Offseason Review: Ottawa Senators

Now that the dust has settled on a wild NHL offseason, let's take a look at how each team did in regards to drafting and free-agent signings. Today, we'll look at the Ottawa Senators.

While the Sens had a rough start to their 2021 season, they saw a significant turnaround in the back half of the year. Playing like a team with no pressure on them, Ottawa's goaltending found its groove and the team started to win games more often than they lost. This was aided in part by Tim Stutzle stepping right into an NHL role and excelling, as well as goaltender Matt Murray returning to form, and players like Thomas Chabot and Brady Tkachuk taking on a leadership role that resonated with the rest of the team's players. Ottawa's toughest matchup last season was against the Edmonton Oilers, against whom they lost all nine games they played. However, if Ottawa had managed to split that series, they would have been a playoff team. That has to be a good feeling for GM Pierre Dorion, who likely didn't expect his team to get anywhere near a wildcard spot. As such, this summer the Sens had less pressure on them to make any big signings than they might have under different circumstances. Let's see what they got up to.

Free Agency:

There isn't much to say here, as the Senators were mostly content to stand pat and let the kids develop into their respective roles. The biggest names that came to Ottawa aren't particularly big names at all. Nick Holden was acquired along with a 3rd round pick in 2022 from Vegas in exchange for Evgenii Dadonov, and Michael Del Zotto was signed to a two-year deal out of the free-agent market. The Sens elected to hang on to Victor Mete, who split time last season between the Habs and Sens. Ottawa also brought back career AHLer Scott Sabourin for a second stint with the team, after a brief period playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Beyond that, the Sens mostly focused on filling out their potential callups. Left-wingers Andrew Agozzino and Pontus Aberg were signed to one-year two-way contracts, along with right-winger Kole Sherwood. The Sens also signed DMan Dillon Heatherington to a one-year two-way deal. They're still hashing out the details on new contracts for RFAs Drake Batherson and Brady Tkachuk, but those are expected to be settled in the next couple of weeks.

Grade: B; Nothing much to get excited about in terms of new free-agent acquisitions in Ottawa, but that indicates that the team already has plenty of exciting players filling out their roster. Once the last couple RFAs are signed to new deals the Sens will be ready for another season, one year older and more experienced.

Draft:

Ottawa had the good fortune of drafting twice in the top 5 last year, so dropping back to 10th overall shouldn't sting too much. With that pick, the Sens selected Tyler Boucher. A 6'1" LW from Scottsdale, Arizona, Boucher is the most physical player to come out of the 2021 draft. Be it small nudges or huge body checks, Boucher loves to throw his weight around. There is no facet of his game to which he doesn't apply physicality, and opposing teams are going to take note every time he steps on the ice. The kid can score too, and uses his creativity to sneak shots through defenders or change the angle on a goalie. Imagine a slightly smaller Tom Wilson, and you get an idea of what Tyler Boucher's game is like. He will play for Boston University next season.

In the second round, 39th overall, the Sens picked Zack Ostapchuk, a 6'3" LW. Ostapchuk's greatest skill is his hands, deftly shifting the puck through lanes to evade defenders. He's slippery for his size and has a formidable backhander that goalies don't always see coming. Ten picks later at 49th overall, the Sens selected defenceman Benjamin Roger. A 6'4" right-shot, Roger uses his wingspan to great effect, never overextending but instead maintaining his gap and using his long reach to knock the puck off an attacker's stick. Moving to the third round, 74th overall, Ottawa drafted Oliver Johansson, a left-shot centreman from Sweden. Johansson is a raw prospect to be sure, and will require some development, but he has bounced around several different Swedish hockey leagues in the last couple of years, rarely playing more than a handful of games on any given team, yet consistently averaging around a point per game no matter where he plays, with many of them being goals. However, his production plummets severely in the playoffs, something that will need to be addressed.

Grade: B; While none of these players are NHL ready as of yet, this is a solid, diverse group of prospects to add to the Sens already solid pipeline. As long as a couple of them pan out, this will have been a successful draft for Ottawa.

Overall grade: B; While Sens fans may have been hoping for fireworks, this summer was more about staying the course. A couple depth positions on the team have been filled, a couple of intriguing prospects were drafted, but overall this is the same Senators team we saw last season. Given how they played to end the year, that may not be the worst thing. As long as they finish signing their RFAs, the Sens will improve by virtue of experience and talent already present in the organization.

What do you think about the progression of this rebuilding Ottawa Senators team?

Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports