Offseason areas of improvement for the Ottawa Senators
Wayne Scanlan of Sportsnet: Whenever the sale of the Ottawa Senators goes through, will the new want to make any changes? The process may not be approved and finalized until after the draft and the start of free agency this offseason. Any front office and coaching changes may not happen for a while.
The Senators do have some areas on the ice they’ll need to address this offseason.
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Does Alex DeBrincat round out the final top-six slot? Get the sense that they will sign him long-term or qualify him at $9 million as opposed to trading him.
Bottom-six forwards – They need to add more scoring and two-way tenacity to go with rookie Shane Pinto.
Defence: The pieces are in place – Top group consists of Thomas Chabot, Jakob Chychrun, Jake Sanderson, Erik Brannstrom and Artem Zub. Travis Hamonic is a pending UFA and could be brought back if the price is right, and fellow UFA Nick Holden is likely gone. Will Tyler Kleven need a year of seasoning in the AHL? Sanderson has a year left on his ELC and will need a big extension.
Goaltending: Where is the next Craig Anderson? Cam Talbot and Anton Forsberg battled injuries and consistency all season. They need to find a reliable veteran goaltender for next season.
Could the Los Angeles Kings bring back Joonas Korpisalo next season?
TSN: Since being acquired by the Los Angeles Kings from the Columbus Blue Jackets at the trade deadline, goaltender Joonas Korpisalo has played really well, and it’s possible that he could be more than just a rental for the Kings according to Pierre LeBrun.
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“There have been a couple of short conversations with his camp, agent Markus Lehto, and Kings’ management where both sides agreed not to go down that path right now with the playoffs right around the corner. They don’t want to add a distraction to Korpisalo’s life, who is playing so well. But I think it’s fair to say, depending on how the playoffs go, the two sides intend to speak again after the playoff season and certainly before July 1.”