connor macdavid
Press Box Rat
(I wrote this from a neutral standpoint)
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Last season, the Ottawa Senators exceeded many people's expectations and played some post-season hockey. This season head coach Paul Maclean and co. will be looking to build off of what was a decidedly positive (and shortened) campaign which featured many breakout seasons and some exceptional goaltending. Without further ado, allow me to recap the Sens' offseason moves, as well as set the stage at each position for what promises to be a very intriguing 2013-14 season for the Sens!
Summer Moves
Out
D Sergei Gonchar - Dallas (Conditional Late-Rd Pick)
F Daniel Alfredsson - Detroit (Free Agency)
F Jakob Silfverberg - Anaheim (Trade)
F Stefan Noesen - Anaheim (Trade)
In
F Bobby Ryan - Anaheim (Free Agency)
Free Agent Signings
F Clarke MacArthur (TOR) ($3.25M per, 2 years)
D Joe Corvo (CAR) ($900K, 1 year)
All in all, a busy summer! Now- a breakdown of each position:
Goaltenders
After a fantastic season in 2013 which saw Craig Anderson post career-highs in GAA (1.69) and SV% (.941), there is no doubt that the net is his, and will remain his unless he's knocked out of the lineup by injury. The Park Ridge, Illinois native had a stand-out season last year, with some pundits claiming he was the sole reason the offensively-challenged Senators even played post-season hockey.
Robin Lehner looks poised to have a solid season as backup, and he appears to be in a similar position as another Swedish goalie- Vancouver's Eddie Lack, who many think is good enough to be a full-time netminder in the NHL. In the final year of his contract, Lehner is an RFA come the end of 2013-14, and the Sens will have to decide whether Lehner or Anderson is the goalie of their future.
Nathan Lawson and Andrew Hammond have both looked serviceable should one of the two main goaltenders go down with an injury over the course of the season.
Craig Anderson probably can't sustain his numbers from last year over an 82-game season, but he's still likely to be a Vezina candidate once again when it's all said and done. Lehner is a very capable backup.
Goaltending: A
Defense
Erik Karlsson is a Norris-calibre defenseman at age 23. Well at least, he was. With Karlsson complaining about a lack of footspeed in training camp, it remains to be seen whether he will fully recover from last year's ankle injury. Did the Sens rush him back too fast and curtail his recovery? If they did, it'll be a shame. Regardless of his footspeed, Karlsson will be a top two defenseman on this team, and looked to for leadership despite his age. Should lead the defense in points, could potentially lead the team in assists.
Jared Cowen should be his partner on the top pair, and will be looked to as a disciplined, strong defensive buoy. He will definitely be logging a lot of minutes, especially on the penalty kill.
Marc Methot is coming off of one of the better seasons of his career, and will be looking to cement his reputation as a dependable top four defenseman.
Chris Phillips is getting a little long in the tooth, and any speed he once had is pretty much gone. I believe that he might be seeing some third pair time before the end of the season, though head coach Paul MacLean wouldn't dare sit the veteran.
Patrick Wiercioch, Eric Gryba, and Joe Corvo will all bounce in and out of the lineup, although Wiercioch made a very solid case as a top four defenseman in an increased role last season. Joe Corvo is a serviceable NHL journeyman, but nothing more than that at age 36.
We could see the likes of Mark Borowiecki, Ben Blood, and Cody Ceci before the end of the year, depending on injuries.
This defensive corps is, unfortunately, quite slow. This is probably going to mean even more shots allowed than last season, and will also lead to more own-zone penalties (ahem Chris Phillips). If Karlsson fails to return to 100%, then the onus falls on Methot, Wiercioch, and co. to pick up the slack offensively.
DEFENSE: C+
Forwards
The top six forwards look like they will be able to put up some production, however after that the pickings are quite slim. There really is no secondary scoring to speak of on the Senators, and that is probably what will eventually limit them again this season.
Milan Michalek and Bobby Ryan will obviously be centered by newly-minted captain Jason Spezza on a top line that should put up roughly 55-70 points per-player if they all stay healthy (very unlikely).
Kyle Turris, if he continues his torrid pace from last season, could turn into one of the best 2nd-line centers in the NHL. However, he won't have a heck of a lot of offensive help, as he'll be flanked by wingers such as Clarke MacArthur, Chris Neil, and potentially Erik Condra, not a true top-six forward amongst them.
Two other players in the forward corps to keep an eye on after interesting debuts last year would be Corey Conacher and J.G. Pageau. Stephane Da Costa will be an NHLer this year, it just remains to be seen whether or not it will be with the Sens.
There is without a doubt some talent up front, especially on the top line. However, the pickings are very slim on the bottom six, and with little in the way of offensive talent in the system, a few injuries could leave the offense extremely weak.
FORWARDS- C
Special Teams
In theory, the PP should be better this year with the acquisition of Bobby Ryan. However, it should also be noted he didn't exactly light the lamp last season- he only scored one more goal than Jakob Silfverberg. If Karlsson truly isn't 100%, then the PP will automatically suffer. If Spezza goes down with an injury, then MacLean's PP unit is in trouble big-time.
The penalty kill was the best in the league last season, and with no personnel changes on the PK there is no reason why the Sens' PK can't be amongst the best in the league again.
SPECIAL TEAMS - B+
Overall, the Senators are looking on the up-and-up. However, their lack of secondary scoring means that their season could potentially be over with any long-term injury to a number of key offensive players.
The loss of Alfie hurts more in spirit than it does on the ice- the Sens are a better team this year than last year. Expectations can't be too high though, as last year's team we can all agree over-achieved.
The Senators will make a push for that 3rd-place in the division, but I wouldn't be surprised if they find themselves in the bottom two Wildcard playoff spots.
UN-BOLD PREDICTION: Pageau has been over-hyped, never becomes more than third-liner.
PREDICTION: 6th-9th in the Eastern Conference.
BOLD PREDICTION: Stephane Da Costa will put up 30+ points wherever he plays.
Thanks for reading, love to hear feedback
GO SENS GO
-------------------------------------------------
Last season, the Ottawa Senators exceeded many people's expectations and played some post-season hockey. This season head coach Paul Maclean and co. will be looking to build off of what was a decidedly positive (and shortened) campaign which featured many breakout seasons and some exceptional goaltending. Without further ado, allow me to recap the Sens' offseason moves, as well as set the stage at each position for what promises to be a very intriguing 2013-14 season for the Sens!
Summer Moves
Out
D Sergei Gonchar - Dallas (Conditional Late-Rd Pick)
F Daniel Alfredsson - Detroit (Free Agency)
F Jakob Silfverberg - Anaheim (Trade)
F Stefan Noesen - Anaheim (Trade)
In
F Bobby Ryan - Anaheim (Free Agency)
Free Agent Signings
F Clarke MacArthur (TOR) ($3.25M per, 2 years)
D Joe Corvo (CAR) ($900K, 1 year)
All in all, a busy summer! Now- a breakdown of each position:
Goaltenders
After a fantastic season in 2013 which saw Craig Anderson post career-highs in GAA (1.69) and SV% (.941), there is no doubt that the net is his, and will remain his unless he's knocked out of the lineup by injury. The Park Ridge, Illinois native had a stand-out season last year, with some pundits claiming he was the sole reason the offensively-challenged Senators even played post-season hockey.
Robin Lehner looks poised to have a solid season as backup, and he appears to be in a similar position as another Swedish goalie- Vancouver's Eddie Lack, who many think is good enough to be a full-time netminder in the NHL. In the final year of his contract, Lehner is an RFA come the end of 2013-14, and the Sens will have to decide whether Lehner or Anderson is the goalie of their future.
Nathan Lawson and Andrew Hammond have both looked serviceable should one of the two main goaltenders go down with an injury over the course of the season.
Craig Anderson probably can't sustain his numbers from last year over an 82-game season, but he's still likely to be a Vezina candidate once again when it's all said and done. Lehner is a very capable backup.
Goaltending: A
Defense
Erik Karlsson is a Norris-calibre defenseman at age 23. Well at least, he was. With Karlsson complaining about a lack of footspeed in training camp, it remains to be seen whether he will fully recover from last year's ankle injury. Did the Sens rush him back too fast and curtail his recovery? If they did, it'll be a shame. Regardless of his footspeed, Karlsson will be a top two defenseman on this team, and looked to for leadership despite his age. Should lead the defense in points, could potentially lead the team in assists.
Jared Cowen should be his partner on the top pair, and will be looked to as a disciplined, strong defensive buoy. He will definitely be logging a lot of minutes, especially on the penalty kill.
Marc Methot is coming off of one of the better seasons of his career, and will be looking to cement his reputation as a dependable top four defenseman.
Chris Phillips is getting a little long in the tooth, and any speed he once had is pretty much gone. I believe that he might be seeing some third pair time before the end of the season, though head coach Paul MacLean wouldn't dare sit the veteran.
Patrick Wiercioch, Eric Gryba, and Joe Corvo will all bounce in and out of the lineup, although Wiercioch made a very solid case as a top four defenseman in an increased role last season. Joe Corvo is a serviceable NHL journeyman, but nothing more than that at age 36.
We could see the likes of Mark Borowiecki, Ben Blood, and Cody Ceci before the end of the year, depending on injuries.
This defensive corps is, unfortunately, quite slow. This is probably going to mean even more shots allowed than last season, and will also lead to more own-zone penalties (ahem Chris Phillips). If Karlsson fails to return to 100%, then the onus falls on Methot, Wiercioch, and co. to pick up the slack offensively.
DEFENSE: C+
Forwards
The top six forwards look like they will be able to put up some production, however after that the pickings are quite slim. There really is no secondary scoring to speak of on the Senators, and that is probably what will eventually limit them again this season.
Milan Michalek and Bobby Ryan will obviously be centered by newly-minted captain Jason Spezza on a top line that should put up roughly 55-70 points per-player if they all stay healthy (very unlikely).
Kyle Turris, if he continues his torrid pace from last season, could turn into one of the best 2nd-line centers in the NHL. However, he won't have a heck of a lot of offensive help, as he'll be flanked by wingers such as Clarke MacArthur, Chris Neil, and potentially Erik Condra, not a true top-six forward amongst them.
Two other players in the forward corps to keep an eye on after interesting debuts last year would be Corey Conacher and J.G. Pageau. Stephane Da Costa will be an NHLer this year, it just remains to be seen whether or not it will be with the Sens.
There is without a doubt some talent up front, especially on the top line. However, the pickings are very slim on the bottom six, and with little in the way of offensive talent in the system, a few injuries could leave the offense extremely weak.
FORWARDS- C
Special Teams
In theory, the PP should be better this year with the acquisition of Bobby Ryan. However, it should also be noted he didn't exactly light the lamp last season- he only scored one more goal than Jakob Silfverberg. If Karlsson truly isn't 100%, then the PP will automatically suffer. If Spezza goes down with an injury, then MacLean's PP unit is in trouble big-time.
The penalty kill was the best in the league last season, and with no personnel changes on the PK there is no reason why the Sens' PK can't be amongst the best in the league again.
SPECIAL TEAMS - B+
Overall, the Senators are looking on the up-and-up. However, their lack of secondary scoring means that their season could potentially be over with any long-term injury to a number of key offensive players.
The loss of Alfie hurts more in spirit than it does on the ice- the Sens are a better team this year than last year. Expectations can't be too high though, as last year's team we can all agree over-achieved.
The Senators will make a push for that 3rd-place in the division, but I wouldn't be surprised if they find themselves in the bottom two Wildcard playoff spots.
UN-BOLD PREDICTION: Pageau has been over-hyped, never becomes more than third-liner.
PREDICTION: 6th-9th in the Eastern Conference.
BOLD PREDICTION: Stephane Da Costa will put up 30+ points wherever he plays.
Thanks for reading, love to hear feedback
GO SENS GO
