2010-11 NHL Predictions/Previews: Ottawa Senators
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Last season was solid if unspectacular for the Ottawa Senators. The Sens finished fifth in the Eastern Conference and were promptly eliminated by the Penguins. Ottawa brings back its roster mostly intact, and there have been few improvements. In all likelihood, the Senators will once again be somewhere in the middle of the playoff pack—but have missed their window to hoist the Stanley Cup.
Ottawa Senators
Stanley Cup odds: 35/1
Ottawa was 15th in goal scoring last season, but the club is hoping a resurgence from Jason Spezza can turn that around. Spezza has been much maligned for two years now, and there are all kinds of rumors swirling about various problems in the locker room. The bottom line is he simply hasn’t played up to his abilities in some time.
Spezza finally bottomed out last season, missing 22 games and scoring just 57 points. It’s too early to give up on the sometimes dazzling center but, if the ugliness continues, he’s a prime candidate to be shipped off midseason.
The Senators are also crossing their fingers for a major improvement from Alex Kovalev. Spezza was the second coming of Wayne Gretzky compared to Kovalev, who scored just 49 points in 77 games. The moody Russian scored 64 goals during the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, but he managed just 18 last year.
Free agent defenseman Sergei Gonchar is expected to boost the offense. The smooth-skating Russian is an annual lock for at least 50 points, and he should open up some ice for the Sens. The former Pittsburgh Penguin isn’t great in his own zone, though, which makes the loss of Anton Volchenkov even more costly. Volchenkov signed with the New Jersey Devils in the offseason, and he’s established himself as one of the better shutdown defensemen in the NHL.
Gonchar won’t be the only talented, free-wheeling defenseman on the roster. Erik Karlsson showed heaps of potential last year, when the 20 year old scored 26 points in 60 games—including 14 points in his last 19 games. Karlsson is a little undersized, but he’s a great skater with a high ceiling.
Goaltending is a major area of concern. Pascal Leclaire is the starter for the time being, but he didn’t exactly wow management last season, posting a 3.20 GAA and .887 save percentage. Leclaire is unquestionably talented—he posted a 2.25 GAA and recorded nine shutouts in 52 starts for Columbus during the 2007-08 season—but the former first-round pick just hasn’t put it together for a sustained stretch. Injuries have played the biggest role in stunting his development.
Should Leclaire fail, Brian Elliot will be waiting in the wings. Elliot was solid last season, going 29-18-4 with a 2.57 GAA. He’s an ideal back-up, but if he has to carry the load again in 2010-11, the Senators might find themselves struggling to make the playoffs.
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