2009-2010 Ottawa Senators Preview
The Capital City’s team may not have the same tradition that their nearby Canadian brethren in Montreal and Toronto possess but their fans are equally fervent. Since the franchise’s arrival in 1992, the city’s fans have been loud and boisterous in their support. Furthermore, they’ve been loud and boisterous in their criticism, especially when directed at the poor soul who starts in net. With a rebuilding job on the horizon, how will 19,000 fans react to their first likely bout with prolonged struggles since the 1997?
Looking Back at 2008-2009To say that last season as a disappointment would be selling the Senators short. After losing in the Stanley Cup Finals three years ago, Ottawa regressed for the second consecutive season, finishing with a 36-35-11 record and out of the playoff race. The Senators fired their coach at midseason for the 2 nd consecutive year and star winger Dany Heatley later requested a trade, leaving Ottawa in a major bind as Heatley had both a no-trade clause and clear desire of where he wanted to be dealt.
The OffseasonThe Senators failed to trade Heatley before the draft, leaving Edmonton at the altar as Heatley declined a completed deal that leaked to the public and caused a lot of embarrassment for the Oilers. Their offseason was full of rumors but the only actual move was the signing of former Montreal captain Alex Kovalev to help fill the expected void from Heatley’s departure. Thankfully for Ottawa, they managed to complete a deal with San Jose that Heatley was happy with and acquired forwards Milan Michalek and Jonathan Cheechoo and a much better peace of mind right on the eve of training camp. Heatley wasn’t happy to be part of a rebuilding effort and had openly criticized new coach Cory Clouston for his style of play and perceived misuse of his talents. In reality, Heatley was also uncomfortable in the media cauldron in Canada and wanted to go somewhere he could ply his trade in less of a spotlight.
2009-2010 OutlookDespite dealing Heatley, Ottawa has some talent up front. Longtime captain Daniel Alfredsson enters his 10 th season with the ‘C’ on his chest and is still one of the NHL’s most dynamic players. Along with playmaker Jason Spezza, Kovalev, Cheechoo and Michalek give the Senators some solid scoring options. However, only three teams in the Eastern Conference finished with fewer goals last year and that was with Heatley on hand, so expect the Sens to struggle up front. Luckily, the Sens appear to be stronger on defense this year after underachieving a year ago. There are some solid players on hand such as Filip Kuba, Chris Campoli and Chris Phillips and the group as a whole should be improved. However, Kuba is the only defender that can remotely be considered a top flight player and this group will be no better than solid but unspectacular. There are also a ton of questions in the net, where Pascal Leclaire will attempt to shed his current labels of ‘injury-prone’ and ‘bust’ after being acquired late last year from Columbus. As Leclaire has never played 50 games in a season in his career, the goaltending situation appears pretty shaky.
By Matt Baxendall Feel your team is underrated? Tell Matt Baxendell why at matt.baxendell@gmail.com
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