We’re now at the halfway point of The Hockey News’ NHL summer splash series with the Ottawa Senators at No. 17.
In these summer splash rankings, we’re looking at every team’s roster additions, departures, hirings and firings to see who improved, got worse and stayed largely the same.
The Senators didn’t make any massive moves this off-season, but they did take care of business by re-signing star center Claude Giroux to a one-year contract at the bargain rate of $2 million. That gives team president Steve Staios a lot more cap space to use, even if he is strategically holding on to his $4.29 million in cap space.
This is a Sens team on the rise, and they helped their depth to a notable degree while still having some cap flexibility. Can’t say that Staios is doing a bad job, that’s for sure.
Additions
Lars Eller (C), Arthur Kaliyev, (LW) Jordan Spence, (D)
The Breakdown: The Senators went out of the playoffs in the first round against the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, but Sens management is obviously devoted to this core. Staios didn’t make a ton of additions, with greybeard Eller, reclamation project Kaliyev and blueliner Spence being the extent of the newcomers next season.
The Sens probably don’t want you to focus on this off-season, even if they are a slightly-improved squad that almost assuredly will challenge not only for a playoff berth, but to win some series. They want you to focus on Ottawa’s terrific group of young players.
Meanwhile, of the three newcomers, we’re most intrigued by the addition of Spence, a 24-year-old who averaged 16:47 of ice time with the Los Angeles Kings last season. Spence will likely start on Ottawa’s third defense pairing, but we think he’s going to make some notable strides on his way to eventually being in the Sens’ top-four collection of defensemen.
Departures
Adam Gaudette (RW), Cole Reinhardt (LW), Travis Hamonic (D), Dennis Gilbert (D)
The Breakdown: Of all the departures, the one that hurts the most is the loss of Gaudette, who rode a career-best season – with 19 goals in 81 games – all the way to a $2-million contract with the San Jose Sharks. But it’s not as if the Senators desperately needed his offense, even at a time when the Sens averaged only 2.95 goals per game – which ranked 19th overall last season.
The Senators need their big guns to take a step forward if Ottawa is to be a playoff team to reckon with. Acquiring Spence, Kaliyev and Eller will help make the Sens a deeper team, but they need Tim Stutzle, Brady Tkachuk and Dylan Cozens to step up and ease the pressure on the rest of the team.
And while the Sens may have wanted Gaudette back at a less-expensive price, Ottawa can use its cap flexibility to acquire talent either sometime before the season begins, or before the next trade deadline day arrives. Staios is in an enviable position, but Senators fans are still watching every move he makes in an effort to hold management accountable. If Staios swings for the fences, Sens supporters really need a home run.
The Bottom Line
The Senators have an above-average group, a hungry group and a determined group.
And coach Travis Green has to do whatever it takes to instill enough confidence and enough team structure to elevate the games of his best young players.
Another issue for the Senators is that the Atlantic Division they play in is the most competitive division in the game. And that always spells high drama as Ottawa tries as hard as it can to push past playoff regulars in Toronto, Florida and Tampa Bay and establish a new level of competitiveness they believe Sens youngsters can handle.
To be sure, there’s no reason why this Senators team can’t take that next competitive step. Staios will probably always be looking for experience to add to his young core, but with solid goaltending from Linus Ullmark and Leevi Merilainen and the continued development of some of their younger players, the Sens are almost certainly going to be a playoff contender and a team to keep your eyes on.
Staios still has another swing at the plate this year with the cap space he has at the moment. But it says here the Senators should hang onto their cap space as long as possible, because once the season begins, you want to have talent insurance, and that’s what cap space is there for. The injury bug can lay waste to your year, but having nearly $5-million in cap space assures Staios that he can react to any situation that arises during the year.
And while the Sens landed roughly in the middle of the pack of our summer splash, we’re firm believers that Ottawa can make some noise this year. They’re low in our rankings because they didn’t do much to improve, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to disappoint their fans next season. To the contrary – this could be the Senators’ best year in recent memory.
Summer Splash Rankings
16. Ottawa Senators
17. Boston Bruins
18. Edmonton Oilers
19. Minnesota Wild
20. Seattle Kraken
21. Columbus Blue Jackets
22. Washington Capitals
23. Nashville Predators
24. New York Islanders
25. Tampa Bay Lightning
26. Toronto Maple Leafs
27. Dallas Stars
28. Calgary Flames
29. Los Angeles Kings
30. Winnipeg Jets
31. Chicago Blackhawks
32. Buffalo Sabres
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