Yeah this is related to the discussion I had yesterday on why Feb 2013 was so prolific and also didn't have a lot of violent model swings once the non-Euro guidance caught onto it....it had a fairly fresh polar high to the north (I wouldn't call it arctic, but solid polar airmass) and this provided some real resistance to any potential westward moves in addition to obviously locking in the BL cold. The high providing resistance also increased the ML fronto in that storm which helps make it more prolific in snow totals.
That not being present in this system means we're hoping for the ideal track. Like you said, I'm hoping as we get closer, maybe we see a little bit more resistance...it's not going to look like a Feb 2013 high, but even marginally more resistance goes a long way in areas that are progged to be marginal in this. Even a psuedo-decaying high sliding east of Houlton ME would be a little bit useful.