The time has finally come. On Thursday night in Buffalo, the puck will drop and the Ottawa Senators will begin their 2022-23 regular season. After a hugely successful summer, the preseason came and went without any major hiccups aside from Cam Talbot being placed on the injured reserve.
With the season set to get underway, here are 5 bold takes for the Ottawa Senators this season:
New Kid In Town
This is a good way to kick off the boldness of this article. It should be clear too: I think this is the most unrealistic take I have. With that being said, I think Jake Sanderson had a really good preseason and should be primed to seize a top role with the Sens.
I think it’s a possibility that he overtakes Thomas Chabot this season simply because, in his entire 5-year career, Chabot has never really had anyone behind him that could conceivably take his minutes away.
Erik Brannstrom has been the only other defenseman to come close, but I don’t think he will ever reach that ceiling. Sanderson has all the skill in the world and some stellar defensive play could force Head Coach DJ Smith to give him more meaningful offensive minutes.
Prediction: Jake Sanderson finishes the year as the Senators’ #1 Defenseman.
More Than A Wildcard Team
Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion made plenty of adjustments to the roster this summer, most of which were all net positives. The only departure that looked like it might hurt the team at the time was trading Connor Brown, but based on the way Tyler Motte played in camp, his role may have already been filled.
The Atlantic division was a very top-heavy division in the NHL last season. The Panthers, Leafs, Lightning, and Bruins finished 1st, 4th, 8th, and 10th in the league standings, respectively. The Senators will have their work cut out for them to close the gap on these teams, but all 4 of them saw significant roster turnover this summer.
I believe last season’s battle with Covid-19 was a major reason that the Sens were out of the race by December. If the Senators can stay healthy, I think we see a changing of the guard.
Prediction: The Ottawa Senators finish Top 3 in the Atlantic Division.
Too Many Top 6 Forwards?
Similar to Sanderson, another UND product is set to carve out a massive role in the Senators’ lineup this season. Shane Pinto had a nearly perfect preseason, especially considering he hadn’t played an actual game since November of 2021.
Pinto’s performance has Sens fans salivating at the forward depth they are all of sudden blessed with. With 2 solidified top lines, the 3rd line will start out as Motte-Pinto-Joseph. But given Pinto’s age and style of play, don’t be surprised if he’s a top 6 talent by the end of the season.
Now, all of the top 6 forwards are signed to long-term contracts (DeBrincat will sign soon, manifesting it) so that could mean Pinto won’t have much room to work his way up the depth chart. Regardless, I think he’ll push for one of those spots and simply force DJ Smith to make tough decisions based on his stellar play.
Prediction: Shane Pinto wins the Calder trophy and finishes the season top 5 in scoring on the Sens.
Goal Scoring Machines
This take is really only bold because of injury risk, but if Josh Norris and Alex Debrincat play north of 75 games each, the Senators will have two-40-goal-scorers for the first time in franchise history.
DeBrincat has done it twice and Norris was well on his way but missed 14 games and had to settle for 35 last year. The former is entering a contract year (even though an extension appears to be heating up) and the latter just signed his big deal. On top of this, they’ll seemingly both be starting the season on the same line with Claude Giroux on their right side, one of the best playmakers in the NHL.
The last Senator to score 40 or more in a season was Dany Heatley, and this season will be the first time since.
Prediction: Josh Norris and Alex DeBrincat will both eclipse 40 goals.
Special Teams Battle
Senators Head Coach DJ Smith is entering the first real test of his NHL career as a coach, with expectations higher than they’ve ever been in Ottawa. Before training camp, Smith was asked about what a successful season would look like to him:
Pierre Dorion and DJ Smith when asked about what would make a succesful season in Ottawa:
Dorion: “A team save percentage of .918.”
DJ: “Both special teams adding up to 105%.”
Have to agree with both. Via 32 Thoughts Podcast @Sportsnet
— Jack Richardson (@jackrichrdson) October 5, 2022
Dorion and Smith both alluded to goaltending and special teams being the key, and they’re absolutely correct. Those are the two key factors in the playoffs and certainly play a role in reaching the playoffs as well.
With the pieces Dorion assembled, I think DJ gets his wish.
Prediction: The Ottawa Senators finish the season 83% on the penalty kill and 25% on the powerplay.
-Jack Richardson
Twitter: @jackrichrdson
Photo: C.P. Storm. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.