Is Ottawa a darkhorse this season again?

[Filatov2Kovalev2Bonk]

They also only have 3 regulation losses which. 1 overtime win and 1 overtime loss. The rest where shootouts.

So in reality their record is 8-4

The rest of the games when to a shootout which. No shootout in the playoffs so thar has no importance.

They have a good 5-6 year window. The core will be there and with guys like Chabot, white, Harpur, Brown coming up their team will change but it may even be better down the line.

Uhhh, no. We have a 2-3 year window max. Around 2018 Duchene, Karlsson, Stone and others all come up for big raises. This team is built to win this year or next so that Karlsson re-signs with us. We could be facing a rebuild sometime soon if this team falters at any point or regresses.

Andy needs to wake up, and our team as a whole needs ot be more attentive to detail.
We are somewhat of a dark horse, not a top contender but a spoiler.

 

[TB1299]

Perhaps ey will have to get rid of guys like Pageau, burrows, Ceci etc but people who think the cap is going to be an issue don't realize that our gm has been quite smart. Guys like Burrows are coming off the books as well, our backup makes a 2.4 million which could be moved and there is a good chance that Macarthurs 4.5 million will come off the books with his long term injury. Karlsson already makes 6.5. If you take Makes money and replace the backup with a young goalie youve already made room to pay karlsson almost 12 million right there.

Ceci may have to go but youll likely be upgrading him with Chabot who will be cheaper.

Then there is also the possibiliy that they trade Phaneuf to a rebuilding team in return for prospects etc.

There is a lot they can do. Thinking this team has such a small window only comes by hopefull oposing fans or Sens fans with a lack of vision.

With the right core pieces, smart management and great coaching you can be competitive to win for a long time.

 

[Korpse]

Will depend on goaltending and secondary scoring IMO. Right now they are a .500 team in reality with 8 wins in 16 games but 5 "loser points" that help them a lot.

Teams that win in OT/shootout are the only ones benefiting here. I’ll never understand disdain for the “loser point”. Should really be the other way around.

 

[Micklebot]

Teams that win in OT/shootout are the only ones benefiting here. I’ll never understand disdain for the “loser point”. Should really be the other way around.

Somebody suggested scraping the point for the shootout win, and just making shootout wins the first tie-breaker. I like it on the surface; it should mean more teams go for the win in OT, and you don't put as much emphasis on the skills comp after the actual hockey. Not sure if I'd want to also do away with the loser point for an OT loss though, I'd hate to see the teams go into a defensive shell 3 on 3...

 

[bukwas]

Teams that win in OT/shootout are the only ones benefiting here. I’ll never understand disdain for the “loser point”. Should really be the other way around.

I hate the term period. I don't understand how teams that played real hockey for 60 minutes which resulted in a tie game, only to eventually lose in a gimmick wasn't deserving of a single point.

 

[rent free]

Ottawa has no chance, especially since this is Anderson's off year.

hopefully this is the case although they are playing pretty good rn

 

[Ralph Malfredsson]

Nah, probably the most overrated team in the league. They should be in last place if it wasn't for that Eriksson guy and Guy Hebert's system. Pay them no mind.

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Nah, probably the most overrated team in the league. They should be in last place if it wasn't for that Eriksson guy and Guy Hebert's system. Pay them no mind.

Who? Didn't realize it was Guy Hebert's system. These Guys stick together I guess

 

[DatSnipeMatthews]

The Sens may play a boring system type game but they are legit contenders. They have a bonafide number 1 goalie, the best D in the world, and some good forward depth. However, I would say their center depth is a tad missing, but that doesn't mean they can't win the cup.

As much as it pains me to say it, I think the Sens are cup contenders if everything goes right.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

Bahahahaha.

Everything went right last season.

This ridiculous notion.

-Karlsson - injured
-Stone - injured
-Anderson - misses half the season due to wife’s cancer
-Ryan - injured
-Hoffman - injured
-Brassard - injured
-Turris - injured
-Methot - finger literally cut off

All of the above injuries led to walking wounded status for those guys when they did get back.

They made the playoffs and won two playoff series in spite of all the crap that went on.

Leafs lose Matthews for 3 games and it’s considered adversity.

You guys don’t have a ****ing clue.

Best team in the division deals with more injuries and misses the playoffs, gets through boston and new york to the ECF, do you think it will be that easy again?

Sens are a possible dark horse for me but why do you guys have to be so defensive? Its pretty clear what the poster meant and its irrefutably true. Then you go off about the trap here too, which is another case of well theyve predominately rolled with it for the last 120 odd games and have been in higher scoring games for the last 12, not a corection worth making(certainly not with attitude).

 

[Ralph Malfredsson]

Who? Didn't realize it was Guy Hebert's system. These Guys stick together I guess

And just think how screwed the Sens will be if Hebert gets injured, and the system goes to pot.

 

[solidprospect]

Darkhorse?

Move along nothing to see here,we're just getting lucky.

 

[TheBradyBunch]

They have solid forwards and solid defense. Goalie is a bit of questionmark though.

I don't think Goalie is much of a question mark. Anderson has some of the best post-season numbers of all-time (4th svp ever). The only active goalie with a better SVP is Holtby.

 

[MarkStone]

Best team in the division deals with more injuries and misses the playoffs, gets through boston and new york to the ECF, do you think it will be that easy again?

You know, it's funny. I don't see any criticism directed at the Habs whatsoever for losing to a supposed cupcake team like the Rangers last playoffs. But when it comes to Ottawa's run last year the Rangers reputation and quality this past season suddenly becomes chopped liver. Very convenient.

 

[Ryan Michaels]

You know, it's funny. I don't see any criticism directed at the Habs whatsoever for losing to a supposed cupcake team like the Rangers last playoffs. But when it comes to Ottawa's run last year the Rangers reputation and quality this past season suddenly becomes chopped liver. Very convenient.

Huh? No criticism of the habs? Must not be looking hard. Weird narrative.

 

[Philadelphia Ducks]

I'd like to think a team that went to conference finals the year before wouldn't be considered a darkhorse the next season. But yes.

 

[Sensung]

I'd like to think a team that went to conference finals the year before wouldn't be considered a darkhorse the next season. But yes.

I guess you didn't read the season prediction threads.

 

[aufheben]

You know, it's funny. I don't see any criticism directed at the Habs whatsoever for losing to a supposed cupcake team like the Rangers last playoffs. But when it comes to Ottawa's run last year the Rangers reputation and quality this past season suddenly becomes chopped liver. Very convenient.

Reputation or not, the Rangers haven't played defense in like 3 seasons. The stars aligned for the Rangers too. Everything was going right but they couldn't close out Ottawa in the end. Even for Washington: losing to the 8th seed Leafs would have been a huge upset, the Rangers were in a different bracket for once, and frankly they dominated Pittsburgh but Marc-Andre Fleury saved the day.

Tampa was out, Pittsburgh was held together by string cheese, Boston was missing Krug IIRC, Columbus was out in the first round. Even if you compare the 2015-16 Penguins to 2016-17, they were weaker with the injuries.

 

[NyQuil]

Best team in the division deals with more injuries and misses the playoffs, gets through boston and new york to the ECF, do you think it will be that easy again?

I know that I'd much rather try to make a playoff run where our best forward Mark Stone isn't playing at career-worst levels after never quite recovering from his concussion and our superstar defenceman breaking his foot mere weeks before the post-season.

The opposition may be more difficult but the Senators could also be more competitive.

Sens are a possible dark horse for me but why do you guys have to be so defensive? Its pretty clear what the poster meant and its irrefutably true.

The Sens are a possible dark horse for me as well.

What I said was also irrefutably true. Why aren't you defending that?

If I was being obtusely defensive, I would have said that nothing went Ottawa's way. Some things certainly did.

But saying that "everything went right for the Senators" is irrefutably false. A lot went very wrong for the Senators last year.

3 of our top 4 d-men were injured simultaneously as we were trying to lock down that playoff spot.

Then you go off about the trap here too, which is another case of well theyve predominately rolled with it for the last 120 odd games and have been in higher scoring games for the last 12, not a corection worth making(certainly not with attitude).

I can't believe I'm being lectured on sample size by a Leafs fan.

It's just as easy to look at last year as an aberration considering how poorly some of our guys produced (most of whom were injured) relative to their career averages.

 

[zeke]

I don't get why they're a darkhorse.

they have maybe the best player in the league, good goaltending, and a very solid forward group.

they're a good team.

 

[joe dirte]

You know, it's funny. I don't see any criticism directed at the Habs whatsoever for losing to a supposed cupcake team like the Rangers last playoffs. But when it comes to Ottawa's run last year the Rangers reputation and quality this past season suddenly becomes chopped liver. Very convenient.

everyone knew the Habs would only go as far as price took them. it was said a million times in the preseason, off-season. for the last few years for that matter.

 

[Sensung]

I don't get why they're a darkhorse.

they have maybe the best player in the league, good goaltending, and a very solid forward group.

they're a good team.

Tell your Leaf bretheren.

No fanbase comes close to underestimating the Sens more.

 

[Albus Dumbledore]

Tell your Leaf bretheren.

No fanbase comes close to underestimating the Sens more.

you mean a rival team dislikes and says bad stuff about them wow what a shocker...

 

[IranCondraAffair]

I don't get why they're a darkhorse.

they have maybe the best player in the league, good goaltending, and a very solid forward group.

they're a good team.

Ehhhh. Maybe last year.

 

[joe dirte]

Somebody suggested scraping the point for the shootout win, and just making shootout wins the first tie-breaker. I like it on the surface; it should mean more teams go for the win in OT, and you don't put as much emphasis on the skills comp after the actual hockey. Not sure if I'd want to also do away with the loser point for an OT loss though, I'd hate to see the teams go into a defensive shell 3 on 3...

3 on 3 is almost as much a skills comp as the shootout though.

4 on 4, okay, happens from time to time. 3 on 3? it's not real hockey either. its pond hockey.

I don't care about the "loser point". it would be more of a mess making a team lose a point from pond hockey or a shootout than it would be from winning one at it.