Tampa Bay Lightning Rival Report: Ottawa Senators

As the NHL off-season moves into August, I’ll be taking a look at what the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Atlantic Division opponents have done thus far in the off-season. Next up, let’s review what the Ottawa Senators has done.

At this point in the NHL off-season, most teams, including the Tampa Bay Lightning, have already made most of their big moves and look to get ready for the upcoming season. Some teams have traded away their valuable assets for big name players or made a splash in the free agency market, while others have remained relatively quiet during the summer months.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a look at what the Lightning’s divisional opponents have done in the off-season thus far. There have been some moves within the division as well as blockbuster trades and questionable acquisitions among the eight teams in the Atlantic.

The fourth team we’ll look at is the Ottawa Senators and what the front office has done after an inconsistent season along with a few short playoff runs and head coaching changes the past several years. The team will look to get back into the Stanley Cup Playoffs after a one-year absence following their magical run down the stretch during the 2014-15 season.

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It’s not like the Senators have been a bad team in recent years, though the organization is nine years removed from their appearance in the 2007 Stanley Cup Final against the Anaheim Ducks, as Ottawa has made the playoffs three times in the past five seasons and advanced past the first round once (2013) in that span. Rather, it has been the overall mediocrity that Senators fans are fed up with and the pressure is on for the new regime in the front office and behind the bench.

In fact, former Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, Guy Boucher, who served as the bench boss for the Bolts from 2010 to 2013, was hired by the Senators in early May and will look to bring a new voice to the team after Dave Cameron was released after failing to get the team back to the playoffs. Boucher is known for his defensive style of coaching and famed use of the 1-3-1 neutral zone trap.

He also brings more experience to the table than the Senators last hire, as he coached the aforementioned Lightning for three seasons and in the Swiss A League for SC Bern. In his first season in Tampa Bay, Boucher led the team to the 2011 Eastern Conference Finals but eventually lost in game seven (sound familiar?), so there’s that.

Former head coach of the Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche, Vancouver Canucks, Los Angeles Kings, and Dallas Stars in the NHL and Zurich in the Swiss A League, Marc Crawford, was hired as an assistant to Boucher and he brings much knowledge to the table for this team.

In addition, former and long-tenured General Manager, Bryan Murray, decided to step down from the position because of health issues, among other things, and will continue in a senior advisory role. As a result, the Senators promoted Pierre Dorion, who served the past two season as an assistant GM and several years as a scout, as the new leader of the front office.

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With all of these personnel changes, this organization is clearly trying to go in a new direction and with the core of players they have in place, the Senators may not be far off from a deep run in the playoffs. However, many fans feel that the team is still a big move or two away from accomplishing those goals and returning to relevancy.

Fortunately for them, two-time Norris Trophy winner and top NHL defenseman, Erik Karlsson, is still with the Senators and will continue to be for seasons to come. He anchors a defensive core that has struggled with keeping the puck out of their own zone, which was the cause for much frustration last year, but does better on the other side of things.

Last season, Karlsson and the rest of the defense recorded 156 of 592 total points, but the 26-year-old Swede had 82 points, which was 56 more than the next closest blueliner in Cody Ceci.

That’s how important he is to the Senators, but it’s not just him. Ottawa is fairly deep at center, at least in the top-six, with Kyle Turris and newly acquired forward Derick Brassard going 1-2 in terms of slotting on the first and second lines. In addition, the Senators also have talented wingers in Mark Stone, who led all forwards in points last year, Mike Hoffman, Bobby Ryan, and center Jean-Gabriel Pageau to make up most of the supporting cast.

The team traded Mika Zibanejad for Brassard, though that’s likely an upgrade and the former New York Ranger brings a few seasons of playoff experience with him, which could help if they make the playoffs this coming season or down the road.

Before I get too deep into things here, though, let’s take a look at what first-year General Manager Pierre Dorion and his staff have done so far this off-season to help push the Ottawa Senators over the hump.

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Major Transactions

On July 7, the Ottawa Senators signed forward Chris Kelly to a one-year contract worth $900,000. The 35-year-old Toronto native was originally drafted by Ottawa in 1999 and also played for the Boston Bruins from 2010-2016, with which he won a Stanley Cup in 2011.

During his 13 year NHL career, Kelly has appeared in three Stanley Cup Finals and recorded 277 points in 751 games. [Ottawa Senators]

Possibly their biggest move of the off-season, the Ottawa Senators traded forward Mika Zibanejad and 2018 second-round draft pick to the New York Rangers for center Derick Brassard and a seventh-round draft pick in 2018.

After a career high 60 points during the 2014-15 season, Brassard nearly matched that total last season with 58 points in 80 games. He spent the last three and a half seasons with New York and gained valuable playoff experience during that span, which could help Ottawa down the road. [Ottawa Senators]

In a deal that needed to get done, the Senators re-signed winger Mike Hoffman to a four-year contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $5.19 million.

The 26-year-old Kitchener, Ontario native burst onto the scene during the 2014-15 season, when he scored 27 goals and recorded 48 points in 79 games during his first full season in the NHL. In 2015-16, he recorded a career-high 59 points in 78 games and led the team with nine power play goals. Hoffman will look to continue that production this coming season to help keep the Senators in the playoff conversation. [Ottawa Senators]

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Minor Transactions

April 1 – Ottawa Senators sign free agent defenseman Macoy Erkamps to a three-year, entry-level contract

April 5 – Ottawa Senators sign defenseman Andreas Englund to a three-year, entry-level contract

May 24 – Ottawa Senators sign former Tampa Bay Lightning forward, Tom Pyatt, to a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value (AAV) of $800,000

May 26 – Long-time Senators defenseman, Chris Phillips, announces his retirement after a 19-year NHL career, all with Ottawa

June 23 – Senators sign forward Buddy Robinson to a one-year, two-way contract

June 27 – Senators trade forward Alex Chiasson to the Calgary Flames in exchange for defenseman Patrick Sieloff [Ottawa Senators]

July 1 – Senators sign former Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman, Mike Kostka, to a one-year, two-way contract

July 1 – Ottawa Senators sign forward Phil Varone to a one-year, two-way contract

July 1 – Ottawa Senators sign forward Casey Bailey to a one-year, two-way contract

July 1 – Ottawa Senators sign forward Max McCormick to a one-year, two-way contract

July 1 – Ottawa Senators sign forward Chad Nehring to a one-year, two-way contract

July 1 – The Senators sign forward Mike Blunden, who most recently played with the Lightning, to a two-year, two-way contract

July 5 – Ottawa Senators sign forward Ryan Dzingel to a one-year, two-way contract

July 6 – Ottawa Senators sign defenseman Fredrik Claesson to a one-year, two-way contract

July 15 – Senators sign forward Matt Puempel to a one-year, two-way contract

After those transactions, the Senators are left with around $8.86 million in salary cap space before the season begins, per General Fanager.

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Draft

Round 1 – (11th overall) Logan Brown, Forward, Windsor Spitfires (OHL)

Round 2 – (42nd overall) Jonathan Dahlen, Forward, Timra IK (HockeyAllsvenskan)

Round 4 – (103rd overall) Todd Burgess, Forward, Fairbanks Ice Dogs (NAHL)

Round 5 – (133rd overall) Max Lajoie, Defenseman, Swift Current Broncos (WHL)

Round 6 – (163rd overall) Markus Nurmi, Forward, TPS Jrs

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Conclusion

As you can tell, the Ottawa Senators had a relatively quiet off-season in terms of major, “big name” transactions or acquisitions, which may be disappointing to some fans. However, the team did go out and trade for Brassard and locked up promising forward Mike Hoffman for four more years. Erik Karlsson will still likely lead the team in points next season and remain one of the NHL’s top offensive defenseman, possibly dominating his way to a third Norris Trophy.

The current corps of blue liners looks to stay the same for the coming season, and with the lack of any big moves or acquisitions for a top name defenseman during free agency, what’s there to show for mitigating the defensive lapses and poor play in their own zone? Will they improve under a defense-oriented system deployed by new head coach Guy Boucher? That’s something to watch out for once the puck drops on the 2016-17 season.

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Otherwise, the Senators look to have things figured out offensively in the top-six and even in the top-nine, but will it be enough, especially with question marks surrounding the defense and goaltending situation in Canada’s capital? They have a respectable 1-2 setup in net with veteran

They have a respectable 1-2 setup in net with veteran Craig Anderson and the breakout star in 2015, Andrew Hammond, but can they take the Senators to where they want to be? It’s certainly possible.

The new regime in Ottawa either has a group ready to get over the hump or one that is content with where they are at this point. It’ll definitely be interesting to see how the Senators start this season and compete with some of the top teams in the division over the course of the year.

Next: Tampa Bay Lightning Rival Report: Boston Bruins

This coming season will be an interesting one for the Senators and the rest of the Atlantic Division. While the two Florida teams are expected to be competing for the top spot in the division and playoff positioning throughout the season, the Senators may or may not be in the mix for the postseason, though a wild card spot seems most viable for them. In my next rival report post, I’ll take a look at another divisional opponent and review what that team has done in the off-season thus far.