The Ottawa Senators: The Blame Game

The Ottawa Senators fired head coach Craig Hartsburg on Sunday.

The underperforming Senators went 17-24-7 under Hartsburg, with a 7-4 loss to the Washington Capitals capping his tenure with the franchise.

The problems in Ottawa, however, run deeper than the coaching. Hartsburg is the latest in a slew of scapegoats for the Senators. This team has struggled for 12 months and barely managed to maintain a playoff berth in 2008.

The Senators continue to rely on the trio of Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, and Dany Heatley for the majority of their scoring. Second line players like Antoine Vermette and Chris Kelly fail to light up the scoreboard consistently, yet retain their ice time. 

General Manager Bryan Murray has not acquired any scoring support for his top players, nor has he conducted any transactions that would motivate the underachievers.

Defense on the team is deficient at best. The Senators have allowed top defensemen like Zdeno Chara and Wade Redden to leave via free agency. Their blue line looks radically different than the 2007 team that made it to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ottawa goalies get peppered with shots due to the lack of support from their defenders. They have been the primary scapegoats over the past two seasons. 

In 2005-2006, the team was projected to make the Stanley Cup finals, but when goalie Dominik Hasek got injured in the Winter Olympics, the team struggled. Failure during that season was attributed to injury to the star goalie, not the players who could not maintain their level play with Hasek gone.

Goaltender Martin Gerber was signed by the Senators prior to the 2006-2007 season and was expected to perform at a level that he never had before. When he failed to meet that expectations, he was relegated to backup goalie, behind Ray Emery. 

The Senators made the finals, but failed to achieve any success against the more talented Anaheim Ducks.

The following year began with Emery injured and Gerber stealing the starting role. The team’s failure later in the season was then attributed to Emery’s off-ice antics.

This season, Gerber was the first scapegoat for the team and has subsequently been waived and sent to the minors.

Ottawa has placed the blame in all the wrong places for far too long. It is time for the players to take some responsibility for their lousy play. 

It is time for Murray to admit that he has assembled a lacklustre team. Management must recognize that the glory of the 2006-2007 season is behind them, and the team is on a steady downfall. 

They need to recognize immediately that they can intervene and save this team from further turmoil.

With an interim coach replacing Hartsburg, it is clear Murray has limited time left in Ottawa. Baby steps are being made.