Ottawa Senators Under the Most Pressure to Perform in 2014/15

Mar 25, 2014; Sunrise, FL, USA; Ottawa Senators defenseman

(65) skates with the puck in the third period against the Florida Panthers at BB&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Erik Karlsson:

Karlsson will be playing in his first fully healthy season since his Norris winning campaign of 11-12. After suffering a well documented Achilles Tendon injury that set back the 24-year-old swede for almost two years, Ottawa Senators fans will get a chance to see Karlsson at the height of his game in 14-15.

The expectation for Karlsson? a solid defensive season… over the past two years and putting up two previous seasons at -16 and -30, the NHL has gotten on Karlsson’s case. Many consider Karlsson a very one-dimensional player and one who is not deserving of the Norris Trophy as that award should go to the best “Defence” man. Keyword = defence.

"Lots of ups and downs, I don’t think anyone on our team was pleased with their performance last year – Erik Karlsson"

The fact is, Karlsson wasn’t up to par on his defensive game last year and he has admitted this. But, Karlsson has shown he can play defence. In his 2011-12 campaign Karlsson was a plus player and showed NHL fans how he could use his speed to get back and cover his own end. The same will be expected for Karlsson this season. A solid year from Karlsson, may just come a solid (and surprising) year for the Ottawa Senators.