Season Preview: Ottawa Senators
Major Additions: Luke Richardson, Shean Donovan
Major Subtractions: Mike Comrie, Tom Preissing, Peter Schaefer
Analysis
Patience didn’t save John Muckler’s job, but it may have been just what the Ottawa Senators needed.
Remember the start of last season, when everyone was calling for the team to trade Daniel Alfredsson? The Senators struggled early a year ago but keeping the team together was obviously the right decision. Fast forward to the summer, when trade rumours surrounded Martin Gerber right through pre-season (where he played extremely well). With Ray Emery on the shelf for an undetermined time-frame, Gerber is the go-to guy in Canada’s capital once again. The Senators may still look to trade him, if only to free up cap space in their attempts to re-sign Danny Heatley, Jason Spezza and Wade Redden before the summer, but it won’t happen anytime soon.
The Senators went deep into the playoffs last year and kept most of their team together, but that doesn’t mean they’re the automatic favourites in the East. The loss of Preissing (the Sens’ highest scoring blueliner last year), Comrie and Schaefer mean the team once again lacks scoring depth behind its big three of Alfredsson, Spezza and Heatley. If enough teams learn from the convincing five-game thrashing the Anaheim Ducks delivered the Senators in the Cup finals, we may see more teams take a hard, fast, rugged forecheck against this team. While defencemen Anton Volchenkov and Chris Phillips can handle that, the rest of the defencemen are notoriously less prepared for it. Redden, in particular, seems to have trouble justifying his $6.5 million contract when he’s playing in his own end.
Other question marks remain but most are minor at worst. The team will have a tough time keeping its core together past this year, so they know this might be their best chance of winning as a group. The Senators have to be considered the favourites to win the East this year.