The beginning of the the 2019-20 NHL regular season was hard going for the Ottawa Senators, who managed to eke out just three wins and one overtime victory in 11 games.
Things have greatly improved!
The 2020 Senators are a young, hard-working, gritty and talented team with a promising future. Led by the formidable Brady Tkachuk, the impressive Thomas Chabot and fan favourite, Mr. ‘fire on ice’ himself, Jean-Gabriel J-G" Pageau, it seems someone forgot to tell these guys that they are in a rebuilding phase as they continue to be more than competitive in every game.
Hardcore fans are betting they will snare a play-off spot but as they head into the second half of the season, overall playoff expectations remain low. If you want other options besides betting on the Ottawa Senators making the playoffs try Canada Casino.
Otherwise you can follow the February 24th trade deadline. The Sens have 10 unrestricted free agents at the NHL level (Craig Anderson, Mikkel Boedker, Dylan DeMelo, Vladislav Namestnikov, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Tyler Ennis, Scott Sabourin, Ron Hainsey, Mark Borowiecki, Cody Goloubef), and four restricted free agents (Chris Tierney, Connor Brown, Anthony Duclair and Nick Paul).
Given their overall solid performance thus far, it is highly unlikely that key players like goaltender Craig Anderson or forwards Ennis or Pageau will be traded before the deadline.
There may be a slight outside chance of trading Craig Anderson, but that would shake this young team to its core. Besides Anders Nilsson has been injured so it really doesn’t make sense. However, money talks and Anderson will be in demand by playoff run teams as one of the leagues most outstanding goaltenders.
Regardless, count on the Senators to keep their tested young players as they rebuild. They have two first round picks and a total of five picks in the first two rounds of the draft. If they play their cards right, Ottawa could come out of the draft with four picks in the top 30.
While this is a young team and one that does have some highly skilled skaters, it’s also a team that has yet to realize the potential on the roster. Games have turned against them at key moments, when a little more resolve defensively or a tad more accuracy could have made all the difference. Finding that certainty and matching it with consistency, undoubtedly, will be the challenge in the months to come for D.J. Smith at the Senators.
