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Senators GM: ‘We thought this team was better’

Bryan Murray

Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray leaves following NHL general managers’ meetings in Toronto, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Mark Blinch)

AP

Before the season started, many thought the Ottawa Senators were poised to be not only a playoff team, but a Stanley Cup contender. Instead, they’re essentially out of the playoff race with 74 points and left wondering what went wrong.

That’s just the question Senators GM Bryan Murray tried to answer when he spoke to TSN 1200’s Ian Mendes (as shared by TheScore).

“We thought this team was better. We thought we had enough skill here to offset a couple of little things we were missing last year – and it didn’t work out,” Murray said.

Ottawa is a decidedly average to below-average team this season. With a 30-29-14 record they’re eight points behind Detroit and Columbus for the wild card in the East.

Acquiring Bobby Ryan to replace Daniel Alfredsson was seen as a major upgrade, but Ryan suffering a sports hernia in November that he played through slowed him down. Setbacks on defense and Craig Anderson not standing on his head all season helped pile on the disappointment.

The next step for Murray will be to see how things change in the offseason. With rumors swirling around Jason Spezza’s future, it could be another busy time in Ottawa.

Follow @JoeYerdonPHT