Sunday, March 29, 2009

"Trade Heatley" Bandwagon Doubles In Size

The 6th Sens floats a Trade Heatley trial balloon, one better argued than I did a month ago.

In the same post, he also talks about the Senators' recent run as being very admirable:
[...] I'll use this opportunity to say that I was impressed with the team's recent run because I think that they're a very average team. They're neither elite nor bad and I'm concerned that they're destined to nothing more than average for the next couple of seasons.
I think he's right.

One of the problems that everyone in the league is facing these days is how the salary cap is affecting a GM's ability to make changes and plan for the future. Where once a GM could spend his way out of a hole, they now appear to be stuck with the beds they make for themselves, and it will probably take a few years for the league in general to figure out a way to make a good-looking and functional bed to lie in while still leaving some room to maneuver. Personally I don't know what this solution will look like, but there has to be an answer somewhere.

While I am pleased, in a short-term way, with what Murray did this year up to the trade deadline, I'm still not sure that he and Melnyk really have a plan to improve this team in the next few years. I fear that we'll be battling the Maple Leafs for the title of Best Ontario Team Not In The Playoffs for some time to come.