Ottawa Senators should let the kids run wild next season

The Ottawa Senators have some truly promising prospects coming through their system and they should be given a shot in the show next season.

The 2019/20 Ottawa Senators are in a unique position, with virtually no expectations on them to compete for the post-season.

A ‘tank’ season is on the cards, which would give the team an opportunity to land the top pick in next year’s draft – with Alexis Lafreniere the big prize in 2020.

With that in mind, there is very little reason why the team should bulk up with veteran players when they could simply give their top prospects opportunities to play in the NHL – furthering their development.

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A number of prospects in the Senators’ system have already had a taste of NHL action, with the likes of Drake Batherson, Rudolfs Balcers and Christian Wolanin all playing a few stretches this past season.

Other prospects such as Logan Brown, Alex Formenton and Erik Brannstrom have featured a couple of times in the NHL, but have not spent a significant amount of time in the big league.

The best way for these young players to develop would be to give them playing time in the NHL next season, under the guidance of the few veterans already on the roster and those that will need to be added in the summer.

Learning from guys that have been around the league for a long time will be a valuable experience for the Sens’ youngsters – showing them what it truly takes to be in the NHL.

There is an argument for keeping them in the AHL with Belleville, with potentially more ice time and the chance to challenge for a playoff spot – but that is the experience they had this season, falling short at the last hurdle thanks to the Toronto Marlies’ heavy final day loss to the Cleveland Monsters.

Those players that have played extensively in the NHL deserve a chance to continue their development at that level.

The expectation is that they will be with the team for the foreseeable future, so why not just bring them up next year to work with whichever head coach the team appoints – knowing that the team isn’t likely to achieve much, but could be quite exciting to watch due to the lower pressure demands on the players.

Allowing the team’s young prospects the opportunity to test things out at the NHL level, make mistakes and learn from them in a low-pressure environment could be exactly what they need before looking to take the next steps in 2020/21.

A top-three pick in next year’s draft could go a long way to adding to the Ottawa Senators’ rebuild and having the majority of their top prospects already building up NHL experience should be seen as a positive by the organisation.

What do you think Sens fans? Should the team allow some of their top prospects to play in the NHL next season, with very low expectations and more freedom? Or should they be sent back to Belleville and develop there? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!