I hate leaving this thing idle for too long, but lord knows my left hand only has so many keystrokes in it before it falls victim to fatigue.
So, question to steer this discussion a bit for the next 24-hours, at least until I'm back from getting this fixed: If you had one wish this off-season for the Ottawa Senators, what would it be and why?
I've thought about this for the past few weeks. It's weirdly relevant to Ottawa, since a team on a limited internal budget can only have a small number of moves at its disposal, and making the right move (or two) is exponentially more important here as opposed to other hockey markets, where -- to some degree, anyway -- mistakes are a bit more affordable.
A lot of attention's been thrust into the area of Jason Spezza: where he's going to be traded, and what the return package is going to be. Though I don't doubt the importance of such a move (and the trickle effect it's going to have), I still think addressing the blue line is of utmost importance for Bryan Murray this summer.
I've said this before, but the defensive corps really is Erik Karlsson and a bunch of other guys. Other than Patrick Wiercioch, maybe, I'm not really optimistic about the future of current players and prospects on the back-end. Bryan Murray has suggested in the past that Cody Ceci -- a player I like, but one I think needs proper insulation next season -- has stabilized things back there, and I just can't bring myself to agree. I'm bearish on Jared Cowen, Eric Gryba is what he is, I don't really know if Marc Methot's going to be a fixture with the team long-term (even if he is, he strikes me as a 2PD), and Chris Phillips just doesn't have any business taking shifts in the NHL these days.
The only name you can maybe add to that mix is penalty-magnet Mark Borowiecki. Collectively, I just don't see how you can suggest this defense -- on its best day -- is more than bottom-ten in the league. That's concerning.
If this team's serious about contending on a budget, I think they need to (a) buy; and (b) buy smartly to repair the back-end. A player like Anton Stralman has long interested me, but I'm weary that a deep playoff run (and the success he's had) screams extra dollars on top. Will he still be undervalued? Last year, I was sure of it. This year, I'm growing skeptical.
Anyways, that's kind of my position here. What's yours for this summer?