Despite their chaotic start, there are many reasons to be optimistic about the 2023-24 Ottawa Senators.
The Senators have had a bumpy start to the season, mired in turmoil on and off the ice. In a season that began with high expectations, they are last in the Atlantic division. At the Canadian Tire Centre, there have been the boos and chants of “Fire DJ.” They have lost their third-line center until January, and the general manager has been fired.
And yet, the Senators are 7-7-0.
That’s their best record through 14 games since 2016-17, when they last made the playoffs. And they're only three points out of a playoff spot. So there is hope, Sens fans.
Here are five reasons to be optimistic about the Senators this season.
1. Tim Stutzle is becoming a superstar
Tim Stutzle’s performance against the Detroit Red Wings proves that Ottawa has one of the most dynamic forwards in the NHL, an emerging superstar. His overtime buzzer-beating swing of the bat to win the game in Sweden was just one of his two out-of-this-world plays; he also had a highlight-reel, no-look pass from his knees early in the game to find Brady Tkachuk for a goal.
Stutzle is on pace for 117 points. He has only four goals and is on track for a 23-goal season, but you’d expect him to eclipse that following his total of 39 last season. Stutzle has turned up the heat after a slow-ish start by his standards, accumulating nine points in his last four games. He has shown the NHL world his talent: Ottawa has a player that could eventually push them to the top.
2. The Sens have survived the injuries and drama.
In their first four weeks of the season, the Sens were consumed by negative storylines.
- Shane Pinto was sidelined with a contract dispute that turned into a 41-game suspension for gambling-related conduct.
- GM Pierre Dorion agreed to resign for his part in misleading the Vegas Golden Knights about Evgeni Dadonov’s no-trade clause, which resulted in the loss of a first-round pick for the Senators.
- The Senators lost three of their top six defencemen, with Artem Zub, Erik Brannstrom, and Thomas Chabot all injured. Plus, rising star rookie Ridly Greig was leading the NHL in rookie scoring when he, too, was lost to injury.
- After the “Fire DJ” chants, the team’s captain, Brady Tkachuk, called out fans for their “bulls**t” booing.
Despite all of this, the Senators are only three points out of a playoff spot. They've already felt the worst of the fans’ wrath, with the darkest days behind them.
3. They are an elite offensive team
Last season, the Senators were 18th in the league in goals per game; currently, they are third, with a scorching 3.93 goals per night. The Senators already have eight players with over 10 points in only 14 games. They are one of the best offensive teams in the league. Players like Tkachuk, Claude Giroux, and Drake Batherson have been good, but the Senators’ depth players and defenceman have been a revelation.
The scoring has come from up and down the lineup, led by Vladimir Tarasenko (13 points) and Mathieu Joseph (13 points) alongside the defencemen Jakob Chychrun (12 points) and Jake Sanderson (12 points). For a team that once struggled to find secondary scoring, this team can flat-out score from anywhere in the lineup.
4. The hole isn’t too big to climb out of
In past years, the Senators have fallen way outside of the playoffs early in the season. Obviously, the Senators still need to start winning more to even consider the playoffs. Again, the Senators are only three points out of the final wildcard spot, and they have games in hand on the teams they are chasing. Though they are chasing a lot of teams, if they win three or four games in a row, they would be in a playoff spot or close enough to feel it. The Senators are right there, with plenty of race track left.
5. Good Goaltending
After a poor start to the season, Joonas Korpisalo has been a mainstay for the Senators. Korpisalo has given the Senators a chance to win every night, with a .900 save percentage in six out of seven games. The Senators have not had consistent goaltending since Craig Anderson, but Korpisalo looks like he could provide what the Senators need.
There's still hope, Sens fans. The journey continues Saturday morning in Sweden against Minnesota.