It may just be August but the 2017-2018 NHL season will be on our hands before we know it. Training Camp will start in September and all the players will be brought together as they prepare for another season. With August as a down month in the NHL I thought this would be a great time to preview each of the players on the Ottawa Senators for next season.
If You missed it, here’s our last preview!
Ottawa Senators: Ben Harpur 2017-2018 Season Preview
Over the past three seasons Mark Borowiecki has become the newest version of Chris Neil for the Ottawa Senators. Unfortunately for Borowiecki, his tenure with the Sens may not be as long. He’s just 28 and entering the final year of his contract, and the Sens appear to have too much depth on the left side for Borowiecki to make the cut.
Unfortunate Injury Timing
A favourite of Coach Guy Boucher, Borowiecki will be given every opportunity to make the team this season. However, how last season ended isn’t doing him any favours. Going down with an injury just two games into the playoffs he was never healthy enough to return. This allowed players such as Claesson and Harpur to display their skills to Boucher and show they have what it takes to play. Unfortunately for Borowiecki, they both performed very well in the games they played. With Oduya coming in as a replacement for Methot there’s only one spot on the left side available, maybe two if the Sens carry a seventh defenceman as an extra.
Borowiecki will certainly be slotted above Harpur just because he’s so young and needs time to develop. However, now there’s more competition as Thomas Chabot will be making a hard push for a roster spot.
Next: Ottawa Senators Greatest Players: #25 – Antoine Vermette
A Difficult Spot
Going into next season there’s a chance that Borowiecki is carried as a seventh defenceman but it’s very unlikely he gets a spot in the top six. There’s just too many skilled players who are better options at this point. Even his spot as the seventh defenceman is up in the air. He will certainly play games for the Ottawa Senators next season, but it may not be that many.