The Season That Was...Then Wasn't

Well, now that the season is over and much sooner than it should have been, us Sens fans are forced to sit back and ponder what the hell went wrong with what should have been one of the league's elite. The Ray Emery saga, the injuries, a fired coach, a fantastic start to the year gone awry, and a sweep at the hands of the young up and coming Penguins, this year had it all. This years team seemed to lack emotion and and sense of purpose since about Christmas time with the exception of a 3-2 victory over Detroit in January in what was one of the better games of the regular season, and possible cup match up at that time. The stars faded in the playoffs and this has lead to the ridiculous suggestion by some, including John Garrett to trade either Heatley or Spezza. True neither showed up in the playoffs, but the rest of the team didn't fare much better, and did he forget their league leading 22 points in the playoff run last year? They struggled in the cup final last year as did the rest of the Sens, but these are young guys who are still learning to win and one poor playoff should not lead to a trade of such talent. The same type of thing was suggest about the likes of Steve Yzerman, and well, look how he turned out John! The Sens will no doubt loose Wade Redden, one of my favorites who just hasn't had it the last two years, possibly Chris Kelly, Mike Commodore and Corey Stillman, but in my opinion they should try to resign Antoine Vermette as he was one of their most valuable players down the stretch and is a solid young talent. This is a team that could use a summer off to think things through and take perspective as even Captain Daniel Alfredsson seemed bewildered and at a loss to explain what happened to his crew. The dressing room divide seems to have struck deep and here's hoping Brian Murray can weed out the problems and get a group together that is focused and ready in October.