Continued from Part I
This ten game slide is a kidney stone; nonetheless, I urge Bruins fans to stay the course. This team does not require a scalpel to be healed. It needs only time.
Consider that, in January, the Ottawa Senators--sans a certain sniper who had requested a trade and missing its top scorers, Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza--lost five straight games. While some Sens fans were calling for a coup d'etat, Sens management did not see it prudent to make a trade. The team, with a .500 record at the time, then embarked on an eleven-game winning streak, in large part because Alfredsson and Spezza had returned. Dany who?
Like Heatley had demanded to be dealt out of O-Town, Phil Kessel made it clear he no longer wanted to play in the Hub City. How, you citizens of Bruins Nation asked, will the Bruins replace the kid's offense? Now on this ten-game tumble, why hasnt the GM done anything?
The problem inflicting us, Bruins Nation, is that we want quick fixes. In an era of instant messaging and instant oatmeal, we demand goal production and victory, now.
I submit that the problem the B's now face, dear citizens, is not so much goal production but rather goal differential. While a goal-a-game clip isn't going to cut it, remember that the Bruins still play stingy defense (before Sunday's game against the Canadiens, the 146 goals the B's have yielded ranks third best in the NHL). And the teams PK prowess is a source of pride (86.6% ranks second behind Buffalos 88.8%) for all who bleed Black and Gold. Another sign of hope is that the Bruins, like those ho-hum-turned-hot Senators, now have several key players back in the line-up, including Marc Savard.
Savvy, who signed a contract extension that will earn him less money than he might have made elsewhere, is committed to winning. He and his teammates believe in each other and in the course the Bruins' brass has drafted and developed. Peter Chiarelli, Don Sweeney, and Cam Neely have confidence in Claude Julien (and his underrated staff) and must surely realize that instability, i.e., high employee turnover, is the bane of all organizations.
Let the record show that this special advisor does not subscribe to the rent-a-player-for-the-playoffs model nor summarily vetoes all trades. Similarly, the head honchos will listen to trade offers, yet they do not appear inclined prepared to forget last year's progress or this year's potential.
Still not a believer in this administration's plan and players?
Then I, not as a special advisor but rather as a defenseman analyzing his options in a seemingly no-win scenario, beg your indulgence on one last comparison: When I control the puck but dont see a skating or passing lane, I--like Bruins Nation in these troubled times--must resist the urge to panic, to force an instant solution that simply does not exist. Dare to be patient.
Keep the faith, my fellow citizens, this losing streak shall pass and prosperity will follow.
See you in the play-offs.
