Senators prepare for ushering in of new era
New uniforms, leadership group hopes to buoy Senators out of the basement
By Erica Flannigan (Ottawa Citizen)
OTTAWA, ON - With the Ottawa Senators unveiling their new uniforms - a call-back to the same uniforms the team wore when the franchise rejoined the National Hockey League for the 1992-1993 season - the team is looking to leave their recent history of performance disappointment and heartbreak in the past as they usher in a new era with high hopes in their youth movement.
The team will be led by franchise defenseman Thomas Chabot and power forward Brady Tkachuk.
Chabot, the team's 18th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, has paid dividends since taking the team's top defenseman role that was left behind following the seismic departure of former team captain Erik Karlsson. Chabot is hoping to return to his game after seemingly being forced to do too much when the Senators' offense dried up from lack of talent and effort from the forward corps. At times last season, it felt as though Chabot disengaged and was going through the motions; something that no one could really blame him for doing. Chabot, however, believes in what the Senators are building long-term and signed an eight-year, $64 million extension to keep him with the team long-term.
Tkachuk, the 4th overall pick that has turned into the face of their franchise, looks to be the next team captain of the year, though head coach D.J. Smith announced that the Senators will once again be running with multiple alternates this season and refused to name a captain for the 2020-21 season. Tkachuk has brought a sense of urgency and intensity to the roster that hasn't been seen since the Senators' run to the Eastern Conference Finals many years ago.
The team has been injected with youth that is finally ready to blossom into NHL mainstays, such as forwards Drake Batherson and Josh Norris and defenseman Erik Brannstrom. All three are expected to be on the Senators' opening night roster while another trio of youth prospects continues to grow.
Defenseman Jake Sanderson and Jacob Bernard-Docker and forward Shane Pinto will highlight the stacked Belleville Senators - the American Hockey League affiliate that has been stocked full of young talent the Senators hope to develop.
The team enters the 2020-21 season with a lot of questions about their current lineup and fairly low expectations. Does this team compete whatsoever? Should we expect any kind of progress out of the basement?
Most pundits do not expect much out of the Capital. The team needs to desperately find their identity, get pucks in the net, and find some sort of stability in net now that veteran Craig Anderson is no longer on the team.
In the competitive Canadian market, the team will compete for fans in seats with the juggernaut Toronto Maple Leafs and the mainstay Montreal Canadiens while trying to slowly improve and give some teams a run for their money.
The Senators don't expect to lay down and take the abuse.
They plan on making some noise from the gate.