Written by Graeme Nichols | 01 March 2009

"Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do. Win the Whole Fucking Thing." ~ Jake Taylor, Major League

With last night's OT loss, the Senators have found a way to put themselves further behind the 8-ball.

Through 61 games, they have compiled an impressive 23-28-10 record - Good for 56 points. Assuming the team needs to reach that illustrious 94 point threshold to make the playoffs one of these five scenarios has to play out:

1. 20-1-0
2. 19-2-0
3. 18-1-2
4. 17-0-4
5. Run the table

Although the team hasn't been mathematically eliminated yet, the only fan who's still waiting for that miraculous turnaround is the Euge. While last night's loss to the Leafs should appease the defeatist sect of the Sens Army, I'm going to suggest something that should drive these kinds of fans into jubilation.

When the Senators are mathematically eliminated, management should come to Daniel Alfredsson and tell him to shut it down for the rest of the season.

You can't judge a hockey player unless you watch him almost every game and whether it's the aging process or whether he's been hampered by pain, Daniel Alfredsson hasn't looked right. For the past season and a half, the worst-kept secret in the Nation's Capital has been that Alfie, our Captain and most beloved athlete to ever grace this city hasn't been the same since injuring his hip prior to last year's All-Star Game. Since then, he's battled hip problems, undergone knee surgery and is currently fashioning a fractured jaw.

Do I expect Alfie to sit, rest and prepare for next season? No, this is a man's who plays with nothing but pride and that's the problem. He doesn't have to prove anything to us as fans. We remember him playing at 60% against Pittsburgh in last year's Playoffs and we respect the fact that he only missed one game after reports said he could be out for weeks with his fractured jaw. The man's a warrior in the truest form and he has the unconditional love of an entire fanbase.

For a man who has spent his career doing what's best for this franchise, he needs to sit this one out, rest up and prepare for next year.

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