Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list inclu...
A year ago the Flames, Oilers, Canadiens and Senators were all in the playoffs.
This year has been a different story for organizations who were optimistic about the future of their teams. So now what do they do?
Will patience pay off, or are changes absolutely necessary?
Also last season, the Winnipeg Jets and Tampa Bay Lightning missed the playoffs.
There was talk of changing the message in both markets, but patience prevailed and now both teams are over 100 points and in position to do damage in the playoffs.
I’ve become a fan of teams like the Jets and Lightning who don’t react to the fluctuations of sports and believe in the process that got them the success in the first place, rather than give up because of a one-off year.
The Flames and Oilers are especially an example of young teams that are building something. Why give up on the process? Tweaks to the roster are what’s needed, not drastic changes to the hockey operations department.
I don’t feel Montreal and Ottawa are that lucky however.
Sometimes incompetence does lead organizations failing to meet expectation and changes are necessary.
