End of November Report Cards in Ottawa

The Senators have reached the end of November, and like previous iterations of the team, they are below .500 once again. The big difference is they aren't well below 500; they're only one game below with a record of 8-9-0. 

So now it's report card season. For this exercise, I excluded players who've only played five games or less. Sorry, Matthew Highmore, Nikolas Mantipalo, and Tyler Kleven.

Forwards:

Tim Stutzle

Grade: B+

Stutzle leads the Senators in points this season and is on pace for 106 points. Yet, he only has five goals in 17 and is on pace for 24 goals. Considering the standards of Tim Stutzle, who is coming off a 90-point, 39-goal season, he has been underwhelming. He seems to be playing with a nagging injury, as he has taken multiple maintenance days this season and frequently plays with KT tape on his neck. He is a B+ because he is still producing at a significant clip, but there is something left to be desired in his play so far this season.

Brady Tkachuk

Grade: B

Tkachuk has been able to score this year (ten goals in 17 games), but he's been inconsistent, like the team. Of Tkachuk's ten goals, all of them have come in pairs. He has been pointless in nine games this season, with the Senators going 3-6-0 in those games. Meanwhile, when Tkachuk has shown up on the scoresheet, the Senators are 5-3-0. He certainly hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been incredible either; that's why he has a B grade.

Claude Giroux

Grade: A-

The 35-year-old Giroux is still producing this season, with 16 points in 17 games, and continues to be good defensively – unlike many of his teammates. However, Giroux has been scoreless in his last three games. He has slowed down just a bit, so he is not a solid A or A+, but instead a solid A-.

Drake Batherson

Grade: C+

Batherson had a poor start, scoring his first goal eight games into the season. Since then, Batherson has five goals and three assists in nine games. He continues to struggle on the defensive side with the second-worst plus-minus on the team at -6. The good news is that Batherson is playing better, but overall, he has been slightly underwhelming this season.

Josh Norris

Grade: B-

Norris came out of the gates blazing, scoring two goals in his first game after his shoulder injury and season-ending surgery that had him out for most of last season. Since then, Norris has only three goals in 13 games. He's also struggled defensively, which has typically been an area of strength.

Considering Norris missed most of last season with a significant injury, his play has been underwhelming compared to the heights of his 35 goals in 66 games in the 2021-22 season.

Mathieu Joseph

Grade: A+

Before the season, Senators fans were screaming for Mathieu Joseph to be traded to clear cap space to sign Shane Pinto. Many unexpected turns have happened, but arguably the brightest light in this Senators tumultuous season has been Joseph. He has 15 points in 17 games, and every line he has been on this season has been productive, whether he's with Greig-Tarasenko or Stutzle-Giroux. He leads the Senators in plus-minus with a +10 and can play in all situations.  A clear cut A+.

Vladimir Tarasenko

Grade: B+

Tarasenko came out of the gates hot, scoring 8 points in his first 6 games. Since then, and in conjunction with the injury of Ridly Greig, Tarasenko has 5 points in 11 games. He has not scored in 11 games – his last goal was over a month ago on October 24th.

Ridly Greig

Grade: A+

When Greig got injured, he was leading rookie scoring in the NHL, with 7 points in 8 games. That says it all. On a line with Joseph and Tarasenko, Greig was scoring and contributing. He has been out since November 2nd with a high ankle sprain. The hope for Greig and the Senators is that he can return to his outstanding form.

Dominik Kubalik

Grade: C-

Kubalik was the only actual NHL player coming back in the Alex DeBrincat deal, and his start in Ottawa has not gone as well as many would have hoped. Kubalik has only 5 points this season and hasn't registered one in 4 games. He is coming off a 20 goal and 45-point season, he is on pace for 19 goals yet only 24 points. He has not yet lived up to the expectations.

Parker Kelly

Grade: B

Kelly has been arguably the Senators best fourth liner this year. He hasn't produced much but has the most points on the line with four. He's been a spark plug and the most noticeable player on the line.

Mark Kastelic:

Grade: C +

Kastelic has 0 points in 9 games. Even for a fourth liner, that isn't good enough and his underlying metrics would say the same. He was Ottawa's best faceoff-taker winning 68%. Outside of that, it has not yet been a productive start for Kastelic.

Zack MacEwen

Grade: C-

MacEwen was an interesting signing for the Senators in the off-season. He's done his job, but also has cost the Senators. The biggest example is the match penalty he took in the third period against the Florida Panthers when the Senators were still in the game. His coach even called out the play after the game. He hasn't brought much.

Rourke Chartier

Grade: B

Rourke Chartier has been Rourke Chartier. Defensively steady and not very noticeable.

Onto the Defence:

Jake Sanderson:

Grade: A-

Sanderson has been the Senators' best defencemen, and after 6 games he had 7 points. He's been dominant all over the ice and chipping in offensively. The grade would have been an A+, but his offense has slipped recently, with just 5 points in his last 11 games. Meanwhile, he is a workhorse, averaging 23:41 TOI in the absences of Zub, Chabot and Brannstrom. Overall, Sanderson has taken that next step to become a top defenceman in the NHL, but he is still scratching the surface with room to improve, that is why he is an A-.

Jakob Chychrun

Grade: B+

Chychrun came to Ottawa with high expectations, and former GM Pierre Dorion gave up multiple draft assets to get him. But Chychrun has mirrored the team's performances – up and down. Chychrun started the season scoring at will. He had 11 points in 11 games to start the season. Yet, he has tailed off as the team has continued to struggle. Defensively, he could be better, but he has been playing with multiple partners throughout the year. He has had a nice start to the season, but he can be better.

Artem Zub

Grade: A-

ZUUUB has been a stalwart for the Senators. For a while, it felt the Senators couldn't win a game without Zub. The Senators lost 3 in a row and 5 out of 6 games immediately following his concussion on October 18th. They're now 6-4-0 in the games Zub has played. His partnership with Sanderson has been Ottawa's most effective, tied for the best defensive pairing plus-minus on the team. Zub hasn't been perfect – no defenceman is – but he has been one of Ottawa's most consistent defenceman.

Thomas Chabot

Grade: C

Before Chabot's injury, he had only 3 assists in 7 games. His best asset continues to be his puck movement and offensive flair. Outside of spurts, he was inconsistent and turnover-prone. Chabot had 55 points in his rookie year. If he comes back from his hand injury and gets his game back, the Senators will be in a good place. But he has not lived up to his talent so far this season.

Travis Hamonic

Grade: C+

Hamonic has consistently been one of the scapegoats for Senators fans. His analytics have been poor, outside of his pairing with Chychrun, yet he's a +3. He was decent in the heavier minutes when Zub was out and he played up in the lineup.

Erik Brannstrom

Grade: C+

Brannstrom, who came into the NHL touted as an offensive defenceman, only has one point. Outside of that one goal, Brannstrom has not been effective at generating offense and has poor underlying numbers. However, he has played with Hamonic for the majority of the season. He could be better, but hasn't been the major issue in Ottawa.

Jacob Bernard-Docker

Grade: B-

With the injuies to Zub and Chabot, Bernard-Docker is on his longest run in the NHL. He has been slotted into a top four role, which is probably out of his scope. Yet, he has gained some confidence throughout the season and shown he's an NHL defenceman.

The Goalies:

Joonas Korpisalo

Grade: B+

Korpisalo has been solid so far; a .900% save percentage or better in 7 of his 10 starts this season. He has made mistakes and allowed some bad goals. However, he has given the Senators solid goaltending, specifically in the face of Ottawa's terrible defensive structure. He has a goals against average of 3.34, yet still has a .902% save percentage.

Anton Forsberg

Grade: D+

At .850, Forsberg has the worst save percentage in the NHL. The plus in the D of his grade is because has a record of 3-4-0 on the season and has been fantastic in the three wins, stopping 70 of 74 shots with a .945 save percentage. But he still has an .850 save percentage, which says everything. He just hasn't been good enough.

DJ Smith

Grade: D

The Senators are off to yet another bad start under DJ Smith. They currently sit 8-9-0 and under .500 once again after the month of November. They are 24th in goals allowed, 20th on the power play and 26th on the penalty kill. Their defensive issues and structure have never been good under Smith and they're as glaring as ever. The good news is they have plenty of games in hand, even being 9 points out of the playoff spot they have 6 games in hand on the team they are chasing. Either way, it has been another poor start for Smith and, with their "Fire DJ" chants, the fans haven't been shy to remind him.