Projecting the Ottawa Senators' Opening Night Roster

We're now less than one week from the start of the NHL season. Teams are finalizing their rosters and signing their RFAs, and players are biding their time until the regular season opens. Which Ottawa Senators team will we see this year? Will it be the one that started out with a dreadful first half to the 2021 season or the one that finished the season with some feisty play that saw them rapidly climbing the standings? Had the Sens had a full 82 games to work with, they were on pace to bounce Montreal out of the North Division's 4th seed, and we all know what the Habs went on to do once they go into the playoffs. That Ottawa Senators team has had a full offseason to get healthy, and their stockpile of high-end rookie talent has developed into budding NHL players. The one crack in the veneer is GM Pierre Dorion's inability to sign top player Brady Tkachuk prior to training camp. Dorion wants to go long-term with the player, Tkachuk wants a bridge deal. With a player like that missing the start of the season, it shakes up the whole lineup in Ottawa. Let's see how it looks, starting at forward:

Alex Formenton - Josh Norris - Drake Batherson

Tim Stutzle - Shane Pinto - Connor Brown

Nick Paul - Chris Tierney - Tyler Ennis

Zach Sanford - Parker Kelly - Scott Sabourin

Andrew Agozzino

Logan Shaw

Eventually, the Sens are going to need Brady Tkachuk on the roster to get this lineup running smoothly. As it stands, there are too many rookies and sophomores being relied upon to carry the majority of the playing time. There's always a chance it works out, but 82 games is a long season and there aren't a ton of high-skill veterans who can steady the ship. Making matters worse, both Austin Watson and Colin White will be missing as little as a month, and up to four months as they recover from injuries sustained during pre-season. As such, Parker Kelly was recalled from Belleville after being assigned to the AHL only a few days ago. There's a lot of skill on that top 6, make no mistake, and they're going to make a lot of defenders look silly in the early going. Once teams key in though, there isn't much experience for those players to lean upon.

On defence another budding prospect has worked his way into the lineup, a long-awaited reward for the Sens following the Mark Stone trade:

Thomas Chabot - Artem Zub

Eric Brannstrom - Nikita Zaitsev

Victor Mete - Nick Holden

Michael del Zotto

Josh Brown

Thanks to a strong performance in pre-season, Brannstrom looks to have won his spot on the roster. The same can be said for Nick Holden, acquired in a trade with Vegas for Evgenii Dadonov, and Victor Mete, who was claimed off waivers from Montreal. The two of them have played well during pre-season, and showed the value of experience in the NHL. The Sens have changed the look of their blueline, and coach DJ Smith has said these pairings will be in flux throughout the season. The only sure thing so far is that Chabot and Zub will be paired up. Speaking of Chabot, there was debate over the summer about whether he or Tkachuk would be named the next captain of the Senators. With the current uncertainty surrounding Tkachuk's tenure in Ottawa, Chabot may have won out in that contest.

In goal, a two-time Cup winner returns for a bounce-back season as the Sens' starter:

Matt Murray

Anton Forsberg

Filip Gustavsson

Earlier this week Gustavsson was sent down to play in Belleville for the Senators' AHL affiliate. As such, the tandem in Ottawa is going to be Murray and Forsberg. Gustavsson had the better showing last season as Ottawa cycled through backups, but Forsberg had the better showing in pre-season. If an injury occurs, Gustavsson is the only real choice for a call-up. Meanwhile, Murray seems to have settled into his role in Ottawa, getting into three pre-season games and looking solid. For the Sens to improve this season, they'll need him to rebound from his first year with the team.

What do you think of this Senators' roster, and what would you change?

Photo credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports