Ottawa Senators: A Force United?

(Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

The story of the Ottawa Senators is getting old fast. If you have been on the Senators Web site you might have noticed their slogan, it reads "A Force United".

Riddle me this? How can you call yourself, "A Force United" when you fire your coaches quicker than monkey conjugates, you can’t keep your locker room in check, and you have disgruntled players?

The reality, is the Senators have been in a tail-spin ever since they made the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006-07. The question is, how can a team go from a Stanley Cup Finalist to a perpetual underachieving team? Better yet, how do you turn this sinking ship around, and quickly?

The biggest issue facing the Senators is what to do with disgruntled Winger Dany "I’m taking my net and going home" Heatley?

An offer from the Edmonton Oilers was thwarted when the selfish Heatley refused to waive his no-trade clause. Causing many to say, you asked to be traded "Heater", so suck it up and head West.

Now, having paid Heatley a $4 million dollar signing bonus and with the embarrassment of having a deal fall through, Bryan Murray has his hands tied. There are very few teams that have the kind of cap space to absorb Heatley’s bloated salary and, at this point, who the heck wants a player that has essentially walked out on his team twice?

The Senators have $24.5 million committed to their top forwards, more than the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, the Anaheim Ducks, the San Jose Sharks, and the list goes on and on.

Where did the Senators' offense rank last season? 23rd overall.

For a team with so much firepower, the Senators sure came up short. Heck, the Toronto Maple Leafs' offense was ranked 10th overall with what many fans would call a bunch of second rate players on their roster.

Accountability is not in the organization's vocabulary. From the outside looking in, many of the Senators' young players came into the organization, busted butt for a year or two, were rewarded with huge contracts and, since that point, have taken far too many nights off.

The players' hearts has been questioned, work ethic has been questioned, maturity has been an issue, infighting has been rumored for years, the competitive level was void most of the year, and yet GM Bryan Murray has continually rewarded "His Players" with huge contracts.

If I could interview Murray I would ask the following: "Why would you resign a 37-year-old player to a three-year contract, further handcuffing your organization? Why would you sign Spezza to a monster contract? Why was Heatley continually let off the hook? Why, after a disastrous 2007-08 season did you bring back Martin Gerber? How did you let the Ray Emery situation get so out of hand on your watch? And, last but not least, how the hell do you look yourself in the mirror and collect your big fat paycheck when clearly your complete lack of guidance, inability to pull off the big trade, mishandling of the team's salary cap, and inability to land the "Big fish" in free agency have set this team back so far?

The word is out on the Senators' organization and its players, and the word is not very complementary.

Ottawa is quickly becoming a graveyard for coaches. Many Senators' players are viewed as coming up small in big situations. The vibe is not good, nobody wants the headaches and baggage most of the Sens' roster brings with them.

With all the problems transparent for all to see,  Murray made another questionable move this summer when he went out and signed maligned forward Alex Kovalev. With all due respect, Mr. Murray, what are you? New? Don’t you get the newspaper? Didn’t you read about all the problems Kovalev caused in the Montreal Canadiens' dressing room last year? Don’t you know Kovalev has the reputation of taking nights off?

There is no magic formula for a Senators turnaround.

The reality is the Sens will be seeking wholesale changes in the next season or two. Head coach Corey Clouston had this team playing better at the end of last season, but can he make it last over an 82 game schedule?

Remember, the Senators have the reputation for being coach killers, and it’s not by mistake.

Here is the truth, in order for the Senators to have any success, they need to change their roster. More importantly, the Senators' brass needs to change the entire culture of this hockey club. That may very well start with the eventual firing of general manager Bryan Murray.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Murray’s heart is in the right place. He wants the Senators to do well and I think, for the most part, that he believes the signings he’s made were great deals at the time. The fact is, the results suggest that he has done a poor job, eventually, that is unforgivable in NHL circles.

Somebody once said, "If you continue to do the same behavior over and over again, you will get the same results."

Clearly, the Senators have not learned from this saying, and probably never will.

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