Placing Ottawa Senators Skaters Into Tiers

Replacement

Players: Chris Tierney, Ryan Dzingel (UFA), Derek Stepan (UFA), Micheal Amadio, Austin Watson, Josh Brown

These players fall into the “replacement” pile because of the lack of influence they have on the team now and in the future. The only player I viewed that had potential at “above-average” was Austin Watson as he played his role to the best of his ability this season.

Chris Tierney is a potential trade candidate in the offseason, and shouldn’t be in Ottawa any longer than the remaining one-year left on his $3.5 million contract. Finishing the season with 19 points in 55 games, the 26-year-old forward was underwhelming in many aspects of his game especially with how sluggish he looked on most nights.

UFA’s Ryan Dzingel and Derek Stepan are both likely to see the free-agent market as it’s likely that the Senators’ staff doesn’t see them as parts of the future. In 29 games for Ottawa Dzingel had only 9 points, while Stepan had just 6 points in 20 contests.

Micheal Amadia was uninspiring in his 5 games since coming over from Los Angeles, contributing just 1 assist. It’s likely he’s qualified as an RFA but he shouldn’t be a priority player for the Senators during this rebuild.

Josh Brown didn’t inspire anyone with the majority of his play this season, and he will likely battle Jacob Bernard-Docker next season for an NHL job.

Excluded: Shane Pinto, Jacob Bernard-Docker, Clark Bishop