The Big Blowup

What do you mean "The faceoff stays inside???"

I'm not getting into the statistical details - or most other details - of what happened last night. Those can be found here.

I will reiterate one thing, however. Everything that happened last night started with a botched faceoff location. A veteran team... supposedly one of the top teams in the league... containing size, strength, ability and - most importantly - veteran presence, blew a game over what began as a botched faceoff location. That missed call led - both directly and indirectly - to the Cats playing with four defencemen for 10 minutes... with two of the top four guys in the box. From there... well, let's just say getting back in the game was secondary. Just plain old fashioned getting back (at whom I don't know... the Mooseheads for being the better team? The refs for throwing that "insurmountable" obstacle in the team's way?) was the primary objective. Every major infraction last night was the responsibility of a veteran player.

So... what's wrong with this picture? This is supposed to be a "go for it" year. On paper, the team is solid. On the ice, they've left me (and alot of others) wanting more. There have been better teams float through this city the last few years and there have been worse. But this is probably the one I find myself the least "attached" to... and as time goes on, I wonder if certain players on this team don't feel much of an attachment as well. Another thing I know is this: today marks the first time that Danny Flynn - a man who is very good at pointing out the positives with his team whenever possible and seldom says anything particularly harsh in the media - has ever called any player he's ever coached here "spoiled brats". That went a long way with me in determining how bad it really was for everyone on the Cats last night... and gave me a bit more perspective into what I feel needs to be done with this club.

When Danny Flynn coached this team to the President's Cup in 2010, it was very much "his" team. The leadership core (Scott Brannon, Randy Cameron, Mark Barberio, David Savard) had been cultivated in large part by him. When Nicola Riopel came back from the AHL at Christmas, he fit right into that core as well and remains - for my money - the only goalie in team history that would've been fit to wear the "C" if such a thing were permitted. At the trade deadline, Flynn saw the chance and had the assets. Of all the players available on the market, the three biggest acquisitions he made had one thing in common. Gabriel Bourque, Nicolas Deschamps and Kelsey Tessier were all captains of their former clubs. They (along with Alex Wall) all meshed with the existing group just about as perfectly as possible, the remaining Cats players fed off their new teammates and vice versa, and the rest, as they say, is history.

This year's team is not so much "Danny Flynn's team" as much as it's a team he acquired... and unlike the players that arrived here in the winter of '09-'10, these guys have at least two differences from those who came before them. For one, they all arrived from the same team. I'm not going to touch on this point as much because that means dealing with a dynamic, namely the dressing room, that I'm ill equipped to discuss, but the possibility of this aspect making the team alot more "clickish" certainly exists. The bigger difference that I've noticed is that they have all won before. The 2010 boys were very much looked upon as an augment to the existing talent on the team. This past summer's draft day acquisitions feel more like the team that came together in the winter of '99-'00; in other words, they feel more like "hired guns". By the way, anyone remember how far that 2000 team made it on an embarrassment of talent? Look it up if need be.

This year's team would be well served by an infusion of hungry, "leader-type" veterans much like the squad that was assembled three seasons ago. Problem is, they don't exist - at least not to that large of a degree - on this year's trade market (plus, trading for leaders is alot tougher than one may think). Even if they did, how does Moncton go about acquiring them? Do they give up every first round pick for 10 years? Strip the cupboards bare of every and any marketable asset?

I know this blog must be starting to sound like a broken record as I've broached this topic twice in the last three days. However, I can't stop repeating it... and as deadline day looms, the lack of what this team needs - a combination of depth of talent, leadership and stability - is more and more glaring... and is very rare on this season's trade market. As much as I appreciate the effort the players on this team put into the cause night in and night out, the decision to make a run for it with the base of talent and disposable assets at present screams total madness. This is not just based on last night, either... this is based on a team that had gone, in this order, 5-7, followed by 15-2, followed by 3-6. It's great if you can get that 15-2 team going in the playoffs... but the odds are even greater based on the first 38 games played this year that you're going to get that sub-.500 team skittering onto the ice. Sub-.500 teams generally do not fare well in the playoffs... hence the beauty of the "best 4 out of 7" format.

This team is quite talented. I even agree when people say this team is built for the playoffs because, on paper, they are. When they bring their "A" game, they are one of the toughest teams in the league to beat. Unfortunately, that happens less than half the time. Could some of these players prove a bounty to other teams in this league looking to stock up? I'll bet you all that I have they would be more than willing to pay the price to find out for themselves.

So, I don't know. I think I know what will be taking place in the next few days. If it is what I think it is, I won't like it, although I'll support the club in any event. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that if Danny Flynn held the ownership reigns, a do-over might be undertaken. I also fear that the man behind the bench today may not be here after this spring if the Cats fail to produce results with the team they have now, and that's what bothers me as much as anything. I have a ton of respect for Danny Flynn. Anytime I've ever had the chance to interact with him (almost always media related) he's been professional, obliging and a treat to talk with. It would be a crying shame if he was to leave this organization if this team fails to achieve the ultimate goal, as he is the man most capable of building it back up again... but am I the only one that feels like Danny Flynn might be coaching and managing this season with a metaphorical gun to his head? I doubt I am.

Bottom line, this season has been one of the most maddening in team history up until now. Last night just happened to be the biggest blowup thus far. With all due respect to everyone involved, I hope after next week, it's remembered as only the second biggest.