Chasing the Second Wild Card Seed: Sens Still Trying to Add

As his team readies itself to play the Dallas Stars in the final game of this current four-game road trip, Senators general manager Bryan Murray took some time away from the organization’s scouting meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to speak with the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch

Murray’s comments were essentially catalogued in two separate articles outlining how: 1) consistency is the key for the Senators to get back into the playoff race in the second half; and 2) how the trade market is shaping up for the Senators.

For fans who have grown tired of systemic mediocrity and are clamouring for a change that sees the organization forego short-term success by adhering to a patient long-term vision, there’s a lot of meaty substance — in the form of Bryan Murray quotes – within each of Garrioch’s two articles to digest that at least gives some insight into what management is thinking at this current time.

The Senators are currently eight points back of the Boston Bruins for the Eastern Conference’s second wild card seed and they’re already separated by the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, so it’s easy to start writing off the Senators’ playoff odds.

Unless you’re Bryan Murray…

According to the Senators GM, he still believes in this group.

“You have to do it. I hope, and I believe, that we’ve got a good group. I believe we have a chance to win five or six in a row,” Murray said. “That’s the bottom line: That’s what we’re going to have to do, we’re going to have to put a little run together here to get back in the race.

“Before that happens, we’ve got to get on a run, we’ve got to get back into the mix and we’ve got to move within two or three points of a playoff spot.”

I certainly can’t blame management for trying to put a positive spin on things. Unlike Murray, I don’t have to pause and give any thought or care towards ticket sales. Similarly, as one of the faces of the organization, it’s not like he should be expected to wave the white flag and publicly admit that his team is out of the playoff race before making any deals or profusely thank his goaltenders for masking this roster’s shortcomings and keeping his team out of the league’s cellar.

Even Murray’s admission that he’s still looking to add a top six forward would come as a surprise… if the organization hadn’t reportedly been searching for a top six forward all season long.

“What I’ve talked to several teams about is a forward,” Murray said. “A guy is maybe a little more experienced, a known point-getter or at least has a chance to get points. Those aren’t easy to come by.

“We know we need another first-line player. We have players who have a chance to get there, but they’re just not there right now, and that’s hard to get.”

The news that Murray is still looking for a top six option will probably frustrate some who posit that it would be counterintuitive for the organization to parlay the currency that it does have (prospects and draft picks) for a “top six” forward when the organization also can’t afford (or is unwilling) to improve this group simply by spending money.

It’s not like the teams near the top of the standings are looking to move good top six forwards either. If the organization is serious in their efforts to find one, the Senators will likely have to look at other teams outside the playoff picture for an answer – just like they did at last year’s trade deadline for Ales Hemsky.

In fairness to the organization however, it’s impossible to judge them without knowing what kind of offers or players are on the table. Maybe there’s a Kyle Turris-like hockey deal to be had wherein the organization can move some spare parts and chance themselves into some young player with unfulfilled upside. Murray also wants to present a situation in which it looks like he’s actively trying to make this team better. Moreover, it’s not like that kind of trade can’t be mutually exclusive from the organization’s decision to sell some underachieving veteran assets.

“We have to give it a little bit longer here,” said Murray before the club’s victory over the Coyotes. “There’s a couple of guys I wouldn’t mind doing something with but that’s not going to be easy to do.”

Moving guys like Greening, Michalek and Legwand is going to be incredibly hard to do. Out of the 242 qualified skaters who have played in more than 400 five-on-five minutes, Milan Michalek has one goal and the worst points per 60 minutes rate in the NHL. The third-worst rate belongs to David Legwand.

As great as it would be for the organization to rid itself of these kinds of contracts, the question that management should be asking themselves isn’t, “How can we get rid of Michalek, Greening and/or Legwand?” They should be asking, “how do we avoid making similar mistakes in the future?”

Erik Karlsson’s Offensive Struggles

Earlier this season, I made mention of the fact that Chris Phillips has made every good player around him worse this season. Well, he’s done the impossible and moved Erik Karlsson from an elite even strength producer to an average one.

Here’s a look at Karlsson’s even five-on-five production:

And here are Karlsson’s With or Without You numbers with and without Chris Phillips:

And here’s why people keep campaigning for Patrick Wiercioch to get an extended look with Karlsson:

I mean, Phillips is rosterable as a seventh defenceman who can eat some minutes on the PK and provide a leadership role on a relatively young team. However, at this stage of the season, it’s a running joke that Chris Phillips keeps drawing in at the expense of a better, younger and more effective player in Wiercioch.

You can put this gripe in the same category of lineup optimization requests as Alex Chiasson getting regular turns on the first line at the expense of Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman not playing his natural position on the power play and not receiving enough special team minutes.