NHL
The Ottawa Senators Have Once Again Surprised the Hockey World with Their Lack of a Clear Direction Plan
Not many people have an idea what the Ottawa Senators are doing. I sure don’t! If I were in Pierre Dorion’s shoes, I would’ve kept my 2019 first round pick and given Colorado my 2018 first rounder to possibly retain a 1st overall pick. I would have traded Mark Stone before his contract expired instead of being forced to sign him or pay him big in arbitration. I would have traded team captain Erik Karlsson too to show what direction we are headed in. But this is real life, not Armchair GM, and it poses the big question:
Have the Senators gotten better?
The blunt answer: no. After trading away Mike Hoffman for little in return, the light at the end of the tunnel last season now looks more of a mirage. While Ottawa has gained Mikkel Boedker, he is not a prolific goal scorer capable of replacing Hoffman. Let’s take a look at the moves made by the Sens this offseason.
Additions
The Ottawa Senators acquired Mikkel Boedker via trade from the San Jose Sharks in return for Mike Hoffman. Boedker played 74 games with San Jose and tallied 15 goals and 37 points. Boedker will most likely get more time on ice with Ottawa, so look for a little improvement points-wise. Paul Carey joined the roster as well as a depth forward. Carey only managed 14 points (7 goals, 7 assists) in 60 games last year with the New York Rangers.
Brady Tkachuk is the most notable addition to the team. Tkachuk was chosen 4th overall by Ottawa in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In 40 NCAA games with Boston University, Brady Tkachuk scored eight goals and added 23 assists. If he does sign with the Senators, Tkachuk would be good to use on the second line to set up Boedker or who ever he plays with.
Subtractions
In the midst of a debacle involving his fiancée, Mike Hoffman was dealt to San Jose, then immediately flipped to Florida. Mike Hoffman ranked third in points last season with the Ottawa Senators. Hoffman played all 82 games and scored 22 goals, totaling 56 points. Besides Mark Stone up front, the Senators are looking very weak.
Alexandre Burrows also left the team after last season. Burrows put up 14 points in 71 games last year before hanging up his skates and retiring. Fredrik Claesson played 64 games, scoring one goal and adding six assists for a total of seven points. Claesson left via free agency.
Where the Ottawa Senators Stand
After adding three skaters – and losing three more – the Ottawa Senators have lost 77 player points, but only gained a total of 82. If Brady Tkachuk’s NCAA points are out of the equation, the Senators only have 51. Tkachuk is likely to leave Boston University and sign with the Ottawa Senators very soon. If we subtract the 77 lost points from the 82 gained points, we come out with a net Gain of five points. 5. Five. That is not a great number for a team who just finished second-to-last in the NHL in 2017-18.
With the lack of significant additions to the Senators – combined with losing a big fish in Mike Hoffman – it is hard to see Ottawa improving much this year. Even after resigning Mark Stone, there is still not much in the way of scoring depth. Stone and Erik Karlsson combined for 20.3 percent (124 points) of Ottawa’s 593 points last season.
While it is still only August 13, I can’t really see the Ottawa Senators making any more moves to better themselves. In drafting Brady Tkachuk 4th overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Ottawa had to surrender their first round pick in next year’s draft to Colorado as part of the Matt Duchene trade (see details here). The next move they could possibly make would be an Erik Karlsson trade, but trade talks have calmed down recently.
With Day 2 of 31 in the books I will end by saying that the Senators may be the basement of the NHL this year and Colorado will have a 1st overall pick coming from bad judgement by Ottawa’s ownership personnel.
Follow Jared on Twitter at: @jared_pettus_00
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