Going into tonight's game in Buffalo, the Senators are a brisk 11 points out of a playoff spot.And just to ensure we enjoy our kick in the pants, I'll note that we are still behind the entire Western conference overall.
Word on the street is that GM Brian Murray is about to fire coach Hartsburg, on the off chance that the problem with the Senators is, in fact, the coach.
While such an idea is easy to dismiss, history does suggest that this is not the totally absurd idea that it initially sounds like. Previous GM John Muckler fired coach Jacques Martin, and his successor, Brian Murray, got so much credit for the following year's run to the cup final that he got Muckler's job.
Hartsburg is however the third coach to fail to inspire the Senators. John Paddock and Brian Murray Himself split the blame last year. Now it's Hartsburg's turn on the chopping block.
In my opinion, the larger share of the blame for the current dismal showing lies on the desk of Hartsburg's boss, Brain Murray Himself. While some of the depletion of the defense corps can be expected, Murray has done little to try to stem the flow of talent out of the club.
True, the Shiny New NHL has a much tighter trading environment, and franchise defensemen are few and far between. One would hope that the team would instead turn to trying to develop talent in-house and in the farm team. Only time will tell if there will be any significant fruit from that side of the operation.
But the proof is in the pudding, and this year the pudding has curdled. When the "best top line in the NHL" can't find the back of the net, something has gone seriously wrong.
