The Ottawa Senators defence has been something that has garnered a lot of attention this offseason. There is no hiding the defensive issues that have plagued this team for many seasons now. And while not all of that is on the defence alone, it does start there. To try and shake up the Ottawa Senators defence, the team made multiple moves this summer. The biggest of which was moving out left-handed Jakob Chychrun and bringing in a right-handed defenceman in Nick Jensen. On paper, this makes all the sense in the world. However, the Senators now find themselves in an interesting spot where they may need complete reliability from their entire left side, both in style of play and health.
Ottawa Senators Defence Now Right-Heavy
Offseason Adjustments
For the past few seasons, the Ottawa Senators defence has seen a log jam on its left side. With names such as Thomas Chabot, Jake Sanderson, Erik Brannstrom, Jakob Chychrun, Nick Holden, and more the further back you go. It was so full that they routinely needed to play someone such as Chychrun or Brannstrom on their off-hand. And while this had varying degrees of success, it is clear that this offseason they made it a priority to focus on playing lefties with righties.
Moving out Chychrun to bring in Jensen made lots of sense, and still does. It gives either of Chabot or Sanderson a partner to play with, and the other one will get Artyom Zub. This gives a “defensive” defenceman on both pairs, and will allow both Chabot and Sanderson to play a little more free.
The bottom pair for the last few years was locked down by Brannstrom. And while he had his issues, the fact is he was a good NHL-calibre third-pair guy. Tyler Kleven looks to take that role now, and in his limited sample has been very good as well. But with Kleven stepping in, the team moved off of Brannstrom. On the surface, there is nothing wrong with this. Brannstrom wants full-time NHL minutes and Ottawa wants Kleven on the third pair. However, it leaves an interesting question of what happens if something goes wrong on the left side?
Training Camp Currently
Currently, the Senators have three left-handed defencemen, and six right-handed defencemen left in training camp. Yakemchuk will almost certainly be sent down eventually, and Calen Addision is still on a Professional Tryout contract. He may be signed to a league minimum deal, but even if he is, that does not solve the left-side depth question.
Here’s who is left at Ottawa Senators training camp. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/OJDxNOOuaG
— Locked On Senators (@SensCentral) October 1, 2024
Injuries Will Happen
If one of Chabot or Sanderson went down in the past, Brannstrom routinely stepped up and did a serviceable job filling in for short periods as needed. However, it is not a guarantee that Kleven will be able to do the same. Kleven’s role feels perfectly suitable as a third-pair guy who will play physically and be a nuisance to play against. If he develops into more than that it is gravy for the Sens, but they shouldn’t expect that.
The question then becomes, what happens if Chabot or Sanderson go down? Chabot has missed up to weeks at a time in most of the recent seasons for the team, and while he may be primed for a big year, the odds are he will miss a few games at some point. Sanderson has been durable in his two seasons but has also missed a few games as well.
No one wishes injuries on any player, but they are an inevitability of every season. The Ottawa Senators defence will be tested if they arise on the left side.
Stability From Kleven
The other thing to factor in is that Ottawa has put all of their eggs in Kleven’s basket this season. And while that is not a bad bet to be making, we have seen promising young players disappoint at the big league before. Again, it is more likely than not that he plays well. But the question will also need to be asked, what happens if Kleven is not quite ready for 82 games in the NHL?
As it stands currently, that can’t be an outcome for this Ottawa Senators defence. They need Kleven to step in and look as good as he has in his small sample over the last two seasons, if not better. He is situated in a good position to do so given who he is playing behind, but nothing is a guarantee in this league.
Focusing on Handedness
The thing that makes this an intriguing possible issue for Ottawa is simply the fact that they seemed focused on balancing out the handedness on the blueline. And in doing so, they may have swung a little too far the other way. The way the lineup looks right now, there is a clear path for an offensive and defensive guy on all pairings. Chabot, Jense and Sanderson, Zub will round out the top four as we spoke about above. However, the offence and defence match may continue on pair three.
With Kleven being defensive, there are some options to put with him. Jacob Bernard-Docker seems like a logical fit to start on the third pair. He would provide the offence and Kleven the defence. But another option may be Addison who has shown offensive flair of his own in the past.
Regardless, it seems like the Sens really want that matchup, with both defencemen playing on their strong side. So having just three lefties may cause a hole in that plan.
Further Down the Depth Chart
When looking at the depth chart for the Ottawa Senators defence, it becomes clear just how thin they are for left-handed defencemen. After the starting three, the only other players currently eligible would be Donovan Sebrango, Matthew Andonovski, Jorian Donovan, Tomas Hamara, Jeremy Davies, and Filip Roos. That is a mix of players that are either not NHLers or still fresh prospects that need development.
Hamara is an interesting name, but he is far from NHL-ready. Filip Roos has played in 21 NHL games with Chicago, which may automatically make him option number one. Similarly, Davies has played in 23 NHL games since 2020-21. Sebrango was brought over in the Alex DeBrincat trade last year. However, he only played 35 games with Belleville and also had a short stint in the ECHL.
Internal and External Options
The final two options for Ottawa may simply be, if one of the lefties misses some time, bring over a right-handed defenceman. It is possible Calen Addison or Bernard-Docker can play their offside for a short period of time. Lassi Thompson is another guy on the outside that maybe they give a shot to if needed.
Waivers will also be an option for this team. Around this time every season lots of players are placed there, and always some surprises. Maybe a left-handed shot the Sens like get placed on waivers and they feel strongly enough to make a claim for a seventh defenceman. Given their current roster, it seems unlikely, but it is a possibility.
Ottawa Senators Defence at its Best with the Big Three
At the end of the day, the best outcome will always be for Sanderson, Chabot, and Kleven to chug along as planned. It is a great three options to start with on the left side, there is no arguing that. But it will be interesting to see what happens as the year goes along. Because as it stands now, the Ottawa Senators defence is heavily relying on stability and health from their left side to be successful.
Main Photo: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
