EMERGENCY FAN MEETING: The Senators are Soft, Broken, and Have No Identity - Here's My Fix. Share Yours.

[Micklebot]

Anything below 90 points isn’t Responsable playoff predicting but for 92 points (would of got you in last year) Sens have to go 35-23 which they can do, it’s a .605 win percentage which is well within their grasp, the goalies look like they are finally ready, let’s see if Green can get through to all 20 guys on the same night and see a full team win. Need signs of life

92 is a reasonable estimate at this point, you're really rolling the dice if you go any lower than that as a target though it is possible.

Goaltending has to be part of the solution, we aren't getting in without the goalies being at least average.

 

[Micklebot]

Okay, not Hammond-esque, fair.

But it’s a significant improvement over what we’ve seen so far this year, and what we’ve seen from this core in the last couple of years.

The objective person would say it’s very unlikely, unless something significant changes.

Well, one big thing that we can hope for is our Vezina winning goalie to round back into the form that allowed him to have the leagues best sv% over the last 5 seasons, instead of his current outside of the top 30 sv%. Just getting average Sv% of around .900 would mean one less goal against every 3 games and that's the type of margin that turns loses into wins.

 

[DackellDuck]

Well, one big thing that we can hope for is our Vezina winning goalie to round back into the form that allowed him to have the leagues best sv% over the last 5 seasons, instead of his current outside of the top 30 sv%. Just getting average Sv% of around .900 would mean one less goal against every 3 games and that's the type of margin that turns loses into wins.

Having Ullmark play ~40 of the next 58 games and put up a .910-915 SV% (and get some of the swagger he came in with back) would be a big help, and compared to his start, would be a rather big improvement and boost to the team.

 

[Ice-Tray]

The State of the Senators: SENATORS: NO IDENTITY, SOFT, BROKEN & LOST - I Have Solutions, What Are Yours? (A 30-Year Fan's Deep Dive)

[Warning: Grab a coffee and get comfortable. Like our playoff drought, this is going to take some time.]

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PART 1: INTRODUCTION
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1.1 The Journey

I've been here since day one - from Rick Bowness to Jacques Martin, from the Civic Centre to the Canadian Tire Center, from Laurie Boschman to Brady Tkachuk. I've witnessed the brutal 10-win season in '92-93 and felt the excitement of our Cup run against the Ducks. After 30 years of bleeding Senators red, I've seen it all - the good, the bad, and the "maybe next year." I am super passionate about this team and have kept my thoughts to myself for the most part this year, but I just can't hold back anymore.

1.2 Current State

Here we are again, watching another November meltdown torpedo our playoff hopes. Yes, we're seeing flashes of brilliance in some games, moments where we look like world-beaters. But those two points we let slip away in October and November? They don't come back in April.

The frustrating part? On paper, everything's fixed:
• New ownership ✓
• New management ✓
• New coaching staff ✓
• Fans back in the seats ✓
• Relatively healthy roster ✓

Yet here we are, still stuck in the basement, still making excuses about bounces and bad luck.

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PART 2: CORE ISSUES
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2.1 The Identity Crisis

For five years straight, we've been "searching for an identity." That's NHL-speak for "we don't know what we are." When a team with this much talent still can't define itself, there's a deeper problem. Every team claims they want to be "hard to play against" - that's like saying water is wet. We need something more concrete, something that actually means something in today's NHL.

2.2 The Leadership Dilemma

Let me preface this by saying I'm Brady's biggest fan, but here's the hard truth: we threw him into the captain's seat too young and then tried to change his game. Why? Because we had no one else ready for the 'C'. Instead of bringing in a veteran to show him the ropes, we went with trial by fire.

Here's the real kicker - we're telling a power forward to play like a finesse player. His brother just won a Cup in Florida playing the exact style we're trying to coach out of Brady. When Brady plays with edge, throws the body, and gets in your face, that's when he's at his best. That's when he's the leader this team needs.

The coaches want him to avoid fights, limit the big hits, stay out of scrums. No! That's exactly what this team needs - that's the identity we should be building around. I'll take 23 Bradys any day (heck, put one in net while we're at it).

2.3 The Clone Factory

Our roster is like a bunch of photocopies, and here's why:

Looking at our forward group:
• Tim Stützle: Skilled but not physical
• Josh Norris: Great shot, but won't win board battles
• Drake Batherson: Skilled but disappears in tough games
• Shane Pinto: Not living up to early promise
• Claude Giroux: Veteran skill but not changing the culture


We've got snipers and playmakers, but where's the edge? Where's the nasty? Brady brings it, but he needs company. Even Greig, who has some bite to his game, isn't consistent enough with it.

The bottom six? They might as well be invisible most nights. Our third and fourth lines aren't changing momentum, aren't wearing teams down, aren't making opponents pay a price.

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PART 3: DEFENSIVE ISSUES
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3.1 The Soft Blue Line

Let's break it down:
• Nick Jensen (+11): Quietly our best defensive D-man. Nothing flashy, just solid positioning and smart plays
• Jake Sanderson (-14): Great potential but getting exposed against top lines
• Thomas Chabot (+5): Making $8M to play like a #2/3 D-man. Great offensively but not the shutdown guy we need
• Artem Zub (-7): Struggling with injuries and consistency
• Hamonic: Looking done. Time to move on

The bigger issue? No physical presence. Nobody clearing the crease. Nobody making forwards pay a price for cutting through the middle. Our hits might look good on paper, but watch the games - they're love taps, not momentum-changers.

3.2 The Goalie Graveyard

Let's talk about our goaltending situation, because it's beyond ridiculous at this point. We've become the place where good goalies come to lose their mojo, and it's not by accident.

Take a look at our recent history:

• Ullmark: Walks in with swagger and an $8M contract, six weeks later looks like he's seen a ghost
• Talbot: Solid elsewhere, struggles here, Solid Elsewhere
• Forsberg: Can't find consistency
• Daccord: Leaves and suddenly looks like a Vezina candidate
• Gustavsson: Finds his game the moment he leaves

Here's the thing - we can't be this unlucky with goalies. When EVERY goalie struggles here but plays well elsewhere, that's not a goalie problem. That's a US problem. Let's break it down:

The Defense Problem:

Our "defensive" corps is about as protective as a screen door in a hurricane:
• Scattered coverage in front of the net
• No consistent net-front clearing
• Defensemen built for offense trying to play shutdown roles
• Constant positional breakdowns
• Zero intimidation factor for opposing forwards

The Coaching Issue:

We're trying to develop NHL goalies with AHL-level goalie coaching. It's like trying to fix a Ferrari with a hammer and screwdriver. Our goalie coaches seem overwhelmed and out of their depth. These aren't beer league goalies - they're elite athletes who need elite coaching.

The Mental Game:

Goalies are a different breed to begin with - they need special handling. Instead, we're:
• Hanging them out to dry defensively
• Providing inadequate technical support
• Offering zero mental health support
• Watching their confidence erode game by game

Look at Ullmark - guy showed up looking like he owned the place, had that championship swagger. Now? Six weeks in and he looks like he's questioning if he remembers how to stop a beach ball. That's not bad goaltending - that's a systematic destruction of confidence.

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PART 4: ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
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4.1 The Money Problem

Under the old regime, we were always worried about losing players we couldn't afford. So what did we do? Backed up the Brink's truck before guys even earned it. Everyone got $8M based on potential, not production.

Think about it - if someone backs up a truck full of cash to your house, are you working as hard at your job tomorrow? These guys can retire and never play another game in their lives and be set. Where's the hunger? Where's the drive? Yes, they want to win - all players do - but that desperate edge that comes from having something to prove? That's gone.

4.2 Development Issues

We're failing our players at every level of development, but nowhere is this more evident than with our goalies and young defensemen. We're throwing kids into the deep end without proper support systems in place:
• AHL-level coaching for NHL-caliber talent
• No veteran mentorship program
• Inadequate mental preparation
• Poor physical conditioning oversight
• No clear development path

It's like we're building a house without a foundation and wondering why everything keeps falling apart.

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PART 5: THE SOLUTION
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5.1 Identity Reset

Stop trying to be something we're not. Want an identity? Look at your captain when he's playing his natural game:
• Physical presence every shift
• Making opponents pay a price
• Playing with emotion and edge
• Leading by example
• No shift off, no excuses

That's your identity right there. When Brady plays his game - the way his brother played to win a Cup - that's who we should be. Instead, we're trying to be some watered-down version of a skill team when we don't have the right mix for that.

5.2 Roster Reconstruction

Too many similar ingredients don't make a good meal. We need:
• Different player types throughout the lineup
• More edge in the top nine, not just the fourth line
• Guys who make opponents dread coming to Ottawa
• Players who complement each other instead of duplicating skills

Sometimes good players aren't good together. Having six playmakers doesn't make you six times better - it makes you predictable. We need sandpaper, we need nasty, we need guys who make opponents check the schedule and groan when they see Ottawa coming up.

5.3 Cultural Revolution

The culture needs a complete overhaul:
• Stop waiting for someone else to step up
• Play like you're down a goal even when you're up by two
• Make teams earn every inch of ice
• Hold each other accountable
• Get angry about losing
• Play like Florida - aggressive, relentless, physical

Look at what Florida did last year - they weren't the most skilled team, but they made you pay a physical price every single shift. That's what we need. That's what we're missing.

5.4 Specific Action Items

Immediate changes needed:
• Bring in a proper sports psychologist for the goalies
• Add veteran defensive presence who can actually clear the crease
• Upgrade goalie coaching to NHL caliber
• Rebuild the bottom six with purpose, not just bodies
• Let Brady be Brady - take the leash off
• Create accountability at every level

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PART 6: CONCLUSION
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6.1 Final Thoughts

This isn't about one player, one coach, or one bad stretch. This is about fundamental changes needed in how we build and play as a team. The talent's there, but the mixture is wrong. Chemistry isn't just about putting good players together - it's about putting the RIGHT players together.

6.2 The Way Forward

We need to be the team that makes you wake up the next morning feeling like you've been hit by a truck, not the team that lets you dance through the neutral zone untouched. Make Ottawa feared again - not just for skill, but for the complete package:

• Physical dominance
• Mental toughness
• Complete game
• Clear identity
• Winning culture

No fear. No excuses. The time is now.

[P.S. - Feel free to disagree and reference any section number in your replies. That's what makes these discussions valuable. But something needs to change, and it needs to change now. We can't keep doing the same thing and expecting different results - that's the definition of insanity, and we've been insane long enough.]

Damn son, epic effort put into a great post. Thanks for putting in the time.

 

[Micklebot]

Having Ullmark play ~40 of the next 58 games and put up a .910-915 SV% (and get some of the swagger he came in with back) would be a big help, and compared to his start, would be a rather big improvement and boost to the team.

.910 to .915 wouldn't just be a big help, it would likely guarantee success. That's one less goal against every game or two,

 

[Sens of Anarchy]

Some interesting numbers pre and post Phile game

 

[BankStreetParade]

I thought I gave some I guess. Sanderson isn't a bad core member, but we obviously can't expect a 5on5 offensive leader out of him loike they seem to, so maybe he is fine, but needs a different D makeup with him for it to work. Mackenzie Weegar would look a hell of a lot better on this team than any of our dmen imo and might have been an avenue there. Chabot I'm okay with. Tkachuk and Stu as well. Norris I like but is probably not a true needle mover and more of a core support player. Kind of guy that maybe should have been bridged instead. With the injuries, he'd probably be real cheap atm leaving room. Same with Batherson. Pinto/Grieg may not be paid 8, but they were supposed to be those other support pieces and both look like they belong in Belleville atm. I support the Ullmark move but maybe a Stolarz signing instead with another 5 millish player instead.

SS deserves some criticism for the moves this summer not working out, no doubt, but it wasn't like what they had in house had worked out either, so I was happy to see some shit flinged at the wall and not just running back another failed squad.

Ok I'm having a little trouble understanding this because it seems like you don't have any thoughts about which players in the core shouldn't be here. Norris and Batherson should have been bridged...would mean they'd most likely be UFAs at the end of this season and would have little to no trade value currently. Pinto and Greig are not core pieces. Also, the new GM had well over a year to assess their role in the lineup and decided to keep both.

Sanderson was signed with the blessing of the new ownership group but it still doesn't really change that we drafted him at 5. If someone says the roster was constructed badly, it kinda implies that there we better choices to make. Should we have dumped Sanderson before this season started? Was there someone else at 5 we should have taken?

All that ignores the dire state Dorion left the org in asset wise. They should be able to pivot, but they can't, because they basically have 1 prospect worth his salt and he just got drafted. If SS wasn't so starved for assets, maybe he has better options at his disposal this past season. Also think the 6 straight failed seasons probably affected their ability to draw any interest on the market similar to what Dorion faced with Melnyk as the owner and being viewed as a bad organization.

This is well and good but Dorion didn't make Staios sign the guys he signed in the offseason, who have contributed next to nothing. He also didn't make him accept less than market value for Chychrun to get Jensen. He also didn't make him hire a coach with a career record under .500, when there were significantly more accomplished coaches out there.

To be honest, I've long known that a large segment of this fanbase would continue to hang this around Dorion's neck until the day comes where the team improves and then suddenly it'll be like presto, the new GMs a wizard. However, there is something so terrible about deferring blame to the last guy and assigning no accountability to the new guy. It'll keep us stuck in mediocrity and unable to criticize the people making the decisions today.

 

[Beech]

--

To be honest, I've long known that a large segment of this fanbase would continue to hang this around Dorion's neck until the day comes where the team improves and then suddenly it'll be like presto, the new GMs a wizard. However, there is something so terrible about deferring blame to the last guy and assigning no accountability to the new guy. It'll keep us stuck in mediocrity and unable to criticize the people making the decisions today.

you have just described humanity.

Forget hockey, this applies to everything.

 

[Good in Osgoode]

For me, and I am going to put goaltending aside for the sake of this response, one of the biggest issues that this team faces is lack of scoring outside of our top 6. We have 75 goals so far this year, which is really good. 59 of those 75 goals comes from our top 6 forwards, which is I think is outstanding.

That's just under 80% of our total goals is coming from the top 6 forwards.
We have 16 goals combined, in 24 games, from our bottom-6 & our D.

We have 12 goals from our bottom-6 and just 4 goals from our D, so far this season.
I have to think that is got to be league worst, or close to, in both categories.

I don't have a quick fix response for this other than to somehow find the right chemistry for Pinto & Greig. These 2 players are the main 2 guys that need to get going and provide some offence to this team. They combine for 10 points in 37 games. Add in Perron, and you have 10 points in 46 games.
Amadio, Gregor & Cousins combine for 13 points in 65 games. We need more from this group.

As for the D, 4 goals. Pretty sure that is league worst.
For reference, Morgan Reilly has 4 goals.
We need more offence from the D.

These guys in the bottom 6 need an identity.
At the beginning of the season, we had put together a pretty solid 4th line in:
Cousins-Gaudette-MacEwen

This line obviously was mostly noticeable because Gaudette was putting the puck in the net, but they were also working well as a line and were pushing the play and had a strong forecheck going.
With Gaudette now on the top line and MacEwen in Belleville, we need to find a new 4th line, which in theory, will help to establish a 3rd line and get everyone going.

Greig is best at Centre and is the type of player that needs to know his role.
Put him on the 4th line in the middle with a pest like Cousins and with a speedster like Gregor or maybe a banger like Ostapchuk or maybe even look to put Perron on the 4th line to let him find his game. There are enough options there to re-establish a solid 4th line, which still leaves Pinto and Amadio on the third line. I would like to see them run with Ostapchuk-Pinto-Amadio on the third line as I think that could get Pinto going.

As for the D, the injury to Zub obviously hurts and has affected the pairings. Until he returns, put Jensen with Sanderson and leave JBD with Chabot. Gives both pairings a solid stay-at-home presence and allows for Sanderson & Chabot to jump into the play more. We have been seeing it with Chabot this season but Sanderson needs to find his game, which will translate to more goals from the D. Kleven has a good shot from the point. Try to use that more as well.

My 2 cents.

 

[BoardsofCanada]

One of the misconceptions of our team is that they're loaded with talent. After Stutzle, Tkachuk and Batherson, what is there? Norris is making an admirable come back but he's not a consistent point producer. Giroux is old and Pinto has dropped off the face of the earth (I still believe in him and think he'll bounce back).

On D it's even worse. Chabot, Sandy and Jensen are smooth skaters but they're light-middle weights compared to the bruisers other teams have. Our D doesn't move the puck cleanly enough, they get overpowered and it's in the back of our net.

Our goaltending is average at best and at worst, it is an embarrassment.

We don't have the lineup to compete with the elite teams.

 

[coladin]

Great wrtie up Yak.

I will simplify it a little bit: we need some saves and some secondary scoring.

Ullmark has let in about 15 goals that I would consider bad goals, just 5 in the Philly and Vegas game alone. Goals that went through him. He has been the biggest problem and this team, should be 12-9-3

 

[bicboi64]

Some interesting numbers pre and post Phile game

That damn Michkov, breaking the Ottawa Senators in his rookie season

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Ok I'm having a little trouble understanding this because it seems like you don't have any thoughts about which players in the core shouldn't be here. Norris and Batherson should have been bridged...would mean they'd most likely be UFAs at the end of this season and would have little to no trade value currently. Pinto and Greig are not core pieces. Also, the new GM had well over a year to assess their role in the lineup and decided to keep both.

Sanderson was signed with the blessing of the new ownership group but it still doesn't really change that we drafted him at 5. If someone says the roster was constructed badly, it kinda implies that there we better choices to make. Should we have dumped Sanderson before this season started? Was there someone else at 5 we should have taken?

I don't pretend to have all the answers, we're all musing about potential solutions here. Like the guys that SS sent out the door that people want to try to dunk SS with, it's not like they can be pointed to as a solution, they already tried them, so there's more supporting evidence they weren't going to work than they were. Joseph, Chychrun, Brannstrom, etc. Any names I provide are no guarantee either. It's not as much about which ones shouldn't be there, it's that they're looking too thin, pot committed from contract structures, and numerous guys are essentially over slotted as a result. Stutzle, Tkachuk, _________, Norris, Batherson, Giroux. Now Giroux is old and looking a bit washed needing SS to find a solution there soon too. Norris was the one I meant should have been bridged, in hindsight, sort of how SS was smart enough to do with Pinto this year. It might have left flexibility to make lineup improvements that seem pretty necessary. Maybe that leads to a bigger piece rather than a few smaller ones. Maybe Sanderson falls in that category too even if Dorion had their financial backing. Didn't mean to include Batherson in that. Guys drafted like Pinto and Grieg may not be core players, but they're about the only pieces Dorion left with potential, so there's a lot of pressure for them to be the secondary producers which they haven't been able to do this year. Dorion left nothing of substance behind them up front or on D, which is a big problem they're facing with no real in house options to try. That's the main issue and imo disingenuous to pretend otherwise. For a 7 year rebuilding team, he left them in very poor shape organizationally. On the backend, they obviously need someone that can carry some offensive weight 5on5, so another unfilled role. Sanderson was pegged for that, but he appears not capable, at least not yet, so the makeup of the D as a whole appears flawed. Again, they've been left with little to no assets to try to fill that role internally, or move for other solutions. They're left with scraping the bottom of the barrel like we saw with Addison getting a tryout but not sticking.

The whole problem with the current situation is the lack of ability to pivot because they're barren on movable assets or internal options. He tried to fix the goaltending which was basically the deal of the summer until Ullmark started poorly. I still do that deal every day because Korpisalo was the worst UFA signing yet in Ottawa's history, and Ullmark is improving, likely to level out to his career norms. Belleville and outside have basically nothing. Not sure how you pin that on the guy that took over about 430 days ago and has drafted the only guy in the prospect stable worth his salt. It gets repeated, but the damage Dorion did appears almost unrecoverable from and a rebuild may ultimately be required. You can't get blood from a stone.

This is well and good but Dorion didn't make Staios sign the guys he signed in the offseason, who have contributed next to nothing. He also didn't make him accept less than market value for Chychrun to get Jensen. He also didn't make him hire a coach with a career record under .500, when there were significantly more accomplished coaches out there.

To be honest, I've long known that a large segment of this fanbase would continue to hang this around Dorion's neck until the day comes where the team improves and then suddenly it'll be like presto, the new GMs a wizard. However, there is something so terrible about deferring blame to the last guy and assigning no accountability to the new guy. It'll keep us stuck in mediocrity and unable to criticize the people making the decisions today.

SS can wear some things for this seaons at this point, won't dispute that, Amadio hasn't worked out and Perron has barely played, but yes I'm more forgiving for the guy 1 year in than the guy that ran things in to the ground train wreck style for 7 years as everybody but a select few were calling it. Joseph isn't having a good season either so don't really believe those dunking on Amadio as if Jo was the solution, but can agree maybe other targets would have worked out better. Regardless, SS was left with barely anything to pivot with so had to rely on the UFA market mostly, one that is a hard draw for Ottawa, especially a team mired in a miserable 7 year rebuild. Jensen has been one of the few bright spots, so no issue there. Dorion was the one that once again made a move for a big player with little to contract runway in Chychrun and due for a massive extension and gave up much more than the "loss" in SS's transaction after the fact. It was a sunk cost. I don't have a problem with Green with the underlying numbers being what they were. I know how you feel about that and that's fine, but I do think it matters and he had them humming. Bad goaltending and not getting results can crush a teams momentum.

I don't care what you think about assigning blame, I remember arguing with many here for a long damn time, yourself included, 5+ years really, about Melnyk/Dorion being out to lunch and pointing out a lot of what has led this team here. I waited a f***ing decade to get some semblance of competence and have a reason to actually believe things could get better, so not turning on them yet after one of the worst owner/GM combos in league history. I and many others aren't just going to turn that off and blame the new guys less than 500 days in. It was argued over and over and over and I still feel that he's far more responsible than anything SS has been able to do in his time, and directly affects what he's able to do now. There's a reason a lot of people think the only path forward is a full rebuild, and it's not because of what SS has done in 1 year. We also have that 1st rounder black cloud 100% at Dorion's feet yet to rear its head and muddying the waters on any rebuild path.

 

[Loach]

Nick Paul and Connor Brown were both delt the same year. Did the team lose some of it's identity? Regardless of cap/roll/production. The people. Could that have changed something?

Brady, Stu, Bath, Chabby, Norris where all on that team.

 

[Knave]

There's no belief. No cohesive effort to play a structured team game for an entire game or even say 10 full minutes. Even Stutzle - I can say he's playing very hard, he's skating, he's hitting, he's creating for his teammates and he has a big impact but a lot of it is emotion and I don't feel he's playing particularly structured either.

It really feels like we were starting to get somewhere and then Ullmark laid an egg with that Philadelphia game and all belief in what was being built was destroyed. It's easy to pin it on Ullmark but not everything will go right for a team or a player. The team around Ullmark needed to be more resilient than that. It's not even just that they lost 4 more games. It's that they looked so much worse as a team doing it. It was kind of a "oh yeah, all that stuff was working? I forgot how to do that". Even in our wins it's the same story.

I'm tired and done with this group. I want substantial change.

Trade Tkachuk and Norris in the offseason. Trade Giroux at the deadline. I've seen enough. I don't dislike any of these guys and they all seem nice enough but this core clearly isn't good enough and is a little too comfortable melting down, turning into individuals who happened to be on a team together. Guys who don't trust each other, their goaltending, the system they were playing early on in the season. It's sad to watch.

Staois needs to focus on a much stronger defensive corps and finding 2 more guys who are substantially better than Hamonic, Kleven and JBD. Slot JBD as #6.

Staois bought the koolaid the league, the fans, the media were buying over the past 2 years. Lets hope he understands, adapts and starts making some good decisions.

 

[JackieDaytona]

1. Sens need to stop being little bitch-babies.

2. Sens need to start winning.

3. Related to point 2; Sens need to stop losing.

It’s that easy.

 

[Senscore]

I think they will right the ship but it will be too late.

 

[Answer]

This Team is the like Justice League version with no Batman and Superman. Only Flash and gimmicks

So basically no leadership and Elite-ness

 

[Knave]

I think they will right the ship but it will be too late.

Lol. It's certainly possible and would be on brand for these guys.

 

[LiseL]

Well, that works great since they're saying we're already cooked now, so no pressure

I agree with you but they're only 5 pts back of Boston with 2 games at hand. I think they'll have to go on another 5 game losing streak, i.e., be definitely out of it in their minds before we see them play loosey goosey.

 

[LiseL]

Good post. It's not like all these guys just forgot how to play hockey. Something is obviously amiss with their production that hopefully can be corrected that gets more of them towards their career averages and trajectories. It's like a whole group snake bitten at once. These are all NHLers and like we've seen from other guys bouncing out of here, they probably contribute as normal on other teams just fine. Don't think anyone on this squad is out of the NHL next year other than maybe Hamonic.

It should be noted that the top 6 got a lot of their points on the PP while not very many of the bottom 6 get PP time. Need to compare the 5v5 numbers of the 2 groups to understand how big the divide is. I know the numbers will still not be great, but it would be a fair comparison IMO.

The back-end scoring is atrocious. Because our D can't score, I just wish they'd stop trying to score. Instead, shoot it towards the net for a deflection or rebound, or pass it to a forward who might put it in the net. These D take a shot and the play usually dies at that point: either picked off by an opposing player or caught by the goalie.

 

[LiseL]

For me, and I am going to put goaltending aside for the sake of this response, one of the biggest issues that this team faces is lack of scoring outside of our top 6. We have 75 goals so far this year, which is really good. 59 of those 75 goals comes from our top 6 forwards, which is I think is outstanding.

That's just under 80% of our total goals is coming from the top 6 forwards.
We have 16 goals combined, in 24 games, from our bottom-6 & our D.

We have 12 goals from our bottom-6 and just 4 goals from our D, so far this season.
I have to think that is got to be league worst, or close to, in both categories.

I don't have a quick fix response for this other than to somehow find the right chemistry for Pinto & Greig. These 2 players are the main 2 guys that need to get going and provide some offence to this team. They combine for 10 points in 37 games. Add in Perron, and you have 10 points in 46 games.
Amadio, Gregor & Cousins combine for 13 points in 65 games. We need more from this group.

As for the D, 4 goals. Pretty sure that is league worst.
For reference, Morgan Reilly has 4 goals.
We need more offence from the D.

First off, you're counting all of Gaudette's goals under the top 6 column, he's only been recently put on the 1st line.

Secondly, 21 of those 59 goals are PPG if you include Gaudette in the top 6. Of the bottom 6, Greig only has 1. So that leaves 38 goals scored in 24 games that were not on the PP. So the 12 goals scored by the bottom 6 is almost one third of the amount of the top 6, only 1 of those goals was on the PP. So, 38 goals vs 11 goals. If you subtract Gaudette's goals when he was on the 4th line, the top 6 # comes down, the bottom 6 # goes up.

Now when you compare the salaries of the top 6 vs the bottom 6, and I'm including Perron's $4M as bottom 6 although I think he was supposed to be top 6 before his family situation and Gaudette's performance, what do you know? They make about one third of what the top 6 make.

I guess what I'm trying to say is you get what you pay for.

 

[LiseL]

Anything below 90 points isn’t Responsable playoff predicting but for 92 points (would of got you in last year) Sens have to go 35-23 which they can do, it’s a .605 win percentage which is well within their grasp, the goalies look like they are finally ready, let’s see if Green can get through to all 20 guys on the same night and see a full team win. Need signs of life

Until I start seeing them play the way they did against NYR, Carolina, Philly and most of the 1st Vegas game, this team isn't going anywhere IMO. Right now, I'm seeing a lot of DJ style hockey during long stretches in a game. Mental mistakes galore, no jump in their step to start games or periods, dumb minor penalties & line changes, only start really competing in 3rd period. If they don't smarten up soon, then I don't want to start seeing it after they're officially out of the PO. Give me bottom 5 lottery position instead.

 

[Tuna99]

Until I start seeing them play the way they did against NYR, Carolina, Philly and most of the 1st Vegas game, this team isn't going anywhere IMO. Right now, I'm seeing a lot of DJ style hockey during long stretches in a game. Mental mistakes galore, no jump in their step to start games or periods, dumb minor penalties & line changes, only start really competing in 3rd period. If they don't smarten up soon, then I don't want to start seeing it after they're officially out of the PO. Give me bottom 5 lottery position instead.

It’s frustrating they played so well and seemed to really embrace 3-2 hockey and they just abandoned it, feels like they quit on the system.

Green is really easy on the players, I know you can’t yell and scream but it does feel the dressing room is always so loose it almost seems hard to bring the bad vibes, I think that’s why I liked Jacques Martin last season so much because we know he knows and Jacques knows he knows and he just called the team on its B.S. - Green seems to be have to play nice and it worries me a bit, how much teaching do these guys need? At some point I just want someone in the organization to start yelling - feel these players need John Torterella with a cold coffee right now and not a guy plying teacher with a sharpie. Sometimes showing someone over and over doesn’t work and you have to literally kick them in the ass and it suddenly clicks.

 

[DylanSensFan]

It’s frustrating they played so well and seemed to really embrace 3-2 hockey and they just abandoned it, feels like they quit on the system.

Green is really easy on the players, I know you can’t yell and scream but it does feel the dressing room is always so loose it almost seems hard to bring the bad vibes, I think that’s why I liked Jacques Martin last season so much because we know he knows and Jacques knows he knows and he just called the team on its B.S. - Green seems to be have to play nice and it worries me a bit, how much teaching do these guys need? At some point I just want someone in the organization to start yelling - feel these players need John Torterella with a cold coffee right now and not a guy plying teacher with a sharpie. Sometimes showing someone over and over doesn’t work and you have to literally kick them in the ass and it suddenly clicks.

I feel like Green is honest with them. They just lack pretty much any form of confidence.