Best Interests

First things first, I apologize for the long wait between posts. Between exams, the holidays and, quite honestly, a lack of motivation to watch this struggling product, I haven't had much time or interest in watching Sens games, even though I've still been following them religiously. Haven't had too much to say, either, since it would more than likely all be derivative of the rampant public opinion that this team needs to have dynamite stuck in each and every crevasse of its being, fuses lit, in the hopes of blowing apart the team's foundation and starting fresh.

But I digress. This team hasn't won a single game since Jason Spezza's been injured, and despite semi-strong efforts against the Blackhawks and the Lightning, wins have still eluded us. We play the Bruins on Tuesday, the same Bruins who have lost 4 of their last 5 games (although, in fairness, three of those losses came in overtime or a shootout). They do play Monday in Pittsburgh before touching down here, so the next three games (Boston, New York Islanders, Calgary) provide us with the best chance at winning any games at all in the near future. Taking a look at the standings, though, is it in our best interest to be winning games like these?

23	BUFFALO	41	18	18	5	41
24	CALGARY	42	18	20	4	40
25	FLORIDA	40	18	20	2	38
26	OTTAWA	42	16	20	6	38
27	TORONTO	40	16	20	4	36
28	EDMONTON	40	13	20	7	33
29	NY ISLANDERS	39	13	20	6	32
30	NEW JERSEY	41	10	29	2	22

(taken from NHL.com)

Considering the games we have in hand over the Islanders, it's plausible that they could catch up to us. Likewise, Toronto could also pass us and, given their recent play, it's a real possibility. I'm not advocating losing for the sake of a higher draft pick, don't get me wrong. The Senators should absolutely be trying to win, game in and game out. That said, if recent trends are any indication, maybe this team just doesn't have the skill to win when they need to. If that's the case, then this would be the worst possible time, from a future point of view, to turn the season around. A win against Boston may not be the wort-case scenario, but what about wins against NYI and/or CAL? Those would push us out of the bottom 5, and therefore out of a lottery pick.

It's a sad attestation to the state of this franchise that discussion of losing out for a top pick is even entering the discussion. But between losing streaks, shaky play offensively and defensively, personnel turmoil and a fanbase that has grown impatient since seeing this team miss the playoffs only once in the past 13 years, prospects and the potential to grab another blue-chipper are the only potential bright spots to be taken out of this season.