After acquiring Vladislav Namestnikov from the New York Rangers, there has been a wide range of reactions to the way the Ottawa Senators are approaching this season.
The Ottawa Senators have one of the strongest prospect corps in the entire NHL and many will have hoped that more of them would feature in the line-up this season.
The 2019/20 NHL season is one of development for the Senators organisation and wins are worth far less than the progression of the team’s future stars.
A lottery pick in next year’s draft is obviously the goal and, while some may not want to believe it is happening, but the Sens are focused on landing the very best talent they possibly can in 2020 to help continue their ‘youth revolution’.
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The biggest issue with the revolution, for some, is the fact that barely any of the team’s young players are in the line-up, but that should work out for the best in the long-run.
Erik Brannstrom has made the jump up and, being the best prospect in the system, it is unsurprising that he is being given the responsibility of furthering his game in the big league.
For the rest of the team’s prospects, having them play low minutes and be surrounded by a losing culture over the next few months does very little for their development.
So the majority of them are sticking with the Belleville Senators this season and are expected to take the team deep into the playoffs with the talent available to them.
Having the young guys winning regularly, developing chemistry together and potentially having some success in the post-season will be a huge boost for their overall development.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, a team that head coach D.J. Smith is very familiar with, has a number of players on their roster now that has worked their way up from the minors.
Having players that could play in the NHL this season spend another year to truly push themselves further, making them 100% ready to hit the ice in the Canadian capital next season, can only be a positive thing for the organisation.
Next year, the Ottawa Senators will have one of the youngest teams in the entire league and will be plenty of fun to watch, especially if they hit with their first five picks in the draft.
The Senators are looking for long-term success and bringing up the young guys right now may not be the best way of doing that.
Having them in the minors for another year, playing big minutes and enjoying a winning culture will help push them forwards and see the Ottawa club benefit from a group of young guys determined to win.
A number of the veteran players currently with the Ottawa club are on expiring contracts next season and some may even be moved at the trade deadline.
With a number of them, such as Ron Hainsey, being in the latter stages of their careers, there will be plenty of roster spots up for grabs next season and the young guys will be expected to step in and claim those outright.
What do you think Sens fans? Are you pleased that young prospects have more time to develop? Are you disappointed that the team isn’t bringing more young guys up this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!