Post by brob89 (NSH) on Jun 26, 2016 0:59:48 GMT -5
TSN Hockey Preview - Ottawa Senators
by Scott Cullen
The Senators are coming off of their best season ever winning their division title, the conference title,
and most importantly, the Stanley Cup. Their pathway to the Cup was paved by the exceptional play
of Erik Karlsson and the recently departed, Steve Mason. Add to that an injury record that was coveted
by every other franchise in the League, and you had a team in with a great opportunity to win it all.
And win it all they did.
This offseason has been one of change. Not as much change as last year, but still, the team
that lines up this week for preseason exhibition games is not the same one that won the cup just a
few months ago. Sami Vatanen and Steve Mason are unquestionably the biggest losses from last year.
Vatanen had a career year, but he was up for an extension after this seasons. A big one, which he just
received from the revitalized Arizona Coyotes, and clearly Ottawa GM, Lawblaw was unwilling to
budge in negotiations. Steve Mason was also allowed to leave because he was out needing a new contract, and he
might be the bigger loss. His 2016-2017 season was all-world. Many thought he was a shoe-in for
the Hasek trophy with eventually went to San Jose's Michael Neuvirth.
Forwards:
The offense was solid last year, and it'll likely be even better this year. Marcus Johansson has moved
on to the LA Kings, but in his place Teuvo Teravainen should excel as more of an offensive threat. Jamie
Benn and Tyler Seguin should continue to lead the way, but it'll be interesting to see how Ottawa's
second line fares. During the playoffs, the line of Guptill, Turris, and Duclair was the Senator's best line.
Can they continue that exceptional play? Kyle Turris has received a huge and well deserved extension.
Will he continue to play at the high level that he has been until now? It's not totally clear how the bottom
six of the Senators will shape out, but with the likes of Andrew Shaw, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trotchek,
and Matt Martin; it likely won't be an area of weakness. This forward group is formidable and one of the
league's best.
Defense:
The most significant aspect of Ottawa's offense is their defense. It begins with EK65, of course, but
it doesn't stop there. To make up for the loss of Sami Vatanen, Ottawa brought in Mark Giordano and
Jacob Trouba, both of whom should get some powerplay time. Beyond those three, Ryan Murray, Connor
Murphy, and rookies Andreas Englund and Andy Welinski make up one of the leagues best Defensive corps.
It will be a highly competitive internal competition to see who gets the minutes. All seven are NHL caliber
D, but only six of them will play at a time. This isn't Boston, folks.
Goalies:
Lack and Gustafsson are one of the most underwhelming Goalie duos in the NHL. The Senators have one
weakness, and this is it. Lack has yet to show the ability to be anything more than a solid NHL back up, and he's
had the opportunities. Gustafsson has shown the ability to succeed back in Sweden, but the NHL is a totally different
challenge. If Ottawa struggles to score, it's unlikely that their goalies will be stealing many games. This is an
area of concern.
Keys to the Season:
1) Karlsson - Karlsson needs to be Karlsson if Ottawa is going to win.
2) Goaltending - If Ottawa can get decent Goaltending, they've still got a chance at the cup. If not...
3) Special Teams - Ottawa was near the top of the league in both PP and PK last year. They will need to do
the same this year.
Season Prediction:
1st in the Atlantic (2nd in the East) - There are no longer any weak teams in the Atlantic, but it's still
impossible to pick against the champs. They were impressive last year, and they're probably better this year.
The cup is a distinct possibility again.
- end -
by Scott Cullen
The Senators are coming off of their best season ever winning their division title, the conference title,
and most importantly, the Stanley Cup. Their pathway to the Cup was paved by the exceptional play
of Erik Karlsson and the recently departed, Steve Mason. Add to that an injury record that was coveted
by every other franchise in the League, and you had a team in with a great opportunity to win it all.
And win it all they did.
This offseason has been one of change. Not as much change as last year, but still, the team
that lines up this week for preseason exhibition games is not the same one that won the cup just a
few months ago. Sami Vatanen and Steve Mason are unquestionably the biggest losses from last year.
Vatanen had a career year, but he was up for an extension after this seasons. A big one, which he just
received from the revitalized Arizona Coyotes, and clearly Ottawa GM, Lawblaw was unwilling to
budge in negotiations. Steve Mason was also allowed to leave because he was out needing a new contract, and he
might be the bigger loss. His 2016-2017 season was all-world. Many thought he was a shoe-in for
the Hasek trophy with eventually went to San Jose's Michael Neuvirth.
Forwards:
The offense was solid last year, and it'll likely be even better this year. Marcus Johansson has moved
on to the LA Kings, but in his place Teuvo Teravainen should excel as more of an offensive threat. Jamie
Benn and Tyler Seguin should continue to lead the way, but it'll be interesting to see how Ottawa's
second line fares. During the playoffs, the line of Guptill, Turris, and Duclair was the Senator's best line.
Can they continue that exceptional play? Kyle Turris has received a huge and well deserved extension.
Will he continue to play at the high level that he has been until now? It's not totally clear how the bottom
six of the Senators will shape out, but with the likes of Andrew Shaw, Mika Zibanejad, Vincent Trotchek,
and Matt Martin; it likely won't be an area of weakness. This forward group is formidable and one of the
league's best.
Defense:
The most significant aspect of Ottawa's offense is their defense. It begins with EK65, of course, but
it doesn't stop there. To make up for the loss of Sami Vatanen, Ottawa brought in Mark Giordano and
Jacob Trouba, both of whom should get some powerplay time. Beyond those three, Ryan Murray, Connor
Murphy, and rookies Andreas Englund and Andy Welinski make up one of the leagues best Defensive corps.
It will be a highly competitive internal competition to see who gets the minutes. All seven are NHL caliber
D, but only six of them will play at a time. This isn't Boston, folks.
Goalies:
Lack and Gustafsson are one of the most underwhelming Goalie duos in the NHL. The Senators have one
weakness, and this is it. Lack has yet to show the ability to be anything more than a solid NHL back up, and he's
had the opportunities. Gustafsson has shown the ability to succeed back in Sweden, but the NHL is a totally different
challenge. If Ottawa struggles to score, it's unlikely that their goalies will be stealing many games. This is an
area of concern.
Keys to the Season:
1) Karlsson - Karlsson needs to be Karlsson if Ottawa is going to win.
2) Goaltending - If Ottawa can get decent Goaltending, they've still got a chance at the cup. If not...
3) Special Teams - Ottawa was near the top of the league in both PP and PK last year. They will need to do
the same this year.
Season Prediction:
1st in the Atlantic (2nd in the East) - There are no longer any weak teams in the Atlantic, but it's still
impossible to pick against the champs. They were impressive last year, and they're probably better this year.
The cup is a distinct possibility again.
- end -