The Ottawa Senators are the next up in our Atlantic Division season primers.
Use the below Tabs to view Senators info for this upcoming season, as well as some numbers from last year.
2013-14 record: 37-31-14, 88 points
Where they finished: 5th in the Atlantic; tied for 11th in the East; tied for 19th.
Player Salaries: $54,345,000 (23)
Cap Payroll: $54,883,333
Bonuses: $1,628,333
Cap Space: $14,116,667
Forwards: $29,651,667 (13)
Defensemen: $19,819,167 (8)
Goalies: $5,412,500 (2)
Source: CapGeek.com
In: Aaron Johnson D, Alex Chiasson RW, Alexander Guptill LW, Carter Camper C, David Legwand C/LW, Nicholas Paul C/LW
Out: Ales Hemsky RW, Jason Spezza C, Ludwig Karlsson LW
2014-15 Team Outlook:
Last year the team was coming off a season in which they made the playoffs in a rather surprising way. Although there were plenty of injuries to key players like Erik Karlsson and Jason Spezza, and the team was expected to finish dead last in the East, the Sens found a way to get into the postseason during the lockout season.
More of the same was expected from the Sens last season, especially since they basically kept the same core as the previous year, while finally adding a star winger to the mix to play alongside Spezza, in Bobby Ryan.
The Ryan trade didn’t exactly go to plan, as he found more success playing on a line with Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur rather than Spezza and Milan Michalek, and the team failed to make the postseason.
The offseason hasn’t gone much better for the Sens, as Spezza, the team captain, asked for a trade and was subsequently dealt to the Dallas Stars for one NHL forward, Alex Chiasson, two prospects, Alex Guptill and Nicholas Paul, as well as a second-round pick in 2015. The haul wasn’t a great one for the Sens, but Spezza also didn’t really put them in a position of strength to make a trade either. The second blow of the offseason came when Ales Hemsky, who had re-found his offensive touch beside Spezza after being dealt from the Oilers to the Sens late last year, followed Spezza and signed as a UFA with the Stars.
Aside from those two key losses, it hasn’t been all bad for the Sens, as they did make a signing to replace Spezza in the top-six forward group.
Bringing in David Legwand as a UFA on a cheap two-year, $6 million deal was a great move by the frugal Sens. Legwand can slide into the second- or third-line centre roll, with Kyle Turris on the first (alongside Bobby Ryan and Clarke MacArthur) after impressing for most of last season. With a good camp young centre Mika Zibanejad could take over the second-line centre spot from Legwand, but for now it’s safe to assume it’s Legwands to lose. The only other spot left up for grabs in the top-six is that of the second-line right-wing alongside Legwand and Michalek, a spot that Alex Chiasson, Mike Hoffman, Mark Stone, Shane Prince, Matt Puempel and rookie Curtis Lazar will be fighting for. The bottom-six looks similar to last season, with Zibanejad (or Legwand) and Zach Smith manning the middle and the gritty Chris Neil, Colin Greening, Erik Condra and one of Chiasson or Hoffman on the wings. J.G. Pageau is another name that will be looking to stick with the team this season.
Defensively the Sens will be rolling out the exact same, less than impressive group as they did last season. This was the area the team was said to be looking to address, but here we are with the exact same group of six going into the 2014-15 season. On the first-pairing will be Marc Methot and Erik Karlsson, with Jared Cowen and Chris Phillips likely to make up the second-pairing and Eric Gryba and Cody Ceci on the third. Mark Borowiecki is another defenseman with NHL experience attempting to make the line-up.
Goaltenders Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner will also be back splitting time between the pipes, a major strong point for the Sens. Lehner, who was a RFA this offseason, recently re-signed with the team on a three-year, $6.67 million deal that shows the Sens rightfully still view him as their goalie of the future. The Senators also locked up the 33-year old Anderson to a three-year contract extension that won’t kick in until next year..
The Senators won’t be out to win the Stanley Cup this season, but if they have proved anything in the past, it’s not to underestimate them. They are nicknamed the “Pesky Sens” for a reason. The team is now drama free with Spezza gone, and it’s sounding like Ryan is in fact open to signing an extension with them. With the influx of young talent that the Sens have looking to make the team this season, mixed with the skill they possess in net and the talents of Ryan, Turris, and Karlsson, it wouldn’t be crazy to think they could sneak into the playoffs. It will, however, be a hard task for the team, especially since most teams in the East improved this offseason.
Written by Greg Stamper, who can be found on twitter @g_stamp91.
The depth chart listed below was taken from NHL.com’s 30-in-30.
FORWARDS
Clarke MacArthur – Kyle Turris – Bobby Ryan
Milan Michalek – Mika Zibanejad – Alex Chiasson
Colin Greening – Zack Smith – Chris Neil
Mike Hoffman – David Legwand – Mark Stone
Erik Condra – Derek Grant
DEFENSEMEN
Marc Methot – Erik Karlsson
Jared Cowen – Cody Ceci
Chris Phillips – Patrick Wiercioch
Eric Gryba
GOALTENDERS
Craig Anderson
Robin Lehner
Forwards | POS | HT | WT | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
Alex Chiasson | R | 6′ 4″ | 205 | 1-Oct-90 | MONTREAL, QC, CAN |
Erik Condra | R | 6′ 0″ | 190 | 6-Aug-86 | TRENTON, MI, USA |
Colin Greening | L | 6′ 3″ | 210 | 9-Mar-86 | ST. JOHN’S, NL, CAN |
Mike Hoffman | L | 6′ 0″ | 185 | 24-Nov-89 | KITCHENER, ON, CAN |
David Legwand | C | 6′ 2″ | 205 | 17-Aug-80 | DETROIT, MI, USA |
Clarke Macarthur | L | 6′ 0″ | 195 | 6-Apr-85 | LLOYDMINSTER, AB, CAN |
Milan Michalek | L | 6′ 2″ | 216 | 7-Dec-84 | JINDRICHUV HRADEC, CZE |
Chris Neil | R | 6′ 1″ | 215 | 18-Jun-79 | FLESHERTON, ON, CAN |
Jean-Gabriel Pageau | C | 5′ 9″ | 175 | 11-Nov-92 | OTTAWA, ON, CAN |
Bobby Ryan | R | 6′ 2″ | 207 | 17-Mar-87 | CHERRY HILL, NJ, USA |
Zack Smith | C | 6′ 2″ | 210 | 5-Apr-88 | MAPLE CREEK, SK, CAN |
Mark Stone | R | 6′ 2″ | 205 | 13-May-92 | WINNIPEG, MB, CAN |
Kyle Turris | C | 6′ 1″ | 191 | 14-Aug-89 | NEW WESTMINSTER, BC, CAN |
Mika Zibanejad | C | 6′ 2″ | 211 | 18-Apr-93 | STOCKHOLM, SWE |
Defencemen | HT | WT | AGE | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
Mark Borowiecki | 6′ 2″ | 205 | 25 | 12-Jul-89 | OTTAWA, ON, CAN |
Cody Ceci | 6′ 3″ | 209 | 20 | 21-Dec-93 | OTTAWA, ON, CAN |
Jared Cowen | 6′ 5″ | 228 | 23 | 25-Jan-91 | SASKATOON, SK, CAN |
Eric Gryba | 6′ 4″ | 225 | 26 | 14-Apr-88 | SASKATOON, SK, CAN |
Erik Karlsson | 6′ 0″ | 180 | 24 | 31-May-90 | LANDSBRO, SWE |
Marc Methot | 6′ 3″ | 230 | 29 | 21-Jun-85 | OTTAWA, ON, CAN |
Chris Phillips | 6′ 3″ | 220 | 36 | 9-Mar-78 | CALGARY, AB, CAN |
Patrick Wiercioch | 6′ 5″ | 206 | 23 | 12-Sep-90 | BURNABY, BC, CAN |
Goalies | HT | WT | AGE | DOB | BIRTH PLACE |
Craig Anderson | 6′ 2″ | 184 | 33 | 21-May-81 | PARK RIDGE, IL, USA |
Robin Lehner | 6′ 5″ | 225 | 23 | 24-Jul-91 | GOTHENBURG, SWE |
A look at the Ottawa Senators top prospects heading into this season. Each source may use different classifications as to if a player is deemed a prospect or has graduated on from a prospect.
RK | NHL.com | ESPN Corey Pronman |
Dobber Prospects | Hockeys Future | The Hockey News | |
1 | Curtis Lazar | Curtis Lazar | Cody Ceci | Curtis Lazar | Curtis Lazar | |
2 | Mark Stone | Mark Stone | Curtis Lazar | Cody Ceci | Mark Stone | |
3 | Matt Puempel | Mikael Wikstrand | Mark Stone | Mark Stone | Andreas Englund | |
4 | Mikael Wikstrand | Matt Puempel | Alex Guptill | Matt Puempel | Mark Borowiecki | |
5 | Alex Guptill | Miles Gendron | Jean-Gabriel Pageau | Chris Driedger | Matt Puempel | |
6 | Shane Prince | Andreas Englund | Matt Puempel | Jean-Gabriel Pageau | Mikael Wikstrand | |
7 | Fredrik Claesson | Nick Paul | Mikael Wikstrand | Ryan Dzingel | Jean-Gabriel Pageau | |
8 | Buddy Robinson | Fredrik Claesson | Chris Driedger | Andreas Englund | Murcus Hogberg | |
9 | Marcus Hogberg | Quentin Shore | Shane Prince | Alex Guptill | Mike Hoffman | |
10 | Ryan Dzingel | Shane Prince | Mike Hoffman | Shane Prince | Alex Guptill |
* Dobber Prospects – Prospects based on relevance in a fantasy-hockey keeper league, not actual talent on the ice.
Ottawa Senators Draft History from the past five years
2014 Draft | ||||||
Rd. | Draft # | Player | Pos. | Team | Ht. | Wt. |
2 | 40 | Andreas Englund | D | Djurgearden (SWE) | 6′ 3″ | 190 |
3 | 70 | Miles Gendron | D | Rivers Academy HS (MA) | 6′ 1″ | 181 |
4 | 100 | Shane Eiserman | C/LW | Dubuque (USHL) | 6′ 1″ | 200 |
7 | 189 | Kelly Summers | D | Carleton Place (CCHL) | 6′ 1″ | 191 |
7 | 190 | Francis Perron | LW | Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL) | 5′ 11″ | 166 |
2013 Draft | ||||||
1 | 17 | Curtis Lazar | C | Edmonton (WHL) | 6′ 0″ | 190 |
3 | 78 | Marcus Hogberg | G | Linkoping Jr (SWE) | 6′ 4″ | 194 |
4 | 102 | Tobias Lindberg | RW | Djurgarden Jr. (SWE-JR. ) | 6′ 3″ | 200 |
4 | 108 | Ben Harpur | D | Guelph (OHL ) | 6′ 5.5″ | 210 |
5 | 138 | Vincent Dunn | C | Val-D’Or (QMJHL ) | 5′ 11″ | 172 |
6 | 161 | Chris Leblanc | RW | South Shore (EJHL) | 6′ 3″ | 195 |
6 | 168 | Quentin Shore | C | U. of Denver (WCHA) | 6′ 1″ | 190 |
2012 Draft | ||||||
1 | 15 | Cody Ceci | D | Ottawa (OHL) | 6′ 2″ | 203 |
3 | 76 | Chris Driedger | G | Calgary (WHL) | 6′ 2″ | 187 |
3 | 82 | Jarrod Maidens | C | Owen Sound (OHL) | 6′ 2″ | 170 |
4 | 106 | Timothy Boyle | D | Nobles HS (MA) | 6′ 1″ | 185 |
5 | 136 | Robert Baillargeon | C | Indiana (USHL) | 5’11” | 164 |
6 | 166 | Francois Brassard | G | Quebec (QMJHL) | 6′ 1″ | 154 |
7 | 196 | Mikael Wikstrand | D | Mora (Swe-2) | 6′ 1″ | 183 |
2011 Draft | ||||||
1 | 6 | Mika Zibanejad | C | Djurgårdens IF (SWE) | 6′ 1″ | 183 |
1 | 21 | Stefan Noesen | RW | Plymouth (OHL) | 6′ 0″ | 195 |
1 | 24 | Matt Puempel | LW | Peterborough (OHL) | 6′ 0″ | 190 |
2 | 61 | Shane Prince | C | Ottawa (OHL) | 5’10” | 180 |
4 | 96 | Jean-Gabriel Pageau | C | Gatineau (QMJHL) | 5′ 9″ | 165 |
5 | 126 | Fredrik Claesson | D | Djurgarden (Swe) | 6′ 0″ | 200 |
6 | 156 | Darren Kramer | C | Spokan (WHL) | 6′ 1″ | 202 |
6 | 171 | Max McCormick | LW | Sioux City (USHL) | 5’11” | 175 |
7 | 186 | Jordan Fransoo | D | Brandon (WHL) | 6′ 2″ | 178 |
7 | 204 | Ryan Dzingle | C | Lincoln (USHL) | 6′ 0″ | 185 |
2010 Draft | ||||||
3 | 76 | Jakub Culek | LW | Rimouski | 6′ 3″ | 185 |
4 | 106 | Markus Sorensen | RW | Sodertalje Jr. | 5’11” | 156 |
6 | 178 | Mark Stone | RW | Brandon | 6′ 2″ | 188 |
7 | 196 | Bryce Aneloski | D | Cedar Rapids | 6′ 2″ | 197 |
Player | GP | G | A | P | +/- | PIM | PP | SH | GW | S | S% |
Erik Karlsson | 82 | 20 | 54 | 74 | -15 | 36 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 257 | 7.8 |
Jason Spezza | 75 | 23 | 43 | 66 | -26 | 46 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 223 | 10.3 |
Kyle Turris | 82 | 26 | 32 | 58 | 22 | 39 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 215 | 12.1 |
Clarke Macarthur | 79 | 24 | 31 | 55 | 12 | 78 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 159 | 15.1 |
Bobby Ryan | 70 | 23 | 25 | 48 | 7 | 45 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 190 | 12.1 |
Milan Michalek | 82 | 17 | 22 | 39 | -25 | 41 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 169 | 10.1 |
Mika Zibanejad | 69 | 16 | 17 | 33 | -15 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 153 | 10.5 |
Marc Methot | 75 | 6 | 17 | 23 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 117 | 5.1 |
Patrick Wiercioch | 53 | 4 | 19 | 23 | -1 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 97 | 4.1 |
Zack Smith | 82 | 13 | 9 | 22 | -9 | 111 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 154 | 8.4 |
Cory Conacher | 60 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 73 | 5.5 |
Ales Hemsky | 20 | 4 | 13 | 17 | -2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 44 | 9.1 |
Colin Greening | 76 | 6 | 11 | 17 | -15 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 5.6 |
Erik Condra | 76 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 85 | 7.1 |
Chris Phillips | 70 | 1 | 14 | 15 | -12 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 90 | 1.1 |
Jared Cowen | 68 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 0 | 45 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 68 | 8.8 |
Chris Neil | 76 | 8 | 6 | 14 | -10 | 211 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 8.1 |
Eric Gryba | 57 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 64 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 57 | 3.5 |
Joe Corvo | 25 | 3 | 7 | 10 | -7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 54 | 5.6 |
Cody Ceci | 49 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -5 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 82 | 3.7 |
Mark Stone | 19 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 11.1 |
Mike Hoffman | 25 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 4.9 |
Stephane Da Costa | 12 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 15 |
Matt Kassian | 33 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 63 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 8.3 |
Derek Grant | 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 0 |
Jean-Gabriel Pageau | 28 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 6.5 |
Mark Borowiecki | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2 | 48 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 16.7 |
Goalie | GPI | GS | MIN | GAA | W | L | OT | SO | SA | GA | SV% |
Craig Anderson | 53 | 52 | 3000 | 3.00 | 25 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 1680 | 150 | 0.911 |
Robin Lehner | 36 | 30 | 1942 | 3.06 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 1141 | 99 | 0.913 |
Andrew Hammond | 1 | 0 | 35 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 1.000 |
Nathan Lawson | 1 | 0 | 12 | 10.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0.800 |
Performance and Usage Charts for the Ottawa Senators from last season, from Extra Skater.
Senators media section was created by Mike Power
With training camp just around the corner, it’s time to get back into our routine of incessantly checking our favourite Senators blogs. Compiled here for your convenience is a list of some of the best Sens blogs, reporters and twitter accounts to follow. I’ve also created a twitter list here to which you can subscribe with one easy click. I’ll keep updating the list throughout the season, and if I’ve missed someone who should be included please let me know.
National Media:
Bleacher Report
SB Nation
SB Nation Senators Blog
Local:
Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Sun
TSN 1200 and on twitter
Writers & Local Media on Twitter:
James Gordon
Don Brennan
Wayne Scanlan
Ken Warren
Bruce Garrioch
Ian Mendes
Shawn Simpson
Steve Lloyd
John Rodenburg
Steve Warne
Jason York
AJ Jakubec
Lee Versage
Matt Kaunisviita
James Abson
Brent Wallace
Murray Pam
Nicolas St-Pierre
Dan Seguin
Terry Marcotte
Marc Brassard
Chris Stevenson
Sylvain St-Laurent
Dean Brown
Matt Weinstein (Binghamton Senators beat)
Blogs:
SensChirp and on twitter
Welcome To Your Karlsson Years and on twitter
Bonk’s Mullett and on twitter
Sens Town and on twitter
Sens Nation and on twitter
6th Sens and on twitter
Red Scarf Union and on twitter
Best of Sens Twitter:
Travis Yost: @TravisHeHateMe
Bonk’s Mullet: @BonksMullet
Adnan: @sens_adnan
Don in Farrhaven: @Don_inFarrhaven
Tyler Ray: @defenseminister
Steph: @PuckPossessed
Luke Peristy: @LukePeristy
Erin Nicks: @erinnicks
Brochenski: @brochenski
Kevin Lee: @BringBackLee
Chet Sellers: @chet_sellers
Peter Raaymakers: @rymkrs
Graeme Nichols: @GraemeNichols
Fffeisty: @fffeisty
Wham_City: @wham_city
Capital Gains: @Capital_Gains65
Team Sites:
Ottawa Senators and on twitter
Ottawa Senators Foundation and on twitter
Spartacat
Sens House and on twitter
Eugene Melnyk
Binghamton Senators and on twitter
Players’ Twitter:
Kyle Turris
Bobby Ryan
Erik Karlsson
Mika Zibanejad
Patrick Wiercioch
Chris Phillips
Cody Ceci
Eric Gryba
Zack Smith
Marc Methot
Robin Lehner
Craig Anderson
Erik Condra
Prospects’ Twitter
Mark Stone
Jean-Gabriel Pageau
Curtis Lazar
Shane Prince
Mike Hoffman
Derek Grant
Vincent Dunn
Matt Puempel
Francis Perron
Tobias Lindberg
Shane Eiserman
Marcus Hogberg
Mikael Wikstrand
Fredrik Claesson
Kelly Summers
Ryan Dzingel
Ben Harpur
Darren Kramer
Chris Driedger
Quentin Shore
Buddy Robinson
Nick Paul
Garrett Thompson
Miles Gendron
Tim Boyle
Alex Guptill
Wacey Hamilton
Andrew Hammond
Chris Wideman
Corey Cowick