Doing more than just playing out the string

It’s never easy being on a losing team, even as a professional athlete getting paid hefty sums of money to play what is ultimately just a game. Unless you’re one of the true stars, your future is always uncertain. On a team like the Ottawa Senators, a lot of the players aren’t just playing each game against the opposition; they’re also playing for their next contract. Oscar Lindberg, Brian Gibbons, Anthony Duclair (RFA), Magnus Paajarvi, and Anders Nilsson are all free agents at the end of this year and each might or might not be part of the team’s plans for next season.

If you want the living embodiment of what it means to be a fringe player in the NHL on a team like Ottawa, look no further than Paajarvi. He threw himself in front of a one-timer at the end of the second period last night against Calgary. He was slow to rise and it looked like he was in an awful lot of pain. It was a game that meant almost nothing in the grand scheme of things, the Sens were already down 3-1 against one of the best teams in the league, and I doubt anyone would have noticed if he had just closed out on the shooter without putting himself in harm’s way. But that’s the type of play guys like Magnus need to make if they want to secure one more contract. Don’t tell them they’re just playing out the string because they’re playing for their livelihood.