FIVE QUICK THOUGHTS
-As I watched last night’s 3-2 overtime loss at the hands of the Chicago Blackhawks, I was overwhelmed by one thought through most of the game- this sucks. Maybe I should expand on that a little bit. As far as rebuilding seasons go, this year has been just about perfect. At the NHL level, the Senators have a hard-working team that is in most games but usually loses. They also own the pick of another NHL team that mostly loses, so that’s a plus too. Meanwhile, in the AHL, the organization has a division-leading team scoring a ton of goals, almost entirely led by some of the top prospects in the system. What sucks though, is losing that competitive element that goes with being a fan of a pro sports team. I turn the TV on when the game starts and just sort stare blankly at the screen for two and a half hours. No clapping, no cheering. Watching as though it’s a duty more than a hobby. I will continue to fulfill that duty but at the same time, it’s barely even half way through and I already can’t wait for this season to end. And then when it does end, I’ll probably starting counting the days until the first development camp internet stream.
-On the other hand, another good night for the not written but clearly implied goals of this season. These loser points are starting to add up a little bit (that’s three straight now) but with their 8th straight loss, the Ottawa Senators are settling nicely into their role as a basement dweller. They sit 29th overall, a point clear of the Anaheim Ducks and a point back of both the Devils and Kings. From there, you start to see a bit of separation as there’s a five point gap between 26th (#SharkTank) and 27th overall. There’s a whole lot of hockey left to be played but at this particular moment, the Senators certainly look the part of a bottom five team. The remaining 36 games are about what is essentially a 10% difference in the team’s chances at first overall. Sigh.
-The Senators have lost games in all sorts of ways this season but there haven’t been many nights where they just sort of took their foot off the gas. That’s exactly what happened against the Hawks. The Sens jumped out to an early lead thanks to goals by Connor Brown and Chris Tierney and then from there, seemed to think they could just hit cruise control the rest of the way. It was a bit of a throwback to the Guy Boucher era actually. They sat back, there was almost zero forecheck and puck pressure of any kind seemed to be almost non-existent. This team isn’t good enough to play one out of three periods and they learned that the hard way last night.
-The UFAs are going to dominate a lot of the headlines leading up to the Trade Deadline but it’s going to be interesting to see how the team handles a few of the higher profile restricted free agents they have to deal with this summer. Despite his recent scoring slump, Anthony Duclair has obviously earned a new contract and a fairly substantial raise on the $1.65 mil he’s making this season. Chris Tierney has had a solid year and if the team is thinking about moving Pageau, it will be important to keep Tierney around for another year or two to provide a more veteran option down the middle. Meanwhile, Connor Brown has quietly been one of the team’s most consistent forwards all year long. A dependable two-way guy, Brown has 27 points through 46 games and is on track for a career year. He’s also clearly one of DJ Smith’s favourites, ranking first among forward in ice time with a shade over 20 minutes a night. The Senators have leverage here because he’s an RFA but it will be interesting to see what kind of raise he gets on his next deal. A two-year deal with a cap hit north of $3.5 mil is probably in the ball park.
-Marcus Hogberg has come a long way in his ten appearances this season. The first few times he was in net, I’ll admit, I just didn’t see it. He looked awkward, he looked nervous and for a bigger goalie, he just seemed to look small in the net. Yet with each start, you can see his confidence increasing. He’s limiting his movements in the crease and he just seems to be reading the play better than he was in those first few starts. Still not convinced he’s starter material but about a month ago, I didn’t even think he could play at the NHL level so what the hell do I know? Good on Hogberg for making the most of this opportunity.
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