Ottawa Senators: The Sens Best Possible Lineup All-Time
The Ottawa Senators have had some dominant teams and players throughout their history. However, not all of them have been able to play together. What is the best lineup using any players in Sens’ history?
The Ottawa Senators have had dominant teams in the past. The mid 2000s saw the Sens with some of the most dominant teams in 20 years. Some of the Sens teams of the mid 2000s are among the best to never win a Stanley Cup. They were filled with dominant players at all positions. Even today the Sens have some superstar players. Using any players in Sens’ history what’s the best line the Sens could ice.
Forwards
The forwards are interesting because the three best forwards the Sens have had actually were on a line together for a few years. Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley, and Daniel Alfredsson are the three best forwards the Sens have ever had. Spezza as a center was the best play-maker the Sens have ever seen. He scored over 90 points twice and had over 80 two more times. Alfredsson was a consistently strong player throughout his entire history with Ottawa. However, in in the middle of his career he was truly dominant. He even had a season of over 100 points. Alfredsson was a superstar for a good portion of his career.
Dany Heatley gets some much deserved hate. The way he left Ottawa led to many fans hating him. However, there’s no denying how dominant Heatley was while with the Sens. He put up back to back 100 point and 50 goal season in 2006 and 2007. There’s an argument that Heatley was the best forward to ever play for the Sens in terms of pure skill.
Defence
On defence, the current captain Erik Karlsson is definitely on the all-time team. In fact Karlsson is undeniably the best player to ever play for the Sens by far. Alfredsson was with the team for a long time and was a star. He meant a lot to the city and still does, but he doesn’t even come close to how good Karlsson is. That’s not even an insult to Alfredsson, it’s more of an indication of how great Karlsson is. Karlsson is on pace to be a top five defenceman of all-time.
The second spot on defence is much more difficult to pick. There are a number of options that could slot into this slot. However, the player I believe belongs in this spot is Zdeno Chara. Chara just has a presence that no one else can match. His size is intimidating on its own, but he could contribute offensively with the best of them in the prime of his career. The Sens really made a mistake when they chose to sign Wade Redden instead of Chara.
Goaltender
Goaltender is in some ways the most difficult position to pick for the Sens, but in other ways it’s very easy. There’s an argument to be made for both Craig Anderson and Patrick Lalime. However, the answer for the best goalie to ever play for the Sens has to be Dominik Hasek. It was short lived and he didn’t have the impact of those other two, but he was the best. If he hadn’t been injured in the 2006 Olympics there’s a very good chance the Sens would have won the Cup, and it likely wouldn’t have even been close. The Sens would have steamrolled their way to a championship that year.
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Final Thoughts
The Ottawa Senators have been filled with superstars throughout the years. A lineup of Heatley, Spezza, Alfredsson, Chara, Karlsson, and Hasek is the best possible lineup made of former players. Interestingly all of them except for Karlsson were on the team in 05-06. The 2006 team is certainly one of the biggest what if seasons in Sens history. However, there’s no denying how impressive this lineup would be to see in its prime.