Poll: Did the Ottawa Senators give Filatov a fair chance to succeed here?
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Different sport, but Bill Parcells used to call guys like this, “lures”. They lure you in with all kinds of shiny potential, but there comes a time when you have to accept that they will never deliver on it. At that stage, you are better off playing a guy like Greening or Condra who will battle and give you an honest effort every night. Maybe Filatov grows up in a year or two, and if he does, Ottawa still retains his rights. I wouldn’t hold your breath, though.
True, however, on a rebuild year I would have preferred to give Filatov more ice-time on one of the top two lines; I’m not sure he got enough time to really get acclimated. Butler’s been given more time and he hasn’t produced either, then again, the coaching stuff know stuff we as fans are not privy to. I think that both Filatov and Butler need to be given the chance to thrive under the type of role that they are expected to provide (skill guys). Since Filatov is shipping out, I hope they at least give Butler a long hard look on the top lines. For what it’s worth, the Filatov experiment cost us NOTHING and was certainly worth the gamble. A very small minority of third-rounders make it to the league.
Nine games with what? 1 Assist? I think he has potential but the experiment is done in my opinion. I do however agree that Bobby B deserves a second chance. Atleast he had previously proven that he can be a contributer if given the chance.
Hopefuly Filatov grows a bit and comes back a complete player, but until then I would rather the team focus on this year and the players that actually do want to play for Bingo and buy into our overall team system.
Overall I am happy with the decisions Bryan Murray has been making lately.
Of course Filatov was not given enough time. A few games they had him on the fourth line with about 5 mins playing time. He certainly has more skill to put the puck in the net than Bobby Butler who should be demoted to Bingo. McLean has done some very odd things with this team, including using Daugavins on the top line, playing Rundblad, who should also be in Bingo, over Lee, continually changing the lines and playing hunches, and having a strange bemused look on his face when the opposing team scores. This team could make the playoffs with stronger leadership, and perhaps obtaining a Jerome Iginla for some of the overvalued players that management seems to want to stand by to make them look good.