{"id":131134,"date":"2022-07-29T09:41:50","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T13:41:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=131134"},"modified":"2022-07-29T09:41:50","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T13:41:50","slug":"confidence-high-ottawa-senators-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/07\/29\/confidence-high-ottawa-senators-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Confidence High for the Ottawa Senators This Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After a busy off-season, featuring a number of moves, confidence is high for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/07\/27\/sens-podcast-ottawa-senators-offseason\/\" target=\"_self\">Ottawa Senators<\/a> season. Let&#8217;s take a look at why they feel good coming into 2022-23.<\/p>\n<h2>Ottawa Senators Season Full of Confidence<\/h2>\n<p>The Ottawa Senators have had an off-season to remember. Because of it, confidence in the team is arguably at an all-time high after many years of frustrations.<\/p>\n<p>The rebuild was supposed to be over last season, but this year it looks to officially be true. Pierre Dorion has made a number of moves to construct a team that should genuinely be looking to make the postseason. It would be the first time since the dream run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>But what exactly puts the Ottawa Senators in a position to be successful after fourth-bottom in the Eastern Conference just last season?<\/p>\n<h3>Top Six Forwards a Threat<\/h3>\n<p>Any team&#8217;s pursuit of the Stanley Cup involves a top six set of forwards capable of driving play and providing the crucial goals needed throughout both the regular and post-season. The Senators have achieved that this summer with the additions they made.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t get us wrong, the team already had a strong foundation to build on. They had team captain <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tkachbr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brady Tkachuk<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/norrijo01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Norris<\/a> both eclipsing 30 goals last season. Additionally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/bathedr01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Drake Batherson<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/stuetti02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tim St\u00fctzle<\/a> have shown they can also be valuable offensive players under head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/smithdj01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D.J. Smith<\/a>. Now, though, that group has been bolstered with the off-season additions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/debrial01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex DeBrincat<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/giroucl01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Claude Giroux<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#8220;I think we&#8217;re seeing a coming of age of that top line.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The line of Drake Batherson, Josh Norris and Brady Tkachuk continues to get better and better <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoSensGo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GoSensGo<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcdd <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/KjuPhkmC2o\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/KjuPhkmC2o<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZW8bUdZtLH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/ZW8bUdZtLH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ottawa Senators (@Senators) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Senators\/status\/1469409976460447744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">December 10, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>DeBrincat <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/07\/07\/chicago-blackhawks-trade-alex-debrincat\/\" target=\"_self\">came over in a trade<\/a> that sees the Senators add a genuine goal threat in exchange for uncertain futures in the form of the seventh overall pick this year, while Giroux <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/07\/13\/report-claude-giroux-contract-inked-with-ottawa-senators\/\" target=\"_self\">opted to return home in free agency<\/a> and work with a young core he believes can be successful during his three-year deal.<\/p>\n<p>With this legitimate quality added to their top six, the Ottawa Senators will be feeling confident that the team can develop a high-powered offence. This offence will be capable of taking on the majority of teams in the league. Add to this the quality of players such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/formeal01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alex Formenton<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/pintosh01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shane Pinto<\/a> occupying roles on the third line, and the Ottawa Senators look like a team building a seriously competitive roster.<\/p>\n<h3>Settled Goaltender Tandem<\/h3>\n<p>The Ottawa Senators entered last season with an intriguing goaltender situation. The potential of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/murrama02.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Murray<\/a> bouncing back, combined with the returning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/f\/forsban01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anton Forsberg<\/a> and the desire to help prospect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/gustafi01.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Filip Gustavsson<\/a> develop all raised questions.<\/p>\n<p>This time around, however, the team&#8217;s NHL tandem is effectively set with Forsberg and recent addition <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/talboca01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Cam Talbot<\/a>. Both are entrenched as the presumed 1A\/1B partnership that will head into the 2022-23 campaign.<\/p>\n<p>Forsberg was solid for the Senators last season. He had a .917 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average in 46 appearances. While Talbot, acquired from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/wild\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Wild<\/a>, will be eager to impress and play meaningful minutes after seemingly losing his starting role in the wake of <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2022\/07\/07\/marc-andre-fleury-re-signs-with-the-minnesota-wild\/\" target=\"_self\">Marc-Andr\u00e9 Fleury&#8217;s re-signing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Having a tandem that is settled, knows their assignments, and will hopefully remain healthy for the long-term, can do wonders for a team looking to take the next step. This is certainly what the Ottawa Senators are hoping to do this year.<\/p>\n<p>Both can carry the role of a starter at times. However, they will equally work well as a partnership that splits time throughout the year. This could be the difference between a win or loss for the young corps of skaters in front of them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a busy off-season, featuring a number of moves, confidence is high for the Ottawa Senators season. Let&#8217;s take a look at why they feel good coming into 2022-23. Ottawa Senators Season Full of Confidence The Ottawa Senators have had an off-season to remember. Because of it, confidence in the team is arguably at an [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2529,"featured_media":131165,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4548,4547,8],"tags":[1046,1752,2133,1119,1605],"class_list":["post-131134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nhl","category-hockey","category-senators","tag-alex-debrincat","tag-anton-forsberg","tag-brady-tkachuk","tag-cam-talbot","tag-josh-norris"],"modified_by":"Alex Metzger, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2529"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131165"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}