Opportunity Knocks

Opportunity is a funny thing. You never know when or how it may come about and while watching a teammate go down with an injury is certainly not, ideal that is the situation the Ottawa Senators now find themselves in. The Sens managed to beat the New Jersey Devils in a shootout this afternoon, the teams roster looking more like their AHL affiliate's in Binghampton than their opening day lineup, but with the amount of significant injuries they have such is life. The Sens are now in a very interesting situation. No body would really blame them for giving up on the season and playing for a top draft pick with their two top players out for the year, but this is a proud group who won't just bow down. That said, the results may come that way regardless. They have struggled mightily to put the puck in the net and without a big trade to upgrade the offense that doesn't look like it's about to change anytime soon. While guys like Michalek and Latendresse should be back before too long, Ottawa has to find opportunity in this difficult situation. It's a chance to give young players significant playing time in important situations and see what the team is really made of. Going forward this is great for the franchise as a whole because they can play those like Ben Bishop and others who may be traded down the line and showcase them in order to get more back for them. It will also help the development of the younger players. Obviously this fast tracked approach may not be what the club wanted but again, this is the situation at hand. By letting them learn on the job the depth and development of the team can be more accurately gauged and in a way there in now a lot less pressure. The team and it's fans know that if they don't succeed this season that it's because of injury problems. With Spezza, Karlsson and Jared Cowan all due back next year the team can look to that and hopefully the draft this year to help build moving forward and trade those pieces that can help them moving forward. This isn't a blow it up situation or a rebuild, more like a shortened season to prepare for the next one. That's not to say they should pack it in and not try to make the playoffs and the millions of dollars that would bring in for the franchise, the point is they have bigger concerns moving forward and realize that they have an opportunity to take a step towards future success by not panicking and allowing the players to learn and progress this year.