Senators Off-Season Discussion 2024 Mega Thread

[Icelevel]

This is much of the same team that finished 26th overall, with the exception of adding a rookie into the top 9. We need to aim higher. I think it's going to take more than simply adding an RHD and a goalie to have this team improve at least 10 spots.

Yeah I get that. It’s not so easy is what I’m saying.
Like who would you be comfortable trading away from that lineup?
The players there are pretty good so it’s not as easy as just signing any old ufa. Which one of those guys can we reasonably find an upgrade for?

 

[jhutter]

Yeah I get that. It’s not so easy is what I’m saying.
Like who would you be comfortable trading away from that lineup?
The players there are pretty good so it’s not as easy as just signing any old ufa. Which one of those guys can we reasonably find an upgrade for?

I'm comfortable trading anyone if it's going to have a positive effect on the team. They're going to have to get crafty with free agents, trading picks and trading roster players to put together a more well-rounded team. Having a head coach that can teach the forwards how to play a more responsible two-way game will also be very beneficial.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

I love it when someone pretends Korpisalo is movable and posts a proposal.

Gives me hope, even if for just a minute, that maybe, just maybe, there's someone out there foolish enough to trade us something that might actually be of some use even if on a terrible deal too.

 

[Loach]

I love it when someone pretends Korpisalo is movable and posts a proposal.

Gives me hope, even if for just a minute, that maybe, just maybe, there's someone out there foolish enough to trade us something that might actually be of some use even if on a terrible deal too.

Are these the same people that think we have lots of money to spend next year?

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Are these the same people that think we have lots of money to spend next year?

Well, could be. If anyone thinks Korpisalo is movable without us seriously taking it on the chin (think Jack Campbell, not Patrick Laine), then I have to assume they are on drugs of some kind.

 

[aragorn]

I love it when someone pretends Korpisalo is movable and posts a proposal.

Gives me hope, even if for just a minute, that maybe, just maybe, there's someone out there foolish enough to trade us something that might actually be of some use even if on a terrible deal too.

Did you say the same thing about Cam Talbot G the yr before? He seems to have rebounded with another team, why couldn't Korpisalo? He's been in the NHL for almost a decade & he is only 30 yrs old which is young for a goalie. The Sens traded Matt Murray to Toronto when most thought they wouldn't be able to trade him. There are plenty of examples of goalies traded from one team where they did poorly to another tream & rebounding.

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

Did you say the same thing about Cam Talbot G the yr before? He seems to have rebounded with another team, why couldn't Korpisalo? He's been in the NHL for almost a decade & he is only 30 yrs old which is young for a goalie. The Sens traded Matt Murray to Toronto when most thought they wouldn't be able to trade him. There are plenty of examples of goalies traded from one team where they did poorly to another tream & rebounding.

I hope you know that was also a joke about being on drugs, so no offence intended. I do think the Laine idea is nuts and not reasonable from Sens perspective, because it's too much long term pain for short term, but that's my own opinion.

I don't think he'll rebound because he's never really been that guy. Talbot and Murray had the benefit of being relatively solid consistently throughout their careers, and having better, longer peaks, whereas Korpisalo got signed off a clear outlier season with his hip surgeries propped up heavily as some golden goose to explain why the rest of his career wasn't indicative of who he really is. Imo, his career tells everyone what they need to know. This year statistically is closer to his career norms than last year with LA was. 4 of the last 5 seasons has him below .900 save %. I don't really get the "bouncing back" idea really at all tbh.

I will fly to Ottawa and dance down the canal naked if they can move this guy without some comparable contract/situation coming back.

 

[Big Muddy]

Less money, $4.7 mil less. They might be able to move Korpisalo to someone else.


Yes, I know all of that, are you thinking he won't be able to play any more or has lost his skillset? He's 26 yrs old.

I was just adding info for people (in general) reading this thread. I wasn’t trying to comment on the trade proposal.

I would imagine he still has the physical skills. I can’t comment on the psychological issues. Whether he’s the type of player Staois would want is another matter. Not much of a book on Staois.

 

[Micklebot]

What do people think the keys are to a successful 2024-25 season?

We've got our coach, whether he's the right guy for the job or not remains to be seen, but it's what we got,

As a team, a lot went wrong out of the gate last year.

We had a bad start, 4-4 in Oct, 4-5 in Nov and a brutal 6-9 in Dec.
- Pinto was suspended
- Chabot missed all but 10 of the first 32 games (Oct - Nov).
- Zub missed a more manageable 7 games, and Brannstrom 5
- Norris was very slow to start, playing tentative, turns out that shoulder still wasn't quite right and he's not had surgery again.
- DJ was fired in Dec,

The rest of the year, we were a 500 team, having said that, January started off with a 5 game losing streak on a western road trip + return to the east against Buf. After that road trip, things were much better playing at a 93 pts pace. We were actually pretty healthy for a while after that road trip. Pinto returned too.

I think a big key to next season will be a strong start, and to achieve that, I think a healthy roster will be key.

I believe we will also need to be more resilient when injuries do hit. Pinto's suspension last season hurt us in that regard, we'd have weathered Norris' start better with him in the lineup, I also think if we can get a top 4 defensive RHD it will help too, an injury to Zub or Sanderson leaves us really thin for defensive minded D given Hamonic's steep decline.

Goaltending; it needs to be better, and the team needs to help them out more. We don't have a vezina candidate in nets and we aren't likely to get one, so we have to do a better job of clearing the front of the net, and letting the goalie see the puck. Korpisalo isn't great, but he did finish strong, well, he finished average, which is strong for him and this team. From Mid Jan to the end of the season, he had a respectable .895 sv%, and in his last 15, he was league average at .898%. That's all we can really ask for from the goalies we have. Forsberg got hurt during that stretch, but was .892 from mid Jan, and also had a league average .898 sv% in his final 15.

I expect us to be betwee 85 and 95 pts next year.

So, grab a RHD, start strong, and stay healthy...oh and goalies got to stop the stopable, skaters need to help them out. That's my keys to 2024-25.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

The only key to a successful season for this current Sens team is a goalie with a save percentage over .905. This year's team probably makes the playoffs with that.

I think Ian Mendes said this team was like 35-2 or something when our goaltenders got a .900 save percentage. We really aren't that far off.

 

[DrEasy]

What do people think the keys are to a successful 2024-25 season?

We've got our coach, whether he's the right guy for the job or not remains to be seen, but it's what we got,

As a team, a lot went wrong out of the gate last year.

We had a bad start, 4-4 in Oct, 4-5 in Nov and a brutal 6-9 in Dec.
- Pinto was suspended
- Chabot missed all but 10 of the first 32 games (Oct - Nov).
- Zub missed a more manageable 7 games, and Brannstrom 5
- Norris was very slow to start, playing tentative, turns out that shoulder still wasn't quite right and he's not had surgery again.
- DJ was fired in Dec,

The rest of the year, we were a 500 team, having said that, January started off with a 5 game losing streak on a western road trip + return to the east against Buf. After that road trip, things were much better playing at a 93 pts pace. We were actually pretty healthy for a while after that road trip. Pinto returned too.

I think a big key to next season will be a strong start, and to achieve that, I think a healthy roster will be key.

I believe we will also need to be more resilient when injuries do hit. Pinto's suspension last season hurt us in that regard, we'd have weathered Norris' start better with him in the lineup, I also think if we can get a top 4 defensive RHD it will help too, an injury to Zub or Sanderson leaves us really thin for defensive minded D given Hamonic's steep decline.

Goaltending; it needs to be better, and the team needs to help them out more. We don't have a vezina candidate in nets and we aren't likely to get one, so we have to do a better job of clearing the front of the net, and letting the goalie see the puck. Korpisalo isn't great, but he did finish strong, well, he finished average, which is strong for him and this team. From Mid Jan to the end of the season, he had a respectable .895 sv%, and in his last 15, he was league average at .898%. That's all we can really ask for from the goalies we have. Forsberg got hurt during that stretch, but was .892 from mid Jan, and also had a league average .898 sv% in his final 15.

I expect us to be betwee 85 and 95 pts next year.

So, grab a RHD, start strong, and stay healthy...oh and goalies got to stop the stopable, skaters need to help them out. That's my keys to 2024-25.

Yes, that's my list as well. We need to replace Tarasenko + Kubalik with at least one forward as well.

 

[Micklebot]

Yes, that's my list as well. We need to replace Tarasenko + Kubalik with at least one forward as well.

I think that forward might be Pinto, Tarasenko and Pinto only played 18 games together, before that Pinto was suspended, afterwards Tank was traded. Oh, and Kubalik was trash....

The only key to a successful season for this current Sens team is a goalie with a save percentage over .905. This year's team probably makes the playoffs with that.

I think Ian Mendes said this team was like 35-2 or something when our goaltenders got a .900 save percentage. We really aren't that far off.

.905 would be above league average, I think the fact that we paced at ~92 pts in the final 43 games with a .892 sv% suggests as a team we can comfortably get by with somewhere around .895-900.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

What do people think the keys are to a successful 2024-25 season?

We've got our coach, whether he's the right guy for the job or not remains to be seen, but it's what we got,

As a team, a lot went wrong out of the gate last year.

We had a bad start, 4-4 in Oct, 4-5 in Nov and a brutal 6-9 in Dec.
- Pinto was suspended
- Chabot missed all but 10 of the first 32 games (Oct - Nov).
- Zub missed a more manageable 7 games, and Brannstrom 5
- Norris was very slow to start, playing tentative, turns out that shoulder still wasn't quite right and he's not had surgery again.
- DJ was fired in Dec,

The rest of the year, we were a 500 team, having said that, January started off with a 5 game losing streak on a western road trip + return to the east against Buf. After that road trip, things were much better playing at a 93 pts pace. We were actually pretty healthy for a while after that road trip. Pinto returned too.

I think a big key to next season will be a strong start, and to achieve that, I think a healthy roster will be key.

I believe we will also need to be more resilient when injuries do hit. Pinto's suspension last season hurt us in that regard, we'd have weathered Norris' start better with him in the lineup, I also think if we can get a top 4 defensive RHD it will help too, an injury to Zub or Sanderson leaves us really thin for defensive minded D given Hamonic's steep decline.

Goaltending; it needs to be better, and the team needs to help them out more. We don't have a vezina candidate in nets and we aren't likely to get one, so we have to do a better job of clearing the front of the net, and letting the goalie see the puck. Korpisalo isn't great, but he did finish strong, well, he finished average, which is strong for him and this team. From Mid Jan to the end of the season, he had a respectable .895 sv%, and in his last 15, he was league average at .898%. That's all we can really ask for from the goalies we have. Forsberg got hurt during that stretch, but was .892 from mid Jan, and also had a league average .898 sv% in his final 15.

I expect us to be betwee 85 and 95 pts next year.

So, grab a RHD, start strong, and stay healthy...oh and goalies got to stop the stopable, skaters need to help them out. That's my keys to 2024-25.

All that seems reasonable but I'd add a caveat. This team is still quite young and inexperienced. We have several players (including our two most important) that could very realistically have a breakout season. If Sanderson and/or Stützle step into their projected prime(s) next year, then I could see the team making a more substantial jump in points. This applies, to a lesser extent, to Greig and Pinto.

But that only applies if the things you mentioned come to fruition. If we go into next season with Chychrun, JBD and Brann as our #2 RD options; Korpi and Forsberg play like they did last year and we come out of camp acting all fat and sassy like we have for the last umpteen years we will have another disastrous season, IMO.

 

[Micklebot]

All that seems reasonable but I'd add a caveat. This team is still quite young and inexperienced. We have several players (including our two most important) that could very realistically have a breakout season. If Sanderson and/or Stützle step into their projected prime(s) next year, then I could see the team making a more substantial jump in points. This applies, to a lesser extent, to Greig and Pinto.

But that only applies if the things you mentioned come to fruition. If we go into next season with Chychrun, JBD and Brann as our #2 RD options; Korpi and Forsberg play like they did last year and we come out of camp acting all fat and sassy like we have for the last umpteen years we will have another disastrous season, IMO.

Stutzleanderson had a down year due to that wrist injury in game 4, if that's fixed up and he's back to the 39g 90pts he had a year earlier, that wouldn't even be a breakout but would still be a huge boost.

I thing between that, Norris not being quite right, and Pinto being suspended for 41, what should have been a huge strength for the team (talent down the middle) became a bit of a liability for the second year in a row. You can't win without good centers (unless you're Boston apparently) and while I think we have some good ones, they weren't playing up to expectations (or weren't available) at the start of the year.

 

[Alf Silfversson]

My to do list:
1. Trade Chychrun. If you can get a decent #4 RD for him you take it. If not take futures and his cap space and walk away.

2. Get a RD who is capable of playing 18+ minutes a night with sound defense. I'd go for someone who closes gaps in the neutral zone and is good positionally. Basically someone who plays defensively like Zub. Demelo, Roy, Hakanpaa would be my preferences. If we strike out with those two and in the trade market I'd look into a cheap option like Gustav Lindstrom or Vincent Desharnais.

3. Try desperately to move one of the goalies and get a cheaper, better keeper. Trade Forsberg for Conor Garland and attach a pick if need be. Then sign a replacement goalie who can play half the games. Lankinen, Stolarz, Brossoit, etc..

4. Get a veteran forward who can PK and has a motor. I'd look into Cogliano.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

If Ullmark won't waive his NTC, the following goalies are UFA's and could be an improvement.

Brossoit (should have signed him last year instead of that idiotic Korpisalo contract)
Stolarz
Nedeljkovic
Lankinen

It's not great, but it's a hell of a lot better than what we have now,

 

[BonHoonLayneCornell]

If Ullmark won't waive his NTC, the following goalies are UFA's and could be an improvement.

Brossoit (should have signed him last year instead of that idiotic Korpisalo contract)
Stolarz
Nedeljkovic
Lankinen

It's not great, but it's a hell of a lot better than what we have now,

Lets get Silovs back lol.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Sanderson had a down year due to that wrist injury in game 4, if that's fixed up and he's back to the 39g 90pts he had a year earlier, that wouldn't even be a breakout but would still be a huge boost.

I thing between that, Norris not being quite right, and Pinto being suspended for 41, what should have been a huge strength for the team (talent down the middle) became a bit of a liability for the second year in a row. You can't win without good centers (unless you're Boston apparently) and while I think we have some good ones, they weren't playing up to expectations (or weren't available) at the start of the year.

Think you mean Stutzle not Sanderson.

 

[Micklebot]

Think you mean Stutzle not Sanderson.

I did

 

[Beech]

What do people think the keys are to a successful 2024-25 season?
-------------

I expect us to be between 85 and 95 pts next year.

So, grab a RHD, start strong, and stay healthy...oh and goalies got to stop the stoppable, skaters need to help them out. That's my keys to 2024-25.

if between 85 and 92-93, the team will most likely miss the playoffs... again. And the consequences will be:
1) a draft pick in the 12-17 zone... the "trade winds", not very likely to yield a game changer
2) Fan anger will now erupt to Mount Vesuvius levels. This years' 17560 will become 16000. Michael A. will lose another large chunk of cash.
3) Claude G. will be 37 and end of contract. Now what?
4) the 6-7 building blocks will be a year older, a year more damaged and a year more antsy.
5) Chyc. is probably gone. Possibly for free as an FA.
6) Shane P. will hit you with "show me the money".
7) Klevin will echo Shane's remarks
8) Ridley C. will sing back up to Pinto and Klevin...Same song though
9) Mark Sutcliff will be in year 3 and has a campaign to prepare.. What was Mayor Watson's line? "you better not cost me the elections".
10) The Travis Green "I told you so" army. Will be have acquired nuclear weaponry and be on the cusp of launching.

Mick.. next year HAD BETTER BE 94 AND UP.

anything less than a 42-30-10 could mean big problems. That is 5 extra regulation wins, 11 less regulation losses and a shift of 6 results into the OTL column. A 16 point increase, or about a a 16% or 17% increase over this year.

Travis Green and Steve Staios had better be able to shit a rabbit out of their asses.

 

[Micklebot]

if between 85 and 92-93, the team will most likely miss the playoffs... again. And the consequences will be:
1) a draft pick in the 12-17 zone... the "trade winds", not very likely to yield a game changer
2) Fan anger will now erupt to Mount Vesuvius levels. This years' 17560 will become 16000. Michael A. will lose another large chunk of cash.
3) Claude G. will be 37 and end of contract. Now what?
4) the 6-7 building blocks will be a year older, a year more damaged and a year more antsy.
5) Chyc. is probably gone. Possibly for free as an FA.
6) Shane P. will hit you with "show me the money".
7) Klevin will echo Shane's remarks
8) Ridley C. will sing back up to Pinto and Klevin...Same song though
9) Mark Sutcliff will be in year 3 and has a campaign to prepare.. What was Mayor Watson's line? "you better not cost me the elections".
10) The Travis Green "I told you so" army. Will be have acquired nuclear weaponry and be on the cusp of launching.

Mick.. next year HAD BETTER BE 94 AND UP.

anything less than a 42-30-10 could mean big problems. That is 5 extra regulation wins, 11 less regulation losses and a shift of 6 results into the OTL column. A 16 point increase, or about a a 16% or 17% increase over this year.

Travis Green and Steve Staios had better be able to shit a rabbit out of their asses.

I'm a realist, the roster can only change so quickly, and we are kind of locked into subpar goaltending. This offseason could change my mind, but I'm not going to assume we fix everything all at once.

If we do manage to land a night RHD like Pesce, flip Chychrun for Ulmark, flip Brannstrom and JBD out for a Tanev and add a middle six winger and stay healthy next year within reason, then my expectations will adjust accordingly. But I don't think that's realistic expectations. The past is the past, you can't change that and you can't let it prevent you from making the right moves today.

 

[JD1]

Some interesting stats about our Sens in this article

Ramblings: Updates on Bennett and Drouin; Reviewing Ottawa's Season and Korpisalo, Tkachuk, Stützle, Chychrun, Chabot, and More - May 9

Travis Green was introduced as the new coach for Ottawa on Wednesday. I wrote about his time in Vancouver and why he could be good for the top Senators skaters in the fantasy game. It is a very interesting offseason ahead in Ottawa and, by happenstance, I wrote about their 2023-24

dobberhockey.com

 

[HoweHullOrr]

The only key to a successful season for this current Sens team is a goalie with a save percentage over .905. This year's team probably makes the playoffs with that.

I think Ian Mendes said this team was like 35-2 or something when our goaltenders got a .900 save percentage. We really aren't that far off.

Hope you’re right.

If you look at the 2021-22 season, we were the 26th place team (7th worst).

Yet, we had the 22nd best goaltending based on GA/G.

We were also ranked 15th overall based on save percentage which was .909.

NHL Standings 2021-2022

NHL Standings 2021-2022, Wild Card, Division and Conference splits. View NHL Standings between any two dates or filter standings by home / road games.

www.quanthockey.com

2021-22 NHL Team Goaltending Stat Leaders - ESPN

ESPN is the place for NHL stats! Find a list of the Goaltending team stat leaders for the 2021-22 NHL Regular Season.

www.espn.com

2021-22 NHL Team Goaltending Stat Leaders - ESPN

ESPN is the place for NHL stats! Find a list of the Goaltending team stat leaders for the 2021-22 NHL Regular Season.

www.espn.com

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Some interesting stats about our Sens in this article

Ramblings: Updates on Bennett and Drouin; Reviewing Ottawa's Season and Korpisalo, Tkachuk, Stützle, Chychrun, Chabot, and More - May 9

Travis Green was introduced as the new coach for Ottawa on Wednesday. I wrote about his time in Vancouver and why he could be good for the top Senators skaters in the fantasy game. It is a very interesting offseason ahead in Ottawa and, by happenstance, I wrote about their 2023-24

dobberhockey.com

Cool. Buy Hamonic out and take on the 300k cap penalty for the next two years. No use of keeping him around, especially considering how much Green likes him.

 

[bicboi64]

Cool. Buy Hamonic out and take on the 300k cap penalty for the next two years. No use of keeping him around, especially considering how much Green likes him.

Didn't even think about this. Too lazy to look up how much Green played him in Vancouver, but I'd rather remove any risk of having to see Hamonic on the opening night lineup and just have him bought out (and hopefully he signs with the leafs who expect him to be a top 4 RD)