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Walk around the city of Ottawa, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a more revered man than Paul MacLean right now. Consider his body of work, and it does make a ton of sense - a 13-12-3 record on a team projected to finished dead last in the Eastern Conference.
How sunshine and rainbows is it? I'd go as far as saying that Paul MacLean is the anti-Cory Clouston. Where MacLean demands player accountability, Clouston let players skate - figuratively speaking, of course. Where MacLean demands a tireless work ethic from every skater, Clouston implicitly green-lighted half-assed efforts. Where MacLean demands an extreme, sixty-minute focus, Clouston encouraged too-many-men penalties.
Alright, Clouston didn't exactly
encourage too-many-men penalties. The point I'm trying to make is in just twenty-eight games, Paul MacLean's essentially reversed the direction of this franchise for the better, and if this team seriously stays competitive for all eighty-two games, I'll be the first to petition for his Coach of the Year nomination.
To say the administration in Ottawa from the top-down has been stellar this year might be an understatement, but it certainly doesn't excuse or absolve them from criticism when it's due. And, if I were to ignore what's going on right now in Ottawa, I simply wouldn't be doing my job.
The growing issue regarding Nikita Filatov and his status as a player in his organization is downright puzzling, and that's probably being conservative about it all. When Nikita Filatov was brought in from Columbus, Ottawa thought they had stolen an enigmatic twenty-one year old that could very well develop into a studly top-six forward.
After a brief -
emphasis on brief - run with the NHL club in the early season, Ottawa rightfully sent Filatov down to work on his game at the AHL level. In Ottawa, there were too many forwards deserving of ice time, and Filatov simply hadn't worked to earn TOI. Eyebrows were raised, but few questions were asked. The front office - as viewed by the majority - had made the right decision.
When Filatov spoke of a potential jump back to the KHL after toiling in the AHL ranks, the Ottawa organization lashed back, stating that he'd be given a fair opportunity if the proper level of work was put in. Filatov had been dominating the AHL level, scoring points at sheer will. Many thought the Ottawa organization was trying to simply make a point, and that he'd be brought up in no time.
And, everything was going to according to plan. The Ottawa Senators immediately recalled Filatov, and in the first couple of games, he worked relentlessly in an obvious last stand. His hard work yielded some positive results, and the coaching staff spoke positively about the change in his game.
Then, something happened. Or, at least
I think something happened.
How else can you justify what's occurred over the last handful of games?
In the most random and arbitrary of decisions I've seen in a while, Nikita Filatov found himself sitting in the press box as a healthy scratch. He didn't play himself out of the lineup this time around - no question about it.
Was it something the player did off the ice? Did Filatov's comments to the media about his game wear a bit on the front office and coaching staff? Does Paul MacLean truly believe there's twelve more deserving forwards on the roster right now?
Regardless, Filatov rotted -
again - upstairs, watching hockey just as a fan in Section 301 would. The same handful of forwards continued to struggle up front, but it never prompted a change from Paul MacLean.
After last night's loss to the Washington Capitals, many figured it to be a tipping point. There was no legitimate way the coaching staff could justify keeping the Russian winger out of the lineup now, especially with the struggles of many to generate and sustain offense. Right?
When it was announced on Thursday morning that Nikita Filatov would again be the healthy scratch, my official questioning of potential peripheral and unknown issues to the public began. Quite frankly, there has to be, because this entire saga is reaching the absurd.
For the record, Paul MacLean stated he didn't even
consider Filatov as an option for tonight's game. If the game against New Jersey isn't the perfect spot to play a talented kid, I'm not sure what is. It's the second-half of a back-to-back following a loss where the same names continued to underwhelm.
Say what you want about Erik Condra, Bobby Butler, Colin Greening, Kaspars Daugavins, Zenon Konopka, and Jesse Winchester as players, but each of the six have struggled at times to legitimize their role as a forward on this team in 2011. Sure, you could make the case that any and all of the aforementioned are more integral than Nikita Filatov at this point, but you could also make the case that they aren't.
And therein lies the problem. If the public will admit that at least a handful of the above-mentioned players have either struggled or struggling, than the coaching staff's benching of Nikita Filatov simply doesn't make sense. Period. He was allegedly taken out for his inability to work the first time around, and most everyone took the move in stride. This time around, he worked his rear-end off to make plays, and was benched, assumedly for failure to produce.
Child, please. If struggling to score points was that much of an issue, Bobby Butler - as big of a fan as I am - would've been benched a long, long time ago.
Perhaps the most unnerving detail of this whole situation is that Nikita Filatov will probably be headed back to the KHL after - allegedly - failing to produce with Ottawa this season. Does anything think that the kid has received a fair shake? Literally, anyone?
The answer is no, and any debate regarding the contrary is of the asinine variety.
As I've mentioned exhaustively, perhaps there are side-issues that simply haven't been brought forth to the media and/or fans that would go a long way in explaining this entire ordeal.
No one's trying to paint anyone as in the wrong. Rather, I think the large majority of fans would just appreciate a little insight as to why this story is unfolding the way it is.
Gameday
As for the Thursday night affair in New Jersey, expect the lone change to be between the crease, where Alex Auld will give Craig Anderson the night off. Auld's 0-3-1 on the year with a 3.36 GAA and .876 save percentage, but could benefit from playing a lackluster offense like the one being sent forth tonight by New Jersey.
Opposing Auld will be Martin Brodeur, who's really struggled in what may very well be his final year as a player in the National Hockey League. Brodeur's storybook career is coming to a close, but his play and the play of his team as a whole don't look like a positive final chapter. On the season, Brodeur's 6-7-0, with a .884 save percentage and 3.20 GAA.
Very quickly, there's some positive news on the injury front regarding Matt Carkner. He's expected to make his long-awaited return to the lineup on Saturday night against the Vancouver Canucks, which means the Ottawa Senators will have to make a move on the defensive end. My guess is Bryan Murray sends David Rundblad to the AHL to fine-tune his game, clearing up the eight-man logjam that's expected by the weekend.
For Ottawa, tonight's a golden opportunity to grab back a pair of points they could've had on Wednesday against Washington. New Jersey's playing better hockey of late, but have just a 5-4-1 record on home ice this season. Currently, Ottawa and New Jersey are separated by just two points in the standings.
Puck drops at 7:00 PM ET on SNET-Sens.
Ottawa Senators
Greening-Spezza-Butler
Michalek-Foligno-Alfredsson
Daugavins-Smith-Condra
Konopka-Winchester-Neil
Cowen-Karlsson
Phillips-Gonchar
Lee-Rundblad
New Jersey Devils
Parise-Henrique-Kovalchuk
Tedenby-Elias-Sykora
Zubrus-Carter-Clarkson
Boulton-Sestito-Palmieri
Tallinder-Fayne
Greene-Volchenkov
Salvador-Larsson
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