The Senators made history with their late-season run to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. They're hoping the growth of the young players who helped them to a 23-4-4 record down the stretch will ensure a similar rally won't be needed to make the 2016 postseason. The job of getting more out of those young players belongs to coach Dave Cameron, who earned a two-year contract extension. He replaced Paul MacLean on Dec. 8 and implemented a more aggressive forecheck, more skating in practices, and fostered the growth of the young players. The Senators could be younger this season given the willingness Cameron showed to go with youth at the expense of veterans Chris Neil, David Legwand and Chris Phillips.
Forward prospects Matt Puempel and Shane Prince, and defensemen Chris Wideman and Fredrik Claesson are pushing for roster spots. The Senators made a commitment to late-season hero Andrew Hammond (20-1-2, 1.79 goals-against average, .941 save percentage in the regular season), signing the 27-year-old goalie to a three-year, one-way contract with an average annual value of $1.35 million. It made goalie Robin Lehner expendable, and he and Legwand were traded to the Buffalo Sabres for the 21st pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, which the Senators used to select center Colin White. Veteran goalie Craig Anderson, who is coming off another season when he missed significant time because of injury (19 games with a bruised hand), will compete with Hammond.
Defenseman Erik Karlsson won his second Norris Trophy. He had a slow start last season but was boosted by the return of partner Marc Methot, who missed the first quarter of the season with back and hip injuries. The Senators will get a boost if Karlsson and Methot can pick up where they left off. Ottawa will be looking for more growth and consistency from defensemen Cody Ceci and Patrick Wiercioch in their second pair, and gritty Mark Borowiecki will play on the third pair with whoever can earn the sixth job in training camp. Eric Gryba was traded to the Edmonton Oilers for a prospect and a draft pick, leaving Phillips, who had back surgery at the end of last season, to compete with Wideman and Claesson for playing time.
The greatest potential for growth this season will be among the forwards. The Senators did not re-sign free agent Erik Condra, creating a spot for a prospect.
The Senators gave Calder Trophy finalist Mark Stone a three-year contract. Stone was a point-per-game player in the second half of the season, and with veteran wing Bobby Ryan slumping, was a big reason the Senators continued to win games. With No. 1 center Kyle Turris and veteran wing Clarke MacArthur, the top line appears to be set. Mika Zibanejad scored 20 goals last season on the second line, but the question there is about Ryan's production.
Ryan scored once in the final 20 games of the regular season, and the four-time 30-goal scorer finished with 18. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Curtis Lazar, Alex Chiasson, Mike Hoffman and Zack Smith will fill out the third and fourth lines.
The Senators will be an interesting team this season because the elements that made them the success story of the final two months of last season also present the biggest question marks. Their charge to the Stanley Cup Playoffs was fueled by a rookie coach, a goaltender making his NHL debut, and a group of young players who successfully handled bigger roles and more responsibility.
Goalie Andrew Hammond was perhaps the feel-good story of the 2014-15 NHL season. He was a 27-year-old struggling in the American Hockey League who got a chance to debut in the NHL when the Senators ran out of goaltenders in February after injuries to Craig Anderson and Robin Lehner. Hammond's 20-1-2 record and .941 save percentage was the foundation of the rally to make the playoffs, and he won over teammates and fans with his low-key attitude, modest personality and catchy nickname. He faltered slightly in the playoffs, and despite the small sample size, the Senators signed Hammond to a three-year, one-way contract and traded Lehner to the Buffalo Sabres. With Anderson injury-prone, Hammond likely will again play a significant role.
Since joining the Senators in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche in 2011, Craig Anderson has averaged 44 games a season as the Senators starter. They would have liked him to average about 20 games more than that. When he's played, Anderson has ranked among the League leaders at times (.941 save percentage and 1.69 GAA in 2012-13; .923 last season). He played well in the playoffs after taking over from Hammond against the Montreal Canadiens (2-2, 0.97 goals-against average, .972 save percentage). The Senators are young and inexperienced in goal after Anderson. There are 25 games of NHL experience behind him; Hammond has 24 of those. The projected goaltenders for the Senators' American Hockey League affiliate, the Binghamton Senators, are Chris Driedger, who has played 23 minutes in the NHL, and Matt O'Connor, who played for Boston University last season.
Bobby Ryan is expected to be one of the Senators' offensive leaders, but he struggled down the stretch in 2014-15. Ryan had 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points, but after scoring in back-to-back games March 3 and 4, Ryan had one goal in the final 20 regular-season games. He did not have an assist in 17 of those games. Ryan scored two goals in Game 5 of the six-game, Eastern Conference First Round loss to the Canadiens. It's remarkable the Senators were capable of going on the run they did to make the playoffs with Ryan contributing so little. It says a lot about what they got from their emerging young talent. There will be even more scrutiny on Ryan, who enters the first year of a seven-year, $50.75 million contract extension he signed on the eve of last season.Erik Karlsson had a spectacular season, winning his second Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman and growing into the captaincy in his first season. There's reason to believe that at 25, his game can grow. Like his teammates, Karlsson got off to a slow start last season. But after a coaching change and the return of partner Marc Methot, who missed the first 37 games with an injury, Karlsson flourished; he had 43 points in his final 47 games. In the playoffs, Karlsson might have played his best game with the Senators in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round against the Montreal Canadiens. He played 31:12, attempted 12 shots, had six hits, and assisted on Ottawa's only goal. Coach Dave Cameron used a baseball analogy to explain his approach to handling Karlsson's sometimes high-risk play: He wants to allow him to try to keep hitting home runs while cutting down on his strikeouts. With Cameron and Methot in place at the start of the season, the Senators hope Karlsson can pick up where he left off.
Dave Cameron became an NHL coach at age 56 after Paul MacLean was fired on Dec. 8. He led the Senators to a 32-15-8 record, including a closing stretch of 23-4-4, to qualify for the playoffs. The players pointed to Cameron's communication skills (he's a former teacher) and his emphasis on a more up-tempo skating game as two reasons for the improvement. He also gave bigger roles to young players at the expense of veterans Chris Phillips, Colin Greening and David Legwand. Cameron, like his young players, got better as the season went on. If he can continue to learn and improve, it will help the Senators' chances of returning to the playoffs.
Mark Stone was a question mark going into last season, but made the Senators in training camp. He had eight goals and 17 points in his first 34 games, but took off after Cameron replaced MacLean. Stone had 47 points in the final 46 games of the regular season and became a finalist for the Calder Trophy, though his effectiveness in the playoffs was limited after he was slashed on the right wrist. Stone's 26-goal, 64-point season earned him a new contract.
Among the Senators' core players, four skaters are 30 or older; defenseman Methot (30) and forwards Clarke MacArthur (30), Milan Michalek (30) and Chris Neil (36). It remains to be seen how Neil will fit into the plans given the youth movement and with Mark Puempel, Nicholas Paul and Shane Prince knocking on the door. Karlsson is 25; and No. 1 center Kyle Turris is 26. With those two and Stone, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Curtis Lazar, Mika Zibanejad, Patrick Wiercioch, Cody Ceci and Mark Borowiecki having played key roles down the stretch, there's reason to believe the Senators have plenty of upside.Young forwards Mark Stone, Mike Hoffman, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Curtis Lazar, and defensemen Cody Ceci and Mark Borowiecki were significant parts of the Ottawa Senators' success last season, which ended in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Despite having a large number of players graduate to the NHL, the Senators have a good core of prospects thanks to recent trades and some strong drafting.
Nicholas Paul, LW
How acquired: Trade with Dallas Stars, July 1, 2014
Last season: North Bay, OHL: 58 GP, 37-29-56
Paul, 20, was one of the keys to the trade that sent center Jason Spezza to Dallas in a deal that also brought forwards Alex Chiasson and Alexander Guptill to Ottawa. Paul, a fourth-round pick (No. 101) by Dallas in the 2013 NHL Draft, has been on an impressive upward track over the past couple of seasons. A strong playoff with North Bay in 2014 (12 goals in 22 games) caught the attention of Hockey Canada, and Paul won a gold medal at the 2015 IIHF World Junior Championship. Paul (6-foot-4, 225 pounds; two inches taller and 21 pounds heavier than when he was drafted) has a strong skating stride. His skill set should be a good complement to the Senators' growing group of young forwards. North Bay coach Stan Butler is known for having his forwards play a strong two-way game; that should help speed Paul's transition.
Matt Puempel, LW
How acquired: 1st round (No. 24), 2011 NHL Draft
Last season: Senators: 13 GP, 2-1-3; Binghamton, AHL: 51 GP, 12-20-32
The 22-year-old was called up to the NHL in late February. He scored his first goal on March 10 against the Boston Bruins, but his chance for an expanded role ended when he sprained his ankle and was unable to play after March 21.
Puempel (6-1, 205 pounds) scored 30 goals in the American Hockey League in 2013-14. He's expected to challenge for playing time in the NHL this season and could find a role among Ottawa's top nine forwards.
Mikael Wikstrand, D
How acquired: 7th round (No. 196), 2012 NHL Draft
Last season: Frolunda, Swedish Hockey League: 46 GP, 5-15-20
Wikstrand, 21, a final-round selection three years ago, has been playing in Sweden since he was drafted, but the Senators reportedly would like him to play for Binghamton this season. He will have to make the transition to the North American game, but the smaller ice surface might be a benefit to him because Wikstrand (6-foot-1, 185) is regarded as an average skater. His strengths are his puck skills and his hockey intelligence.
Colin White, C
How acquired: 1st round (No. 21), 2015 NHL Draft
Last season: USA Hockey's National Team Development Program, USHL: 20 GP, 4-13-17
White's blend of offense and defense has some scouts comparing him to Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, one of the NHL's best two-way players.
White (6-foot, 183) has a defensive game not commonly found in players so young. The 18-year-old can win board battles and knows about body positioning and playing angles. He also knows how to use his stick to make himself more of a defensive presence. He also has offense skills, particularly vision and stickhandling. But it's the two-way combination that makes White an interesting prospect. Senators U.S. college scout Lewis Mongelluzzo said White could be a Selke Trophy contender. White comes from a family of athletes. His father, Mark, is in the Georgia Tech Hall of Fame for football and track. His mother, Christine, played tennis at Florida State. The native of Hanover, Mass., is committed to playing for Boston College this season.
Thomas Chabot, D
How acquired: 1st round (No. 18), 2015 NHL Draft
Last season: Saint John, QMJHL: 66 GP, 12-29-41
The heat was put on Chabot early last season by the Sea Dogs coaching staff and management to become more of two-way defenseman; he did. Chabot's ability to create offense is always going to be the strong part of his game, but he is developing into a better defender. That, and his impact on helping Saint John become a contender, made the 18-year-old a player whose stock was on the rise at the draft. Chabot (6-2, 180 pounds) is a strong skater, a trait that powers his offense and defense. He's a good passer who uses his teammates well.
Predicted Lines
16 MacArthur - 7 Turris - 61 Stone
68 Hoffman - 93 Zibanejad - 6 Ryan
9 Michalek - 44 Pageau - 27 Lazar
25 Neil - 15 Smith - 90 Chiasson
3 Methot - 65 Karlsson
46 Wiercioch - 5 Ceci
74 Borowiecki - 2 Cowen
41 Anderson - 30 Hammond
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