Ottawa Senators on the Decline

How the mighty have fallen - the Ottawa Senators have dropped 3 straight games to the horrible New York Islanders and are just 2 points in front of Dallas, the worst team in the league. The same Ottawa team that set a new NHL record for the best start after the first 16 games last season. Many would argue that the record is unjustified and this is a bump in the road to success. I on the contrary believe the once powerhouse Senators team is on the decline and dropping fast.

Reasons for the Decline:
- Defensive players such as Redden, Meszaros, and Corvo has been replaced by Kuba, Picard, and Smith. Although Kuba is a pleasant surprise, Corvo is having an excellent year in Carolina and Redden/Meszaros are all top-end NHL players in my opinion.

- The Dominik Hasek experiment was to sure up the skeptical goaltending situation Ottawa has been receiving for the past decade. That turned out to be a bust. Fast forwarding to 2008, Ottawa is still having problems in net - and with an unacceptable defensive unit, the Ottawa back-end although stats-wise seems decent, it is definitely not as good as previous years.

- Surprisingly, Ottawa has been struggling to put pucks in the net this season. The power line of Spezza, Heatley, and Alfredsson is contributing, but not tearing up the league like we're accustomed to. Secondary scoring has practically disappeared. Behind Alfredsson, Heatley, and Spezza, the next three scorers are defenders and Jarkko Ruutu.

What to Do:
1. Here is a suggestion. Blow up the team and make a trade with Vancouver. Start rebuilding the team from the back-end by acquiring a defence from Vancouver (Ohlund? Bieksa?) and Cory Schneider for one of the top forwards on the team (Spezza? Heatley?). Vancouver has Luongo and Cory Schneider is a top-end goalie that might very well be expandable for the right price.

2. Time to rebuild the franchise. Alfredsson recently signed a long-term contract to stay with Ottawa for the rest of his career. Restructure the team for couple of years around Alfredsson and either Spezza/Heatley with a solid defensive core and make a run in a few years time.

3. Continue to go in the tank and hope for Tavares or Hedman. Previously i suggested for Vancouver to throw away the season if Luongo was out for an extended period of time in hopes of picking up one of the two prospects. Throwing away a season for a draft pick might not be the best idea, but when the top two picks has the caliber of Tavares or Hedman, finishing last is not a bad idea.

Something needs to be done in Ottawa to turn the franchise around. If they think things will just improve as is, they are in for a big surprise. There are too many flaws in the team to have a legit shot for the playoffs. Scoring was the key to the team for the past few years and do they really think Alex Auld or even Gerber can carry them into the playoffs. Key to the Sens - Make a Trade!

Problems the Leafs will face

So we all thought the Toronto Maple Leafs organization decided to rebuild the team from the bottom by dumping heavy contracts and basically throwing the season to have the chance of picking Jonathan Tavares. Bryan McCabe, Mats Sundin, Kyle Wellwood, Darcy Tucker-the old guard of the Leafs has been replaced by Hagman, Grabovski, Finger, Van Ryn, Moore, and Schenn. The new look, younger Leafs are not supposed to be this good.

Problem:
The problem now is, although still early in the season, but what if the Leafs continue to play like this throughout. Lets say they finish 9th, 10th, or maybe 8th and make the playoffs - is this really a success? The point of rebuilding is to throw your team in the gutters for a few season so you can mimic the Penguins and draft players like Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury. Finishing in the middle of the pack with a 10th or 15th pick is in essence slowing down the team and their rebuilding process. Do you really think Antropov, Grabovski, Van Ryn, and the current Leafs team have the players to build a franchise around? Next season they will continue with the mediocrity hence the cycle they have been trying to pull away from with the Sundin and McCabe era.

What can be Done:
Is there really a way to solve this problem? Ron Wilson has done a great job coaching and getting the most from the players and transforming them into a hardworking, in-your-face type of team. Its not like he can start telling the players to throw in the towel. Lets face it, this current team is not going to be on top of the Eastern Conference anytime soon, sooo... what now Toronto. Hard work can always win you some games, but maybe a little more than they wish and a little less than being an elite team. They are in a tough spot. This is neither rebuilding nor an attempt at a Stanley Cup, so being in the middle of the pack is the worst scenario for this organization.
I think there is two things the team can do.

1. Think this is a start of something good and start trading for players that will help the team. Players with potential that can also be built around with. Instead of taking the draft pick route, pickup good young players and sign franchise players in the off-season and speed up the rebuilding process. The team has an identity now, so build around the identity instead of players.

2. Continue with the original plan of draft picks and start dumping players whos stock has risen from the beginning of the season. Antropov, Ponikarovsky, Kubina, and get some draft picks. Literally throw the season away and load up on draft picks.

The mediocrity of the Leafs Oranization has been a constant for too long. We are seeing the old leafs in the team this year just with new players, new coach, and a new playing style. The expectation has been lowered so it seems all good and rosy now, but if looking into the future, this is the worst case scenario for the organization. Something has to be done soon, or the Stanley Cup drought will continue in Toronto for another 40 years.