There's something to be said about organizations who stick with young players through their litany of mistakes, burying short-term mistakes for long-term growth. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. It's a risk you have to take in a cap league, where taking guys from their draft day and turning them into every day NHL'ers is vital to success.
But, there's also something to be said about organizations who know when to dial things back. Sometimes, a player just doesn't have it. So much so, that sending the player back to a developmental league or limiting him from action through a minute-reduction or healthy scratching is to the benefit of both. After all, if one player is legitimately shaving wins out of the standings -- I note that, individually, this is extremely tough to do -- the team must react accordingly.
A number of prospects, good and bad, have come through the Ottawa ranks in the last few years. Never before do I remember a player having as tough of a run as Jared Cowen is during the 2014 season, and never before do I remember said player having such a long leash. The length of this very leash is particularly odd for a team that's not rebuilding; Ottawa was expected to contend for a playoff berth and push teams in the Eastern Conference this year, and it just hasn't happened. I think there's a little bit of pride at play for the involved parties, and maybe a little bit of stubbornness, too.
With just over twenty games remaining, Ottawa's still alive, though the mathematics are certainly working against them now. Some players are playing well, and other players aren't playing well. And then there's Jared Cowen.
Now, I enjoy a ribbing as much as the next guy, but last night was the first time I think I actually reached a point where it reached a cringeworthy point of no return. In eleven minutes of painful ice-time, Jared Cowen provided this, this, this, and this. It was not fun to watch. Not even in the masochistic sense. I doubt it was fun for Jared, either. This is a guy who either has totally lost it between the ears, or just doesn't have it on skates. Right now, it's probably both.
The team's tried just about everything with him since wrongly betting long on him in the off-season. [Remember: he turned down an eight-year deal.] In some fairness to Bryan Murray and Paul MacLean (who have done quite well with so many other players before), a lot of his varying usage seemed defensible to some degree. But, after his pair of performances against Boston prior to the Olympic break and Detroit last night, I don't see any way Jared Cowen doesn't end up a healthy scratch on Sunday. And, barring injury, it's likely where he's going to stay for some length of time.
Now, I'm not really sure "not playing" is going to help Jared Cowen any. But, it's impossible to reconcile continuing to play him with trying to reach the playoffs. And that's the sad truth of where his game is right now.
The team needs him to bounce-back this off-season and develop into the NHL defensemen they had hoped for when they drafted him years back. But, this team also has a commitment to compete in good faith down the stretch; to reward players who are playing well; to ice the best possible product, whatever the case.
What's happened in the last two games -- a player on the ice for ten goals against in five periods -- isn't just bad. It's alarming. Unnerving. And you have to feel for a player who is likely aware of what's going on, yet can't do anything about it.
The person who can do something about it is Paul MacLean. And I'm guessing we're going to see that occur this weekend.
Thanks for reading!