The Senators ended the season 2-1, but it wasn't enough to save Cory Clouston's job. The team beat two playoff teams this week, and there were many positives to take away from the play of much of the roster. Next season will be long in coming, but there's no reason to approach it with a sense of dread. The Senators are not the worst team in the NHL.
Biggest Gains: Jason Spezza
Seven points in three games. What can be said about Spezza that hasn't been said already? It's hard to believe that this is the same player Senators fans have watched in the past few seasons. His maturation has simply been a pleasure to watch, and is probably the single brightest spot for Ottawa's future. His obvious chemistry with Bobby Butler, who is frequently in the area to receive his no-look passes, only further encourages us.
Biggest Losses: Francis Lessard
We've piled on Lessard since he began playing with the big club, but his play hurt the team more than anyone else's this week. His role is little more than skating some shifts to see if he can find an opponent to fight, which is fine. It's when he puts his team on the PK that we become frustrated with him. His flailing trip of Andreas Nodl (Lessard had fallen down on the play, and whacked Nodl's skates with his stick as an attempt at defense) was painful to watch, and his hit from behind on Tom Pyatt was dangerous and uncalled for -- and it gave the Canadiens a five-minute power play. Lessard was suspended for two games for the hit, an ignominious end to his time with the Senators.
Goalies
Trend
Notes
Pascal Leclaire
We wish him well in wherever his future takes him.
Curtis McElhinney
If his last start for the team, a 3-1 loss in Boston, was an audition, he probably won't be back with the team.
Craig Anderson
Closed out the year with wins over Philadelphia and Montreal. Probably the brightest hope for next year.
Defensemen
Erik Karlsson
Missed the end of the season with a cut thigh, but still finished the year with 45 points. That makes him the team's second-highest scorer, and bodes well for his future.
Brian Lee
Lee turned in two strong performances against Philadelphia and Montreal before faltering slightly against Boston -- not that many of his teammates looked good in that game.
Chris Phillips
Pretty steady over the last week. Jumped into more than a few rushes, presumably because it didn't matter much at this point in the season, but couldn't generate any points -- though he did hit the post against Boston.
Filip Kuba
Two assists against Philadelphia and the GWG against Montreal in overtime. Plus-1 on the week and also blocked 10 shots in three games. Maybe Kuba's best week all year.
David Hale
Struggled this week, as he did last week. Though he's the owner of the best plus/minus rating on the team, we think he looks like an AHL player.
Andre Benoit
After going to town with seven shots in one game last week, Benoit was much less noticeable in his final games.
Sergei Gonchar
Finished the year on injured reserve.
Matt Carkner
Finished the year on injured reserve.
Forwards
Colin Greening
Returned to the AHL despite a two-goal game. Soylent was then recalled due to Marek Svatos's concussion. He promptly notched an assist against Montreal.
Jason Spezza
See "Biggest Gains."
Bobby Butler
The Bust found his second wind, as he finished the year on a three-game goal scoring streak. He also recorded three assists in that span. Would have been the biggest gainer if Jason Spezza hadn't been hotter. Finishes the year with 21 points in 36 games. That's pretty good. Throw out his first eight games, where he was up and down between the AHL and NHL and still adjusting to life on Spezza's wing, and he has 21 points in 28 games as a full-time NHL player.
Milan Michalek
Two points in three games this week. We're excited about the thought of Michalek entering next season fully healthy.
Ryan Shannon
Three points (1G, 2A) in three games for Shannon.
Erik Condra
Condra finished the season being pretty invisible despite strong early chemistry with Shannon.
Nick Foligno
Foligno played strongly in his final three games. He seems to be aware of his inconsistent season, as he is skipping the World Championships to train (and also get married) this offseason.
Zack Smith
No stupid penalties for Z. Smith this week and one outstanding fight.
Chris Neil
Took 17 minutes in penalties for defending Z. Smith after he was elbowed in the head. Things like that are why Neil got to wear the 'A' at the end of the season.
Marek Svatos
Finished the year on injured reserve.
Jesse Winchester
Part of the reason Winchester is valuable is his faceoff skill: He won 18 of 32 (56.3%) this week, including going 7 for 10 against both Montreal and Boston. Think that's not huge when he's leading the second PK unit on the ice?
Francis Lessard
See "Biggest Losses."
Stephane Da Costa
Though he didn't record a point in his first four NHL games, he looks very promising. Bobby Butler didn't score in his first two NHL games with Ottawa last year, either.
Daniel Alfredsson
Finished the year on injured reserve.
Peter Regin
Finished the year on injured reserve.
Poll
Who is the brighter hope for next year's team?
Craig Anderson (38 votes)
Jason Spezza (75 votes)
113 total votes
There are 109 Comments. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.