Ottawa Senators: Ushering In a New Season
Who can forget last year? It was full of everything a hockey fan loves. Some ups, some downs, an underdog that turned into a hero, a coaching change, and it all ended with some terrific playoff hockey. Although the taste of the playoffs was short-lived for the Ottawa Senators, you can’t deny they ended their season in a very big and unexpected way.
Now, here we are. The 2015-2016 regular season. Some faces missing, some new faces joining. What are we going to see from the “Pesky Sens”, “Stoner”, “The Hamburglar” and the rest of the Senators team?
Missing Faces
Let’s start with the players we won’t be seeing this year. Four players from last year’s roster have been moved.
Eric Gryba was dealt to Edmonton. In a somewhat heartbreaking contract negotiation, Erik Condra signed a deal with Tampa Bay. After one year of a disappointing appearance as a Senator, David Legwand was shipped to Buffalo.
Joining him, in what has been the most talked about and controversial deal of the offseason, Robin Lehner was dealt in that same deal to the Sabres. With some gone, this makes room for the new.
New Faces
Beginning the 2015-2016 season, some young guns have joined the roster. In the offseason, the Sens signed a deawith NCAA star goaltender Matt O’Connor. O’Connor signed with the team for the opportunity to gain AHL experience in being the starting goaltender for the Binghamton Senators.
However, with Andrew Hammond recently going down with a groin injury, O’Connor will be the backup until Hammond is able to return. The young goaltender has had an impressive showing this preseason.
Included in the new faces is forward Shane Prince. He had an impressive preseason and is being given the chance to play due to Clarke MacArthur’s head injury after his collision with Mark Fraser.
Lastly, a potentially more permanent newbie to the roster is defenseman Chris Wideman. He is battling for the 7th spot on defence, and due to Phillips’ continuing back problems, rest assured that’s where he will be for most of, if not, the entire season.
What Should We Expect?
The question everyone wants to know now, as we sit on the edge of another season that’s about to begin, is, what should we expect from the Ottawa Senators this season?
Various answers to this question are all over the spectrum. Some say the Sens are, without a doubt, playoff bound. Others, however, have slotted the team into their “most likely to disappoint this season” block, and completely written them off.
I guess the more important question to ask, is, was what we saw late last season a fluke?
If so, you can definitely say the Senators are in some deep water. However, if not? Everyone needs to sit back and watch the Senators do something exciting this season.
What do you think?
Next: Mike Hoffman: Getting Excited About The Sophomore Sniper