OK, so it's fair to say that Ottawa are doing alright this season. "Alright" is only that though: alright. Over the last few years, Senators fans have been willing to accept a slightly less than ideal set of results from their team, and this year they had almost no expectations of any grandeur set for them whatsoever, with the majority of pundits and experts not including them in their NHL betting tips and predicting that they would be languishing at the bottom of the Eastern conference and wouldn't stand a chance of getting anywhere near the play-off spots.
So far these predictions have fallen flat on their face, despite an initial terrible start to the season, and the players have left many experts wondering just why and how the Senators have managed to pull things together against all the odds.
Although it's fairly tricky to deduce the reason behind their current success, the sad truth for the Sens is that their success has been based on the work ethic and skill of old time players such as Daniel Alfredsson, who provide a great deal of support for the younger members of the team.
With long term success based on getting the right balance between youth and experience, the Sens GM Bryan Murray knows that he will need to have a really good think about how to use his draft picks or veteran players in order to maximise the future of the franchise. Although the likes of Alfredsson are clearly an integral part of the Sens' current side, they may still be able to be traded in for decent draft picks or a larger group of experienced players who can provide that extra quality that the youngsters lack. Because of that, those who watch live hockey online remain cautious about the future
If, and only if, the Sens can work this balance out, then we may well be talking about the Sens being back in the big time.
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