Ottawa Senators 2023-24 NHL Season Preview
Is this the year for the Ottawa Senators to return the postseason? The Sens haven’t made the playoffs since 2017, but a new owner is in place and the team is littered with young talent. The best part is their entire core is basically locked up long term. As we continue with the 2023-24 NHL Season Previews, there should be plenty of optimism around the Senators.
Line Combination (Combinations Obtained via DailyFaceoff.com)
*Not pictured the two goalies (Joonas Korpisalo, Anton Forsberg)
Ottawa ranked 18th in goals for and 20th in goals allowed last year. The core of young players here will only continue to ascend. Could Ottawa become a top 10 scoring unit this year? They have the bodies to do it. Goal prevention will be key. Trading for top-end blue liner Jakob Chychrun hopefully aids that cause.
New Faces
Three new faces that need to be mentioned:
Joonas Korpisalo is the new goalie in town. Giving away Filip Gustavsson is going to prove to be a crucial mistake. Ottawa was forced to pay up for Korpisalo instead. Don’t get me wrong, Korpisalo is a really good goalie, but it may have been a bit of an overpay. Korpisalo’s late-season run with the Kings, where he posted a .921 save percentage probably got him a nice raise.
Dominik Kubalik comes over in the Alex DeBrincat trade. I’m not high on Kubalik because I just don’t know what he provides other than some okay finishing ability. Kubalik scored 20 goals in Chicago last year and could be a better fit in Ottawa to produce depth scoring.
The Sens also signed Vladimir Tarasenko to play on the powerhouse top line. Tarasenko didn’t exactly light it up with the Rangers and scored just 18 goals on the season. In any season where Tarasenko played more than 60 games, that was his lowest-scoring output ever. Does Tarasenko have one more good year left in him? When right, we know this is a guy that can pocket 30 in his sleep. The Sens are going to need him to make that playoff push.
Three Players To Watch
Stützle is my fantasy hockey ride-or-die. This is one of the most exciting young players in the sport. Has incredible skill and is a treat to watch every time he takes the ice. Has the look and feel of a modern-day No. 1 center. A lighting rod that can dangle people and carry the offensive load.
Tkachuk is the perfect compliment on the top line to Stützle. The younger brother of Matthew continues to get better and better. Has a similar type of game. A total pest and one of the best power forwards in the league. Every team needs a guy like this and Tkachuk is one of the most talented glue guys in the league.
- Josh Norris
Norris missed most of last year and I think we forget how good this guy is. The Sens only got eight games out of Norris after he posted 55 points in his age-22 season the year prior. A healthy Norris should be the piece that gets Ottawa back in the dance. He just needs to actually be on the ice this time. This guy was the main piece of the Erik Karlsson trade for a reason and should prove to be a capable No. 2 center for a long time.
Biggest Riser
Get ready for the Jake Sanderson explosion. Tkachuk thinks he’s the most underrated player in the league. Sanderson has also been rewarded with a mega extension. Thus far it’s been all flashes but Sanderson has the make up to eventually become a really skilled offensive defenseman. Wherever he’s ranked in fantasy, it’s probably too low. Expect a leap this year.
Biggest Faller
I’m just going to include three players in this mix because they represent the Achilles heel of this team. The depth on the blue line just isn’t good enough. Travis Hamonic may or may not be a cancer. Erik Brannstrom is a friendly reminder that the team got robbed on the Mark Stone trade. Artem Zub is a walking corpse ready to be replaced. If Ottawa underachieves, it’s because they’re three defensemen short of being a good team.
The Biggest Question Is…
This may be a bit off the radar but is Thomas Chabot ever going to figure it out? Don’t get me wrong, Chabot is a good player but we’re all waiting for that leap to come. Chabot got Norris votes during his age-22 season back in 2018-19 and notched 55 points that season. He hasn’t cracked 42 since. It’s go time. If the Sens want to get back to being in the mix, Chabot needs to establish himself as a true number one option. It’s now or maybe never.
Verdict
I have the Senators in the playoffs this year. They have the requisite top-end talent to get it done. I didn’t even mention Claude Giroux who was really good last year. Shane Pinto was a young center who showed flashes last year. It’s time to take the next step. If it doesn’t happen, we know that DJ Smith should be fired. It’s as simple as that.
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