The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

Martin Gerber's "conditioning" stint in Binghamton pretty much signals the end of his career as an Ottawa Senator, barring injury. He had a reuptation for working hard, being a team guy, doing whatever was asked of him, but much too often would let in many bad goals and play inconsistently thus costing a lot Sens chances at victory. He will still be paid his $3.7 million salary while he plays in the AHL, so I won't feel too sorry for him as he buys a few more ivory backscratchers on the bus trips to his games.

So plan B for Ottawa is to baptize 23 year-old Brian Elliott as the new starting goaltender for their struggling franchise. Let's face it folks, this team can't get much more worse than it already is, and since the team is finding it difficult to complete a trade (and certainly doesn't want to fire a third coach in two years) it has to show the fans it's attempting to turn things around. Elliott fits the bill for that purpose.

So far, I like what I see. He hasn't let in a softee in his three games played, and provides the odd big save to keep the team in it. Let's face it, there's been plenty of deflating goals this season where the smallest mistake ends up in the back of the net. The Sens seem to be always fighting from behind and their lack of confidence in their goaltender certainly didn't help.

The jury is still out on him, but I bet a strong performance tonight against a good Montreal Canadiens squad in front of the home crowd will definitely reassure the team this guy is the real deal. It doesn't look like the Sens are playoff bound this year, but they still have to think of next season and the future of their franchise. Brian Elliott has been given the chance to show he can be the cornerstone of the franchise for years to come; I just hope he pulls through.