For the month of June, Last Word On Sports will be covering each team in our 30 in 30 series. Once a day, we take a look at an NHL team’s past season, what their off-season looks like, and what they could hope to achieve before the start of their 2015-16 season. Everybody wants to get better and improve upon last season’s success or downfall and NHL’s 30 in 30 gives you that analysis and preview you need to get you by during another long and grueling summer season. 30 days in June, 30 teams to cover. Starting on June 1st we start from the bottom and make our way to the very top.
Today’s team: The Ottawa Senators. Check out our previous 30 in 30 articles here.
NHL’s 30 in 30: Ottawa Senators
Finishing 13th overall, the Ottawa Senators posted a record of 43-26-13 to end up with 99 points. Their home record (23-13-5) accumulated for 51 points, tying them for the second-least amount of points earned among playoff teams, with the Winnipeg Jets and Washington Capitals. Their away record (20-13-8) was reasonable enough to earn them enough points to make the dance. The Senators were in a tight battle with the Boston Bruins for the final wild card spot in the East. Down to the last few games, the Senators, Bruins, and Pittsburgh Penguins were battling for two playoff spots, and Ottawa managed to squeak by and grab a wild card berth.
The 2014-15 Regular Season
The Ottawa Senators surprised the hockey world last season, surging through the second-half of the season and landing in a playoff spot. They quickly found themselves in no-man’s land, however the decision to relieve Paul MacLean of his duties and replace him with Dave Cameron as the new Head Coach, the revitalizing new philosophy paid off. The youth played more, the defensive structure had stepped up and a new face between the pipes brought new hope. While their playoff run was dashed in six games of the opening round against the Montreal Canadiens, their never-die attitude in an attempt to prevent a sweep and bring it to game six was just a sample of how they fought during the 2014-15 season.
One of the biggest stories to come out of Canada’s capital was the emergence of Mark Stone. A sixth-round pick in the 2010 draft, Stone saw more playing time under Cameron and as a result, he posted 48 points in the final 47 games of the season. His ability to find lanes for a pass in the slot led to him putting up 26 goals and earning him a nomination for the Calder. After playing just 49 games in the 2010-11 season, Kyle Turris hasn’t missed a single one in the last three seasons, evolving into a good top-line center that can be played in all situations. Committing to a big, seven-year deal with the team, Bobby Ryan‘s production should have been better than four goals in the final portion of the season, and his disappearing act in the playoffs has Senators fans worried early on. He is shooting the puck as much as he always had, so there’s a possibility that the law of averages eventually work in his favor and pucks start going in.
The coaching change wasn’t as giving to everyone, as players like Zach Smith and Chris Neil saw their minutes dwindle, even sitting Neil out of the line-up. The staple enforcer of the team for many seasons dealt with his fair share of injuries but even when he was healthy, he wasn’t playing and it helped prove to management that they could win without his influence on the ice. Meanwhile, a pack of 29-year-old forwards dealt with injuries as well. Clarke MacArthur was enjoying a nice season before concussion troubles hit, while Milan Michalek continues to struggle to remain healthy. He was able to avoid any disaster last season but over the past six seasons (all with the Senators), Michalek has missed a total of 78 games.
There’s no secret that the Senators are a young team all-around. Only four members of the roster last season were above the age of 30, and that includes goaltender Craig Anderson (33). With a well of youth taking over their team, it was refreshing to see the kids stepping up and playing a big role in the Senators second-half blitz to down the Stanley Cup end-field. Mike Hoffman led all Sens in goals with 27, and has quickly evolved into one of Ottawa’s more dependable offensive players. Of his 48 points last season, 45 of them came at even strength, making him one very useful player. Mika Zibanejad is starting to step into his own and at the age of 22, has so much untapped potential, it’s actually frightening. With Curtiz Lazar pushing the pedal to the medal at just 19, he brings another dynamic to the Sens line-up, and is only starting to scrape the surface of his potential.
The one off-setting story of the youth was 24-year-old Alex Chiasson, who came over to Ottawa as part of the Jason Spezza deal. Putting up just 26 points in 76 games and vanishing in the post-season, his tumble down the depth charts was a clear indication that coach Cameron wasn’t impressed with a rather inconsistent 6’4 physical player.
On defense, what more could you ask from Erik Karlsson? Long gone are the days of his defensive zone gaffs, yet he’s still putting up points like no other defenseman in the league. His ability to control the play and carry the puck from end-to-end comes with relative easy and is reminiscent of what Duncan Keith does in Chicago. The defense beyond that gets fairly intriguing, as the top-four is nicely mapped out, bottom-pairing guys know their role and it’s a blend of youth and experience, aging from 20 to 36. The underdog story on the blue-line is Marc Methot, who gets the short-end of the stick when it comes to exposure, thanks to Karlsson. Signing a four-year contract, Methot played on the top line with Karlson and logged over 22 minutes, but it’s the ability to do all the little things right, look brilliant defensively and become the perfect compliment to Karlsson’s abilities.
The youngest dog in the yard, Cody Ceci averaged around 19 minutes and while he seemed out-matched at certain points in the season, it’s not unreasonable to think that he’ll be better with a bit more age and experience. The promising thing is, he has the tools to work with and already seems to be putting it together at the NHL level. Patrick Wiercioch came into his own in the final few dozen games of the season, playing into a top-four role after logging bottom-pairing minutes and sometimes even sitting games out. His puck-moving ability has gone from underrated and under-appreciated to properly utilized and his work down low is both physical and effective.
The Senators then have quite a logjam of defenseman on their bottom-pairing. 24-year-old Jared Cowen hasn’t evolved into the player the Sens thought they were getting when they picked him ninth overall in 2009. Playing just five games in the last 25, he’s seen his name involved in several trade rumors and even as a suggested buy-out candidate. While that seems a little extreme, perhaps a fresh start for Cowen is the way to go at this point. Veteran Chris Phillips is in the final stage of his career and with one year left on his deal, this may be it for the long-time Senators defenseman. Eric Gryba offers a big presence that can lay out the hits, and at his salary it is rather inexpensive. However the Senators also have that in Mark Borowiecki, who is the Senators biggest hitter on the blue-line. In that role, Borowiecki excelled and gave the Senators an extra bit of power in their own zone.
The Senators magical run was thanks in large to the arrival of goaltender Andrew Hammond. Dubbed the Hamburglar, Hammond went from an average AHL netminder to one of the biggest stories in the NHL. His role with the team earned him a contract extension, which leaves doubt regarding the goaltending depth in Ottawa. With veteran Anderson and youngster Robin Lehner still around, something has to give and the result is likely to be the trade of one of Anderson or Lehner. The experience Anderson brings matched with his track record with the Sens, it’s hard to deal away with him over an unproven Lehner, who has the potential to be a starting goaltender in the league but has yet to meet it.
The Off-Season and Free Agents
Heading into the off-season, the Ottawa Senators have a total of six free agents to decide on. Of the six free agents, five of them are restricted to the team, including forwards Mike Zibanejad, Alex Chiasson, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Mark Stone. Forward Erik Condra is the only upcoming unrestricted free agent. In terms of non-roster players, General Manager Bryan Murray will have to decide on four restricted free agents and seven unrestricted free agents.
Retaining their youth shouldn’t be too hard, as Hoffman and Stone are coming off their first full season with the Senators, making their next contract easy to handle and should remain on the more inexpensive side. The Senators have about $12 million in cap space, so technically they should have enough to get their restricted free agents under contract, especially if there is no intent on bringing back Chiasson. Condra is a valuable asset to the team and with some consideration to be made about moving out a goaltender and a defenseman, there could be more money freed up by July 1st.
The hot topic of the day in Ottawa is what to do with their three goaltenders. Both Anderson and Hammond have three year deals, while Lehner has one less on his contract. At $2.225 million per year, Lehner’s contract is digestible but the return Murray should expect to get for a goaltender built up on potential and not much substance to back it is minimal. Of course, trading a proven veteran like Anderson could bring back something intriguing for the Sens, but it would also leave Ottawa with Lehner and Hammond, a future between the pipes with uncertainty trailing not too far behind. The best route will be to get what they can for Lehner and ride an Anderson-Hammond duo.
Cowen, like Lehner, is a prospect with so much potential who hasn’t yet reached it. Perhaps a team sends an offer and gives him a chance in a new market, with the hopes of his game picking up. There’s also a possibility that Phillips becomes a trade deadline acquisition for a team pushing towards the playoffs and looking to add experience and depth to their blue-line. At $2.5 million next season only, it’s a decision management should consider leaning towards.
The Draft Table
Murray and his scouting staff should be pretty busy at the upcoming draft, as the Ottawa Senators hold six picks in seven rounds. Despite having no 3rd or 6th-round selections, Ottawa has two picks in the second round, including two first-round choices, and four in the top-100. In all the Senators select 18th, 42nd, 48th, 109th, 139th and 199th. Their 3rd-round pick belongs to Edmonton as part of the Ales Hemsky trade, and their 6th-round pick, initially traded to the Jets for a 2014th 7th-round pick, now belongs to the Hurricanes.
The guessing game is always a fun one to play and with the Senators holding on to three picks in the top-50, they’re in prime position to pick up three good players that have a high potential of becoming NHL regulars.
As per our very own Ben Kerr, here’s how he projects the Senators draft going in the first two rounds:
18th: Joel Eriksson-Ek
42nd: Nicolas Meloche
48th: Alexander Dergachyov
For more information on why these players went where they did, click here.
As the Senators prepare for a 2015-16 season full of promise, it’ll hopefully be one that doesn’t require a late-season push and rather an entire season of consistency and glory for the Sens fan base.
