Staying With It

OTTAWA SENATORS

2014-15 record: 43-26-13 (99 points)
Lost to Montreal in Conference quarterfinals
Captain: Erik Karlsson

The Ottawa Senators were well on their way to an early Spring in January when they fired Paul MacLean as head coach and tabbed Dave Cameron as interim coach.  By mid-April, the Senators found themselves in the playoffs on the backs of both an unheralded AHL lifer in Andrew Hammond and superstar defenseman Erik Karlsson.  The good times ended in the first round though, as Hammond looked mortal before Craig Anderson kept the team in the thick of things before succumbing to Montreal in six games.

The same cast of significant players save for Eric Condra and Eric Gryba return, as the Senators will now find out if Cameron is indeed the right fit for the Senators.  Anderson and Hammond will form the backstopping duo, as Robin Lehner was shipped to Buffalo, thus defining the goalie situation better, as they will hold down the fort while Matt O'Connor develops in the AHL.  Defensively, it's Karlsson's team, and his pairing with Marc Methot is clearly the best on the team.  Cody Ceci is a rising player while Patrick Wiercioch and Mark Borowiecki are solid players.  Chris Phillips is on the downside of his career and he may not be ready in time for the season to start, which places pressure on Jared Cowen to finally start living up to the promise that led him to be a first round pick in 2009.  Offensively, it also begins with Karlsson, as he led the team in scoring.  Kyle Turris is pretty good, but it was a pair of rookies in Mark Stone and Mike Hoffman who stepped up, and both will look to avoid the sophomore slump. Mika Zibanejad is another rising star up front, but Bobby Ryan begins a contract extension and will need to do better than the 18 goals he registered last season.

Prediction: 4th in the Atlantic Division

The Senators will benefit from a full year under Cameron's guidance and though Hammond's epic run shouldn't be expected, he should be good if he can unseat Anderson, who has a slight edge on the starting goaltending job.  As always, the Senators' hopes fall on the shoulders of Karlsson.