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Ottawa Senators: 3 Players Who Could Surprisingly Make the Opening Day Lineup

By Daniel Bruce

LONDON, ON - FEBRUARY 13: Alex Formenton #80 of the London Knights skates with the puck in the second period during OHL game action against the Guelph Storm at Budweiser Gardens on February 13, 2019 in London, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
LONDON, ON - FEBRUARY 13: Alex Formenton #80 of the London Knights skates with the puck in the second period during OHL game action against the Guelph Storm at Budweiser Gardens on February 13, 2019 in London, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /
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Artyom Zub #2 of the SKA Saint Petersburg \(Photo by Anna Sergeeva/ Getty Images)
Artyom Zub #2 of the SKA Saint Petersburg \(Photo by Anna Sergeeva/ Getty Images) /

Artem Zub

If we head back to May 1st when Artem Zub was signed this wouldn’t seem like quite a surprise, but things have changed over the last several months.

With the additions of Erik Gudbranson and Josh Brown who both shoot right like Zub, it seems as of now that his chances of cracking the opening day lineup are slim. This doesn’t mean it will be impossible for the 25-year-old Russian to crack the roster but two NHL defencemen are likely now ahead of him on the depth chart.

The contract he signed in may is a one-year, entry-level contract which carries a salary of $925,000 for the season, so expectations were for Zub to play in the NHL this season. At 6’2″, Zub is a rangy defensive defenceman who offers an extra bit of offence that likely turned plenty of eyes to him last season. Zub scored 13 goals and 22 points with SKA St. Petersburg last season and while plus/minus isn’t the most reliable stat, he led the whole KHL with a +35 rating.

If the Senators are not impressed with either one of Gudbranson or Brown and Zub impresses the job could be his, with not a ton of high-end talent on the backend if Zub impresses there’s no reason he can’t start the season in Ottawa.

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