Disclaimer: This just a quick reference guide of the players on the team for those not as familar with the team as the hardcore fans, as well as a good resource in case we trade away some players at the trade deadline, so that the scouting reports fans of other teams ask for aren't colored by bad feelings or rosecolored glasses.
Here's a general outline of the players on your 2013-2014 Ottawa Senators hockey team, or at least the ones that are starting the season on the roster.
Feel free to make comments, point out errors, and help make this list as comprehensive a guide as possible. If you disagree with any of this, it's perfectly fine for you to give your own comments and opinions.
Forwards
Jason Spezza
Strengths
General Comments: The guy is a top 10(5? 7?) center in the league. Everything you want in a franchise center. The more games the Senators play with Jason Spezza in the lineup, the more success the team is likely to have
Bobby Ryan
Strengths
General Comments: Whether fair or not, Bobby is essentially the replacement for the departed Daniel Alfredsson. While his offensive abilities are not in doubt, it remains to be seen whether he finds chemistry with Jason Spezza to provide the triggerman that the Sens have been missing since Heatley left the team.
Milan Michalek
Strengths
General Comments: A player that always leaves you wanting more. Has all the ability in the world, he often leaves the impression that he could produce more than he does. Still a top-6 player, but maybe not the star that he was drafted with the potential to be. Doubtful his knee will ever be 100% again.
Kyle Turris
Strengths
General Comments: One of the best wrist shots in the league. We will learn this year if the reason his line was often used as the shutdown line the last two season was because Alfie was on the line, or because of Turris' defensive abilities.
Clarke MacArthur
Strengths
General Comments: MacArthur is a servicable top-6 winger that will give a team adequate secondary scoring. While he doesn't provide much physically, he's a smart hockey player that rarely makes glaring mistakes.
Cory Conacher
Strengths
General Comments: Has proven at every level an ability to produce points, capped off by winning the MVP award in the AHL in 2012. He will have to retain that work ethic and scoring ability to stay on the team, but that has never been a problem in his career yet.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Strengths
General Comments: While he has burst onto the scene early in his NHL career, and has had some very impressive accomplishments throughout his hockey career, it remains to be seen whether Pageau that retain that success throughout an entire NHL season. What he has shown thus far has been very impressive, but NHL history is littered with cases of rookies that burned brightly and fizzled quickly, Pageau will need to prove he isn't part of that group.
Zack Smith
Strengths
General Comments: Probably tops out as a checking line center, has shown flashes of offensive potential, but has never proven to be a top point getter any time in his career at any level. Has had problems taking bad penalties in the past. Needs to provide a more consistent effort each and every game to to be physical. Also missed the net high and wide on the rush more than any other player I've seen.
Colin Greening
Strengths
General Comments: A coach's dream, big-bodied with the enough talent and hockey sense to not look out of place on the wing of any line (1st to 4th); Can play on both wings, and does a admirable job at the center position. Unfortunately, has never produced points at any level in his career, and thus would would be more useful in a bottom-six role, with the occasional stint on a top line to do the dirty work for more skilled offensive players on the team. Sometimes, for a game or two, will go beast mode and turn into a dominant power-forward. This does not happen enough.
Chris Neil
Strengths
General Comments: A player that entered the NHL as an enforcer, and reinvented himself to be a player that can play a regular shift on a checking line without looking out of place. The Senators' best player at turning momentum when the team is playing poorly, be it with a big hit, fight, or even the occassional goal.
Erik Condra
Strengths
General Comments: The type of player you love on your bottom-six set of forwards as he always is in the right positions doing the right things. However, he doesn't have any special skillsets that his superior hockey sense can exploit to become a star in the league. Good at everything, great at nothing. (Also might be interesting to note: Condra has ridiciously good Corsi stats)
Stéphane Da Costa
Strengths
General Comments: Certainly does not have any trouble creating offensive chances (especially in making passes most players don't see or can't make), though he has struggled actually capitalizing on those chances at the NHL level. It remains to be seen if that lack of point production is a product of bad luck, or a sign that he just can't produce at the NHL level. Will need to prove it's the former rather than the latter to carve out a career in the NHL, as it is unlikely he will ever fit as a defensive checker on any team in the league.
Matt Kassian
Strengths
General Comments: He's good at fighting. Unfortunately, he can't handle the puck, is a underwhelming skater, and doesn't really have the hockey sense to make up for those two weaknesses to be an effective hockey player.
Defensemen
Erik Karlsson
Strengths
General Comments: IF FULLY RECOVERED FROM HIS INJURY: Erik Karlsson doesn't play the defensive position like anyone in the league. Instead of standing opposition forwards up at the blueline, he turns and angles them down the boards with his speed and stick position, then steals the puck. Instead of staying in the shooting lane and blocking the shot, he picks off the pass and goes the other way. Creates offense from the blueline better than anybody in the league. He's the best defenseman in the league, and it's not close. Don't argue, I'm right.
Marc Methot
Strengths
General Comments: Doesn't exactly produce the type of offensive numbers that you would expect out of a guy that is expected to play on the top-pairing, but fortunately for him, he doesn't need to do too much when playing with Erik Karlsson. Proved last year that even playing without Karlsson, he is still a very capable top-pairing defenseman in his own right. He knows his limitations and his strengths, and has been very good at leveraging his strengths to cover his weaknesses.
Jared Cowen
Strengths
General Comments: Has shown flashes on being a dominant defender in this league, but due to his limited NHL experience due to his injuries, that hasn't been shown on a regular basis. Will need to step up his game and be more consistent, and start realizing some of that massive potential he has.
Patrick Wiercioch
Strengths
General Comments: While his potential to be a top-4 offensive defenseman has never been in doubt, he has struggled to put the total package together for an entire season. If he continues to develop, he will be a very good top-4 offensive defenseman that can QB a powerplay.
Chris Phillips
Strengths
General Comments: Solid defensive defenseman. While Phillips isn't the first option shutdown defenseman anymore at this stage in his career, he's still a solid defenseman capable of playing regular minutes, albeit probably regular minutes on a bottom pairing.
Joe Corvo
Strengths
General Comments: Great when playing well. A trainwreak when he loses his confidence.
Eric Gryba
Strengths
General Comments: Solid depth defensive defenseman, but that's probably about all you can hope for.
Goaltenders
Craig Anderson
Strengths
General Comments: Has all the tools and ability to be a top goaltender in the league, has shown he can win games by himself. Has never proven in his career that he is capable of taking a team to a championship.
Robin Lehner
Strengths
General Comments: Has all the tools and the mental strength to be a franchise goaltender. Still needs to work on his consistency and the few rough edges in his game to fulfill that potential.
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* - Very good at making borderline hits by keeping them legal, and thus has never been suspended by the NHL. This makes fans of the players that Neil destroys cry sweet delicious tears.
---
As a sidenote, I didn't realize the amount of roster turnover we had from last season until I started writing this. Normally I just copy&paste the scouting report from the year before, and make some changes and adjustments to account for development/regression of the players with the occasional addition or deletion of a player. This year, there was a little bit more to do than usual.
Here's a general outline of the players on your 2013-2014 Ottawa Senators hockey team, or at least the ones that are starting the season on the roster.
Feel free to make comments, point out errors, and help make this list as comprehensive a guide as possible. If you disagree with any of this, it's perfectly fine for you to give your own comments and opinions.
Forwards
Jason Spezza
Strengths
- Great at faceoffs
- Unmatched vision in the offensive zone
- Unbelievable hands
- Underrated shot
- Still has troubles in defensive zone at times
- Can sometimes force plays that aren't there, which leads to turnovers in high risk areas
- Injury Prone
General Comments: The guy is a top 10(5? 7?) center in the league. Everything you want in a franchise center. The more games the Senators play with Jason Spezza in the lineup, the more success the team is likely to have
Bobby Ryan
Strengths
- Elite goal scorer
- Great puck-handling skills
- Underrated playmaking abilties
- Inconsistent
- Has been accused of being indifferent in the defensive zone
- Average one-timer for such a good goal scorer
General Comments: Whether fair or not, Bobby is essentially the replacement for the departed Daniel Alfredsson. While his offensive abilities are not in doubt, it remains to be seen whether he finds chemistry with Jason Spezza to provide the triggerman that the Sens have been missing since Heatley left the team.
Milan Michalek
Strengths
- Speed to burn. One of the fastest players in the league
- Good two-way player.
- Big body with the ability to play physical
- Great in front of the net (deflections, screens, rebounds)
- Has limited puck possession ability for top-line player. Relys on his linemates to keep possession while he gets into scoring areas
- Inconsistent production
- Injury-prone. Unlikely to play a full season
General Comments: A player that always leaves you wanting more. Has all the ability in the world, he often leaves the impression that he could produce more than he does. Still a top-6 player, but maybe not the star that he was drafted with the potential to be. Doubtful his knee will ever be 100% again.
Kyle Turris
Strengths
- Top-tier wrist shot
- Good offensive vision
- Underrated defensive awareness and decision making
- Has had struggles in the faceoff circle
- Not overly physical, can be pushed off the puck too easily by the opposition
General Comments: One of the best wrist shots in the league. We will learn this year if the reason his line was often used as the shutdown line the last two season was because Alfie was on the line, or because of Turris' defensive abilities.
Clarke MacArthur
Strengths
- Good skater
- Good shot
- Underrated playmaking abilities
- Inconsisent offensive production
- Not overly physical
- Not great at winning puck battles along the boards
General Comments: MacArthur is a servicable top-6 winger that will give a team adequate secondary scoring. While he doesn't provide much physically, he's a smart hockey player that rarely makes glaring mistakes.
Cory Conacher
Strengths
- Great around the net, deflecting the puck and finding rebounds and finishing them off
- Quick
- Draws a lot of penalties
- Great offensive instincts
- Tiny
- Not great in the defensive zone
General Comments: Has proven at every level an ability to produce points, capped off by winning the MVP award in the AHL in 2012. He will have to retain that work ethic and scoring ability to stay on the team, but that has never been a problem in his career yet.
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Strengths
- Good offensive instincts
- Good defensive positioning
- Great penalty killer
- Good skater
- Good a faceoffs
- Not particuarly big
- Unproven at the NHL level
General Comments: While he has burst onto the scene early in his NHL career, and has had some very impressive accomplishments throughout his hockey career, it remains to be seen whether Pageau that retain that success throughout an entire NHL season. What he has shown thus far has been very impressive, but NHL history is littered with cases of rookies that burned brightly and fizzled quickly, Pageau will need to prove he isn't part of that group.
Zack Smith
Strengths
- Good defensively
- Physical
- Decent mid-weight fighter
- Above average at faceoffs
- Not great offensively
- Ridiculously inconsistent (both in production and physical play)
- Wearing Heatley's old number
General Comments: Probably tops out as a checking line center, has shown flashes of offensive potential, but has never proven to be a top point getter any time in his career at any level. Has had problems taking bad penalties in the past. Needs to provide a more consistent effort each and every game to to be physical. Also missed the net high and wide on the rush more than any other player I've seen.
Colin Greening
Strengths
- Fast Skater
- Good Defensively
- Good along the boards
- Versatile (Any forward position, any line)
- Hard Shot
- Not much of a point producer
- Inconsisent physical presence.
General Comments: A coach's dream, big-bodied with the enough talent and hockey sense to not look out of place on the wing of any line (1st to 4th); Can play on both wings, and does a admirable job at the center position. Unfortunately, has never produced points at any level in his career, and thus would would be more useful in a bottom-six role, with the occasional stint on a top line to do the dirty work for more skilled offensive players on the team. Sometimes, for a game or two, will go beast mode and turn into a dominant power-forward. This does not happen enough.
Chris Neil
Strengths
- Great at hitting without crossing the line and getting a penalty
- Good at getting underneath opponent's skin
- Can hold his own in fights, even against players bigger than him
- Protects teammates
- Makes fans from other teams angry*
- Below average hands
- Below average offensive hockey sense
- Can get "reputation calls" even when he didn't commit a penalty
General Comments: A player that entered the NHL as an enforcer, and reinvented himself to be a player that can play a regular shift on a checking line without looking out of place. The Senators' best player at turning momentum when the team is playing poorly, be it with a big hit, fight, or even the occassional goal.
Erik Condra
Strengths
- Great Hockey Sense
- Has no major weaknesses
- Has no major strengths
- Isn't a particularly good finisher
General Comments: The type of player you love on your bottom-six set of forwards as he always is in the right positions doing the right things. However, he doesn't have any special skillsets that his superior hockey sense can exploit to become a star in the league. Good at everything, great at nothing. (Also might be interesting to note: Condra has ridiciously good Corsi stats)
Stéphane Da Costa
Strengths
- Sublime passing abilities
- Good offensive instincts
- Underrated shot
- Not particuarly big
- Below average at faceoffs
- Unimpressive in the defensive zone
General Comments: Certainly does not have any trouble creating offensive chances (especially in making passes most players don't see or can't make), though he has struggled actually capitalizing on those chances at the NHL level. It remains to be seen if that lack of point production is a product of bad luck, or a sign that he just can't produce at the NHL level. Will need to prove it's the former rather than the latter to carve out a career in the NHL, as it is unlikely he will ever fit as a defensive checker on any team in the league.
Matt Kassian
Strengths
- Good at punching people
- Great teammate, loved in the locker room
- Sucks at hockey
- Not the greatest skater
General Comments: He's good at fighting. Unfortunately, he can't handle the puck, is a underwhelming skater, and doesn't really have the hockey sense to make up for those two weaknesses to be an effective hockey player.
Defensemen
Erik Karlsson
Strengths
- Elite ability to get point shot on net through shot blockers and create scoring chances
- Great passer, both with breakout passes from his own zone, and cross ice passes in the offensive zone
- Very good offensive instincts
- Great at using his stick defensively
- Won the Norris
- Extremely quick, both in acceleration and top end speed
- Sometimes too casual with the puck
- Sometimes too risky in his decision making
- Can get outmuscled in front of own net
- Struggles pivoting to the right, when going backwards
General Comments: IF FULLY RECOVERED FROM HIS INJURY: Erik Karlsson doesn't play the defensive position like anyone in the league. Instead of standing opposition forwards up at the blueline, he turns and angles them down the boards with his speed and stick position, then steals the puck. Instead of staying in the shooting lane and blocking the shot, he picks off the pass and goes the other way. Creates offense from the blueline better than anybody in the league. He's the best defenseman in the league, and it's not close. Don't argue, I'm right.
Marc Methot
Strengths
- A good defensive defenseman
- Great lateral ability
- Has a textbook hipcheck
- Knows his role, does not try to do too much
- Inaccurate point shot
- Hasn't been a great point producer throughout NHL career
General Comments: Doesn't exactly produce the type of offensive numbers that you would expect out of a guy that is expected to play on the top-pairing, but fortunately for him, he doesn't need to do too much when playing with Erik Karlsson. Proved last year that even playing without Karlsson, he is still a very capable top-pairing defenseman in his own right. He knows his limitations and his strengths, and has been very good at leveraging his strengths to cover his weaknesses.
Jared Cowen
Strengths
- Great in the defensive zone, using his big body and long stick to eliminate both forwards and their passing lanes
- Good skater for his size
- Hard Slapshot
- Sometimes handles the puck like a handgrenade
- Will probably never be a big point producer from the backend.
General Comments: Has shown flashes on being a dominant defender in this league, but due to his limited NHL experience due to his injuries, that hasn't been shown on a regular basis. Will need to step up his game and be more consistent, and start realizing some of that massive potential he has.
Patrick Wiercioch
Strengths
- Good point shot
- Good positionally
- Good offensive skills
- Good skater for his size
- Not overly physical
General Comments: While his potential to be a top-4 offensive defenseman has never been in doubt, he has struggled to put the total package together for an entire season. If he continues to develop, he will be a very good top-4 offensive defenseman that can QB a powerplay.
Chris Phillips
Strengths
- Physical
- Good defensive defensemen
- Will not produce a large amount of points
General Comments: Solid defensive defenseman. While Phillips isn't the first option shutdown defenseman anymore at this stage in his career, he's still a solid defenseman capable of playing regular minutes, albeit probably regular minutes on a bottom pairing.
Joe Corvo
Strengths
- Great point shot
- Good skater
- When on his game, makes very exciting end-to-end rushes
- Will miss point shots high and wide at times. Needs to learn to hit the net with consistency.
- Can be pressured into making stupid boneheaded passes in high risk areas
- Makes mistakes when scrambling in defensive zone.
General Comments: Great when playing well. A trainwreak when he loses his confidence.
Eric Gryba
Strengths
- Physical
- Good defensive defensemen
- Not a great puck handler, needs time to settle puck down before making a play with it
- Will not produce a large amount of points
General Comments: Solid depth defensive defenseman, but that's probably about all you can hope for.
Goaltenders
Craig Anderson
Strengths
- Has shown the ability to steal games.
- Able to make saves on pucks he has no business getting to
- Good with the puck on his stick, making breakout passes from behind the net
- Can sometimes overcommit leaving himself open to pass
- Can be guilty of flopping in his crease at times after the first save
General Comments: Has all the tools and ability to be a top goaltender in the league, has shown he can win games by himself. Has never proven in his career that he is capable of taking a team to a championship.
Robin Lehner
Strengths
- Is a very big guy, fills up a lot of the net
- All world potential both physically and mentally
- Big-Game Goaltender - ups his game in big games
- Needs to work on his rebound control
- Can be taken off his game by people crashing his crease. Sometimes needs to work on his temper
General Comments: Has all the tools and the mental strength to be a franchise goaltender. Still needs to work on his consistency and the few rough edges in his game to fulfill that potential.
--
* - Very good at making borderline hits by keeping them legal, and thus has never been suspended by the NHL. This makes fans of the players that Neil destroys cry sweet delicious tears.
---
As a sidenote, I didn't realize the amount of roster turnover we had from last season until I started writing this. Normally I just copy&paste the scouting report from the year before, and make some changes and adjustments to account for development/regression of the players with the occasional addition or deletion of a player. This year, there was a little bit more to do than usual.
Last edited:
@Smith wearing Heatley's old number
