- Preseason Polling on SensChirp

With the first day out of the way, Training Camp will ramp up this morning with two separate on-ice sessions at the SensPlex in Kanata. The 52 man roster will be broken up into two groups and both will hit the ice at 10:00 AM.

From there, things are going to happen pretty quickly. The plan is to break the group into an NHL and AHL group on September 28th. Just five days from now. That means that Guy Boucher and his staff will have just a few practices and two exhibition games (Monday in Toronto and Tuesday in Buffalo) to make some pretty difficult decisions.

For the bubble guys hoping to make an impression on the new staff, the auditions starts this morning at 10:00 AM.

And while we all eagerly await those early line combinations and maybe a live-tweet of that first scrimmage, let’s pass the time with some serious polling, shall we? In yesterday’s comment section I asked readers to submit their ideas for poll questions and there were some pretty good ones.

The Senators have been pretty quiet on the trade market the last few years but there are always deals around the league. And with expansion on the horizon, you can expect a little more dealing than usual.

Most people seem to agree that goal-scoring won’t be an issue for this team. The top six looks solid and they have one of the best offensive defenceman to ever play the game. Should be plenty of points to go around this year.

If there’s one thing we Sens fan do well, it’s complain. And over the last eight years, we pretty much have it down to a science. I left the Owner off this one because he’d be the runaway winner.

Andrew Hammond is the back up goalie. We know that for certain. What’s a little less clear is Curtis Lazar’s role on the team heading into a new year. This one could go either way.

Predicting the NHL leading scorer is one thing but being able to come up with the top point-getter at the AHL level can be tricky mostly because the best players end up in the big league. This one is for you Tim!

The team will have all three of these things one day. At least I think so. Bu if you could have only one, which would you choose?

Shots against have been an issue for this team. And when I say “an issue”, I mean just a complete disaster. No team gave up more shots than Ottawa last year. Can only go up from here!

We’ve talked a lot about the bubble players up front. It’s a mix of veterans and young guys, all pushing for the same couple spots on the roster. So which bubble guy separates from the pack?

Ottawa may not have added a whole lot to the roster this off-season but that doesn’t mean there haven’t been changes. A handful of ex-Senators will be hoping to have an impact elsewhere this season. Who has the best year?

One player was added mid-season and the other in a surprise summer swap. Both guys will be playing their first full season with the Ottawa Senators. Tough to measure but which new/newish guy contributes the most this year?

A new season is a time for hope. A time for optimism. But also, it’s a time to fret and worry and pull our hair out. What keeps you up at night?

Erik Karlsson should win the Norris again this year. I mean, you know the Shea Weber lifetime achievement campaign will be pretty loud out of Montreal but still. OTHER than EK, who has the best chance at off-season hardware?