- Ten Second Half Questions

As we officially pass the halfway point of the 2014/2015 season, there are more questions than answers when it comes to this year’s edition of the Ottawa Senators.

At the start of the year, some fans felt like this roster was good enough to compete for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference but through the first half of the season they just haven’t been consistent enough to hang with the top 8 in the East. And while there’s still time to get this thing turned around, the window for a playoff push is rapidly closing.

We kicked off the season with ten poll questions. Let’s do the same thing at the mid-way point. Here’s ten questions facing this team as they get ready to start the second half of their season tomorrow night in Dallas.

Q1- Mike Hoffman’s 14 goals lead the team and have him tied for the rookie lead with Nashville start Filip Forsberg. Hoffman leads the team in scoring at the half way mark but Clarke MacArthur and Bobby Ryan are both close behind with 12 a piece. Bobby Ryan has been heating up a little bit lately and looks like he could push Hoffman for the team lead. Hoffman’s PDO is through the roof and his power play time has been pretty limited to this point. Can he hold on to the lead? Three choices or you can go off the board entirely.

Q2- The team lead in points is just as closely contested even if the Senators don’t have a player in the Top 50 in league scoring. Erik Karlsson has had an up and down first half but his 29 points are first on the team and 6th among all defenceman. Bobby Ryan is the team’s only All Star and trails Karlsson by just one point. Kyle Turris has struggled at times this year but has a good chance at a 60 point season. This one is going to come down to the wire.

Q3- Todd Bertuzzi started his PTO with Binghamton today. While the Ottawa Senators have no contractual obligation to Bertuzzi beyond that tryout agreement, Bertuzzi isn’t there just because he really wants to help out the team in Binghamton. He’d like one last shot in the NHL. Does he get that in Ottawa this season?

Q4- Bertuzzi may have the name recognition but there are plenty of players in Binghamton that will push for call ups during the second half. It hasn’t been a great season in Bingo but there are still players down there that deserve a look. This one is more opinion than prediction. Who would you most like to see get a call up before the season is over?

Q5- The Senators sit eight points back of the final playoff spot in the East. If this team is going to have any shot at closing that gap, they’ll need the type of winning streak that hasn’t happened in the first half. Six of seven games should do it. At the same time, they are another lengthy losing streak away from the bottom five. Depending on who you ask, that might not be the worst thing for this team but how do you see it playing out?

Q6- You would be hard-pressed to find a player who has had a stranger year than Marc Methot. His mysterious back injury has been a talking point for most of the season and even though he’s finally healthy and back in the lineup, his status with the team remains up in the air. Methot is a free agent as of July 1st which means the Senators are going to have to make a difficult decision on his future in the next couple months. Both sides still want to get something done but does it happen in time? How do you see the Methot-saga ending?

Q7- This one will be controversial. Craig Anderson has been Ottawa’s MVP to this point in the season. If not for Anderson, this is a team with a very real shot at a lottery pick in June. And despite Anderson’s heroics, the Sens are 8 points out and have to at least consider moving a veteran or two if the right offer comes along. There will be teams interested in Anderson and I suspect one or two teams make Bryan Murray an offer good enough that he has to at least consider it. But does it happen? Only two options here.

Q8- Every year around this time, it seems like there’s a headline that says “Murray Looking for Top 6 forward”. This year is no different. While Murray didn’t use the term rental, he has indicated he would like to add another top six forward to the mix. Prices are always inflated at the deadline but can Murray find a deal that makes sense? A better question might be “should they” but let’s go with “will they”…

Q9- Trade talk is going to be a central storyline in the second half. Either an addition or in the form of subtraction. The Senators aren’t ready to throw in the towel on the playoffs just yet, but there may soon come a day when they need to move a contract or two. We gave Craig Anderson his own question but there are other names that could find their way into the rumour mill over the next couple months. Not necessarily saying all these guys are available but there are plenty of names that might make sense.

Q10- The final question requires some long-term thinking. The potential move to LeBreton Flats has been a popular topic during the first half of the season and is likely to remain a talking point as we learn details of the other submissions for the site at LeBreton Flats. It seems damn near impossible this early in the process but do you think the Senators will move to LeBreton Flats within let’s say, the next 10 years.