Last In The West
I’ve been pretty quiet about the state of this team this year, however it’s obvious that this team is not where we all want it to be. Normally at this point in the season we are not last in the conference, mind you the records of all Western Conference teams is above the norm at this point in the season.
Also, not only have we dealt with an absurd amount of injuries and sickness (as many other teams do as well) we have lost our #1 offensive player for the season, our #1 goalie indefinitely, arguably our best defensive forward (Pisani) indefinitely, and our best defenseman missed a number of games. I’m not trying to make excuses for them, but due to all these significant injuries it’s no wonder that we have had to borrow players from the minor league teams, and it’s no wonder they have also suffered as a result. We are an AHL team competing in the NHL, how are we supposed to compete?
Not to say these are our only problems. Lack luster efforts on many nights, lazy defensive play, honestly this list could go on and on. What I see is a frustrated team that can’t seem to catch a series of breaks. They have the coaching staff they need now, but now they don’t have a full roster of NHL players. Some of the call ups have shown a lot of promise, and the potential to be true NHL players, but this team needs its proper roster back to be competitive.
Even with all the players healthy and motivated I still don’t think we have the next Stanley Cup winners or anything like that, but I do think we are a playoff team. This team has shown us glimpses this season of what they are capable of. I am pretty bummed about this year so far, but unlike the last few seasons I do think we are on to something in the way of progressing.
Perhaps a lottery pick this season wouldn’t be the worst thing for this team when it’s all said and done.