Over the course of a long season, within the day to day churn of HEAD2HEAD tables and five quick thoughts, it’s rare that I find moments to stop, to breathe and to rant and rave about whatever I want.
And because I have no interest in recapping last night’s debacle and because I drank way too many beers during the last attempted podcast recording, we’re going to try something a little different. Actually it’s not entirely different. We did something similar once before and called it, You Can’t Handle The Truth.
At the time, the idea was that it would be a once-a-month venting on a series of issues but because I haven’t done it since October 2019, there is a lot to catch up on.
So here it is- You Can’t Handle the Truth 2…No, wait…You Can’t Handle the Twoth.
Tough start.
Tim Stützle Should be a Centre, But Not Yet
It has become a talking point during the early part of the season and it’s easy to see why. Ottawa’s rebuild is in much better shape if it turns out that Stützle is a first line centre. And that temptation to fill an obvious void on the organizational depth chart has led some to demand that Jimmy move to centre as soon as possible. That would be a mistake. While I have no doubt that he can play the position in the long-term, he’s just not physically strong enough or defensively astute enough to do it yet. Not as a 19-year old. He’s going to get there but rushing him into the role now would hurt his development. Let him keep flying the zone, let him focus on creating plays and let him win the Calder Trophy. The transition to centre should start next season.
Something Ain’t Right with Thomas Chabot
This one probably goes without saying but because it’s Thomas Chabot and because he is so central to this team’s future, it does need to be said. It is almost certainly related to that nagging injury he has been dealing with, which may or may not have been caused by Logan Brown, but he just hasn’t been himself this year. This Ottawa blueline just isn’t deep enough to survive Chabot at anything other than 100%. He’ll get better but if there is some sort of lingering injury there, it might make sense to give him some time off to fully recover.
“Sens Sickos” Works Better When The Sens Win
In the last couple weeks, Sens fans have rallied around this idea of “Sens Sickos”. As I understand it, the concept is Sens fans (on Twitter mostly) made the conscious decision to get back to enjoying our hobby. Focus on the positives and at the same time, enjoy the misery of our rivals. That’s kind of been my brand for a decade but I’ll admit, it was nice to have some company. It sounds amazing although it seems like it mostly just happens when the team is winning. Because in the last couple games, which happen to be losses to Montreal and Calgary, it seemed like all those good vibes and funny memes were gone. Reality is, angst is the default setting on Twitter. I think back to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017. I was physically nauseous/surprisingly drunk for most of the four hours but did log on to Twitter a couples time during the game. And every time I checked my timeline, all I saw was people complaining about Chris Kelly dressing and what a terrible coaching decisions it was. We were in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final, one of the biggest moments in franchise history and people were complaining about who was playing on the fourth line. That’s kind of what Twitter does. And it seems like it’s going to take a lot more than a funny meme to change that. Seems like Sens Sickos works a lot better when the team is winning.
A Bridge Deal Makes Sense for Brady Tkachuk
Brady Tkachuk is in the final year of his entry-level deal and if his next contract isn’t already top of mind for you, it will be soon. There’s no real risk of losing Brady obviously but the Flames negotiation with Matthew Tkachuk suggests that the Senators should be ready for a battle. And while many would like to see a max-term deal thrown Brady’s way, which would be fine by the way, the argument for a bridge deal is pretty strong in this case. Nevermind the fact that the economics of the game are being completely turned on their head right now but in the case of Brady Tkachuk, it seems unlikely that there is a level of untapped offensive potential to his game that necessitates a “pay a little more now to save down the line” approach. As all these young players come off their entry-level deals, cap flexibility is going to be at a premium and the Senators may be able to keep a bit more of that flexibility if they go bridge, as in three years, with Tkachuk. They really can’t go wrong here but a bridge deal, which would probably cause panic among some fans, really isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Young Players Are Held to a Different Standard
From the moment DJ Smith uttered the words “young mistakes”, there has been this strange division between the kids and the veterans. In the eyes of fans, kids good…veterans bad. If it seems like the kids, as in the young core that will ultimately define this rebuild, are being held to a different standard, well that’s because they are. Not only are the Senators trying to create an environment where those young players have to fight for their spot in the lineup but they are also focusing on their individual development, and trying to ensure they reach their potential as hockey players. That’s what this season is all about ultimately. It’s a delicate balancing act DJ Smith and his staff are trying to pull off this year and we won’t really know if it “worked” until years from now. It’s going to frustrate a lot of fans in the short-term but the organization is hoping it ultimately leads to better hockey players down the line. Of course it only works if DJ Smith is communicating with those young players throughout the year and setting clear standards and reasonable expectations for each of them.
Matt Murray will be Fine
During the month of January, I was worried. That wasn’t a goalie that was just having an off night- Matt Murray looked like a guy that had completely forgot how to play the position. But he has since righted the ship and while he certainly hasn’t been consistent, his play through the month of February suggests that he’s slowly finding his game. Thursday night’s start against the Flames was obviously a stinker but he really didn’t have a lot of help in front of him either. The four-year deal remains an unnecessary risk but I’m confident that Murray’s game is at least trending in the right direction. Matt Murray will be fine. Matt Murray will be fine. I find it helps if I keep saying it.
We Focus on the Wrong Stuff Sometimes
As a fan base, we spend way too much time and energy focusing on the wrong stuff. Bottom six lineup decisions, allocation of five-on-five ice time and the performance of placeholder players on expiring contracts. I guess it all makes for good day to day discussion but really, there is no need to get too hung up on this stuff. Especially this year. What really matters this season is the development of the team’s young core and for the most part, everything is on track on that front. We should talk about that stuff more and fourth line wingers less. Also, we probably don’t need to have a “State of the Franchise” discussion after every loss.
Players Don’t Get Punished for All Mistakes, Just a Certain Type of Mistake
After Erik Gudbranson’s regrettable sequence against the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night, there were calls from the fan base for Gudbranson to be scratched. Accountability seemed to be the buzzword and the idea was that if the kids were being benched, the veterans should be held to the same standard. On the surface, that makes sense. That’s certainly the culture the Coach should be trying to build. Where I think we have it wrong though is that players are being sat for “making mistakes”. Really don’t think that’s the case. I think there is a certain type of mistake the Coach is focused on- not an error in the game necessarily but an issue with either effort or adherence to team structure. That’s the kind of mistake that will get you in the Coach’s dog house and ultimately lead to loss of ice time or a lineup spot. It would be nice if the media pushed DJ on this a little bit and asked him to expand on how lineup decisions are made and what he’s watching for from both veterans and young players. I think the answer would surprise us.
There are Dark Days Ahead for the Ottawa Market
It’s the elephant in the room and the one we’ve all become pretty adept at completely ignoring. The fact that there are no fans makes it kind of easy to put it on the back burner. Yet it’s worth pointing out that there are dark days ahead for the Ottawa hockey market. The Ottawa Senators were already struggling to get people in the rink before the pandemic and nobody really knows what things might look like on the other side. There does seem to be a genuine excitement around the on-ice product that hasn’t been there the last few years but the business side of the Sens operation still needs to find ways to turn that excitement into ticket-buying customers. And that is going to be a challenge. We know that things have been sort of precarious for the Senators financially over the last few years but it’s sort of scary to think where things will stand on the other side of all this. For the most part, Eugene Melnyk has done what we asked. Well except for the OUT part, I suppose. But he has signed the cheques and stayed away from microphones. At some point soon, next year probably, the onus will be on Sens fans to do their part.
