Is Ottawa a goaltender away from the Playoffs? Where do they go from here?

[RCGP2]

I think one could make a reasonable assumption that looking at the current season and extrapolating that to the expected standings in the tweet that they would hold the first tiebreaker over philly, but you're right they would merely be tied for the fnal playoff spot.

It doesn't have the Flyers in either....

The Devil's are in the last spot. The playoff teams are bolded even to make it easier.

 

[All Mod Cons]

No

 

[Transplanted Caper]

They need a goalie, certainly, and need to have an honest assessment of their core to determine if there's anything there that isn't working. I don't have a firm answer on that, but you certainly can't *assume* the core is fine and things will eventually fall into place. Having Grieg and Pinto help with the unknown surrounding Norris, but that unknown is still a big one. Will be interesting to see how the offseason unfolds for them.

 

[Kegu]

It doesn't have the Flyers in either....

The Devil's are in the last spot. The playoff teams are bolded even to make it easier.

yeah thats on me for not actually clicking on the twitter link and only looking at the embedded screenshot which has the bottom row cut off. as far as the bolded goes thanks tips, i had no idea

 

[LeProspector]

They have stuztle and an extra 5 mil, they should get a good goalie for that

Rent free

 

[EveryDay]

They have the same record as Montreal so far, I believe they need more then just goaltending IMO.

 

[TheDoldrums]

Sens have literally the worst goaltending this season, even with average goaltending they would have been in the playoffs(see tweet).

I do believe they can be a good team with a new goalie+coaching

This is goaltending AND finishing.

They also don’t score enough goals given the chances they create.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

It has to be more than just goaltending. You can't be a bottom 5 or 6 team without massive gaps.

Habs gaps are due to youth on the back-end, injuries (Dach) and missing an elite talent up front.

Sens gaps are more than just goaltending.

 

[LemonSauceD]

I look at their team and I see Tkachuk, Stutzle, Pinto, Batherson, Norris, Giroux, Sanderson, Zub, Chabot, Chychrun, and some pretty good depth like Joseph, Greig, Kelly etc.

What they need is a veteran presence up front and on D + a starting goalie + good coaching staff. They need more role players. PK guys, energy guys. Not useless plugs like MacEwen and Kastelic. Kubalik sucks. Start with replacing those guys and get legitimate quality bottom 6 guys that fill roles.

Hamonic, JBD suck. Get rid of them. Chabot/Sanderson/Chychrun on the left side is redundant, trade Chabot or Chychrun for help elsewhere. Go out and get Ullmark or a starting goaltender. Trade one of forward guys for some defensive help.

They aren’t a bad team just badly managed.

 

[lipstickjunkie]

They're just a rebuild away

At least they have Stutzle and cap space.

 

[sennysensen]

Some advanced stats writeup I read recently said if the Sens had average goaltending this season, they would have had 92 points, the last playoff berth would have been Tampa at 96. So the Sens would have needed above-average goaltending to make the playoffs this season.

You can't just wave a magic wand for better goaltending, it's so uncertain. Outside of the top 5-10 goalies, most others are up and down, and unpredictible. Although the terrible goaltending they got this year wasn't expected, as both guys were above-average last season. Forsberg went in the tank after 2 decent seasons, will almost certainly have his final year bought out. And Korpisalo continued his career path of alternating good and bad years. He showed some life in the 2nd half, hopefully he bounces back like he has before and is above-average. Whoever else they bring in could be good, average, or bad, it's impossible to know. Although, if they bring in Saros, Markstrom, and Ullmark, they likely will be above-average to good.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

I just want them to stop losing some other teams are trying to rebuild get the hell out of the bottom 10 , embarassing

Some advanced stats writeup I read recently said if the Sens had average goaltending this season, they would have had 92 points, the last playoff berth would have been Tampa at 96. So the Sens would have needed above-average goaltending to make the playoffs this season.

You can't just wave a magic wand for better goaltending, it's so uncertain. Outside of the top 5-10 goalies, most others are up and down, and unpredictible. Although the terrible goaltending they got this year wasn't expected, as both guys were above-average last season. Forsberg went in the tank after 2 decent seasons, will almost certainly have his final year bought out. And Korpisalo continued his career path of alternating good and bad years. He showed some life in the 2nd half, hopefully he bounces back like he has before and is above-average. Whoever else they bring in could be good, average, or bad, it's impossible to know. Although, if they bring in Saros, Markstrom, and Ullmark, they likely will be above-average to good.

Goalies are also part of the team though , its like saying well x team would be in the playoffs if they had average offence instead of bottom 5 or average defensive metrics instead of bottom 5.

Its part of the teams construction

 

[PoutineSp00nZ]

They're not just a good goalie away. They're a good goalie, a good RD and the rest of the team buying into the system away.

Their defense is skilled but poorly constructed. Need to swap out Chabot or Chychrun for a dependable defensive minded right side D. The forwards are very skilled but top heavy and incredibly inconsistent.

I have no idea how they'll fix it. It starts by fixing the blue line, bringing in a goalie and praying that a new coach can manage the rest.

 

[sennysensen]

I just want them to stop losing some other teams are trying to rebuild get the hell out of the bottom 10 , embarassing


Goalies are also part of the team though , its like saying well x team would be in the playoffs if they had average offence instead of bottom 5 or average defensive metrics instead of bottom 5.

Its part of the teams construction

No sh!t, Sherlock. That's exactly what I'm saying. The Sens with the league's worst goaltending is where they are this year. With better goaltending, they would have been better. Note that I also said you can't just wave a magic wand and find a better goalie, you need luck too, unless you trade for someone proven, which has a price. The topic of the thread is could the Sens be a playoff team with better goaltending. Try to follow along.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

They have the same issues the Sabres do, They are have no #1 goalie and they are in the Atlantic where Toronto, Florida, Boston and Tampa exist and now Detroit is making progress, I don't know if they get in but they are making progress.

Until one of the top 4 teams in Atlantic fall off nothing changes for any of Ottawa, Buffalo or Montreal.

And again even when that does happen Detroit looks like the ones to take that spot.

 

[fahad203]

Every team is one Patrick Roy and Hasek away from playoffs and a Stanly cuo

 

[Czechboy]

So many good pieces... I thought they'd be awesome. A lot of teams have average goalies that are doing very well. Who had Hill as a cup champion a year ago? Or Skinner with back to back good seasons? Or rittich helping LA to playoffs this season?

 

[Bouboumaster]

They lack leadership, grit (Stützle is mighty talented but he's also a bitch, and that won't get you far when the games are tough), depth, goaltending, experience, and a real owner with deep pockets

What they need badly is a change of culture
A guy like Pat Maroon or Corey Perry would help them a lot

 

[Hale The Villain]

A competent head coach and a starting goalie would be enough to be in the wildcard race.

Can't understate how terrible the Sens goaltending was this year. Korpisalo, Forsberg and Sogaard are all in the bottom 5 leaguewide in saves above expectations.

 

[Fatass]

If the goalie is a prime Hasek, then sure. But without a phenom in nets this core needs to commit to playing the right way if they want to become a winner.

 

[Tob]

The improvements in the organization needs to start from the quesadillas drawers up

 

[Ignatius]

Ottawa is one Tristan Jarry away from glory!

Brady for Jarry E5

 

[Derailed75]

How can a team finish that far off the pace and someone think "are they only one player away?"

The answer is no they are far far away for contending for a playoff spot. They don't score enough, the D isn't good enough, and yeah they also need better netminding. They have too many issues to fix in one off season and should consider next season a success if they are still in contention at the 5 games left mark.

 

[Kuz]

...along with a couple of top 4 defensemen and a couple of top 6 forwards and an NHL level coach

Arent Sanderson, Chabot, Chychrun and Zub all considered top 4 defencemen? Chychrun stats +/- wise also looks bad.

Sanderson +9
Zub +7
Brannstrom +5
Chabot -4
Bernard-Docker -5
Hamonic -10
Chychrun -28

-28 on a defence where the other 6 who have played a lot is mostly doing fine except Hamonic who we know are way past his best and only paid 1,1 mill.

A lot of it is about structure aswell, but yeah Chychrun doesnt seem to be working out. getting in Hannifin or Skjei as UFA and trading Chychrun could help them a lot.

 

[Peasy]

Arent Sanderson, Chabot, Chychrun and Zub all considered top 4 defencemen? Chychrun stats +/- wise also looks bad.

Sanderson +9
Zub +7
Brannstrom +5
Chabot -4
Bernard-Docker -5
Hamonic -10
Chychrun -28

-28 on a defence where the other 6 who have played a lot is mostly doing fine except Hamonic who we know are way past his best and only paid 1,1 mill.

A lot of it is about structure aswell, but yeah Chychrun doesnt seem to be working out. getting in Hannifin or Skjei as UFA and trading Chychrun could help them a lot.

Chychrun, just like the DeBrincat trade, was just a completely unnecessary move. They had much bigger needs but again chose to ignore them. These two trades alone probably put em back 2/3 years. Just compounding mistake after mistake.