The Sens are going to have another new look to start next season, and hopefully with some good young rookies to bolster things. First things first, the trade deadline deals assumed here have the Sens netting an additional 1st, three 3rds and a 4th as well as Kieffer Bellows, and losing Pageau, Borowiecki, Hainsey, Ennis and Anderson.
The lineup also assumes the following draft picks:
1st overall (since the team's two picks may give them the best odds to win of anyone) - Alexis Lafreniere
4th-6th overall - Marco Rossi (although he may go higher by draft day)
22nd-26th overall - Jack Quinn (or other similar goal scoring right winger)
So here's the lineup:
1st Line - Tkachuk is reunited with his good friend Norris in the pros, and the two play with Batherson to form a really good, young line. They will forecheck hard, Tkachuk and Norris will finish well and Batherson will net a ton of assists. Bold Prediction: Tkachuk will be a 30 goal scorer for the first time in his career.
2nd Line - Lafreniere draws in next to Logan Brown and Duclair. If Brown can finally translate his game to the next level, he and Duclair will be the beneficiaries of playing with the best player coming out the Q since Sidney Crosby. Bold Prediction: Brown will top 50 points.
3rd Line - Colin White anchors a defensive specialist line with Connor Brown and Namestnikov. The three will be deployed like the Paul-Pageau-Brown line was earlier this year, and help the team protect leads. Bold Prediction: White will score 20+ goals.
4th Line - The most common combo will be Chlapik-Tierney-Paul, but Anismov and Gagner will come in and out from time to time. The line won't light the world on fire, but they will deliver big effort and occasional scoring for the Sens. Bold Prediction: Formenton will steal one of these spots by the end of the season.
1st D - The Sens go out and bring Shattenkirk for a couple seasons to play with Chabot. Shattenkirk is not going to drive production for this pairing, but he will be a better partner for Chabot than Hainsey or Zaitsev have been. Bold Prediction: Chabot leads a much better Sens team in points.
2nd D - Brannstrom makes the leap full-time and partners with Dylan DeMelo who is arguably the most underrated player on the roster. DeMelo makes every partner better and Brannstrom will do well playing with him, just like Chabot did a year ago. Bold Prediction: Brannstrom puts up 40+ points.
3rd D - Wolanin is hopefully healthy and ready to go at the start of next season and he gets the pleasure (or punishment?) of playing with Zaitsev next season. Both will have to play well regularly to avoid losing ice-time to Reilly. Wolanin can shift to either side, so he could play with either Zaitsev or Reilly easily enough. Bold Prediction: Zaitsev plays less than 50% of the games and the Sens try to get Seattle to take him at expansion time.
Goalies - I think Hogberg wins the starter job out of camp, but this is a 1A-1B scenario. Ideally, the team can flip Nilsson at the TDL next year and either Daccord or Gustavsson can come up and be the backup. Bold Prediction: Hogberg starts 50+ games.
Notable Excluded Players - The Belleville Senators will again be very good next season as they get an infusion of NCAA players, and other young guys.
Formenton, Abramov and Balcers all just miss the NHL team and will be fighting for call-ups (just like Brown, Batherson and Chlapik this year).
The Sens sign Pinto, Wilkie and Bernard-Docker to entry level deals and hope that all three can have rookie years as good as fellow NCAAer Josh Norris has this year.
Mark Kastelic and Jonathan Gruden graduate from the CHL and join the mix in the AHL. Kevin Mandolese likely starts the year in the ECHL, but he will be knocking on the door all year if he plays like he has in the Q.
Kieffer Bellows, if acquired from NYI, spends at least one year in Belleville to prove he has what it takes to excel in the Sens system.
Finally, Rossi and Quinn are returned to the 67s for one more year. Rossi might make it impossible to send him down, but letting the two of them terrorize the OHL for another year.
Tkachuk, Brady is barely a 2nd liner, if OTT get Alexis he should be on 1st line, only reason Tkachuk, Brady is on first line now is because sens have no one better.
as this team improves Tkachuk, Brady will end up as a 3rd liner, her will NEVER hit 50 points and will struggle the rest of his career to get 40-45 points.
Tkachuk, Brady is barely a 2nd liner, if OTT get Alexis he should be on 1st line, only reason Tkachuk, Brady is on first line now is because sens have no one better.
as this team improves Tkachuk, Brady will end up as a 3rd liner, her will NEVER hit 50 points and will struggle the rest of his career to get 40-45 points.
McDavid, Connor
250 000 $)
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