I leave for a couple days and the whole organization starts falling apart.
Okay maybe that’s not accurate. The falling apart started a couple years ago I guess. Ah it’s good to be back.
With all due respect to the Brannwagon, this post is getting a little stale. Let’s see if we can pull together a quick edition of Monday News and Notes, shall we?
-Friday’s decision to fire Head Coach Guy Boucher came as a bit of a surprise. Not surprising that they decided to let him go necessarily but the timing certainly was a bit peculiar. The Ottawa Senators are playing out the string right now and there really isn’t much to play for. While Pierre Dorion would obviously prefer the team avoid finishing in the league’s basement for pride purposes, these next 16 games (18 when they canned Boucher) are entirely meaningless. Seemed sort of unfair and unnecessary to let Boucher go when they did.
-And through two games, there really isn’t any obvious different in the way the team is playing under Marc Crawford. While there was some fairly significant shuffling to the line combinations on Day 1 under Crow other that that, it sort of seems like status quo. Makes sense, I suppose. It would be pretty tough to implement sweeping changes to the team’s approach this late in the season and because the team is mostly going through the motions at this point, there’s really no need. For what it’s worth, watching the team practice for the first time under Crawford in Tampa Bay, the mood actually seemed pretty light.
-Finding a new Head Coach quickly moves to the top of Pierre Dorion’s off-season To Do list. The Senators laid out a pretty detailed description of exactly what they’ll be looking for in a new bench boss, indicating that the process will begin at the end of the season. It’s going to be really interesting to see what direction the team goes here. It’s no secret that Guy Boucher was one of the league’s lowest paid coaches this year but if the Senators really want to attract a more experience guy this time around, they are going to have to pay to make it happen. And while there are legitimate concerns about their ability to do so, you would think that the cuts to player salaries may give Dorion a little more wiggle room in the overall budget to bring in a more qualified option this time around. Getting this hire right is going to be so important for the team’s young players.
-Not a lot was known about Brian Gibbons when the Senators traded for him on the eve of trade deadline day. Ottawa was obviously in desperate need for an extra NHL body and obviously thought Gibbons could play a role for this team down the stretch. So far, so good for the 31 year old native of Braintree, Massachusetts. Gibbons has three points through four games with the Senators including a goal in last night’s win over the Florida Panthers. Like a handful of guys on the NHL roster, he is auditioning for an NHL job next season as his current contract expires at the end of this season. He’ll be a UFA this summer.
-While the Ottawa Senators continue to occupy the league’s basement, the Belleville Senators are quickly becoming one of the AHL’s best stories. After a shootout loss and a win this past weekend, the BSens have now racked up at least a point in 17 straight games. They now sit tied with the Utica Comets for the final playoff spot. If you haven’t had a chance to check them out yet, the team down there is actually pretty fun to watch with some of the organization’s top prospects leading the way. Their next game goes on Thursday night when they visit the Cleveland Monsters.
-Another big week coming up on the LeBreton Flats front. After a call with the Board of Directors last week to iron details of the “new process”, they are expected to meet again on Thursday this week to lay out the details for the public. It’s going to be fascinating to see where the NCC goes from here. Back in December, the group behind DCDLS stated that in their opinion, the guidelines set out in the LeBreton Request for Proposals indicate that the NCC is now obligated to turn to the second place bid. The NCC did not comment at the time but they have previously indicated that they have a viable alternative ready to go. One of the benefits of turning to DCDLS is you can avoid starting from scratch with a new process. We’ll find out exactly what the Board has in mind on Thursday and whether or not it still involves a downtown arena.
-Lastly, thanks to everyone for holding down the fort while I was in Tampa Bay this weekend. While I’ll admit it was a little unsettling to see the comments hit the 3,000 mark without me reading a single one of them, it looks like it was mostly under control in here for the last couple days. You’ll be happy to know that I have returned to Ottawa safe and sound and slightly sunburnt. Although after spending a couple days in Florida, I am seriously considering rebranding to LightningChirp and relocating there permanently. So if I go quiet again, you’ll know where to find me. Thanks again to Air Canada for bringing me along on the #ACFanFlight journey. Will have a little bit more on my trip later this week.
