrs99
danny heatley is a talent, no doubt, but he is no leader. alfie is ottawa's main cog, but he cannot do it alone. ottawa did not learn from tampa bay's mistakes...you can't allow three guys to basically take up so much cap space.
a few years back, i guy like marty havlat was on ottawa's second line, playing with young up and coming players like fisher and vermette. fast forward to today, they pretty much gave havlat away, ending up with preissing, and then let him go as well. fisher still is decent, but not for his price, and he is having a bad year (who isn't in ottawa?). vermette has not taken the next step in his development.
as for the blueline, they made what turned out to be a collosal mistake letting chara go. you do have to remember though, that chara was coming off of a bad playoff run, and was being exposed by speedy forwards. redden was the darling for all the sens fans, same with the experts. what a mistake it is now, looking back. the corvo deal now looks bad, as they pretty much have nothing to show for it, dealing corvo and eaves, then not resigning commodore or stillman. the deal they made with tamba was pretty decent, getting kuba, picard and a 1st rounder for a guy who is overrated (mezjaros).
the goaltending has been a mess since before emery. lalime? hasek (and his infamous injuries)? gerber? emery? back to gerber? auld? gerber again? elliott? not exactly the kind of goaltending to have when you think you are a contender.
then there is the ever-present stories and rumours of a drug problem within the ottawa dressing room, and lack of solid leadership beyond alfredsson, who is really more of a leader by example on the ice anyways.
what this team needs more than anything, is a take no prisoners kind of coach. no more coddling of spezza, time for him to become a superstar, and start earning his paycheque. bryan murray needs to go as well, time to bring in a new face.
they also need to realize they are not stanley cup contenders anymore. while they do still have some upper echelon talent, they do not have alot of skill in the secondary forward ranks, nor do they possess a real, tough as nails blueliner, what they really need. brian elliott is not the answer in net either. look for the sens to go hard after a goalie in the off-season. they need to unload one of the big three as well, and get a nice youthful package in return, helping them along on their way to returning as a contender.
Plyrs99
