The 2003 vs. the 2007 Ottawa Senators: Who Ya Got?

With a bit of a lull before the Stanley Cup Finals get underway, now seems like a good time to tackle one of my favourite questions to ask long-time Ottawa Senators fans: who would win a hypothetical best-of-7 series between the 2003 and 2007 Sens? The '07 team made it to the Cup Finals (where they lost in 5 to the Ducks), while the '03 team lost in the dying minutes of Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Finals to the eventual Stanly Cup Champions New Jersey Devils. The only other time the Sens have made it that far was in 2017, where I think we can agree the team wasn't deep (Phaneuf–Ceci was the second pair!), but Erik Karlsson and Craig Anderson were on another plane and, well, the team got hot! There's an arguement to be made that the 2005-06 Sens were actually the best Sens team ever (CASH line + Chara + Hasek), but they didn't have the same play-off success as the '03 and '07 editions, for the same reason all Sens fans know what an adductor muscle is.

Thus, to help pass the time, we bring you a comparison of the two best Sens' play-off teams of all-time. Here's how they stack up:

Forwards

Top Line

2003: Havlat–Bonk–Hossa
2007: Heatley–Spezza–Alfredsson

Call them the CASH line, the Pizza line, or whatever (I remember I was partial to the O-Train), they were the best line in hockey for a couple years. Those three finished 4th, 16th, and 17th in league scoring. By comparison, Hossa did finish 14th, but then Havlat was down in 56th. Alfredsson/Hossa is a close comparison, but the other two are the 2007 team in a walk.

2nd Line

2003: Arvedson–White–Alfredsson
2007: Schaefer–Fisher–Vermette

I'm already surprised how quickly the depth of 2007 drops off. This one goes to 2003, in that White vs. Fisher is probably comparable in their primes, but the 2003 wingers are well ahead of their 2007 counterparts. (Also, I always found Peter Schaefer overrated, so maybe this is my hater energy is coming out.)

3rd Line

2003: Smolinski–Fisher–Varada
2007: McAmmond–Comrie–Kelly

Here we're getting more comparable. 2003 Fisher on your third line is good depth, but 2007 Comrie might be better. Also, McAmmond–Kelly was a better defensive duo, but Varada–Smolinski offers more offensive power. I call this one a tie.

Depth Forwards

2003: Van Allen, Schaefer, Neil (Spezza, Hull)
2007: Neil, Saprykin, Schubert (Eaves)

That 2007 fourth line depth is a bit...rough, shall we say. What's amazing is that the Sens only used 19 skaters in 2007, with Schubert regularly suiting up on the bottom line. Meanwhile, the 2003 Senators decided, late in the run, to start playing Spezza; a story for another day, perhaps. Depth isn't important, except when it is, and 2003 is better here.

Defencemen

Top Pair

2003: Chara–Redden
2007: Meszaros–Redden

This is 2003, handily. Not just because I was also a Meszaros hater (I was!), but because Chara–Redden may be the best D-pairing the Sens have ever had. You could argue Methot–Karlsson, but that's because Karlsson was so so so good.

2nd Pair

2003: Phillips–Rachunek
2007: Phillips–Volchenkov

This is 2007, handily. Phillips–Volchenkov was the pre-eminent shutdown duo of their era. No disrespect to Rachunek, but he isn't remembered like A-Train. Ask Anton was a favourite on this site; Ask Karel has yet to catch on.

Depth D

2003: Leschyshyn, Volchenkov (Pothier, Hnidy)
2007: Corvo, Preissing (Schubert)

Including Schubert here isn't fair, since he pretty much only played as a forward, but Pothier and Hnidy each only found their way into a game each. This one goes to the 2007 crew, who were playing 3/4 minutes more per game than the 2003 duo.

Goalies

2003: Lalime (.924, 1.82 in 2003 playoffs)
2007: Emery (.907, 2.26 in 2007 playoffs)

It's hard to imagine, but the Sens only played a single goalie in both playoffs. Patrick Lalime got a bad rap, but he ended his career with a .926 and 1.77 in 41 playoff games for the Sens. Those are stellar numbers, soured by a couple of off-games against Toronto. Meanwhile, Emery was good, but he was never going to get Vezina votes. This one goes to 2003.

Coaches

2003: Jacques Martin
2007: Bryan Murray

The two greatest coaches in Sens history, it's very hard to choose between them. Martin was more defensively minded, but Murray really unleashed Ottawa's firepower. I think we call this one a tie.

The Verdict

So, when all is said and done, who wins this imaginary series? I see it as being very close, but ultimately I believe the 2003 Sens would come out on top. Put out Chara, Redden, and some combination of some of Hossa/Alfredsson/Bonk/Arvedson, and you can give yourself a hope to shut down 2007's top line which was responsible for so much of the squad's offense. Meanwhile, the 2003 team can roll several lines that can aspire to put the puck in the net. In the end, it probably comes down to goaltending, and the 2003 Sens had a goalie who could steal them games (as strange as that seems to write about Lalime all these years later).

So that's my opinion, but do you agree? Let us know in the comments.