The Ottawa Senators have had a tumultuous last 12 months. Here are the three top questions facing the organization heading into the season.
In the last twelve months, Ottawa Senators fans saw the club strip away at the core of players that had been established. The same core of players that had been one goal away from going to the Stanley Cup Final in 2017. Only four players remain from that playoff run: Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Bobby Ryan, Mark Borowiecki, and Craig Anderson. The rest of the players on that team have been jettisoned to other teams all in the name of a rebuild, most of them in the last year.
Last summer started with the team moving Mike Hoffman to San Jose in a trade that brought back underwhelming return. The excuse was that the team needed to move Hoffman to help rebuild the dressing room. Fans then spent all summer anguishing over whether or not Erik Karlsson was going to be re-signed by the team. The day before training camp the captain was shipped out for a return package that left most people wanting more. For most teams, that would be enough drama and turnover to last multiple years. Not for the Ottawa Senators.
Then came this past season’s trade deadline (I apologize if I’m reopening wounds). Within three days, General Manager Pierre Dorion shipped off three of the team’s top forwards in Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel, and Mark Stone. More turnover. More upset fans.
Not long after the trade deadline, the team sacked Head Coach Guy Boucher. More drama. Then began a search for yet anther Head Coach for this team. I’ve lost count of how many we’ve had in the past fifteen years! So now, in comes DJ Smith to lead this team during the building part of the rebuild.