Ottawa Senators Top Line Middle of Pack in Atlantic Division

Scoring goals was one of the strengths of the Ottawa Senators last season despite missing the playoffs. Their top forward line is filled with adept offensive players, but how does it compare to the other top lines in the Atlantic Division?

It’s an inexact examination, because lines are so fluid. Judgement calls have to be made about which forwards on each team are projected right now to at least get the first shot at that top line once the regular season starts.

For the Senators, it’s looking like it’s going to be Mike Hoffman, Kyle Turris, and Mark Stone getting that role.

Derick Brassard is likely going to be paired with Bobby Ryan on the second line, with either Zack Smith or Clarke MacArthur lining up alongside them.

This top line is looking promising, especially if Turris can successfully return to the level he was at last year before his ankle injury.

Turris is a solid two-way player who can set up teammates as well as score himself. When healthy, 25 goals and 35 assists is a realistic benchmark for him.

Stone isn’t a great skater, but he’s another good two-way forward. He lead the league in takeaways last season, and he has registered at least 60 points the last two seasons.

Hoffman is a speedy sniper, and while he doesn’t show much defensive ability, his goal scoring talents are immense. He’ll look to cross that 30 goal plateau this season.

For the Florida Panthers, their first line looks like it’ll be Jonathan Huberdeau at left wing, Aleksander Barkov at center, and Jaromir Jagr at right wing.

Huberdeau was the 3rd overall pick in 2011. He has established himself as a mid 50s point guy, and has the potential to get even better thanks to his great offensive instincts.

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Barkov is another former high draft pick, going 2nd overall in 2013. He improved his point total from 36 in 2014-2015 to 59 in 2015-2016, despite playing in less games.

He’s got good size and great playmaking skills, and he and Huberdeau are only going to improve as they log more time in the league.

What better linemate for two talented young players than Jagr? At 44 years old, Jagr still managed to score 27 goals last season.

He’s simply one of the greatest right wingers of all time, and although his defensive game isn’t great, his talents on offense continue to make him an asset into his mid 40s.

The Tampa Bay Lighting look like they’re going to have a top line of Alex Killorn at left wing, Steven Stamkos at center, and Nikita Kucherov at right wing.

Killorn isn’t the most consistent scorer, but he’s a good defensive forward. The scoring he provides is a bonus in terms of what he brings to the game.

Stamkos is one of the premier players in the NHL. His scoring ability is elite, and in his last 7 NHL seasons, he has either averaged more than a point per game or scored at least 36 goals during the course of a season. He’s always going to put up impressive numbers.

30 goal scorer Nikita Kucherov will likely get the top spot at right wing, although he has the versatility to play left wing as well.

He’s undersized at just 5’11’’, but he’s a speedy skater with fantastic one-on-one moves. His offensive talent is intimidating.

The Detroit Red Wings will likely have a top line of Dylan Larkin at left wing, Henrik Zetterberg at center, and Gustav Nyquist at right wing.

Zetterberg is a veteran whose production has declined in recent years, but he’s still a great puck handler, playmaker, and defensive forward.

Larkin has the versatility to play left wing as well as center, and is a handful to contain with his blazing speed. He had a solid rookie campaign last season, netting 23 goals and registering 22 assists.

Nyquist is only 5’11’’ and doesn’t provide much of a defensive presence, but he’s a fast skater with good playmaking skills.

The Boston Bruins will likely have a top line consisting of Brad Marchand at left wing, Patrice Bergeron at center, and new acquisition David Backes could end up seeing time at that top right wing spot.

Marchand is coming off a career-best 37 goals last season, and is able to provide so much energy for his team on each end of the ice. He’s only 5’9’’, yet plays a lot bigger than his frame indicates, always operating as an annoying pest to opposing teams.

Bergeron is a great two-way player, and is a 3-time Selke Trophy winner. He also serves as an excellent facilitator on offense. He scored 32 goals last season, which was a career high, and his 36 assists was his highest total since 2011-2012.

If Backes does get time at right wing alongside those two, which he’s more than capable of playing, it would make for an impressive top line.

The former St. Louis Blues’ player is a great defensive forward and hard hitter, also possessing a nice scoring touch, although he hasn’t reached 30 goals since 2010-2011 and is starting to settle more into that mid 20s range.

The Montreal Canadiens are looking like they’ll skate out Max Pacioretty at left wing, Alex Galchenyuk at center, and Brendan Gallagher at right wing on that top line.

Pacioretty is one of the best goal scorers in hockey. In the last 4 non lockout-shortened seasons, he has had at least 30 goals.

Galchenyuk is coming off a career season in which he scored 30 goals. He still struggles with consistency at times, but he’ll continue to make strides with his offensive talents for both scoring goals and setting up teammates.

Gallagher had 40 points in 53 games last season, while finger and lower body injuries cut his campaign short.

He’s a natural agitator with ferocity on the forecheck, plus his finishing ability is impressive. At just 5’9’’, though, he’ll likely always be susceptible to injuries.

The Buffalo Sabres will likely formulate a first line of Evander Kane at left wing, Ryan O’Reilly at center, and Kyle Okposo at right wing.

Kane has been plagued with legal problems of the ice, and on the ice, he hasn’t been able to really build off of that 30 goal season he had with the Winnipeg Jets in 2011-2012.

He’s a good skater and hard hitter, but isn’t the type of guy who’s going to make his teammates better with advanced playmaking skills. The attitude questions will continue to linger as well.

O’Reilly is an energetic grinder who produces for his team on both offense and defense, and had good face-off numbers last season with a 56.5% win percentage at even strength.

Okposo signed a lucrative contract of $42 million for 7 seasons this past July after spending his entire career with the New York Islanders.

He’s a sniper at the net and is a fast skater. There has always been a sense that he’s about to break out and elevate his game from the already solid level it’s at.

Typically Okposo can be counted on for somewhere around 20 goals and 35 assists, and he’ll look to have a career season in a new setting.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a somewhat difficult top line to project, but it’s likely going to consist of something resembling James van Riemsdyk at left wing, Nazem Kadri at center, and probably Joffrey Lupul at right wing.

van Riemsdyk moves well for a player at 6’3’’ and he is both an adept shooter and passer, although he’s just one year removed from posting an abysmal -33 plus/minus.

Although that might have been more of a product of his team, because he only had the 3rd lowest plus/minus on the Maple Leafs that season despite ranking 4th lowest in the entire league.

Kadri was the former 7th overall pick in 2009 and has 1 career 50 point season to his credit, scoring 197 points in 326 career games.

He’s a nice skater, but underachieves as a goal scorer despite the talent he flashes in that department. His creative playmaking is also intriguing, as well as his penchant for physicality.

Lupul has a good shot, but he’s not a great skater. Plus his career has been filled with injury impediments. He hasn’t played in over 70 games in a season since 2008-2009, and only 60 games twice in that same 8 year span.

The nature of the first line is that it’s typically the most dynamic forwards a team has, so it’s always difficult to rank different combos with so many positive traits.

If I had to rank them based on a mixture of past production and projected efficiency, I’d probably go Florida, Tampa Bay, Boston, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit, Buffalo, Toronto.

Only 3 line combinations scored more goals together last season than that top Florida line of Jagr, Huberdeau, and Barkov.

Tampa Bay is carried by the sniping skills of Stamkos, and although Killorn isn’t going to score at the propensity of Stamkos or Kucherov, his defensive abilities compliment his low 40s point production.

Boston has two 30 goal scorers on that top line in Marchand and Bergeron, plus Bergeron brings multiple Selke trophies to the table. Add that to Backes’ grinding and Marchand’s scrappiness and that’s a fantastic two-way line.

Montreal has one of the most consistent goal scorers in the NHL with Pacioretty, and Galchenyuk has improved each season he has been in the league. Gallagher is an undersized agitator with great energy.

Ottawa has one of the great upcoming snipers in Hoffman, and a grinding two-way forward in Stone. Turris has both goal scoring and playmaking skills as a center, although the line lacks the multiple 30 goal scorers the lines ranked above them in the division.

The exception is Florida, but that’s more due to the trio’s cohesion together and the incredible potential of both Huberdeau and Barkov to get even better.

Detroit should be very pleased with the production shown from rookie Larkin last season. Zetterberg provides a veteran presence with great playmaking and defensive skills, and Nyquist might be small, but possesses elusive skating ability and nice offensive playmaking.

At this stage, though, Detroit doesn’t have that guy who can score at will and carry the team. Maybe Larkin can grow into that role eventually.

Buffalo lacks the offensive firepower of other teams in the division, although the ceiling is certainly high with their projected top trio.

Kane is talented, but enigmatic. Okposo can get that same label, although his issues deal with production inconsistencies instead of character problems.

O’Reilly is a solid two-way center, but again, 55-65 points with around 20 goals isn’t matching the scoring output of top line forwards ranking above him in this division.

Toronto is somewhat in the same position, with their top trio being talented, but without the same type of potency other top lines in the division offer.

All in all, the Senators rank somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of top forward lines in the division.

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The strength of their forwards are more evident when looking at the entire roster collectively, because while they don’t have a proven 30 goal scorer or guy who’s going to register more than 70 points, they have numerous options in that low 60s range.

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