{"id":441106,"date":"2024-05-15T09:00:19","date_gmt":"2024-05-15T13:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=441106"},"modified":"2024-05-15T08:50:21","modified_gmt":"2024-05-15T12:50:21","slug":"ottawa-senators-bottom-six-for-2024-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/05\/15\/ottawa-senators-bottom-six-for-2024-25\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ottawa Senators Bottom-Six for 2024-25"},"content":{"rendered":"

One thing is for sure, if the Ottawa Senators<\/span><\/a> are going to get a sniff at the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, their bottom-six needs to go from a weakness to a strength. Plain and simple, you need to have guys who step-in to produce. For example, let\u2019s take a look at the bottom-eight forwards in Ottawa Senators scoring in 2023-24. This list of 4th<\/span> liners for the Ottawa Senators included guys like Rourke Chartier<\/a>, Jiri Smejkal<\/a>, and Angus Crookshank<\/a>, among others. They combined for a miniscule 14 points in 127 games totaled. It might be the opposite end of the spectrum, but compare to the Dallas Stars<\/a>. Matt Duchene<\/a> and Tyler Seguin<\/a> found themselves playing together on the third line in 2023-24. They had 65 and 52 points, respectively. So, how can they expect to compete against playoff teams, when they get so badly outplayed.<\/p>\n

How Do We Build the Ottawa Senators 1st<\/span> Through 4th<\/span> Forward Lines<\/h2>\n

In order to determine who\u2019s available for the Ottawa Senators 4th <\/span>line, we can quickly touch on the top two lines. It\u2019s not a perfect science, but assuming the 2023-24 lines succeed, we can knock off the top two lines. Now a word of caution, and why we say it is not a perfect science, is because year-over-year, line combinations don\u2019t always carry over equivalent success.<\/p>\n

First and Foremost, the Top-Six is Very Good<\/h3>\n

The main example from 2022-23 to 2023-24, was the Brady Tkachuk<\/a>, Tim Stutzle<\/a>, and Claude Giroux<\/a> line. Yes, they may have been impacted by Stutzle being banged up, and Giroux negatively regressing. However, according to moneypuck<\/span><\/a>, their xGoals% as a line went from 59.9 to 53.0. But it helped that the new lines from 2023-24 did pick up the pace. Tkachuk, along with Shane Pinto<\/a> and Drake Batherson<\/a> were 56.6. Also, the Stutzle, Giroux, and Mathieu Joseph<\/a> line managed a rating of 54.0. In any sense, even the top lines weren\u2019t good enough for long enough to make the Sens a competitive team in the Eastern Conference playoff race. As a sidebar, Pinto’s emergence as sure fire top-six guy was very evident in 2023-24.<\/p>\n

Norris and Greig on the 3rd<\/span> Line Exciting Possibilities<\/h3>\n

So, if we decide to go with those lines from 2023-24 into 2024-25, we have a couple potential top-six guys leftover for the third line. This is a huge deal, when you think of teams like the Stars or the Toronto Maple Leafs<\/a> with a Max Domi<\/a>, this is the calibre of third liners of playoff contenders. Therefore, those two players on the Sens roster available for the third line are Ridly Greig<\/a> and a rested Joshua Norris<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Due to injuries, going back to the start of the 2020-21 season, Norris has only played 180 NHL games. They have been productive games as he\u2019s scored 70 times, but this Sens group needs him in the lineup. Regardless, having him come in in a third line role should help shelter him from pressure and tougher defensive assignments. If he can play with a guy like Greig, they can help each other too, whether on faceoffs, offensively, or on the backcheck. Having two responsible players like that, will be a huge advantage.<\/p>\n

Now, like Tkachuk can for Stutzle, they will need someone to protect them. This is where Zack Ostapchuk<\/a> comes in. We know he won\u2019t back down and has nice hands around the net. He has shown a scoring touch in the past with 31 goals in his last year of juniors. In addition, he had 17 this year for the Belleville Senators, the Sens AHL affiliate. The one potential downside to Ostapchuk, but only in terms of timing, is he may need more development time in the AHL. And the Sens need someone for October 2024. There are some internal options, such as Crookshank, Roby Jarventie<\/a>, or Mark Kastelic<\/a>, but point is, someone needs to step up, and produce in that role. The other option is, of course, external. This is where adding a veteran, two-way guy to the middle six really gives the Sens more options.<\/p>\n

Last Word on Sens Podcast: Travis Green Hired and Other Notes with Jamie McLennan<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n