- Preseason Polling on SensChirp (Anderson Signs Extension)

(UPDATE 11:45 AM- The long-rumoured Craig Anderson extension has finally been made official. The two-year extension carries an average of $4.75 million a season including $5.5M in year one and $4.0M in year two. The deal also includes a 10-team no trade clause. With Anderson and Condon both locked up for the next few years, the Senators have some stability and predictability at the goaltending position. And at a pretty reasonable price.

With only one preseason game remaining on the schedule, the start of a new NHL season is now within our grasp. In just six days, the Ottawa Senators will drop the puck on the 2017/2018 season as they play host to Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Not long now!

And as we count down these remaining days, it’s time for the SensChirp community to answer some difficult questions about the season that lies ahead. This includes some predictions about the season ahead with a few opinion questions mixed in too.

Offence was a bit of an issue for the Senators at times during last season. They wanted to focus more on the details in their own end of the rink and as a result, some offensive numbers dipped a little bit. But this team still has a few weapons up front and one of the league’s most dynamic players on the back end.

Similar question, but this time with an emphasis on putting the puck in the back of the net. The team only had three 20-goal scorers last year with Kyle Turris leading the way. Can he do it again this year?

There is plenty of skill at the top end of the line up but legitimate concern about offensive production from the bottom six guys. Boucher will be counting on all four of these guys to chip in offensively.

Last year was a difficult year for Craig Anderson away from the rink which led to a significantly lighter workload on the ice as he played just 40 games. Mike Condon was relied on heavily at times during the season as a result. Ottawa has a pretty good 1/2 punch in goal and they’ll need both to be good this year.

This is always a difficult one to predict because as we know, trades have a tendency to come out of nowhere for the Ottawa Senators. But there are a handful of guys approaching free agency making them candidates for a mid-season move. No trades is a possibility obviously but who is the most likely to go?

We’ve been talking about it for years now but the Senators have some important contracts looming in the not too distant future. And with Karlsson now just a couple years away from a monster extension, cap issues are soon to be a reality for this team. They can fit both…but if you could only sign one.

Thomas Chabot has sort of separated himself from the pack in the organization’s prospect rankings. But after Chabot, there are a number of guys that could lay claim to the title of 2nd best. This one is less prediction and more opinion.

Sort of a similar question but less about the future and more about right now. In this scenario, there is only one forward spot available on this year’s roster. Only looking at the players currently available, which guy would you pick? This is what you prefer not what you think will happen.

I suspect this one has shifted a little bit over the years. A provincial rival, a team we’ve faced twice in the playoffs or a more recent foe. There is no all of the above answer here as much as you may want one.

The power play was an issue almost all of last season. During the preseason, Boucher has talked about having more time to focus on that part of the game this year, which should mean things will improve. I mean, they can’t get worse…RIGHT?!

Injuries are sort of inevitable and as a result, so too are call-ups throughout the season. We’ll stick with guys that are already down there for the purposes of this poll.

If there’s one thing we do well around here, it’s complain about the performance of certain players. And each year we have our favourites. If the preseason is any indication, there are a few serious contenders this year.

And if there’s another thing we do well, it’s obsess over the “success” of former Senators. So, who will we be hung up on the most this year?

This is just your standard “what will be higher?” question although I’m quite certain all of these finish in single digits.

We did this one last year too and the results were interesting. Obviously Erik Karlsson is the team’s best shot at an individual award but other than EK65, who else has a chance?

And the last one, is about what we expect from the team this year. We’ll stick with the regular season finish for now because as we know, once you’re in…..anything can happen.