Throughout franchise history, the Ottawa Senators have had skilled players play for the franchise. It's no secret, that some players were better than others.
Some players in Senators history have established themselves more than others and produced spectacular seasons. Some might ask who would crack the Senators all-time starting lineup if it was to be based on one season for each position.
The starting lineup that the Senators would produce for an all-time team would competitive against many others in the NHL, but which seasons by a Senators player were better than others to crack the starting lineup?
Building a Senators all-time starting lineup based on a single season
With many players to select and start at six different positions, it offers as a challenge to pick one season from the others. However, some seasons by Senator players were more memorable than others. Six positions need to be filled and the filling will begin in goal.
Goaltender- 2002-03 Patrick Lalime
While Craig Anderson is the only goaltender to record over 200 wins as a Senator, there is one season by a goaltender in Senators history that will atop all the others. That would be Patrick Lalime's 2002-03 season.
Lalime spent five seasons with the Senators and his 2002-03 season is by far the best. Lalime's 39 wins is still to this day the most by any goaltender in Senators history in a single season. Lalime would record a 2.16 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. To add more to his dominant season, Lalime finished with eight shutouts, which is also another Senators single season record.
Lalime made the 2003 NHL All-Star Game and the Senators would win the 2003 President's Trophy due to Lalime's season. 2003 was the only time the Senators won the President's Trophy, and Lalime's teammate Chris Phillips named the 2003 team as the best in Senators history.
Although Lalime and the Senators lost in a heartbreaking seven-game series at home to the New Jersey Devils in the 2003 Eastern Conference Finals, Lalime's 2002-03 season goes down in Senators infamy.