Change abounds in the nation’s capital. A new owner, new president of hockey ops, team president, an as of yet to be named new GM, and now two new(ish) faces behind the bench.
You can argue about the timing of DJ Smith’s firing all you want. But the fact remains, new owner Michael Andlauer said he wanted to create a team that was “best-in-class”, and thus far, he hasn’t been shy about making changes in an effort to inch closer to that goal.
Jacques Martin and Daniel Alfredsson are two familiar names who evoke fond memories from days gone by amongst the Senators fanbase. And the team could use every bit of good will these days following the last couple of weeks. Smith, for as wonderful a person he seems to be off the ice, was clearly in over his head when it came to on ice tactics at this stage of the rebuild. A fact that wasn’t lost on fans, who had begun clamouring in ever increasing numbers for the coach to be relieved of his duties.
Now comes the moment where we truly see what this current collection of players are made of. No longer can you blame the owner, the GM, or the coach. Now the pressure to live up to expectations falls squarely on the shoulders of the 23 men on the roster.
While it’s too soon to tell whether Martin will be the long term answer as head coach, or whether he’s merely keeping the seat warm for an offseason hire, one thing is for sure: the sloppy defensive zone play that had become the norm under Smith should come to an abrupt end. And if it doesn’t, there will be real world consequences for the players.
Widely respected around the NHL for his structured systems and disciplined play, Martin will give fans a glimpse of who can hack it in their end, and who could be headed out of town at the trade deadline in relatively short order. Players who aren’t able to do “the little things” near their own net are likely to get a birds eye view of the action from the press box the following contest. Something that more than a few Sens fans have been begging to see for some time now.
If DJ Smith was the “fun uncle”, then Jacques Martin is the crotchety grandfather a few scotches deep around the holidays. Keep the conversation to topics he likes and you’ll have no issues. But stray into uncharted waters and suddenly he’s telling you what’s wrong with your generation, and why your lack of work ethic is crippling the economy.
That being said, a “no nonsense” approach is perhaps just what the doctor ordered for a Senators lineup currently mired in a 4 game losing streak. With their playoff hopes growing fainter by the day, the club will need to turn things around in relatively short order if they have any hope of seeing postseason action this spring.
With all that change, here are 5 Sens players who stand to benefit the most from Martin and Alfredsson taking control of things behind the bench.
5. Tim Stutzle, 6G, 23A in 26 GP
Stutzle is having perhaps the quietest season for someone scoring more than a point per game in recent Senators history. While the production is there, they sometimes feel like empty points when the end result is overshadowed by another Senators loss.
The one thing that’s most likely to change under Martin for the German superstar is the consistency to his game. Currently Stutzle seems to alternate between shifts where he’s buzzing around the offensive zone, to others where he’s coasting aimlessly on the ice, unsure of where to be.
Some of that likely boils down to systems (or lack thereof) under the previous regime. But one can rest assured there won’t be any ambiguity as to what each player’s responsibilities are on the ice under coach Jacques.
There will be some tough love for sure. But while most young players bristle under Martin at some point, they almost all inevitably come to the realization that the lessons learned under him ultimately helped their career.
Regarding Jason Spezza, Martin famously quipped “He’s a boy playing a man’s game.” While Stutzle is further along in his development than Spezza was when the 71 year old dropped that gem of a line, there’s also some parallels between the two centres development arcs. Both were top 3 draft picks. Both are offensively gifted top line centres. And both have a tendency to lack consistency in their shift to shift performance.
Ultimately Spezza came around to Martin’s view of things telling CTV back in 2010 “I think you have to let your players be creative, but it also has to be based around a team structure…I think it’s a philosophy that most coaches follow.”
There may be some bumps along the way, but Martin may be just the type of coach to unlock the next level of Stutzle’s development.
4. Joonas Korpisalo & Anton Forsberg
Regardless of who is in net, most would agree that putting some structure in front of Ottawa’s beleaguered netminding duo is a good thing. After signing a 5 year, $20M contract in the offseason, Korpisalo’s numbers have taken a dive in his first year in Ottawa.
The Finnish goaltender had an 18-14-4 record with a 2.87 GAA, and .914 SV% last season as he split time between Columbus and LA. Since joining the Sens he’s seen those numbers dip to 6-9, 3.50 GAA, and a .892 SV%.
Simply put, that isn’t going to get it done at the NHL level. But at the same time, neither is this defensive structure:
There were plenty of post game comments during the Smith era along the lines of “didn’t get the bounces” or that luck was somehow the culprit for the Senators failure to earn victory. But it doesn’t take an NHL savant to see that their free wheeling style of play in their own end had an outsized factor in the results.
Ottawa’s 72.4% penalty kill rate ranks 31st in the NHL. That dismal mark fell even further to just 66.7% over their last 5 games. But even at 5 on 5 their structure wasn’t much better. Too often Ottawa would be hemmed into their own end for large stretches of play, as the players were often caught out of position and left chasing the puck rather than taking away scoring opportunities.
No one will confuse Martin for an offensive guru when it comes to his team’s style of play. But at a minimum they’ll be defensively responsible. And if they aren’t he isn’t afraid to make healthy scratches out of star players to send a message.
While Korpisalo’s contract may not look good as it currently stands, let’s reserve judgement until we see how his play pans out with a new bench boss.
3. Brady Tkachuk, 14G, 7A, 26 GP
Chalk this one up more to the Alfie factor than to Martin’s presence in the locker room. Tkachuk went to bat for Smith numerous times both publicly and privately down the stretch, and seems like the type of player who’s “all-in” on whoever is blowing the whistle at practice.
But he also just turned 24 years old in September, and is the captain of a Canadian NHL franchise. While the media scrutiny might not be as bad as it is in Montreal or Toronto, Ottawa fans are an intelligent bunch. They’re also fully aware of the promise they were sold when the rebuild began, and the team’s subsequent failure to make good on that promise since.
When he was first named captain, one of the first people Tkachuk sought out was Alfredsson. After all, the Swedish forward had served as captain from 1999 through 2013, and emerged from the experience as the most beloved player in franchise history. There was no better mentor to find than Alfie in terms of getting tangible advice on what it takes to guide this club through both highs and lows.
That advice on how to endear himself to a community extended beyond the ice as well. Alfie was a long time supporter of the Boys & Girls Club of Ottawa (now BGC Ottawa) during his time in the city. So it should come as no surprise that Tkachuk and his family have jumped in head first with their commitment to the organization in recent months.
While there have been other Senators players who have helped out with charities across the city in the past, more than a few have been “in name only”. They were happy to paint the picture of being involved, and giving the occasional speech about the organization, without ever stepping foot in the door.
Tkachuk however has already played at least 3 games of dodgeball, cooked with the members, mingled with staff and donors, and more. And that’s just the stuff that’s been made publicly visible. In speaking with staff at the club, Tkachuk is often happy to pop by without the pomp and circumstance of a camera crew to document his involvement. Something that was a regular occurrence when Alfredsson was donning the “C” for the Senators years ago.
Charitable endeavours aside though, Alfie will be a tremendous resource for Tkachuk in helping him to navigate the media, being a leader on and off the ice, and continuing to find his voice in the locker room.
Tkachuk is already one of the better agitators in the entire NHL, as evidenced by his 18 penalties drawn this season (tied for 3rd most in the league). But he’s also had a propensity to needlessly drop the mitts with 4th liners on other teams, often out of frustration.
While it’s all fun and games when it occurs in a meaningless contest, if ever Ottawa’s captain were to suffer a long term injury as a result of a fight against the likes of a Tyler Tucker (his most recent bout in St. Louis), that would have a massive impact on the Senators lineup. Alfie will undoubtedly be speaking to Tkachuk about a “controlled aggression” style approach to his game moving forward.
If he’s able to reel in the number of times he’s sitting in the penalty box, and continue to emerge as on ice leader, then it won’t be long until we’re saying Tkachuk’s name amongst some of the greatest players in franchise history.
2. Josh Norris, 9G, 7A, 23 GP
When Norris signed an 8 year, $63.6M contract extension, some eyebrows were raised regarding both the term and value. Coming off the best season of his professional career with 35G, 20A in 66 games, Pierre Dorion billed the deal as the price you pay for top line centres in the NHL.
Fast forward two years, and due to a string of injuries, the former San Jose Shark has only been able to suit up for 31 total contests with Ottawa registering 19pts in the process. This, coupled with the emergence of Tim Stutzle, now has many a Sens fan wondering whether the 24 year old was merely a flash in the pan, or if he’ll be able to regain his 40 goal scoring pace at some point.
Either way, at a $7.95M cap hit, expectations for Norris to produce aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.
One of the biggest knocks on Ottawa at the moment is their lack of experience up the middle. With Stutzle (21), Norris (24), Greig (21), and Kastelic (24) pencilled in as the team’s current centre icemen, they’re fairly green at one of the more important positions in hockey. A fact that won’t be helped by the return of Shane Pinto (23) when he returns from suspension either.
Getting solid two way play from the centre position is something that’s plagued Ottawa since the rebuild began in earnest. But it’s also something that Martin demands out of his centres as well. Something that Spezza learned the hard way during his time with the club.
Needless to say, something is going to have to give. And perhaps Norris is the most logical candidate to fulfil that role.
While it would be nice to see him return to a 35-40 goal scoring pace, expectations need to be tempered for the American forward. Head to head you’d be hard pressed to find a Sens fan who believes Norris has a higher offensive ceiling than Stutzle. And that’s perfectly fine.
Playing a responsible 200ft game on this team is a requirement under Martin, not a luxury item. Looking back through the annals of Senators history, the career of Mike Fisher comes to mind in terms of what Norris’ future could realistically look like.
Sitting comfortably in the 20-25 goals per season range, but able to play in a variety of situations, and one of the team’s better defensive forwards is a realistic projection of what Norris could transform into. He’d bring less sandpaper to the table than Fisher did, but has a better offensive skill set than the former Sen. While Fisher generally wrapped up seasons with 40-50pts, Norris could (and frankly should) finish with closer to 60 per season.
You can make the point that Dorion ultimately would have been better served giving Norris a bridge deal rather than going for a homerun long term contract, and I won’t attempt to argue with you. But what’s done is done, and a solid two way centre (albeit a young one) with offensive upside is exactly the type of player Ottawa is missing at the moment. And there’s perhaps no better coach to try to tap into those defensive intricacies than Martin.
1. Jake Sanderson, 5G, 10A, 26 GP
I would support the notion that much of Sanderson’s success up to this point has been in spite of the circumstances he’s been put into rather than a by-product of them. Defence has an historically steep learning curve to play at the NHL level, which is why so few blue liners make the jump to the professional ranks until their mid twenties.
Sanderson however has already logged 100 career NHL games at the tender age of 21. Not only that, but his 47pts (9G, 38A) across 103 contests is well beyond what most scouting projections from his draft year had him at offensively as well.
You could split hairs, but it’s fair to say that Sanderson is in the mix for being Ottawa’s best defenceman, if he isn’t already in your books. And he’s only just scratching the surface.
Possibly one of the best kept secrets in the NHL beyond Ottawa’s fanbase, Sanderson has all the tools to make multiple All-Star games, and be in the mix for Norris trophies for years to come. But for the most part, he’s mostly been left to think on the fly and free wheel during his time in the NHL thus far.
Having some polish added to his game, and getting taught the nuances of effective breakouts will help elevate the 5th overall pick from 2020’s ceiling even higher. Not only that, but having a general idea of where teammates should be on the ice, rather than having to constantly seek them out in the beehive of activity in Ottawa’s end every night will slow the game down even more for Sanderson.
The former North Dakota product has already shown that he can play in any situation including the powerplay (something that was much discussed in his draft year), and with Martin’s tutelage could take his game to the next level.
Some players wilt under structure and systems. Others thrive in them. Sanderson is almost assuredly the latter of those two.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Angela MacIsaac. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.