Evaluation time for the Sens

Over the past couple of years, finding articles and opinions on the Ottawa Senators has been a difficult task personally. Since this team is usually overshadowed by bigger market teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, finding intriguing opinions and speculation for my team has always been somewhat of a drag. I’ve decided to start writing and publishing my own articles about my personal opinions on what the “plan” should be moving forward with this organization.

It’s quite obvious that this team has been absolutely all over the place since being a goal shy of a berth in the Stanley cup finals just over a year ago in the 2017–18 NHL playoffs. Although I am somewhat embarrassed of calling myself a Sens fan, I have a lot of hope in this team and am enthused by our prospect pool and the promise some youngsters are showing.

I will be diving into the subject of which prospect will have the biggest impact for the Senators this upcoming season. Will Thomas Chabot have his sought after breakout season? I will also be exploring and speculating a possible Zack Smith return on a trade since I don’t think he should be part of the so called “plan” moving forward.

While many of us Sens fans are obviously hopeless for the upcoming season, some of us view it as an evaluation of the future of this team — I consider myself one of those few fans.

I must admit, out of all my years watching hockey, this is the most scared I’ve been entering a season with the factors that we could be losing Karlsson, Duchene and Mark Stone on top of the possibility of forfeiting the top pick which could end up being future superstar Jack Hughes. Although I am more of a Alexis Lafreniere fan I just can’t imagine losing Matt Duchene and Jack Hughes all in the same year.

As we’ve all seen with the Vegas Golden Knights, teams with zero expectations can excel in that position, so I am hopeful that the Senators could surprise me. That surprise needs to start with some players making a difference on the team though. We have a handful of young players who could crack the lineup after training camp.

A name we’ve all heard of is Colin White, he played 26 games last year with the Senators and managed to put up an underwhelming 6 points. He did however manage to play with more confidence towards the end of the season when he was paired with Matt Duchene and the forgotten Mike Hoffman. I strongly believe in Colin White and his abilities. He should crack the opening night roster without a problem unless he gets injured again. I predict that if White can play himself into a top 6 role he could produce at a 0.40 points per game as a rookie. That ceiling only gets higher as the years go by, it is also a contract year for White, so he’ll have something to play for.

Another prospect who should get a shot at the opening night roster is Logan Brown. The towering 6’6 center has a lot to prove after an injury riddled season split between the Windsor Spitfire and the Kitchener Rangers. He had a great playoff run with the Rangers where he put up a respectable 27 points in 19 games. Last year he surprised in training camp and made the opening night roster playing four games and registering one lone assist in those contests, the youngster has some expectations this year. I believe he will start the year in Belleville and eventually get called up to the big club à la Thomas Chabot last year.

We also have our third American youngster and recently signed Brady Tkachuk who is looking to make an immediate impact this season. This kid is motivated and is one hell of a competitor like his father Keith and brother Matthew. Tkachuk can fight for a top 6 role with the departure of left winger Mike Hoffman this offseason. There are plenty of spots up for grabs for many prospects looking to make their way up. I can see Tkachuk slotting in next to Pageau to start the year and maybe end up with his buddy Logan Brown towards the end of the season.

Another intriguing prospect is Wolanin who will be given a shot to stick with the big club this season. Personally, I am a huge Wolanin fan, I strongly believe he can make an impact this season either on the 3rd pairing or even the 2nd pairing. The coaching staff should give him a real opportunity instead of giving it to guys like Ben Harpur or Mark Borowiecki which, we all know are nothing more than bottom pairing or 7th defenseman type guys.

After Thomas Chabot, Wolanin is the highest ceiling left hand defenseman on this team and he should be given more ice time as well as ample opportunities on the man advantage. I believe he can pass 20 points if he plays at least 70 games this year, but unfortunately due to my lack in confidence in the coaching staff, I don’t think he will be given a fair opportunity.

The Senators should look no further than young defenseman Will Butcher of the New Jersey Devils who was given good ice time last season and thrived into a young stud who could potentially become a top 2 defenseman one day and just like Wolanin, Butcher came straight out of college hockey.

The real question: who do I believe will make the biggest impact this season? I have to go with Colin White. He is the most mature out of all of the others and has the most experience in the pro game. He should be given the opportunity to thrive into a top 6 role. Maybe with Duchene again, if he doesn’t leave.

When Erik Karlsson came to North America, he had 12 points in 11 games in his first year with the Binghamton Senators and finished the season with 26 points in 60 games with the Ottawa Senators. Last year, Thomas Chabot had 7 points in 13 games with the Belleville Senators and 25 points in 63 games with the big club. Coincidence?

I’m not saying Chabot is a second coming of Karlsson, I’m just stating that maybe Chabot could become an all-star in this league which I think he will. Chabot can easily become a 50-point a season player if he continues to progress his game. A team featuring Erik Karlsson and a 50-point Thomas Chabot looks pretty intimidating all of a sudden.

Now, what could Zack Smith, a guy who put up 25 goals just two seasons ago, fetch on the trade market today? If I’m Pierre Dorion I want as many picks as I can get. Realistically, we are most likely looking at a 3rd and a C level prospect, unless Ottawa attaches a little something extra to the package. We heard rumblings last year of Calgary being a potential candidate to land Smith but with their recent addition of James Neal the rumors should be put to rest.

I’m looking at a team like the Hurricanes who could look to implement some veteran leadership to their team given the abundance of youth they own. Ottawa could live with giving Zack Smith and a 6th in 2020 for a guy like Julien Gauthier who is down in the Hurricanes depth chart given all the youth. Gauthier is a big right winger at 6’4 and has the potential to become a solid power forward down the stretch. He would need some more seasoning down at the AHL level for another two to three years but Ottawa is a team who could be patient with his development. Moving Smith would also give the Senators some salary flexibility, which we all know is always a plus for Eugene Melnyk, it could help facilitate a potential Karlsson, Stone or Duchene extension. Many teams could use a guy like Smith on their team, Ottawa just needs to find a suitable partner.

At the end of the day, i’d be pretty happy with a third and a prospect for Smith and I think some teams would be ready to give that up for a veteran 3rd liner who has also proved he can be relied upon to fill a top 6 role if needed.

Many things still need to be covered and will be discussed during the course of the upcoming season. Youth should be implemented in the lineup, it’s up to Guy Boucher to use them accordingly to further develop the kids.

On my next article I will be giving my opinions on Cody Ceci and Ben Harpur, I will also be talking about fitting all the core pieces under 73 million.

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