Sens-e of Urgency

OTTAWA SENATORS

2015-16 record: 38-35-9 (85 points)
Missed the playoffs
Captain: Erik Karlsson

There was no furious finish to make the playoffs this time for the Ottawa Senators, and it was shortly after that disappointing result that the Senators decided to make wholesale changes. Bryan Murray stepped down from the General Manager position and Pierre Dorion is now running things. His first move was replacing Dave Cameron as head coach and coaxing Guy Boucher from Switzerland for a second try at the NHL coaching carousel. Dorion would also convince Marc Crawford to come in as an associate. To further emphasize the win now mode that owner Eugene Melnyk has, the Senators traded away Mika Zibanejad for Derick Brassard. The moves have been made, but will it get the Senators a playoff spot?

Offensively, the Sens ranked ninth, and a fair amount of that can be attributed to Erik Karlsson, who starts everything from his own end and led the team in scoring by 21 points. Some of those pucks from Karlsson's stick have to find forwards, and five different players scored more than 20 goals, though the Sens are still waiting on Bobby Ryan to fulfill his 30-goal potential he flashed while in Anaheim. Of course, having a healthy Kyle Turris and Clarke MacArthur wouldn't hurt, either, as both missed time to injuries, with MacArthur missing almost the entire season. Defensively, they were not good, and a large part of the problem was lack of depth on the blue line. When Karlsson is your leading defenseman, that carries as much good as it does bad, as he's not the greatest in his own end, but he does work well with his usual defense partner in Marc Methot. After those two plus Dion Phaneuf and Cody Ceci, things become worrisome, as the Sens don't have a regular fifth defender that can play most nights. In goal, Andrew Hammond was bound to fall off from the previous season, and he did, as he battled injuries and inconsistency. That opened the door for Craig Anderson to become starter once again, and he did fairly well despite the numbers. Things could have been worse for the Senators without the goaltending. Special teams was another problem, as they finished in the bottom fifth in both categories. Changes will have to come from within, though the penalty kill could benefit from the return of Chris Kelly.

Prediction: 7th in the Atlantic Division

The Senators have the offense to compete, but without a defense that can hold the fort better, any hopes of making the playoffs are remote. Whether the coaching changes will improve the team remains to be seen, though any success will still be on the shoulders on the goaltending.