OTTAWA — The Ottawa Senators finally seem poised to take the next step this season, but it might be more difficult than originally expected.
Earlier in the summer, the Senators looked solid down the middle, whereas now it’s an area for concern. Josh Norris's readiness for the start the season is still up in the air having been expected to be the team's No. 2 centre.
The 24-year-old had shoulder surgery in January and was expected to be ready for training camp and pre-season action, but Norris did not play and Ottawa said he's day-to-day.
“It’s certainly not what we envisioned, but what choice do you have,” said Senators head coach D.J. Smith. “You have to put your best group out there. We’ve been playing without them throughout camp.
"At some point we know (forward Shane Pinto) will be here. At some point hopefully Josh is here. All we can do is do our best with what we have. We still think we’re good enough and we’re competitive enough to be in every game.”
Norris hasn't spoken in the last few days and isn't expected to until closer to his return to action.
To exacerbate things, Pinto, who is a restricted free agent, remains unsigned.
When Norris went down last season, the 22-year-old Pinto moved up the depth chart and finished the year with 20 goals and 35 points. But Ottawa currently doesn’t much cap space to get a deal done.
Heading into Wednesday’s season opener against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Senators four centres could be Tim Stützle, Ridly Greig, Rourke Chartier and Mark Kastelic.
“We’ve dealt with this before,” said Smith. “I did not think it would be before the year started, that’s for sure, but there’s no excuses and we’ve got enough talent in that room to win.”
Ottawa missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year by just six points in 2022-23, going 39-35-8 to finish sixth in the Atlantic Division.
While missing the playoffs was a disappointment, the Senators showed significant improvement by playing meaningful games deep into the season.
Ottawa general manager Pierre Dorion is hopeful the off-season additions will reap dividends.
After Alex DeBrincat made it clear he didn’t see himself as part of Ottawa’s future, the Senators sent him to Detroit and received forward Dominik Kubalik as part of the package in return. In addition, Ottawa signed forward Vladimir Tarasenko to a one-year, US$5-million deal.
While questions remain about what the Senators will do at centre, the one area they can feel confident in is in goal.
With the addition of Joonas Korpisalo, who signed a five-year deal in July, the Senators are hopeful to have some much-needed stability in net.
Since Craig Anderson’s departure in 2020, the Senators have had failed experiments with Matt Murray, Cam Talbot and Filip Gustavsson.
Ottawa is hopeful Korpisalo and Anton Forsberg will offer them the consistency they’ve been seeking to finally advance to the post-season.
Ottawa’s blue line should also show some improvement.
Thomas Chabot and Jakob Chychrun, acquired last March, will start the season together.
Chychrun provides the Senators with another puck-moving defenceman and scoring touch that adds depth to Ottawa’s second power-play unit. Chychrun only played 12 games for Ottawa last season before he suffered an injury and has only played 60-plus games twice in his seven NHL seasons.
Ottawa’s second pairing consists of Artem Zub and Jake Sanderson, who signed an eight-year, $64.4 million contract last month. Sanderson showed incredible poise and talent in his rookie season, while Zub is a solid stay-at-home style defenceman.
The third pairing of Erik Brannstrom and veteran Travis Hamonic is a depth duo and any offensive contribution will be a benefit.
While expectations are higher and playoffs being the goal, playing in the ever-competitive Atlantic Division and staying healthy could make things both interesting and challenging.
ANDLAUER EFFECT
Since being officially introduced as the Senators new owner in late September, Michael Andlauer has slowly made his mark on the franchise. His addition of Steve Staios as president of hockey operations appears to be just the first of several as he looks to be “best in class.”
DYNAMIC DUO
Ottawa had seven different goaltenders start a game last season as it dealt with an onslaught of injuries. The hope is this year’s tandem of Korpisalo and Forsberg will manage to stay healthy and form a reliable, consistent duo.
Forsberg is coming off two torn medial collateral ligaments and has looked good through the pre-season. The two are good friends and are familiar with each other having played together with the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters and led the team to a Calder Cup title in 2016.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2023.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
