Above-Average
Players: Nick Paul, Evgenii Dadonov, Erik Brannstrom, Colin White, Alex Formenton, Victor Mete
This is a group headlined by fan favourite and defensive savant, Nick Paul. While his production doesn’t stand out (20 pts, 56 GP), his penalty killing and strong defensive stick made him a mainstay in crucial defensive situations.
One of the biggest disappointments from this season has to be the play of Evgenii Dadonov, he was non-existent on most nights. His history of success at the NHL level allows him to stay afloat as “above-average” and who’s to say that Dadonov can’t return to similar production that he had in Florida with a Senators squad that should be much improved in 2021-22. His 13 goals ranked 5th among Senators skaters, so, despite all the doom and gloom surrounding Dadonov, he still proved he can put the puck in the net.
Brannstrom struggled to find consistent minutes on a veteran-heavy defensive core at the start of the season, but when he was finally freed from the “rookie buffer” that the Senators staff puts on young defenceman, he played well. In his final 16 games of the season, Brannstrom had 8 points in 16 games to go along with a +8 rating while playing nearly 20 minutes per night. Brannstrom’s trajectory to fulfilling his potential should accelerate next season.
While many are quick to label Colin White’s season a disappointment, you can’t hide the fact that he was unfairly scratched at the beginning of the season, and then once he regained his footing, he became injured. Despite all of that, White also carried a strong 52.1 CF% which was among the best on the Senators roster, so he was able to drive play to some extent. Unlike many players on the team this season, White was worse at the end of the season, than at the start. Having 10 points in his first 19 games on a horrendous Senators squad at the season’s start, you couldn’t ask for much better from White, but as the season lagged on, injuries and inconsistencies crept in for the two-way forward who eventually finished the season with just 18 points in 45 games.
Alex Formenton and Victor Mete were both teammates during their time in junior with the London Knights and also appeared as teammates on the Canadian 2018 World Junior team that won the gold medal in Buffalo. Formenton was a bit of a surprise to be a regular before the season’s end, but ever since the call-up the speedy winger has had an impact on each game in some capacity. The Senators 2nd round pick in 2017 finished with 4 goals and 6 points in 20 games with the big club this season and he will be a marquee name on the penalty-kill for years to come. For Mete, since the waiver claim, everything has gone smoothly, especially on the ice. He was relied upon in all situations by D.J. Smith, his skating and underrated defensive game should keep him on the team for next season, likely in a third-pairing role.