What's Next For Ottawa

Well, thankfully for the Senators, the season that became so promising and ended in what could be called one of the biggest failures in history of the game has finally ceased and now it's time to step back and figure out what's going to happen next. It's obviously easier said that done, but it's worth speculating on since the Sens will have more time than any playoff team to figure out how to right the ship that has gone amazingly off course.

First, I think trying to cut anchor with Ray Emery will be on the top of any list. Emery's distraction to the team is what started to bring this team down from the inside. No one knows what goes on in the lockerroom, but from media reports it seems that Razor wasn't the best fit for this team. Plus, Martin Gerber has more than held his own when it came to being the top dog in Ottawa. Granted, Gerber had some shaky times, but that does happen from time to time.

Which leads me to the second point which is trying to figure out why the defense was so absurdly bad this season after being a big part of what got the Sens to the Cup Finals a season previous. Wade Redden is sure gone considering his streakiness this season and unbelievable
downturn in his stock this season won't warrant the price tag is will be asking. With that money, they could re-sign Mike Commodore if they wanted to in order to have grit in the defensive end and a stay-at-home blue liner to aide Gerber.

Third, figuring out what's going on behind the bench. Bryan Murray has said that he's not going to go back behind the bench for another season. Who's going to be heading up the Sens next season?? Bob Hartley's name been thrown out there, Peter Laviolette's future in Carolina could lead him to Ottawa, and who knows what's going to happen in Long Island with Ted Nolan. However, Murray will have some time to look over all candidates thoroughly before making the right choice.

Finally, no more "300" parodies. Who are the ad-wizards who came up with that one??

For Senators fans, the hope is that next season can last a little longer and not drop off like it did in the second-half of the season this season. That, and they need to hire Stan Wong to help out with the injuries problem. He's a miracle worker.