Ottawa Senators: Three Positive Takeaways From 2021
It’s safe to say the Ottawa Senators’ season has not gone according to plan.
Within the past three months, the Ottawa Senators have fallen to the bottom of not only the North Division, but to the bottom of the NHL. They currently hold a record of 9-20-1, with only 19 total points thus far. Although they are ahead of Buffalo in points, the Senators still have the worst win percentage at .317, and they have allowed the most goals out of any franchise (121).
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To make things even worse, the Senators don’t have much room to improve either. Their division consists of three top-ten teams in the league (Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets), and they are 21 points behind the first-place Maple Leafs. Ottawa is just stuck at the bottom while the rest of the pack rises.
While some may say there’s nothing good resulting from this season, there are actually many positives to take away.
The Senators are still a very young team. Hardly ever does a team this age develop at an alarming rate. Ottawa needs time to build chemistry and form bonds on the ice. If one player is not on the same page as the rest, the whole team could fall apart.
It also takes time and patience to become the best in a division. With competition such as the Maple Leafs, Oilers, and Jets, the Senators will need to become more consistent in order to be at the top. With this being said, here are three positive takeaways from the 2020-2021 Ottawa Senators.
Three reasons why you should be encouraged by the Ottawa Senators in 2020-21
1. The Rookies
Although the Ottawa Senators have struggled to find consistent veterans in the past few seasons, the team has been very successful in the NHL Entry Draft. The young squad has been taking charge on the ice, leading the way with promising talents such as Brady Tkachuk and Thomas Chabot.
This year’s rookie class has also been stellar for Ottawa, with one of the most prominent rookies being Tim Stützle. Last year, the Senators scooped-up the German forward with the Third Overall selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.
A true and complete package on the ice, Tim Stützle offered star potential to any team who drafted him. With the Senators picking at three, this was their perfect opportunity to take the next face of their franchise
Without playing a single game in the AHL, Stützle has been a huge help to the Senators and their offense thur far into the season. At only nineteen years-old, Stützle currently has 16 points, comprised of six goals and ten assists.
This is huge news for the Senators. With Stützle showing the same production as some older veterans on the team, there’s no saying what this kid can do. If Stützle can harness some of his raw talent and improve his knowledge of professional hockey, he could be a real star in the NHL.
Rookie Josh Norris has also been a pleasant surprise for the Senators. Drafted in 2017 by the San Jose Sharks, Josh Norris spent his first two seasons within the Sharks’ prospect system. In late 2018, Norris was dealt to the Senators as part of the huge deal for Erik Karlsson.
With 2020-21 being his first full season in the NHL, Josh Norris is making a name for himself. Norris currently has five goals and ten assists, combined for a total of 15 points. The more he develops during the season, the more he makes the Sharks regret trading him.
In the big picture, Norris and Stützle have been dominating the rookie leaderboards. Both of them hold the second and third slot in total rookie points, with Stützle being second and Norris being third. Tim Stützle is also fourth out of all rookies in goals, while Josh Norris is in eighth place. In the assists category, Josh Norris and Tim Stützle are tied for third with New Jersey Devils defenseman Ty Smith with ten assists each. The Senators may not be good now, but their future is one of the brightest in the league.
2. The Aggressiveness
While the Ottawa Senators may be at the bottom of many categories this season, one thing where they haven’t fall short of is their aggressiveness. As the season has progressed, this young core has begun to mesh together perfectly.
Not only are they fun to watch, but they are beginning to show promising numbers. They continuously show that they want to win games despite their losing pattern.
In the thirty games the Senators have played this season, 12 of them have been one goal differences. That means 40 percent of all the games played by the Senators this season have been dog fights.
What a goal on the powerplay! #GoSensGo
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) March 13, 2021
Tim Stützle makes a great pass to Tkachuk, who ties the game at 2. 🚨 pic.twitter.com/7k8OZR7tsJ
Five of the games the Senators have played this season have also gone to either Overtime or a Shootout, with the Senators taking four of those contests. No matter how poor their game has been in regulation, the Senators continuously show that they can fight until the very end.
In terms of total league standings, the Senators are in the middle of the pack for offensive scoring. In total goals for, the Senators sit in the middle of the league in sixteenth place with 79. This puts them ahead of multiple top-tier franchises, including the Vegas Golden Knights, Boston Bruins, and the Colorado Avalanche.
While the Senators sit dead last in the NHL for goals against (121), they still show that they can balance out their poor performance. It will be interesting to see if Ottawa can keep this steady progress going in the latter half of the season.
3. The Future
The Senators are currently fighting a downhill battle. Within the North Division, they have to face five potential Playoff contenders, including the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Edmonton Oilers, the Montreal Canadiens, the Calgary Flames, and the Winnipeg Jets. With the Ottawa Senators struggling to stay afloat in general, there’s little hope that Ottawa has a chance to make the postseason.
However, their 2022 season looks much brighter than this season. If the NHL decides to return to their original division alignment, the Senators will be back in the Atlantic Division. This means they will be competing against teams such as the Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, and the current last-place Buffalo Sabres. With some of these teams being in worse situations than Ottawa, there’s a chance the Sens could compete for a divisional title.
While this sounds great on paper, the Senators still have to face the Bruins, their current division rivals in the Canadiens and the Maple Leafs, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Considering these teams will take the top four slots of the Atlantic, that would put the Senators in fifth place, at best. This also doesn’t take into consideration the fact that the Florida Panthers have been playing great hockey, making them a postseason threat as well.
If the Senators want to have a shot at the Atlantic Division next season, they’ll need to take their opportunities now and develop their rising stars. Tim Stützle and Josh Norris will be another year older with a full season of NHL experience under their belts. Their consensus centerpiece, Brady Tkachuk, will also have another season of experience under his belt.
Next. How the 2020-21 season would look in normal times. dark
More importantly, Tkachuk will have a full season of chemistry built between Stützle and Norris. These three players will be the Senators’ core for many seasons to come, and it’s imperative they adjust to one another’s playing styles.2022 will be an interesting year for Ottawa with a lot of expectations to reach. However, their current focus is to finish the 2021 season strong and give their rising talent as many minutes on the ice as possible.