4 Big Questions for the Ottawa Senators in 2020-21

There are Four Big Questions facing the Ottawa Senators in 2020-21.

We are getting close to the finish line when it comes to our 2020-21 NHL Season Previews, and today we are going to focus on the Ottawa Senators.

The Sens are in full rebuild mode right now and are trying to look ahead to a bright future after a few dysfunctional years, although craziness will always follow when you have Eugene Melnyk as your Owner.

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Anyway, the Senators were one of the seven teams to not make the postseason in 2019-20 and that will likely be the case again in 2020-21, especially as they will be stuck in the North Division which is very top-heavy.

However, there is hope that Ottawa will at least be competitive this year after General Manager Pierre Dorion added some grit, experience and leadership to a young locker room with a series of aggressive moves late in the offseason.

Plus, with Brady Tkachuk expected to take a step forward, a legit No. 1 starter in Matt Murray and the arrival of the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft in Tim Stuetzle, it should at least be entertaining for Sens fans.

So, without further ado, let’s delve into the 4 Big Questions facing the Ottawa Senators in the 2020-21 NHL Season…

4. Can Matt Murray get back to his best in 2020-21?

Life has a funny way of correcting itself. Once replacing a franchise icon in Marc-Andre Fleury and going on to win two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Matt Murray was hit with the same fate this offseason.

After being ravaged by injuries and loss of form over the last couple of years, the Penguins decided to move on from their franchise goaltender and instead put their faith in Tristan Jarry, who effectively ousted Murray in 2019-20.

As a result, Murray was dealt to the Ottawa Senators during the offseason and swiftly signed a four-year, $25 million contract.

Still only 26-years-old, which seems amazing given how long he’s been around the game, Murray is about to reach the peak of his powers and the Senators see him as their franchise goaltender and a leader who can help usher in an exciting new era for this franchise.

Yes, Murray endured a down year in 2019-20 with a 2.87 Goals Against Average and a .899 Save Percentage, going 20-11-5.

However, if he can stay healthy and rediscover the secret sauce that made him a key cog in those Penguins teams that won back-to-back Stanley Cups, then Matt Murray will be a huge asset to the Ottawa Senators and he could even be the difference in them sneaking into the Playoffs if everything works out.

3. Will the veterans help in 2020-21?

With a young roster and a new wave of prospects on the way up, Ottawa Senators General Manager Pierre Dorion felt it important to bring in some veteran leadership.

He did that by sending a 2021 Second-Round pick to the Arizona Coyotes for center Derek Stepan, before acquiring defenseman Braydon Coburn and forward Cedric Paquette from the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Dorion also signed proven goalscorer Evgeni Dadonov to a three-year, $15 million contract in Free Agency, in addition to also acquiring gritty defenseman Erik Gudbranson, giving this team more of a tough underbelly.

But will the veterans help or hinder this young core in 2020-21?

Well, it seems clear that the front office are hellbent on trying to get this team to the postseason this year, and it does make sense given that even a small taste of the Stanley Cup Playoffs could be beneficial to the young players.

Having proven veterans on the team will certainly help the Senators be more competitive in the North Division, and they should be a much tougher-out against the big-hitters such as the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens.

However, you don’t want key young players and prospects having their ice time cut short because there are too many veterans on the roster, so that is a fine line Head Coach D.J. Smith will have to try and walk throughout the year.

But, in saying that, Stepan has already taken elite talent Tim Stuetzle on his wing and the two could be on a line together to start the season, while the likes of Gudbranson and Coborn will be good mentors for young defensemen in the ilk of Erik Brannstrom and Thomas Chabot.

Overall, this added veteran presence will only make the Ottawa Senators more competitive in 2020-21, which is a good thing, while it should also help to aid the development of some of the franchises’ bright young hopes.

2. Can Brady Tkachuk take the next leap in 2020-21?

Brady Tkachuk is a rising star in the National Hockey League and the stage is set for the forward to take that next big leap in 2020-21.

Taken with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Tkachuk has developed into a franchise cornerstone for the Ottawa Senators and Year 3 is normally when we see some real progress made.

After recording 44 points (21 G, 23 A) in 71 regular-season games in 2019-20, just a point less than his rookie year, Tkachuk would have been expected to hit the 50-point mark this season before the 56-game shortened schedule was revealed.

Unless the 21-year-old has an absolute monster year, maybe somewhere in the region of 30-45 points would be a very good year for the center, who will be expected to carry this team on his back in 2020-21.

It will help that he will have some legit help in the form of German stud Tim Stuetzle, deadly goalscorer Evgeni Dadonov and having Derek Stepan and Alex Galchenyuk down the middle behind him should also help to ease some of the offensive burden.

I also think having Stepan as his second-line center and as a role model on and off the ice will benefit Tkachuk’s all-round game, giving him the chance to learn from a player who has always carried himself well and who knows what it takes to go deep in the Playoffs.

But there is no doubt that Tkachuk will be the rising tide that lifts all boats when it comes to Ottawa’s offense in 2020-21, in that he will be the focal point of their forward group and he should get plenty of opportunities to carve out one hell of a year.

His ATOI will probably also rise up from a career-high 18:56 last year and, as my colleague Matty Breisch so brilliantly put it, 2020-21 could be the year that Brady Tkachuk becomes a true star in the NHL.