From Hockey Will Tear Us Apart:
Lightning fans, I feel your pain. We’re kindred spirits; born in the same year, and now stuck in the same situation, only yours hurts a little more right now. (Yes, I was insanely jealous earlier in the year, but we’re in this post-apocalypse salary cap together now. I’m also mad at Lecavalier for what he might be encouraging Hossa to do, if it helps.)Hello Brethren Senator fans out there!
That’s twice the Lightning have sorta’ shot you guys in the foot with regards to contractual negotiations. Anyone recall Brad Richards re-signing and how Havlat wanted money on par with that? I’d link to an article which shows the heated criticism but on my web searching, I just can’t find it. 🙁
At any rate, you guys are in your own bind and it’s a bittersweet bind to be in. The Senators suffered and suffered greatly during their building years at the beginning of the teams existence. They burst onto the scene int he late 1990’s and wowed and shocked the league. They weren’t Nottawa anymore.
There’s so much promise and heartache with the Senators right now (and I still find it very much ridiculous that someone actually compared them to the Expos once) yet it’s not going to last. Even if the Sens (or the Bolts, or other currently hinder-by-the-cap teams) fall down and go boom in the short term, they’re a smarter organization than to let the Cap hinder things long term. They’ll adapt and cut loses where they may have to and come out better than immediate results show.
