With talented forwards in place, adding 2023 deadline acquisition Jakob Chychrun to the blueline and, last summer, veteran netminder Joonas Korpisalo in goal was supposed to end the Ottawa Senators’ lengthy postseason drought. Instead, the organization took a painful step backward.
Chychrun struggled defensively on the right side (team-worst -30), Korpisalo flopped (21-26-4, .890 SV%), and, among the forwards, only captain Brady Tkachuk (37 G, 74 P in 81 GP), veteran Claude Giroux (21 G and 43 A in 82 GP), and Drake Batherson (28 G, 66 P in 82 GP) managed full, productive seasons.
Head coach D.J. Smith and GM Pierre Dorion finally ran out of rope before the turn of the year, and the team sputtered to 78 points and another lost season under interim bench boss and team legend Jacques Martin (26-26-4).
President of hockey operations Steve Staios has the reins now, and the 1,000-game NHL veteran made his first big splash at the helm by acquiring 2023 Vezina winner Linus Ullmark for Korpisalo and a late first-round pick. Can Ullmark and new head coach Travis Green lead the wayward Sens out of the desert?
Linus Ullmark, G
David Perron, LW
Nick Jensen, D
Mike Amadio, RW
Nick Cousins, LW
Noah Gregor, LW
Jakob Chychrun, D (Wsh)
Mathieu Joseph, LW (Stl)
Joonas Korpisalo, G (Bos)
Dominik Kubalik, RW (Swiss NL)
Erik Brannström, D (Col)
Parker Kelly, LW (Col)
The Sens offense finished 18th despite boasting big names in its top six, but their uninspiring finish is slightly misleading.
Vladimir Tarasenko signed off on a trade to Florida; nagging injuries wore down franchise player Tim Stützle; Josh Norris endured another season-ending surgery; Shane Pinto picked up a half-season suspension for gambling. Ottawa never held a full deck, and even average luck will make them a much more dangerous team in 2023-24.
That starts with Stützle, who scored 21 fewer goals last season (19) than in 2022-23 (39). He still produced at top-six scoring (70 P in 75 GP), and if he’s fully recovered from lingering wrist and shoulder ailments, he can be the Senators’ first superstar since Erik Karlsson’s heyday.
Reuniting Stützle and frequent linemate Giroux with the imposing Tkachuk would give Travis Green an elite unit to build around. Since 2022, the Tkachuk-Stützle-Giroux line has controlled more than 58% of expected goals, scoring chances, and high-danger chances.
Stacking the first line with their three biggest weapons wasn’t an option for the injury-plagued Senators last season, but David Perron’s arrival in free agency should give them enough depth to do so in 2024-25. Like his presumptive new linemate Batherson, Perron is a physically strong playmaker who does damage on the power play; 17 of his 47 points came with the man advantage last season.
Perron and Batherson’s passing will give Norris and his huge shot first dibs as their center. Few pivots can fire the puck like him (31 G per 82 GP), but the 24-year-old must produce early and often to keep Shane Pinto off his tail.
Pinto is by far the better defender and play driver. His 56.44% share of expected goals led the Sens, while Norris’s 44.56% mark was third-worst among the team’s full-time players. The Long Island native Pinto scored at a 54-point pace last season, but after falling off down the stretch (6 P in final 20 GP), he may have to settle for matchup duty to start 2024-25.
Chychrun and his defense-leading 41 points are gone, but Thomas Chabot was slick as ever despite injury frustrations last season (30 P in 51 GP). Jake Sanderson, already the Sens’ top D-man at 22, has some offensive instincts (10 G, 38 P) as well.
There was a massive gulf between Ottawa’s expected goals against (184.7) and the actual number (210), but their struggles in 2022-23 weren’t all on Korpisalo. Senators fans have long lamented the team’s lax backchecking and sloppy zone exits (their 797 giveaways were third most).
Where Dorion threw together as much talent as he could afford and hoped for the best, Staios has spent his offseason trying to build a more coherent group. That meant clearing up a logjam on the left side by trading Chychrun to the Washington Capitals for veteran righty Nick Jensen. Getting the 34-year-old Jensen and a third-rounder in exchange for the more dynamic Chychrun wasn’t great value, but it gave the team a badly needed shutdown option on the right side.
Chabot, whose defensive chops were already suspect, played with fellow lefty puck movers Chychrun and Erik Brannstrom when healthy in 2023-24. Now, Chabot will likely partner with Jensen, a speedy, defense-first blueliner. Jensen’s possession metrics were among the worst on the Capitals, but he drew some brutal matchups without a full-time partner. The veteran was excellent alongside Dmitry Orlov from 2019-2023 and should bounce back with ‘Chabby’ around to carry the puck.
Chabot and Jensen will be joined in the top four by the No. 1 pair of Sanderson and Artem Zub. Sanderson is an all-situations monster and one of the Senators’ true building blocks along with Stützle and Tkachuk. The American’s elite mobility and active stick allow him to stifle opponents without taking unnecessary risks.
Zub brings a bit more physicality (122 hits, first among Ottawa defensemen), and is the perfect low-maintenance complement to Sanderson. The duo was quietly one of the league’s best shutdown pairings last season, dictating more than 55% of expected goals and high-danger chances in 68 games together.
The Senators’ down-lineup defensive depth is paper thin, but Staios and Green expect their new-look bottom six to pick up the slack. Pinto, two-way forward Michael Amadio, and tireless agitator Ridly Greig give Green the ingredients for a formidable checking line.
Linus Ullmark is the latest savior in the Senators’ cage, but Ottawans can be forgiven if they aren’t planning the parade yet. Since Craig Anderson left the team in 2020, Matt Murray, Filip Gustavsson, Cam Talbot, and Korpisalo are just a few of the names that have failed in goal at Canadian Tire Centre. The Senators are thrilled to have the Swede onboard, but in a role where All-Stars and champions alike have failed, they can’t take anything for granted.
The good news is that Ullmark is better than all those other guys; he’s posted five consecutive seasons with a save percentage above .915. He will never replicate his historic 2022-23 season (40-6-1, 1.89 GAA, .938 SV%), but Ullmark is a top-10 goalie in his prime. Can the 30-year-old maintain an elite level over 55+ starts? He’s never logged more than 49 appearances.
The remainder of the workload will fall on Anton Forsberg, a usually capable backup whose worst season in Ottawa couldn’t have come at a worse time. He made enough big saves to win some games (15-12), but his raw numbers (3.21 GAA, .890 SV%) were nearly identical to the ones that ran Korpisalo out of town.
Forsberg has had good seasons for the Senators, including one as de facto starter in 2021-22 (.917 SV% in 46 GP). Perhaps he can turn it around in limited reps behind his countryman.
If rapturous applause greeted the Ullmark trade, you could almost hear a sigh out of Eastern Ontario when the team appointed Travis Green as head coach.
It’s not that Green is a bad option. His lackluster record in Vancouver (133-147-4) was more from a painful rebuild and lack of organizational support, two handicaps Senator fans are familiar with, than actual incompetence.
Still, in passing on more attractive options like Craig Berube and Dean Evason for an under-the-radar (see: cheap) candidate, Staios and owner Michael Andlauer invited unwelcome comparisons to the latter’s penny-pinching predecessor Eugene Melnyk.
The best way Green can shut his skeptics up is by stamping his identity on the new-look roster, something D.J. Smith never managed in parts of five seasons in charge. He needs to raise the standard of a team that hasn’t been run like an NHL outfit in recent seasons.
That will start in camp, where the 53-year-old is known to put his players through the wringer. Maybe bag skates are just what the Sens need to shake off the notoriously slow starts of the Smith era.
Ottawa is up against the cap without much depth to show for it, so the club would love for its youth to take another step in 2023-24.
Undersized winger Angus Crookshank was a stud for AHL Belleville last season (24 G, 46 P in 50 GP) and impressed in limited minutes (3P, 10:07 ATOI in 13 GP) with the big club. He’s scrappy enough to fight for a spot on the fourth line alongside penalty killer Noah Gregor and universally maligned utility man Nick Cousins. Perhaps more importantly, Crookshank will continue his battle with Vancouver Canucks’ prospect Jett Woo for the title of coolest name in hockey.
If Cousins moves out to the wing at any point during the season, former Ohio State standout Stephen Halliday (9P in 7 playoff GP for Belleville) and physical centerman Zack Ostapchuk (17 G as AHL rookie) could take his place in the middle. As it stands, they have more to gain from big AHL minutes than Crookshank.
1. Is winning contagious? In hockey, winning and losing aren’t just the two possible outcomes of a contest. They are tangible conditions that affect organizations from top to bottom. The Senators know that well and it showed in their offseason shopping spree. Of their six major additions, only Perron, one of the heroes of the Blues’ 2019 Stanley Cup triumph, did not play in the 2024 postseason. Amadio (2023) and Cousins (2024) had their names etched on the Cup more recently. Travis Green’s biggest challenge behind the bench is changing the culture, and an influx of winning DNA should give him a head start.
2. What should the Senators do with Josh Norris? There’s no doubting Norris’s talent. He’s a pure sniper and an absolute weapon on the power play, where he deposited 16 of his 35 goals during the 2021-22 season. That encouraging campaign bought him an 8-year, $7.95 million AAV extension, but he’s needed shoulder surgery in both seasons since. He’s had three major operations and another two lengthy absences from the same chronic injury. Pinto is already more well-rounded, and the Senators might be ready to cut bait on the Michigan alum. No other team would touch Norris’s contract given his injury record, and another abridged season could lead to LTIR-induced semi-retirement for the 25-year-old. It’s not a fate anyone would have imagined after his breakout sophomore season.
3. Can Linus Ullmark break a troubling trend? It hasn’t been easy for the Senators to draw free agents to Ottawa. Their building has aged poorly, their previous owner was averse to spending money, and they lack the rich history of the rival Toronto Maple Leafs or the nearby Montreal Canadiens. Without the on-ice excellence of the Alfredsson-era teams to cover the difference, they’ve had to draft or trade for their talent. That’s not good enough when the players they trade for won’t stick around anyway; Alex DeBrincat forced his way out of Ottawa after costing them a first, and Staios moved on from Chychrun to avoid a similar embarrassment. Ullmark is out of contract next summer and, like DeBrincat and Chychrun, cost the team some valuable draft capital. Can the Sens convince him their project is worth a long-term commitment?
This isn’t the year the Senators return to the playoffs. There’s a lot to like about their lineup on paper, but an injury to Zub or Giroux, let alone Ullmark, would expose just how thin their depth is. The Sens would need a clean bill of health and more than a few other teams to slip up to contend in the Atlantic; that’s more luck than the team has had in a long time. If Ottawa can at least commit to a brand of hockey and stay in the race from wire to wire like last season’s Flyers, they’ll create a blueprint for success in 2025 and beyond.
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The Winnipeg Jets have done an excellent job of locking up their top talent to long-term extensions over the years. Superstar goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, star center Mark Scheifele and defenseman Josh Morrissey have all recently extended their stays in Winnipeg, keeping their core intact. However, one key member of that nucleus, Kyle Connor, is entering the final year of his contract and doesn't appear to be in any rush to re-sign with the Jets, according to insider Frank Seravalli. The 28-year-old is set to play out the final season of his seven-year, $50 million deal signed back in 2019. Connor will surely receive a substantial pay raise on his next contract. Given that his camp wants to evaluate their options, let's examine three teams that would be the best fits to pry the two-time All-Star out of Winnipeg next summer. Detroit Red Wings A team that's already been linked to Connor, and for good reason, is the Red Wings. The Shelby Township, Michigan, native would likely be interested in a potential homecoming, and it makes sense for both sides. Detroit is looking to put an end to a lengthy nine-year playoff drought, and the addition of one of the game's best wingers would certainly help the cause. The Red Wings have their core of center Dylan Larkin, wingers Lucas Raymond and Alex DeBrincat and defenseman Moritz Seider locked in, with some top prospects soon to join the big club. The time to strike is now. They are poised to have over $44 million in cap space next offseason, per PuckPedia, allowing them to throw a massive offer that could be hard for Connor to resist. Washington Capitals Another great fit for Connor would be the Capitals. Washington came down to the wire in the Nikolaj Ehlers sweepstakes this summer but was narrowly edged out by the Carolina Hurricanes. Given their strong interest in Ehlers, there's a good chance Caps general manager Chris Patrick would push even harder for a player of the caliber of Connor. Placing a seven-time 30-goal scorer on the reigning top seed in the Eastern Conference could be dangerous for the rest of the league. They are set up well to compete against anyone in a bidding war, with $36.5 million in projected cap space following the 2025-26 season, according to PuckPedia. Columbus Blue Jackets Lastly, how about the Blue Jackets? Not many teams' futures look brighter than Columbus's, and it sounds like general manager Don Waddell wants to be active in aiding them along. The Blue Jackets almost landed star defenseman Noah Dobson via trade before the 2025 draft, demonstrating their newfound aggressive approach as their young core continues to show improvements. While they appear to be on the rise, it remains evident that they're lacking a true star up front, a problem that Connor could solve. Currently slated to have over $46 million in available cap space, via PuckPedia, money will not be an issue for Columbus in its pursuit of Connor.
The Kansas City Chiefs appeared to receive an early gift from the NFL regarding wide receiver Rashee Rice's looming suspension. The third-year receiver is set to have a disciplinary hearing on Sept. 30 after he pleaded guilty to collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years of probation. The timing of Rice's hearing is curious because he pleaded guilty to his charges on the same day Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge connected to his arrest for alleged DUI. The league has already suspended Addison for the first three games of the upcoming season. Per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, a league source told him that the NFL doesn't typically delay hearings as it has in the case of Rice, preferring to finalize a punishment before Week 1. “Maybe I’m a conspiracy theorist, but this is odd," said the unnamed source, via Florio. “You hardly ever see players get suspended in season unless they did something in season like a drug test or something.” The suspicion from the source and Florio is that the league is keeping Rice available for marquee matchups in the early season. The Chiefs begin their season in Sao Paulo, Brazil, playing the Los Angeles Chargers. Kansas City then plays the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants ("Sunday Night Football") and Baltimore Ravens. Florio suggested that with a hearing date of Sept. 30, Rice would likely start any suspension the Chiefs' Week 5 contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars on "Monday Night Football." "At a time when many think the league favors the Chiefs, situations like this will not become evidence to the contrary," Florio said. While the early slate of games is impressive for the Chiefs, their schedule is jam-packed with heavyweight matchups. The next four games after Week 5 include the Detroit Lions ("Sunday Night Football"), Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders ("Monday Night Football" and Buffalo Bills. While the league has some explaining to do as to why it chose Sept. 30 as the date, it's hard to see why the Chiefs would have an advantage by losing Rice for those games.
The Pittsburgh Steelers recently finished up a joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Acrisure Stadium prior to their Preseason Week 2 matchup against each other. It's always nice to go against someone other than your own defense for a change, and the idea is that there is a lot for both teams to benefit from in seeing someone else on the other side of the line of scrimmage. It also helps that the two teams won't play each other in the 2025 regular season, so they can practice everything that they want to without necessarily giving plans away. Sometimes, the good thing about joint practices is understanding where your team still might be limited. After practice concluded and interviews were finished, the conclusion seemed to be that the Steelers still have a long way to go before being ready for the regular season, as reported by ESPN's Brooke Pryor. Outside of a dominant seven shots drill, it seemed like the Steelers had a rough practice. While filming most of practice was banned, there were some photos of wide receiver Mike Evans beating new defensive back Jalen Ramsey clean to the corner of the end zone for an easy score. Of course, there is still a little bit of time for the Steelers to clean up everything and put on a good show for Week 1. Resting most of their starters for Preseason Week 2 may not the greatest idea for that, however. After this game, there will be one more week of preseason before a week with no games. After that, it's put up or shut up time for this revamped team. Obviously, when you have a brand new starting quarterback and top wide receiver, it can take some time for the whole offense to click as a collective unit, although that's not an excuse for the pass that DK Metcalf reportedly dropped during the two-minute drill. Now is not the time for the team to take things easy. With a short week of practice between Preseason Week 2 and 3, the cleanup phase could come during the upcoming week without NFL football. Steelers Hopefully React To Wake-Up Call Like Young Receiver Did During training camp, wide receiver Roman Wilson was a bit underwhelming to start, and his spot on the roster was suddenly questionable. That was exactly what he needed to realize that he had to work nonstop if he wanted to reach his potential. Since then, he has performed well and has made a case for a spot in the starting lineup, let alone the 53-man roster. That's exactly how the whole team needs to respond. Even Aaron Rodgers, the starting quarterback, needs to work like his job is on the line if he wants to gain chemistry with his new receivers, even though there is likely zero chance that he gets cut, or even benched. If they try to coast through the season, the infamous non-losing season streak may finally come to an end, and massive changes will have to be made.
The Pittsburgh Steelers invest on the defensive side of the ball year after year. The team has had the highest-paid unit for several seasons, but fans have become frustrated because the group doesn't always live up to expectations. Inconsistencies have haunted Teryl Austin's group, but that should change in 2025, especially because the secondary has one of the best cornerback situations in all of football. Jalen Ramsey, Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay should all play a part in dominating opposing receivers, but the franchise had to have gotten a little bit nervous during a joint practice on Thursday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers and Buccaneers will face off in a preseason battle on Saturday, but not all starters will be on the field for the contest, which is why Thursday's practice was an important one for both coaching staffs to evaluate their players. Due to NFL rules, reporters weren't able to capture a lot of the occurrences during the session, but some facts came out afterwards. Head Coach Mike Tomlin has consistently been saying that Ramsey will be in charge of lining up versus each opponent's best wide receiver. The cornerback was given the opportunity to do so with Tampa Bay in town on Thursday, but that allegedly went very poorly for the veteran defender, according to Rick Stroud, who is a journalist for the Tampa Bay Times. Mike Evans is one of the most underrated pass-catchers of his generation, but Ramsey was acquired so he could shut down top wideouts. It may have just been a joint practice in August, but the reporting coming out of the Steel City is rather concerning. Evans was apparently so prominent that he isn't even going to play on Saturday, which says a lot about how good he must have looked against the Steelers' defense and Ramsey. Pittsburgh's offense is expected to be better in 2025, but Tomlin's goal will always be to win games on the defensive side of the ball. If Thursday was any indication of what's to come, the Steelers could be in a more difficult situation than originally thought. To be the best, one has to beat the best, and the observation coming from a reporter like Stroud sheds a negative light on Ramsey. Competition brings out the best in players, but on Thursday, there is evidently no doubt that the heart of the Buccaneers' offense got the better of the newly-acquired member of Pittsburgh's defense. It's important to note that players don't always go all out in August due to the possibility of getting injured, but it's apparent that Evans had no issues beating Ramsey more than once over the course of the joint practice. It will be interesting to keep an eye on Ramsey as he continues to get his feet wet in Austin's defense. Week 1 of the 2025 season is just around the corner, so it is imperative that the team's top cornerback is ready to go to battle week in and week out. Steelers Can't Afford To Have Ramsey Play Poorly Throughout 2025 Season While a duo of Porter and Slay is great to have alongside Ramsey, the team isn't paying the former Miami Dolphins cornerback a ton of money to get beat by opposing wide receivers. It's not fair to completely overreact in mid-August, but a few red flags should be raised after the reporting from Stroud. Ramsey has to be playing at the highest level possible come September.