- Polling Day on SensChirp

That’s all that separates us from the start of the regular season. Last night, ten NHL teams got their year started. In Toronto, their already making plans for a virtual Stanley Cup parade. In Montreal, they’re calling for Marc Bergevin to be fired.

Another ten teams are in action tonight while both the Vancouver Canucks and Edmonton Oilers get set to play their second game in the 2021 campaign.

Tomorrow night. TOMORROW. Sorry, even as I type the words I can barely believe it. After a more than 300 day layoff, tomorrow…we get to watch the Ottawa Senators again.

And on the eve of the Sens season, it dawned on me that I’ve neglected several website traditions. No terrible predictions. No player point productions that barely make sense. Despite waiting more than 300 days, the start of the season still snuck up on me somehow.

But there’s still just enough time for one of my favourite days on SensChirp- polling day!

It’s a day where you, the loyal reader, get a chance to have your say. Key questions, predictions and unanswered questions. And it’s all in your hands!

With a new year comes a fresh batch of things to be worried about. And as you’d expect from a team smack dab in the middle of a rebuild, the Ottawa Senators are far from a finished product. There are young players in key roles and fringe NHL veterans throughout the line up. If you’re the worrying type, there are plenty of options.

On paper, Ottawa’s offence looks like it should be improved. While they may not have the stars to match some of the other teams in their division, their depth throughout the line up is actually looking pretty good. It’s going to be offence by committee but who ultimately leads the way is up for debate.

Your answer to the above question likely carries over here but with three young players starting the year in the team’s top six, there is potential for a fresh-faced rookie to have a huge impact for the Senators this year. Which one leads the way…

Ottawa’s power play is going to improve. Realistically, it would be pretty difficult for it to be much worse. But with the off-season addition of Evgenii Dadonov and the arrival of Tim Stützle, the Senators are getting a much-need injection of skill on the man-advantage. They’ll be better but how much better?

One of Ottawa’s biggest acquisitions this off-season came in goal. Two-time Stanley Cup Champion Matt Murray brings stability to the position. But with Marcus Hogberg taking big steps last year, there may still be a bit of competition for the Ottawa net. In a 56-game season jammed with back-to-backs, they are going to need both goalies. But how do you see it breaking down?

Logan Brown’s status is one of the more intriguing storylines heading into the new season. He wasn’t able to earn a spot on the NHL roster in Camp and as of now anyway, it looks like he’ll start the season in the American Hockey League. But for now long?

And while Logan Brown’s name should probably be included in this next one too, we’ll focus on some of the other candidates. Ottawa’s roster is littered with affordable veterans and expiring contracts which means there are plenty of candidates to be traded this year. While mid-season trades are a less likely under this format and frankly, a little bit complicated, there are still going to be deals.

While other General Managers took a low-key approach to the off-season, Pierre Dorion was quite active. With roster spots available and money to spend, Dorion went out and acquired some key pieces. But which one of these guys stands out this season?

A pretty simple one here. And it’s a guess more than anything. We know that a couple teams will have fans to start the season and we know that Eugene Melnyk has a plan in place to bring fans to the CTC when it’s safe to do so. Does that happen this year?

We know how the so-called experts would answer this next one but interested to see where the majority of Sens fans are at.

Got a question about the upcoming season for the SensChirp community? Share it in the comment section below and I’ll add it to the list.