Six prospects in the Sens Org I think eventually will make a difference once they get to the NHL. They all have good size, they all bring some level of physical play, good defensively, hard to play against & bring some offence to add to the skilled players already on the team.
This coming season:
Kleven LD - will replace Brannstrom on the left side 3rd pairing & will be the shutdown defender the Sens have needed on the backend. He's not going to wow anyone, but should play a solid defensive game with the occassional big hit & inevidable fight afterwards. He will bring some of the physicality that has been missing on this team on defence for quite some time.
Ostapchuk C/LW - another non-flashy player with a non-stop motor that plays a high energy physical game that is again much needed & will drop the gloves when required, a better cheaper version of Joseph IMO. He hits, he blocks shots & he disrupts plays all over the ice. I expect he will play the PK & with his speed & determination should improve the bottom six this coming season.
Potential Future NHL Players:
Halliday C - is a big centre who should bring some much needed offence to the bottom six. He is good at puck possession & a good playmaker & should help clog the front of opposition nets with his size. I expect he could see some time in Ottawa this season at some point.
Boucher RW - can he stay healthy & if he does what does he become? The bottom six could use a little more offence & this guy had a pro shot for a few yrs now. With others on the bottom six like Ostapchuk & Halliday, Boucher would add not just more physicality, but some scoring as all three are going to make all kinds of room out there with their play.
Petersson RW - if Boucher is not healthy they have another option with Petersson who has similar size, but plays a more offensive game without the hitting & fighting. If he can find some offence to his game he could also make for an interesting line with Ostapchuk & Halliday.
Sogaard - while Forsberg is in his last season of his contract, I expect that he will not be re-signed & that Sogaard will replace him at the end of this season as their backup. While I'm not completely sold on this guy, he has shown glimpses where he has played well. If he can ever become a consistent goalie we might have something, but that still remains to be seen. Luckily they have another goalie in Merilainen who seems to be getting better each yr & could challenge Sogaard at some point.
Yakemchuk - checks all the boxes the Sens need on defence on the right side, big, tough, will drop the gloves & potential high offensive production. Given he already has NHL size & shot, the only question is when he will be NHL ready?
The Depth on Defence:
Ottawa has six or seven defencemen in their org now who could all be NHL players at some point, but maybe not necessarily in Ott. They are all big, 3 of them play a very physical game & four of them play more of a solid two way defensive game. This does not mean they will replace anyone presently on the roster, it just means at the moment they have plenty of depth on both sides on defence.
Andonovski - Yakemchuk
Donovan - Guennette
Eliasson - Stanley/Toure
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