Definitely need an upgrade on defense

The forward section is very good.

I am a big fan of Sanderson but I think he needs a year of experience. Outside of Chabot and Zub the defense is pretty underwhelming.

Goaltending is good, not great. Neither goalie can steal a game.

Sens are definitely close to being a playoff team and in the near future a contender. Exciting stuff happening in Ottawa.

Get ready for a lot of 5-4 games

Forsberg stole so many games last season

Didn't know how good he was. I stand corrected.

They can, but not without a D add and more importantly a Zaitsev subtraction. Sens need to finish pruning the weeds before they choke out the garden

Is Zaitsev really bad or just overpaid?

Zaitsev would be a decent 5-6 D on a competitive team for about 2 million less than what he is making now. Problem is that, up to this point, the organization viewed him as an "Elite" defender. Which he clearly is not. The only one D partner that made him look good was Chabot which is a testament to how good Chabot is. Even then, it was frustrating because we all knew what the problem was with that pairing and it wasn't Chabot.

He's got some bad habits and handles the puck like a hand grenade. Ices it way too often. Kills the play instantly in the O zone with a shot right at the goalies glove ending any threat for a scoring chance. Makes... questionable decisions without the puck that leads to either odd man rushes or screening his goalie.

Holden has played the right side before and I think I would prefer to see him on the 3rd pairing over Zaitsev. So Branny-Holden, or Holden-Branny.
Either way, I'd send Zaitsev to Belleville to make sure a trade to ANY NHL TEAM is something he jumps at.

Sens, Sabres, Wings are teams on the rise, but probably good enough now to make the playoffs. But those three teams could be the top teams in the Atlantic in the second half of this decade.

They have a bottom-5 defense in the league and were 30 points out of the playoffs last year. Washington improved over the offseason. Boston, granted theyll be missing some key pieces for a couple months, also improved in the offseas.

Sens are overrated. Maybe they make the playoffs if they played in the west, just cant see it happening in the east

The Panthers didn’t have the strongest d core last season and they won the Atlantic. But it’s very possible they can upgrade the d core closer to the beginning of the season. One key example I can think of is when Garth Snow traded a bag of blue picks for Nick Leddy and “a couple of second round picks” to acquire Johnny Boychuk in 2014.

Tbh I fully expect Dorian to make a move closer to the season and I won’t judge Ottawa until then.

I agree that the blueline needs an upgrade. Hard to disagree.

My take on this sits on the readiness of Bernard-Docker and/or Thomson. Both have had cups of coffee and haven't exactly looked out of place when drinking their double-double.

Now, what everyone hasn't mentioned is that this is a team in 2022-23 that should be able.to drive play with much more effectiveness than last season, which in turn, may improve the defense (usually nor spending as much time in your own end will do this).

Still, a right side of Hamonic (who ideally is 3rd paring) and Zaitszev (who ideally is 3rd pairing) leaves a hole in my world. It is possible one of the kids plugs the hole, but then we talk about the lack of experience lol.

Given all this, the team will be in the mix for sure. The Atlantic just got super competitive, and, none of the top 4 teams got better. No one is running away with this division imo. It is going to be a dog fight. As long as the Sens compete, they will be in the weeds.

If they add an experienced RD, I think it changes the conversation.

Leafs fan's opinion, take it for what it is worth.

He's bad. Like maybe he does better in a limited 3rd pair role, but I wouldn't want him on a league min deal tbh. I feel like every summer there's at least one dman who is better than Zaitsev who has to go to Europe because they can't land an NHL job.

Imagine having the puck on your blue line and you can pass back to Chabot but you decide you want to either ice the puck or just send it to the other teams Dman and sit back and defend . Zaitsev plays the opposite of possession hockey and with this offence would be terrible

A lot here rides on JDB/ Thompson/ Branstrom.

If JDB or Thompson can come into camp and play to a NHL level where they are playing any kind of meaningful minutes early in the season, then it makes it a lot easier to move a Zaistev, and move Hammonic down, and there is less pressure to bring in a more established 5-6 D man like a holden to fill out the roster spot.

If Branstrom comes in this season and proves like he has shown flashes of that he is ready to be an every game top 4 D, then that also changes things. I think Sanderson - Branstrom could be a very strong pairing but the coach isn't gonna run that pairing a lot this year. However, if Branstrom stays in the top 4 all season then you really are gonna have less pressure to move for another top 4 D.

So depending on if the first, second or both scenarios play it really changes what time of D man and the options available to bring in. Ideally, you would like to see the D core filled internally with prospects like Thomspon, JDB and Sanderson full-time taking big steps, but you have to have other options available because this is the least likely scenario.

having both Debrincat and Stuzie on the same line is dangerous, i would move Debrincat to the first line and Tkatchuk to the 2nd line to even them out, Norris can protect Debrincat and Tkatchuk and protect Stuzie.

Tend to agree. Issue is, if a trade is made, I would be looking for an expiring deal, as that trio is coming. Further, anyone worth their salt is going to cost more in assets than it maybe worth.

Looking at someone like David Savard (off the too of my head) who has term but a reasonable cap hit maybe a more viable option, and cheaper on the asset front. Easier to move on from as well.

Hamonic was the right idea really, just not sold on his ability to play top 4 minutes anymore

Norris and Cat is such a bad combo. Cat can do it all, but he obviously is better suited as a finisher, and Norris is purely a finisher. When you have a C who is as comfortable playing with the puck and making plays happen as Stützle is its stupid not to put them together. Then you add a Swiss army knife like Giroux and you've got something special.

I'm more concerned with size issues, but i can understand your point. if you put Norris and Cat on the same line you need an Adam Oats/ Jose Thornton type player to dish it to them.
My main Worry is Cat and Stuzie being undersized you need a legit power forward to protect them. and Giroux is NOT that.
And yes Stuzie is listed at 6'1", but he plays small so I should not say he is undersized but more a liability when it comes to grittiness.

Timmy doesn't play small, he was just physically weak. He was still a teenager when last season started, and it takes guys a while to put on that strength. He just needs to pack on muscle (which he has been this summer judging from his Instagram stories) and he'll be totally fine. He was top 5 in hits among Sens forwards, and he was way more willing to mix it up in a scrum than Norris, who you've suggested would "protect" DeBrincat. Also DeBrincat isn't some shrinking violet either, he's more than willing to get engaged physically despite his size. They'll be fine.

ok then i’m being worried for nothing. either way it really doesn’t matter the Senators have a Legit top 10 top 6 now.

Yeah there's really no bad options, I just think DeBrincat-Stützle-Giroux is the best line they could ice next year, so you just do it, and figure the rest out from there