Goaltending
This could probably be applied to just about every team around the league, but the Sens have a lot of question marks in the crease. The team made a move to improve the position this off-season, acquiring Matt Murray from the Penguins for a reasonable price then signing the pending RFA to a big but not crazy contract.
Murray has been all over the map in his four full seasons in the league, posting save percentages of .923, .907, .919, and .899.
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The sub-.900 mark he put up in 38 games last season made him expendable in Pittsburgh as they turned the reins over to Tristan Jarry, allowing Ottawa to acquire the 26-year old two-time Cup champion.
If Ottawa is able to get the Matt Murray who hovers around .920, they’ve probably solved their goaltending issues, and even if he’s league average the influx of talent on the way could make up for that. But his last season is very concerning, and even though he’s still fairly young, putting your faith in a goalie who’s never received a single award vote since his rookie season is a risky move.
Of course, the team has prospects in net too, with Marcus Hogberg having impressed in a starting role last season and Joey Daccord getting an extension this off-season. Daccord just turned 24 though and Hogberg will be 26 in November, so they’re already pushing the limits of what can be considered prospects and did not qualify for Pronman’s list.
Of those that did qualify for Pronman’s list, Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese both got honourable mentions, while former goalie of the future Filip Gustavsson didn’t even make the cut, although there’s a case to be made that the 22-year old still has time to right the ship.
Personally, I’m a big fan of how the team has approached the notoriously unpredictable position, amassing a large collection of potential starters and hoping one will shake out, and the odds still look fairly favourable that one of them will. That said, one of the six is going to have to prove they can be the guy at some point, and until that day the position will remain a sense of concern.