Big additions bring big expectations for Ottawa Senators

The Ottawa Senators have been perennial basement dwellers for five years running, but the team finally seems poised to make significant progress.

The past few difficult years have been spent building a young core that started with workhorse defenceman Thomas Chabot and went on to include captain Brady Tkachuk and forwards Drake Batherson, Josh Norris and Tim Sttzle.

With the additions of veteran Claude Giroux, high-scoring winger Alex DeBrincat and goaltender Cam Talbot, the Senators might finally be able to makeheadway in the Eastern Conference, although they'll be facingtough competition in the always competitive Atlantic Division.

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Ottawa will need to shed some bad habits if they want to keep pace with the likes of Tampa, Toronto and Florida.

For the past three seasons, which coincides with how long head coach D.J. Smith has been behind the bench, the Senators have struggled to get off on the right foot and missed the playoffs.

In his rookie season in 2019-20, Ottawa was 2-7-1 after ten games. The 2020-21 season, which was comprised of an all-Canadian division, saw them go 1-8-1. Last year, they stumbled out to a 3-6-1 record.

"Clearly we know we've got to get out to a good start," said Smith.

"You've got to be in every game. You've got to chip away at points right from the get-go, and that's pro sports. We're big boys and we've got to be ready when the season starts."

Cutting down on goals against

While the Senators will likely be able to score a few more goals thanks to DeBrincat, Giroux and the supporting cast of forwards, the bigger question is whether or not Ottawa's defence and goaltending will have sufficiently improved.

As impressive as general manager Pierre Dorion's moves were this summer, he failed to acquire a solid, veteran blue-liner.

Ottawa will be led by Chabot and Artem Zub, who have proven to be an effective pairing.

The 27-year-old Russian is in the final year of his contract and set to become an unrestricted free agent. Other than Chabot, Zub has been the Senators' best defenceman and a solid addition to its blue-line.

Travis Hamonic and Nick Holden will be counted on to provide veteran leadership while rookie Jake Sanderson showed significant poise through the pre-season, but has yet to play an NHL game.

Erik Brannstrom, Nikita Zaitsev and Jacob Bernard-Docker will all be pushing for regular duty.

Ottawa's numbers defensively over the past three years are somewhat depressing. The Senators finished 30th in goals against in Smith's rookie season, improved to 23rd his second year and fell to 26th last year.

Already a significant injury

The tandem of Anton Forsberg and Talbot was intended to help improve those numbers, but Talbot will be sidelined for the first five to seven weeks of the season with a broken rib,leaving the bulk of the work to Forsberg.

The 29-year-old Forsberg proved to be a stable net presence in the second half of last season and was rewarded with a three-year extension. He finished the season with a 22-17-4 record and .917 save percentage.

If Forsberg can hold down the fort for the first 14 games, Ottawa might be able to ride the stretch out in Talbot's absence. It bodes well that the Senators don't play any back-to-back gamesin the first six weeks of the season.

In an effort to shore up their crease in Talbot's absence the Senators claimed journeyman netminder Magnus Hellberg off waivers fromSeattle. The 31-year-old has played in just five NHL games, but has plenty of experience and could provide some relief until Talbot returns.

What can't be overlooked is the depth of Ottawa'sbottom six.

The third line trio of Shane Pinto between Tyler Motte and Mathieu Joseph has been nothing short of impressive through the pre-season.

Pinto, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, looks ready to make a statement and is benefiting from Motte's experience and Joseph's speed.

"I think a lot of the credit has to go to Pints, you see how well he's played," said Smith.

"But also a guy like Motte, who just knows how to play the right way. And then Joe's got all that speed. So, it is comforting for sure. They're the line that's had the most success five-on-five because they're playing the right way."

The fourth line has yet to be finalized but Austin Watson and Parker Kelly will likely find themselves on the wing of either Dylan Gambrell or Mark Kastelic. While Kastelic has been solid, his two-way contract may make the Senators' decision a little easier.

Former Senator and Gatineau, Que., native Derick Brassard is also back in the picture.

Ottawa's regular season begins Thursday in Buffalo.After a Saturday night visit to Toronto, their home opener is Tuesday, Oct. 18 against Boston.