Speculation: 2021 Season: The Canada Cup

[RAFI BOMB]

The schedule for this season has officially been announced.


As many on here already know, for the 2021 season the Ottawa Senators will be playing in the North Division which means they will only be playing against other Canadian teams throughout the regular season.
NHL teams in new divisions with realignment for 2020-21 season

The Senators are scheduled to play each of the Canadian teams 9 times this season. For the majority of games the Sens will be playing the same opponent either 2 or 3 times in a row making them into mini series.

Unofficially the best performing team in the regular season in the North Division will win the Canada Cup. This thread is to talk about that and to build some excitement around the Sens.

Additionally we need to come up a name for each of the following series:

• Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs
• Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens
• Ottawa Senators vs Winnipeg Jets
• Ottawa Senators vs Calgary Flames
• Ottawa Senators vs Edmonton Oilers
• Ottawa Senators vs Vancouver Canucks

Ottawa vs Toronto makes sense as the Battle of Ontario. Ottawa vs Calgary could be the Tkachuk Bowl.

If you have any other recommendations on what to refer to the other series as, feel free to post it below.

Click to read more...

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Breakdown of the Mini Series:

The Battle of Ontario: Ottawa Senators vs Toronto Maple Leafs

• Round 1: Two game series: January 15 and 16
• Round 2: Three game series: February 15, 17 and 18
• Round 3: Single game: March 14
• Round 4: Single game: March 25
• Round 5: Single game: April 10
• Round 6: Single game: May 5

Ottawa Senators vs Montreal Canadiens

• Round 1: Two game series: February 4 and 6
• Round 2: Two game series: February 21 and 23
• Round 3: Single game: March 2
• Round 4: Four game series: March 28 and 30, and April 1 and 3
• Round 5: Single game: May 1

Ottawa Senators vs Winnipeg Jets

• Round 1: Three game series: January 19, 21 and 23
• Round 2: Two game series: February 11 and 13
• Round 3: Two game series: April 12 and 14
• Round 4: Single game: May 3
• Round 5: Two game series: May 7 and 8

The Tkachuk Bowl: Ottawa Senators vs Calgary Flames

• Round 1: Three game series: February 25 and 27, and March 1
• Round 2: Two game series: March 4 and 7
• Round 3: Two game series: March 22 and 24
• Round 4: Two game series: April 19 and 20

Ottawa Senators vs Edmonton Oilers

• Round 1: Two game series: January 31 and February 2
• Round 2: Two game series: February 8 and 9
• Round 3: Three game series: March 8, 10 and 12
• Round 4: Two game series: April 7 and 9

Ottawa Senators vs Vancouver Canucks

• Round 1: Three game series: January 25, 27 and 28
• Round 2: Two game series: March 15 and 17
• Round 3: Four game series: April 22, 24, 26 and 28

 

[saskriders]

Ottawa Montreal could be the Ottawa River Rivalry (or Rumble).

 

[Matsens15]

Nice!!! Can’t wait for these meeting against Montreal. They did bring more toughness to their team and we bring even more this off season! This will be good series!

 

[JD1]

I'm wondering how Toronto fares with the hatred. The regular season has less intensity and they do well. Crank up the hatred and the intensity and they fold.

Do they learn how to win in a more intense environment with mini series all season long? Or do they not fare well?

Does hitting a guy like Nylander at every opportunity in game 1 shut him down in games 2 and 3? Very little depth leaves them unable to rotate guys in and out like us. How do their older critical players like JT, Muzzin and Brodie stand up to the compressedschedule?

This is going to be one heck of a unique season. I can't wait!

 

[TheDebater]

This is going to be a historic and game changing season.

The NHL will never be the same after this and it is going to be awesome.

The real crime though is why the Senators who have been off the longest of any team have to wait two full days after the season starts to play their first game.

 

[DJB]

This is going to be a historic and game changing season.

The NHL will never be the same after this and it is going to be awesome.

The real crime though is why the Senators who have been off the longest of any team have to wait two full days after the season starts to play their first game.

Part of their "extended training camp"

 

[Butchy Dakkar]

It’s going to be an awesome season. The mini-series are going to be intense and fun. Really looking forward to puck drop.

 

[Stylizer1]

Ottawa may go 0-56.

 

[Sweatred]

Ottawa may go 0-56.

Great for us to have competitive games in a hard division. Let the kids battle it out, get another top pick and get ready for 2021-22.

 

[TheDebater]

Ottawa may go 0-56.

-Murray in nets, bound to at least steal a game here or there.

-Chabot, Tkachuk, Norris, Brannstrom, Stuetzle are all elite.

-Dadonov is kind of in a category of his own, super skilled, not quite elite but not in the next group either.


-White, Galchenyuk, Tierney, L. Brown, Nick Paul and Formenton are all very skilled and capable of providing good support but they have some questions marks to their game at the point obviously.

We will win lots of games.

Edit: forgot Nick Paul

 

[dumbdick]

Yep. Love this change. Some others I would push for.

Keep the Series:
These two- or three-game mini-series should be the way they go in the future, with more games against division rivals (and a Canadian Division, naturally). Play three games a week most weeks and give every team a bye week.

Make Saturday the NHL's equivalent of the NFL's Sunday
I wish they'd go one step further and set it up so the series all finish on Saturday so that fans can feast on hockey like we do with the NFL. Spread the Saturday games out to slots at 1PM, 4PM, 7PM and 10PM (Eastern) and have at least one Canadian team in one of the earlier slots every Saturday. Get CBC to drop whatever crap they play on Saturday afternoon and make Hockey Night In Canada a 12-hour broadcast starting at 1PM. Let the whole country binge on hockey all day if we want.

I want the NHL to have that ritual that the NFL has built up around Sunday.

Put in a week-long wildcard play-in tourney:
- Add a little 3 or 4 game mini play-in tournament before the playoffs for teams 6-11 to play into the last three playoff spots. Other teams rest.
- Play all the games in a city that doesn't have an NHL team to grow the sport.
- For added TV drama and to make it more fair, let the three best teams take turns to choose their opponents one-by-one, draft style (subject to all teams playing the right number of games). Let them play the same team multiple times if that's how it shakes out. This is the advantage the better teams have "earned" by placing higher. Will create lots of great drama and speculation around "did we choose the right opponents?" as well as chips on the shoulders of the weaker teams chosen first.
- Ties in the final tournament standings go to the team with the better regular season record. Top 3 teams go into the regular format playoffs.

 

[TheDebater]

Tkachuk will score 31 goals in 56 games.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Tkachuk will score 31 goals on 56 games.

That would be epic. With a playoff style season being very conducive to Tkachuk's playing style that might actually be a possible outcome.

This season may see some players that normally perform well in a typical regular season take a step back in production while other players that normally perform well in the playoffs may have strong production this season.

The Sens are built for playoff hockey so that should help them this season.

 

[TheDebater]

That would be epic. With a playoff style season being very conducive to Tkachuk's playing style that might actually be a possible outcome.

This season may see some players that normally perform well in a typical regular season take a step back in production while other players that normally perform well in the playoffs may have strong production this season.

The Sens are built for playoff hockey so that should help them this season.

That is exactly my thought process too, which is how I came to that prediction.

 

[StoicSensFan]

Playoff style hockey for 56 games? Get Pageau on your fantasy teams first pick, he's going to get 100 points.

I honestly don't see the Leafs doing very well, Montreal on the other hand..

 

[bicboi64]

We start off against the Leafs? I hope we win both games just to create havoc for the Leafs fanbase

I expect a losing season and last place finish in our division but I hope we beat Montreal and Toronto every chance we get (and Edmonton as well), I can stomach losing to the other teams a bit more

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Tkachuk will score 31 goals in 56 games.

and holdout for a contract

 

[senswon]

Yep. Love this change. Some others I would push for.

Keep the Series:
These two- or three-game mini-series should be the way they go in the future, with more games against division rivals (and a Canadian Division, naturally). Play three games a week most weeks and give every team a bye week.

Make Saturday the NHL's equivalent of the NFL's Sunday
I wish they'd go one step further and set it up so the series all finish on Saturday so that fans can feast on hockey like we do with the NFL. Spread the Saturday games out to slots at 1PM, 4PM, 7PM and 10PM (Eastern) and have at least one Canadian team in one of the earlier slots every Saturday. Get CBC to drop whatever crap they play on Saturday afternoon and make Hockey Night In Canada a 12-hour broadcast starting at 1PM. Let the whole country binge on hockey all day if we want.

I want the NHL to have that ritual that the NFL has built up around Sunday.

Put in a week-long wildcard play-in tourney:
- Add a little 3 or 4 game mini play-in tournament before the playoffs for teams 6-11 to play into the last three playoff spots. Other teams rest.
- Play all the games in a city that doesn't have an NHL team to grow the sport.
- For added TV drama and to make it more fair, let the three best teams take turns to choose their opponents one-by-one, draft style (subject to all teams playing the right number of games). Let them play the same team multiple times if that's how it shakes out. This is the advantage the better teams have "earned" by placing higher. Will create lots of great drama and speculation around "did we choose the right opponents?" as well as chips on the shoulders of the weaker teams chosen first.
- Ties in the final tournament standings go to the team with the better regular season record. Top 3 teams go into the regular format playoffs.

Logged in to like this.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all!!

 

[bicboi64]

Tkachuk will score 31 goals in 56 games.

Part of me hopes if we have a crap season, Tkachuk doesn't have the best season production wise so we can sign him long term to a cheap deal. I feel immensely crappy saying that lol.

Here's to hoping he scores at a 50g pace and makes it more difficult contract wise!

 

[HugoSimon]

We start off against the Leafs? I hope we win both games just to create havoc for the Leafs fanbase

this x1000000000

2 games could be year making/breaking for the battle of ontario.

 

[Sweatred]

this x1000000000

2 games could be year making/breaking for the battle of ontario.

What if those 4 pts are the difference between drafting 3rd or 8th OA ?

 

[Sweatred]

Part of me hopes if we have a crap season, Tkachuk doesn't have the best season production wise so we can sign him long term to a cheap deal. I feel immensely crappy saying that lol.

Here's to hoping he scores at a 50g pace and makes it more difficult contract wise!

I’m not sure we have the centers to get Brady a huge season. Dadonov will get a lot of shots and I can’t see this forward group possessing the puck enough unless White, Norris, Brown have amazing seasons. I think we’re safe.

 

[StoicSensFan]

Playing the Canadiens is going to be really entertaining.

 

[RAFI BOMB]

Current list of physical players in the division (based on training camp rosters):

Ottawa Senators
Brady Tkachuk, Austin Watson. Cedric Paquette, Erik Gudbranson, Braydon Coburn, Josh Brown, Christian Jaros, Drake Batherson, Tim Stuetzle, Filip Chlapik, Micheal Haley, Josh Norris, Alex Formenton, Nick Paul, Egor Sokolov, Parker Kelly

Note: A few players that have shown some physicality and might be more aggressive this year:
Derek Stepan, Alex Galchenyuk, Evgeni Dadanov, Lassi Thomson, Nikita Zaitsev

Montreal Canadiens
Josh Anderson, Brandon Baddock, Brendan Gallagher, Corey Perry, Shea Weber, Alexander Romanov

Edit: Joel Edmundson, Jeff Petry

Toronto Maple Leafs
Zach Hyman, Wayne Simmonds, Scott Sabourin. Jake Muzzin, Zach Bogosian

Winnipeg Jets
Mark Scheifle, Nate Thompson, Adam Lowry, Blake Wheeler, Logan Stanley, Nathan Beaulieu

Calgary Flames
Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Milan Lucic, Zac Rinaldo, Buddy Robinson, Mark Giordano

Edmonton Oilers
Darnell Nurse, Zack Kassian, James Neal, Jujhar Khaira, Leon Draisaitl

Vancouver Canucks
Michael Ferland, Antoine Roussel, Bo Horvat, Jayce Hawryluk, JT Miller, Tyler Myers, Nate Schmidt, Jordie Benn