Some Tough Final Roster Decisions in Ottawa This Weekend The Ottawa Senators' problem in recent years has been the sinking of their own ship almost as soon as it set out from port. In the past four seasons under D.J. Smith, they've had incredibly poor starts. Their best league ranking after 20 games was 28th place overall and that was in Smith's first season. Last season, after 20 games, the Senators were 31st in the league at 7-12-1. Is this the year they reverse that trend? Finally getting off to a good start will allow them to make a real push for the playoffs. They have the high-end skill, depth, defence and goaltending that they have not had in years. So, let’s look at the Senators’ forwards, defence and goaltenders through that lens. Forwards: The biggest challenge for the Senators getting the start they need is that their second and third-line centers didn't have a full training camp and pre-season. Josh Norris is still coming off his season-ending shoulder surgery and his playing status is uncertain heading into the season. Meanwhile, Shane Pinto, who would be the second-line centre in Norris’ absence, still hasn't signed a contract. The Sens are still tight to the cap and likely will have to move a contract to sign Pinto. Those significant problems in starting the season aside, the Senators start the season with what could be one of the best first lines in hockey. Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk and Claude Giroux each got over 79 points last season and there’s every reason to expect that success to continue. Over the summer, the Senators lost Alex DeBrincat but picked up Vladimir Tarasenko and Dominik Kubalik, who should make them strong on the wings. Meanwhile, right-winger Drake Batherson, who suffered a high ankle sprain during the 2021-22 season, looks like he's returned to his previous form of a point-per game player and All-Star. The Sens appear to finally have depth this season. Ridley Greig, Mathieu Joseph and Jiri Smejkal should provide some secondary scoring and physicality on the third or fourth lines. The fourth line might still be an issue with Zack MacEwen, Parker Kelly and Mark Kastelic as part of the mix. The Sens should get more impact from their bottom six this season. This Sens forward group is elite; they just need to stay healthy. Grade: A-/B+ Defence: Unlike their teams of the past, the Senators have a defensive unit that projects to be one of the better ones in the NHL. They have the three-headed monster of Jakob Chychrun, Jake Sanderson and Thomas Chabot, who are all under 26 and should only be getting better. They can all provide plenty of offence as well. Ottawa’s defence is rounded out with some depth in Artem Zub, Erik Brannstrom and Travis Hamonic. Meanwhile, Max Guenette and Tyler Kleven are promising young defencemen waiting in the wings. The Sens potentially have one of the better D-cores in the NHL. Now, can they put it altogether? Grade: A- Goaltending The Senators’ goaltending last season was dismal, ranking 20th in team save percentage at .895 – the collective work of seven different goalies. Part of the problem was a plague of injuries that they're unlikely to suffer again this season. Ottawa’s tandem of Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo has looked great in pre-season. The question marks for both goalies in recent years is a similar theme for Senators goalies: can they stay healthy? Forsberg is coming off tearing both the MCL in both knees last season and Korpisalo signed a big five-year, $20 million dollar contract in the off-season. But he's never played more than 39 games in a season, mainly due to his consistent battles with injuries. Both goalies should push each other and know how to play great hockey as a tandem: they won a Calder Cup together in 2016. If one of them gets injured, Mads Sogaard is the next man up. Sogaard gained NHL experience from playing in 19 games last season as a 22-year-old. Even though he wasn't great (.889 save percentage), he has shown promise. Whomever is in net, they should get more help this season from an improved defence. Grade: B+ The Senators should finish with around 100 points and make a leap similar to New Jersey’s last season to one of the best teams in the NHL. But they are in one of the toughest divisions. I expect Toronto, Boston and Florida to finish ahead of Ottawa. However, I expect Atlantic division stalwarts Tampa Bay Lightning, who will be missing Andrei Vasilevskiy for a significant chunk of the season, to struggle. They got 98 points last season with Vasilevskiy. Prediction: The Senators will make the playoffs as a wild card and snap their six-year playoff drought.
