The perfect season.
A slight exaggeration perhaps and maybe not the first words that come to mind when you’re talking about a 24th place hockey team but it really was. The Ottawa Senators will ultimately fall short of the post-season this year but for a team in their position, the results were secondary.
Player development was always at the top of the list.
Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith said it from day one. This team wanted to be competitive obviously but what they wanted more than anything was to see progress from their young core.
And from the moment the puck dropped back in January, that progress has been playing out in real-time. While not every young player was on the exact same development plan, just about everyone that needed to take a step forward this year, did.
Josh Norris went from intriguing prospect to first line centre. Drake Batherson made that difficult leap from knocking on the door of an NHL spot to kicking that door down entirely. Tim Stützle went from that exciting player we saw dominate at the World Juniors to a flashy, superstar in the making in Ottawa colours.
And while he hasn’t done it here yet, Jake Sanderson gave us every reason to believe he’ll ultimately be an impact player in this team’s lineup for years to come.
And it didn’t stop there.
Shane Pinto and Jacob Bernard-Docker started the year in the NCAA and now both are carving out NHL roles for themselves. Artem Zub went from KHL unknown to rock solid defender. Erik Brannstrom spent time in the press box early and now he’s an everyday NHL defenceman. Alex Formenton took that step from productive Belleville Senator to a regular with the big team. Filip Gustavsson sat 4th or 5th on the goaltending depth chart coming into the year and now he’s a guy that have to protect heading into expansion.
Meanwhile the likes of Ridly Greig, Egor Sokolov, Angus Crookshank, Mads Søgaard and Vitaly Abramov all took big steps forward at lower levels.
What’s amazing is every time you go through that exercise of naming off the young players that have improved, you forget someone.
While those young players were the focus, some of the key “veterans” that are ultimately going to drive this thing for the next couple years also stepped up. Thomas Chabot went from a flashy big minute defenceman to an all-around player and a leader in the lockeroom. Connor Brown went from effective forward to reliable goal scorer. The likes of Nick Paul, Colin White, Nikita Zaitsev, Victor Mete, Josh Brown, Austin Watson and Chris Tierney all carved out roles for themselves too.
And then there’s Brady. In a year where rookies and veterans all stepped up, it’s Brady Tkachuk’s emergence as the face of the franchise that might be the most encouraging development. He came into this year as an entertaining fan-favourite with a ton of potential. He ends the season as the undisputed leader of this hockey team. He’s now a player that is connected to the community around him and he will certainly be the next Captain of the Ottawa Senators.
Player development was the key to this season and it’s happening up and down the lineup.
It’s a strange thing to say when the entire year was played in front of empty seats but this felt like a big year for the fan base too. At a time when we all desperately needed a distraction from real life, old grudges faded into the background and a city gradually but undoubtedly rediscovered a love for their local hockey team.
So yea- the perfect season.
The Ottawa Senators wrap-up the the 2020-2021 campaign the same way they started it- with a convincing win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Senators may not be headed to the post-season but in tonight’s game, they have a unique opportunity to plant that seed of doubt in the always fragile psyche of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Frederik Andersen, the likely Game 1 starter for the Leafs, is playing his first game since late-March. A tune-up game of sorts against the Ottawa Senators.
Perfect.
DJ Smith met with the media yesterday and outlined a couple interesting lineup notes.
Both Logan Brown and Parker Kelly will draw in. In the case of Parker Kelly, it’s an exciting NHL debut that has been a long time in the making. For Logan Brown, it’s a positive ending to an otherwise disappointing season. There’s a good chance Logan Brown finds his way onto the trade block this off-season. There’s also a good chance he falls off the trade block and gets injured though.
No morning skate today so a best guess at the lineup for now.
Tkachuk-Norris-Batherson
Stützle-Pinto-C. Brown
Paul-Anisimov-Dadonov
Formenton-L. Brown-Kelly
Mete-Zaitsev
Brannstrom-Zub
Alsing-Bernard-Docker
Filip Gustavsson gets the start in goal
Puck drop is scheduled for 8:08 PM. Sportsnet has the broadcast which means it’s a fine night to mute the TV and tune into the TSN1200 call from Dean and Gord. Shady internet streams will be provided directly to SensChirp Premium account holders.
For the last time this season, gaze upon the beauty of the HEAD2HEAD table.
| HEAD2HEAD |  |
 |
|---|---|---|
| Record | 35-13-6 (76 pts) | 22-28-5 (49 pts) |
| Goals For | 3.35 (T-5th) | 2.75 (19th) |
| Goals Against | 2.59 (T-6th) | 3.38 (T-27th) |
| Power Play | 20.3% (16th) | 15.9% (26th) |
| Penalty Kill | 77.7% (T-23rd) | 78.9% (T-20th) |
| Shots For | 31.2 (7th) | 29.7 (17th) |
| Shots Against | 27.9 (5th) | 32.1 (27th) |
| Leading Scorers | Marner- 67 pts Matthews- 65 pts Tavares- 49 pts Nylander- 41 pts Rielly- 34 pts |
Tkachuk- 35 pts Batherson- 34 pts Brown- 34 pts Norris- 34 pts Chabot- 31 pts |
| Starting Goalie | Frederik Andersen 13-8-2 2.91 GAA, .897 sv% |
Filip Gustavsson 4-1-2 2.04 GAA, .937 sv% |
