A Comedy of Errors...?

Watching tonight's no contest for the Thrashers was mind boggling. Yet another team sending in their back up against the Sensators, but worse ... they are struggling to keep the biscuit out of the basket! Looks like tonight was the rare exception for the Thrashers, yet par for the course for Ottawa.

Light Play:

All around the team has been playing light. There is no jam.... no sticking up for one another (rare case being Neil and Ruutu) and no real desire. Sure the media scrum produces the same idiotic cliches about how badly they want to win, but when they hit the ice they rather go for a skate. Watching tonight's game was like watching a beer league team being thumped by a PeeWee team. What gives?

cASH Line:

We always look to this line to produce goals, but not energy. Sure you can get energy from goals ... yet Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley do not play for one another nor do they put their body on the line. They don't go to the corners and they won't lay a hit. Other teams are well aware of this and when these three hit the ice it is rather easy to play around them rather than checking your time and space. Maybe for once this line can be asked to actually hit ... not that they should be asked. I mean, this is hockey after all ... Not soccer.

Tempo Killer:

Right after Neil flattened Little, Ruutu had a dance with Slater. The tempo was back in the building, but Hartsburg decided to follow up this tempo with the cASH line. Like I said above ... no jam in that line. You think because the crowd is cheering suddenly these three give a damn about energy production? No! The other team is going to check harder, be more vicious on the puck and contain whatever offence is being created. That is EXACTLY what they did! My god... Why on earth would you follow up tempo with a lull?

Hartsburg:

I didn't like the idea of Hartsburg or DeBoer coming into the NHL because they are not tested. I thought Paddock too was a poor choice, but hey, no one listens to me. DeBoer has proven to have some worth, but I am not sold on Hartsburg yet. I mean, yeah, he has tightened up the D-game, but let's face it ... He has only continued the shitty record and inconsistency. However, it isn't all his fault. There is something to be said about Murray and how he built this team in the off season to be grittier, but watch any interview and you see veteran Senators, not new ones and you get the sense there is a divide in the room.

Murray: Buying or Selling?

Selling. I told people early in the season to wait til Christmas to pass judgement and I am passing it now. Time to trade off players for prospects and picks. There are a number of players that can easily be swapped around to rebuild, but for the love of all things sacred, do not wait too long. The long Murray waits the less likely teams will want to take a chance on a dead fish player. Some of our cheaper "home discount" players are a gold mine for problem cases like this.

Thoughts?