Weekly Question: Ottawa Senators Impressions so far
We want to know: what have your impressions been of the Senators very early in the season?
To begin every new season, we need to remind ourselves that we are extremely early into the season. The Ottawa Senators have played 4 games, and although the last game was an extremely disheartening effort, it’s not as if this is all of a sudden a lost season—even if we shouldn’t be expecting a playoff berth.
Now that we have finally played some games and have things to talk about though, I’m curious as to what people’s perceptions are of certain things with the team. Mainly, I’m wondering what is one positive and one negative takeaway from this past week. These takeaways will obviously change every week and month, but for now, it’s fun to talk about what we have noticed so far.
For some positives, I can think of Tim Stützle’s goal and his play in his two games, Nick Paul looking possessed, Connor Brown continuing to be a solid contributor, Nikita Zaitsev having 5 points in 4 games, Thomas Chabot being steady besides the most recent game, and the top line of Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, and Drake Batherson looking dominant in all aspects. There are surely a few others you can think of, and be sure to mention it in the comments.
As for some negatives, I can think of Evgenii Dadonov not making an impact yet, Cedric Paquette playing and being ineffective, Colin White getting the short end of the stick, Matt Murray posting an .880 SV%, DJ Smith’s reluctance to trust his younger (and better) players in key situations, and the team leading the league in PIMs. Just like for the positives, there are probably a few others you can think of, so be sure to talk about that if you have another one.
I should remind everyone that just because we talk about a positive or negative this early in the season, doesn’t mean that things will stay the same. For examples, yes, Dadonov hasn’t looked very good, but I think he’ll turn it around.
So what do you think?
What is one positive impression you have so far?
| Stützle’s play | 39 |
| Nick Paul possessed | 178 |
| Connor Brown continuing solid play | 1 |
| Nikita Zaitsev with 5 points | 44 |
| Thomas Chabot steady again | 2 |
| Top line dominance | 90 |
| Other (comment below) | 2 |
What is one negative impression you have so far?
| Dadonov not making an impact | 55 |
| Cedric Paquette being ineffective | 24 |
| Colin White getting the short end of the stick | 61 |
| Matt Murray’s .880 SV% | 42 |
| DJ Smith’s reluctance to trust younger players | 117 |
| Team leading the league in PIMs | 25 |
| Other (comment below) | 8 |
Let’s see how much these change over the next few months!