When the new NHL season begins in December, or whenever they figure out a format that makes sense under the current conditions, the Ottawa Senators roster could look entirely different.
There are still some important off-season decisions to be made by Pierre Dorion and his staff but at this point it’s clear that there will be pretty significant turnover from the roster that suited up for that bizarre game against the Kings way back in March.
A quick aside- at the time, we thought that was one of the most important losses in franchise history but it’s sort of interesting to think that had the Senators won that game and had the balls still exited the spinning orb of doom the same way, they would actually be picking 2nd and 3rd overall.
See this is the kind of thought that enters your mind during six months without Sens hockey.
Now where was I? Right, roster turnover.
Looking at the line up from that game against the Kings, I count maybe ten guys that are locks for the roster next year. And it could be fewer than that.
With so many RFAs, UFAs and prospects knocking on and/or kicking down the door, projecting a roster for next season is damn near impossible at this point.
But what we do know is there are a handful, like a big handful, of young players and prospects that will be pushing for permanent jobs with the Senators as early as next season.
So with that in mind, let’s take a crack at ranking those players by who has the best shot at donning the old school 2D black uniform on opening night.
Let’s start with the forwards…
FORWARDS
Alex Formenton (Age-20)- Formenton’s path to the NHL may be the most straightforward of all of Ottawa’s top end prospects primarily because he plays the wing and because he can still be effective in a bottom six role. He got into one game in 2017/2018 and then nine games the year after but last season, only played in the American Hockey League. And he dominated. I just don’t see how he doesn’t force his way into the line up next year. And once he starts getting two to three breakaways a game here in Ottawa, it’s going to be pretty tough to send him down.
Drake Batherson (Age- 22)- Batherson has already proven that he can dominate at the American Hockey League level and has shown flashes in the NHL. Batherson likely learned a valuable lesson about his off-season approach last year and should come to Camp ready to earn a full-time spot. At 22 years of age, the time is now for The Drake. Ideally it’s in a top-six role because Batherson is the type of player that needs to be with other skilled guys.
Logan Brown (Age- 22)- Brown has quickly become one of the most polarizing players in Ottawa’s system but the fact is when he’s healthy, he’s proven that the AHL is simply too easy of a league for him at this stage in his development. Pace will forever be a word attached to Logan but in his NHL games last year, I saw a player that was quickly adapting to the NHL speed. He’s never going to beat guys with his quickness but he should be able to make up for that with strength, reach and just an overall understanding of the NHL game. Not to mention high-end bordering on elite play-making skills. It has to be on one of the top two lines (with plenty of power play time) to make sense but Brown has a damn good shot of being an everyday NHLer as early as next year.
Josh Norris (Age- 21)- Last year, Norris rapidly made the leap from interesting prospect to one of the best players in Ottawa’s system. He took home top rookie honours in his first full season in Belleville and was probably the BSens most consistent player from start to finish. He got a taste of NHL action, appearing in three games with the Senators, but he certainly looks the part of a player ready to challenge for a permanent spot on the roster. Still think he needs to get a little bigger and stronger to reall thrive but he’s had plenty of time to work on that the last six months. It probably comes down to him or Logan Brown to start but I would expect both guys to appear in plenty of NHL games next year.
Rudolfs Balcers (Age-23)- Yesterday, we learned that the Senators considered loaning Balcers to a team in the KHL but apparently had a last minute change of heart. It would have been a good opportunity for Balcers to get an early jump on things but even without it, I expect Balcers to be a guy that makes a strong push for one of the available spots on the wing. Not saying it’s now or never for Rudy but with so many other forward prospects in the system, he has to find a way to stand out this year.
Honourable Mention- Vitaly Abramov, Filip Chlapik, Parker Kelly
So how many of these guys do you expect to be in the roster on opening night, whenever the hell that is? Do any of the honourable mentions make a push? And is there anyone not list that you expect to be an Ottawa Senator next year?
Keep in mind Quinton Byfield and/or Tim Stützle are not yet eligible for this exercise.
