The Ottawa Senators have started the year with a 2-1-0 record through the first week after kicking things off to a loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. Still, they bounced back and took the first two games of their five-game homestand and defeated the Philadelphia Flyers and Tampa Bay Lightning, each game with a score of 5-2. With plenty of individual success stories and a pair of wins, here are your 20 Thoughts on 20 Spots Weekly Update.
Forward Line 1
Tkachuk-Stutzle-Giroux
1. Tim Stutzle has had an interesting start to the season. Three games in and he is sitting at a point-per-game with a pair of goals and an assist. What more could you ask for? Well, he was pretty quiet in his first game, but that is water under the bridge. In the Oct. 15 game against the Lightning, Stutzle was the center of conversations when it came to officiating and penalties yet again. In prior seasons, he had been accused of being a diver and embellishing calls. That is a reputation that can stick with a person and his relationship with referees is fragile, to say the least. There were some egregious non-calls against Tampa, and that was followed up by a very weak roughing call against him. He has a reaction each time, and while the conversation around a referee’s judgment when making calls is an entirely different subject to cover, things are going to have to change with Stutzle and the officials.
Subscribe to our FREE Senators email and never miss the latest from The Hockey Writers!
2. Brady Tkachuk was a force to be reckoned with on opening weekend. With two goals in each of the Senators’ victories, he is up to five points in three games. He has been playing physical, disciplined hockey and has been a nuisance in front of the opposition’s goaltender. He is playing the exact style of hockey fans look for from him, and taking it to another level.
3. Claude Giroux has a trio of assists to go along with his three games and has been making some excellent plays. His efforts in the corner have resulted in some great looks for the Senators, but none top his assist on Tkachuk’s goal against the Lightning. He is able to win so many battles, get the puck in the right area, and contribute.
Defensive Pair 1
Chabot-Chychrun
4. Thomas Chabot has struggled to start the season. To the surprise of many, he is at a point-per-game pace at this early point in the season, but his defensive efforts need to be better. He is getting beat on too many rushes and allowing too-large gaps while defending. He has recently transitioned to the right side, which is new for him. There is an adjustment period. Some of the lapses can be directed to his shift in sides, but others have nothing to do with it. It hasn’t been bad enough to be problematic yet, but if it continues it certainly could.
Latest News & Highlights
5. Jakob Chychrun kicked off the home opener against the Flyers with a pair of electrifying goals in the first period and followed it up with an assist later in the game and another against the Lightning. He earned the Sens’ first player of the game and that was undoubtedly the right call. The level of emotion he showed when talking about his experience in his first Senators home opener was touching and he reflected his love for the team and city on the ice. He has been one of the best players for the team and has been a huge factor so far.
Forward Line 2
Joseph-Greig-Tarasenko
6. Ridly Greig is fitting right in on the second line. With a pair of assists so far, the chemistry this line is developing could be a huge factor in success for all three of them. Centering the line, Greig has been playing a strong two-way game and putting his gritty style on display. While he only has three hits recorded, he finishes every play with a light bump in an effort to grind down the opponent shift by shift. He has made some very smart plays on both ends of the ice and is proving that time in the American Hockey League (AHL) should be out of the question. He belongs in Ottawa.
7. The overreaction to Vladimir Tarasenko having an unproductive preseason and first game as a Senator has been put to rest. With a goal and three assists, his production has been great. He has fit in very well on this line and despite three wildcards forming the second line, it has been working wonders.
8. Mathieu Joseph was at the center of trade speculation to make cap space for Shane Pinto, but that has very quickly turned around into him being a valuable asset to the team. After a lot of struggles in 2022-23, Joseph has bounced back very well so far this season. Three points so far are great and all, but the biggest thing is that two of those points are even-strength goals. He finished last season with no even-strength goals in 55 games. His speed was always great, but now that he is producing again, along with a strong defensive side of the game, he deserves to stick around.
Defensive Pair 2
Sanderson-Zub
9. Jake Sanderson saw people were saying his new contract extension was an overpay and that it was too early, entered the season, and started taking over the ice. This second pair will quickly become the top pair if it hasn’t already. The majority of their shifts against the Lightning were against the top line and they did a phenomenal job of shutting the play down. Sanderson is pushing for the top defenseman job and is approaching it quickly. His skating, defending, and vision of the ice are all elite.
10. Artem Zub is an excellent complementary player alongside Sanderson. Their playstyles are somewhat similar, but they both have trust in one another to play that style of game. The only issue with Zub so far is that he is taking unnecessary minor penalties. When he gets beat, he resorts to a hook or hold, which in certain situations can be the right move, but he just needs to be a bit better with his discipline and those split-second decisions.
Goaltending Duo
Korpisalo & Forsberg
11. Joonas Korpisalo has started two of the three games so far. His opener against the Hurricanes was rough on his stats, especially in the third period, but he faced 42 shots and the Hurricanes took over the later half of the game. Defensive lapses didn’t help him here, but he also let in some goals that should have been easy saves. It is fair to assume a starting goalie in Game 1 of the season with a new team will get the jitters, and he bounced back well against the Lightning with 22 saves on 24 shots. The cherry on top is that he is top-147 in league scoring with an assist on Stutzle’s empty-netter.
Related: Daniel Alfredsson’s Future Could Include NHL Coaching One Day
12. Anton Forsberg got the nod in the home opener, but he wasn’t tested a ton in the early parts of the game and only faced 21 shots all night. He looked good, saving 19 of them, but the biggest worry was how he was going to bounce back after his dual-MCL injury last season. One game is not enough to build an opinion on, but he looked solid.
Forward Line 3
Kubalik-Chartier-Batherson
13. Drake Batherson has yet to record a point, but his play has been better than the point column indicates. His skating looks significantly better than last season, he has been great in the transition, but just hasn’t found his way onto the scoresheet. It is far too early to be concerned about it, especially after his dominant preseason showings.
14. Like Batherson, Dominik Kubalik is also pointless and has been relatively invisible through the first three games. The conversation about clearing cap space has started shifting to Kubalik’s name. While he hasn’t been notably bad, he is a streaky player as it is, so once he gets going, things may change for the better.
15. Rourke Chartier has been a pleasant surprise. He wasn’t in the mix to make the roster ahead of the season, but he has been a great depth center for the club. He has been good defensively, willing to block shots and play gritty around the perimeter. The only gripe against him would be the lack of offense, but that isn’t something that is particularly expected of him.
Defensive Pair 3
Brannstrom-Hamonic
16. Erik Brannstrom has been an excellent player on the bottom pair. He is great under pressure and can move the puck when pressed in his own end. It is nothing new, but in front of the net he still struggles to get position. Other than that, he has been doing a good job in his role, despite limited minutes.
17. Travis Hamonic, like Brannstrom, is in a very limited role. He hasn’t been a huge stand out positively or negatively, but has been just fine. There were a few plays where he lost his man, but if you break down every player’s game, it always has those moments.
Forward Line 4
Kelly-Kastelic-MacEwen
18. Zack MacEwen has been fitting in well. This fourth line as a whole hasn’t been stellar, but based on the expectations that MacEwen has entering the season, he has surpassed them. He has brought the energy and physicality the team was looking for as an Austin Watson replacement, and while he isn’t expected to contribute much offensively, he could be better in his own end.
19. Mark Kastelic hasn’t lived up to the expectations he earned from his play last season. He hasn’t brought much of anything, outside of a few physical shifts against the Flyers. Once Pinto and Josh Norris make their way back into the lineup, Kastelic’s job could be at risk.
20. Parker Kelly has come into 2023-24 flying. With two points already, he is halfway to last season’s total in points. He has been a strong penalty killer and a positive presence at the bottom of the lineup.
Extra Thoughts on Extra Spots
Pinto is still without a contract, and while it is safe to assume there is a ton of work going on behind the scenes, the public hasn’t heard too much about the state of this negotiation.
As for Norris, he is still listed as day-to-day and could be installed into the lineup at any time, but he doesn’t have the approval from team doctors.
While three games isn’t a huge span to base players on, it is all we have through Week 1. It has been a successful week for the club, and with three more home games in a row, the Senators can get ahead of the November woes and get a good start on their playoff push early in the season.