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The NHL season is 10% complete for all 32 franchises at the time of writing this blog, on Halloween 2024. The Ottawa Senators are through their first series of games under new head coach Travis Green, and have started the season with a winning record through 9 games contested.
Here are my 10 thoughts through the first part of the season
1. Good Goaltending, Good Results
The Senators made the smart move this summer under GM Steve Staios and fleeced the Boston Bruins into getting 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark, and signing him to a contract extension early in the season for Joonas Korpisalo after one year in Ottawa and Mark Kastelic. Giving up the Bruins' first round back in Boston College center Dean Letourneau may come back to hurt the Senators' prospect pool, but Ullmark has held firm when in net.
Despite the injury, Ullmark has over a 0.900 winning percentage in the crease, but has yet to record a shutout.
2. Claude Giroux is Fighting for His Pay
Giroux headlines the pending UFA class for the Senators as a potential departure in 2025. Through 9 games, he has had points in the last 7 in a row. Giroux has recorded 5 goals and 6 assists. He currently makes $6.5M on the salary cap, but $5.5M in cash this year. After getting his car stolen in preseason and being a pending free agent, these types of veteran players tend to put everything they have into a season or be shipped off for future assets. Some retire, but the local Giroux is not looking like he is ready to hang up the skates anytime soon.
3. The Numbers Matter
The Ottawa Senators are 4-1-0 at home, with 25 goals for and 16 goals against. Two of the games they scored 8 in front of the fans. This is a strong start for Green to get the best matchups and showcase the young core in front of the hungry crowd.
42.9% is the power play percentage for the Senators. This is the second best power play in the league, only behind the first place in the league standings' Winnipeg Jets. Strong powerplays go a long way in the regular season. Special teams can push teams into the postseason.
For October, the Senators are 5-4-0 with a +7 in goal differential.
4. Struggling Depth
It has only be recently that the Ottawa depth has been getting onto the scoreboard. The defense is still invincible, but Mike Amadio, Nick Cousins, and Noah Gregor have only started scoring the last couple of games. David Perron, who is on leave, has yet to score.
Four of the seven defenders have one point or less in 9 games. Only Sanderson and Chabot have recorded a goal.
5. Tim Stutzle is Legit
The potential steal of the 2020 NHL Draft, thanks to Erik Karlsson, has burst out of the gates with 14 points in 9 games to start 2024-25. Stutzle is finding the back of the net, and is dishing the biscuit to his linemates to get the apples as well. His long term deal is exponentially increasing toward it being an early sweetheart deal, and still has 6 years remaining on the contract. Great work by Pierre Dorion to get ahead of his best young players early.
6. Brady Being Brady
Brady Tkachuk is the only Sens' skater with double digit penalty minutes. Him nearly having a brawl with Jordan Binnington was popcorn worthy entertainment on television. Tkachuk is right behind Stutzle in the points' race on his team.
Tkachuk also leads Ottawa in goals with 6, but 4 of them came on the powerplay. Yes, goals are goals, but so few results are on even strength.
His Halloween costume for Anchorman and paying homage to Will Ferrell is also fun content on Instagram.
7. Sanderson Showing His Stuff
Jake Sanderson has emerged as the top quarterback on the Ottawa powerplay, and leads defensemen in scoring with 8 points in 9 games. The second first rounder from 2020 is still on his first big ticket contract through 2032 to remain with the Senators' organization. With Chabot never playing a full NHL season, this is great scouting by the brass to have two elite left hand shotting defenders locked up with term on the roster.
8. Josh Norris Returning to Form?
After several injury rattled seasons, Norris has started the campaign with 8 points in 9 games for the Senators. 5 of his 8 points are on even strength. He does have a game wining goal, but is the highest scoring forward with a minus through the early part of the year.
9. Drake Batherson is Brutally Underrated
Batherson is legit. A steal in the draft being a fourth rounder from 2017. Teams passed on him 3 or 4 times each. Some teams, more.
In the early sprint, the former QMJHLer has 9 points in his previous 5 skated games, and 12 points overall.
10. The Injury Bug
Shane Pinto, Artem Zub, and David Perron are currently out of the lineup. Linus Ullmark has already missed games. With being a club so close to the ceiling, they need to keep playing with the cap if they are looking to buy assets at the deadline. Every team has their hurdles, and the money locked into the core is an early issue with the current structure. It will give them way in the future.
What are your thoughts on the 2024-2025 Ottawa Senators?
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