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Written by Nichols
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Monday, 01 December 2008 20:30 |
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"It's me, Randy Jones. I'm here to cure whatever ails you."
Well, at least that's a viable scenario concocted by TSN's Bob Mackenzie on tonight's That's Hockey! program. Yes friends, this is a sign for how badly the play of the Ottawa Senators has deteriorated. Apparently Randy Jones is exactly the kind of defenceman that Ottawa needs. And if that's the case, Mackenzie should have been kind enough to direct casual Sens fans to the nearest lifeboat because this ship is sinking.
Since the preseason, we as fans have been oversaturated with professional analysis that has let us know how badly Ottawa needs a puck moving defenceman. It's become cumbersome to read the latest gossip concerning trade negotiations with the Florida Panthers. Jay Bouwmeester's name has become ingrained part of the daily papers, that it's not even necessary to read a Bruce Garrioch column anymore. I'm convinced that whenever Bruce has run out of ideas, he goes back to the well and pulls out Bouwmeester rumors as filler. It's nowhere near as prevalent as the old "Radek Bonk is a plodding, uninspired Czech" rants, but we're well on our way.
With all the talk focusing solely on Bouwmeester, I'm actually becoming a bit concerned that if Ottawa fails to land him, there will be a lynch mob waiting for Bryan Murray outside of SBP. Currently, I'm a bit torn for how I feel about a Bouwmeester trade:
1) The optimistic fan in me wants to see what kind of impact that he'd have on the transition game. If things don't improve, Bouwmeester could be flipped at the deadline for a similar or better package of players who fit Murray's long-term strategy. There's no question that flipping J-Bo would allow the Sens to improve upon San Jose's draft pick position.
2) The cynical fan in me believes that the team's holes cannot be fixed by one man alone. As Bouwmeester heads towards UFA status this summer, I have a difficult time warming up to the notion of giving up warm bodies and future assets for what could ultimately turn out to be a rental. In a worst case scenario: the team continues to meddle with a .500 record, teams look at J-Bo and recognize his inability to turn around Ottawa's fortunes, his value decreases and Ottawa gets a lesser return on their investment.
One thing for certain, if Ottawa can land Bouwmeester, Bryan Murray's job would officially be on the line. It's an inherent risk kind of trade that would shake up the landscape of the team for the foreseeable future. It's not exactly an envious position to be in but if Murray's creative enough, he can shrewdly navigate through these stressful times.
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