You didn’t really think I was just going to disappear for 10 days, did you? Just forget about you completely and leave you alone for the entire break without saying anything? Does that really sound like me?
Look, it’s not that I’m mad at the Ottawa Senators for going on vacation. They’ve worked hard in the first half of the season and deserve some time off.
It’s just that there seems to be very little consideration for what I’ll do with all that time to myself. New hobbies, maybe? I guess I could learn to knit. Or maybe start a podcast or something? Anyway, I’ll be fine.
But as the Senators embark on this far too long vacation and a polar vortex descends upon the city, this feels like a perfect time for me to share my incoherent ramblings with the world.
Like a time capsule (capsool?) of sorts, let’s look back on the first half of the season. And what better way to do that than with some random observations from an anonymous blogger.
Sounds About Right
While the first 50 games of the season has featured an unreasonable amount of both dizzying highs and punishing lows, a 24-23-3 record sounds about right. Back in September, had I told you that the Ottawa Senators would be six points out of a playoff spot as teams hit the All Star Break and that both Josh Norris and Artem Zub would be out for most of the first half, you would have said…who are you and why are you bothering me with this strange prediction? Seriously though, this is about where we thought the Sens would be. It would be great if there were fewer teams in the way and it would be nice to be a couple points closer but they’re in the mix. Or like, right near the mix anyway.
Trending Up
And the good news is, the Senators are probably playing some of their best hockey of the season. A tidy little four-game winning streak heading into the break is ideal and means that we can spend the next week and a bit talking about the possibility of a run in the second half of the season instead of firing everyone and calling for the team to relocate to Almonte. That Josh Norris injury on the heels of that horrendous loss to the Winnipeg Jets really had the feel of a “we’re doooooomed” moment for the Senators but instead, it’s become a turning point of sorts in their season. Four straight wins, including three over their biggest rivals, and a 18-7 edge in goals over that stretch. Look, I’m not saying it’s all because of SensChirp Beer but that’s pretty clearly what happened here. And the good news is there are 24….no wait 23 of those left in my fridge at home.
A Special Team
During some of the first half low points, there has been intense frustration from the fan base over the lack of “progress” in the rebuild. Yet looking back on the first 50 games, it’s clear that the Senators have taken some huge strides forward. Not only do their underlying numbers look much better but they have made some dramatic improvements to their special teams. The penalty kill has hovered around the Top 10 for most of the season and the power play, my god the power play has been good. They sit 2nd in the NHL at the break, humming along at a blistering 27.0%. Only that freak Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers have been better. If this team was even marginally better at 5 on 5, and had a little bit of shooting luck especially, they’re probably in a playoff spot right now. In my opinion, we don’t spend enough time talking about just how good the team has been in special teams situations.
Deadline Looms
Assuming the Ottawa Senators do indeed eventually return from this vacation, and I remain skeptical, the discussion is going to pretty quickly shift to the upcoming Trade Deadline. As of tomorrow, we’ll be one week away and as we know, Pierre Dorion always has an itchy trigger finger this time of year. Not to open a can….of…well open a can of something, but the Senators will pretty quickly decide on how they want to attack the deadline. Ultimately, I think it’s safe to assume they’ll be taking a bit of a hybrid approach. A seller, in the sense that they will certainly listen to offers on their UFAs including Cam Talbot, Travis Hamonic, Nick Holden, Tyler Motte, Austin Watson and Derick Brassard. Obviously some will draw more interest than others from that list but Dorion will be listening. At the same time, there is a continued interest in adding a defenceman of some sort, so you can expect Pierre Dorion to be active on that front. Like he has been since the summer.
More incoherent ramblings coming in the days ahead. We’re gonna get through this together.
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We have ten days without the Sens and so we have no excuse but to vote and vote often for SensChirp in whatever the hell the Ottawa Awards are. We’re nominated in the Blog, Twitter Account and Sports Podcast categories. You can and dare I say, MUST vote once a day from every email address.
